King Ginseng

At this moment, the girl had stood up fully, her body only covered by flowers and leaves, but upon closer inspection, these flora formed a sparkling long dress with patterns and motifs, exuding a certain charisma.

The girl shook her head: "That's not right, there's no path leading up to Moon Lagoon's peak. The cliffs are treacherous, sheer. Even if you were an ibex, you couldn't climb up here. I've lived over thirty years and aside from King Ginseng, I've never seen anyone else make it up here."

Ah, this flower is just over thirty years old, about the same age as me. I've been overthinking this.

Seeing that this flower was sensible, capable of thinking ahead, and not foolish like that snake, he decided it was no use lying anymore, and that it would be pointless to continue. Thus, he confessed the truth that he, along with a girl who could use doll magic, rode an eagle up here, wanting to consult King Ginseng about the snake's third leg.

The girl covered her mouth, giggling: "Hee hee, I know of that snake too. I've never seen anyone as silly as him, but still, he doesn't look too bad, it's just that extra leg makes him too shy to meet anyone."

Feeling relieved to find someone who knew about his quest, Dominic said: "Yes, I feel sorry for him too, so I wanted to find King Ginseng to see if there's a way to help him."

"Where is King Ginseng now?"

"He's asleep over there." He then explained to the girl how after eating a pot of soup, the ginseng had just fallen asleep.

The girl laughed again: "A full belly leads to a long sleep, no wonder he lives so long." Then she said: "Lead me to him, will you?"

On the way, Dominic asked: "What's your name?"

"My name is Leanne."

"And that white flower earlier, is it also called a Leanne?"

"No, that's a Maiden flower. Leanne is just a name I gave myself."

He wanted to ask further what the name Leanne meant and why she liked it, but by then, they had arrived where King Ginseng was sleeping, yet Aurora was nowhere to be seen.

Dominic looked around in search but found no sign of her. Seeing his urgency, Leanne asked: "What's the matter?"

He quickly explained that the girl who came with him was missing, and then he put his hands to his mouth and loudly called out for Aurora.

Leanne reassured him: "Don't worry too much. Although Moon Lagoon's peak is inaccessible, once you've made it up here, there's nothing to fear. I've been here for many years and have never seen anything dangerous around."

Despite Leanne's reassurance, Dominic couldn't help but worry. Aurora was just an ordinary person, moreover, a girl with no physical strength. She had brought him here tonight to help with his quest, and if anything happened to her, he would deeply regret it. He turned to Leanne again, asking: "Are you sure there aren't any demons, ghosts, or large carnivorous animals here?"

Leanne shook her head, then suddenly remembered something: "Ah…"

Dominic looked a bit pale: "What do you mean by 'ah'?"

"Um, actually, there's only been one spirit fox around here recently, but usually, I just see it wandering around teasing the flowers, admiring the moon, not showing any aggression."

"Hold on, you said there's no one at the top of Moon Lagoon, so what does it mean by teasing the flowers and admiring the moon? What does it eat every day?"

"Teasing the flowers and admiring the moon means it takes a stroll during the day, stops to look at any beautiful flower, sniffs them closely, and at night, if there's a bright moon, it dances under the moon, absorbing the moon's essence to cultivate. As for what it eats daily, I have no idea."

Dominic looked up at the sky; tonight is the sixteenth, the moon is full and bright, so it's normal for the fox to come out and admire the moon. If it happens to come across Aurora here then...

"Is it a male or female fox? Can it transform into a human form?"

"It's a male fox, and sometimes I see it transform into a human form, a very slender man but not very respectable looking."

Hearing this, Dominic was both relieved and worried; relieved because if the fox in its human form is slender, it won't harm Aurora in a male-female manner, but worried about what strange things the fox might do.

"Do you know where its den is?"

"I don't know, but I usually see it coming from the back of Moon Lagoon here, and then it goes back in that direction."

"Lead the way."

Leanne stepped on a pile of leaves, and the leaves moved like a carpet, transporting her forward. Just as she was about to follow Leanne, Dominic suddenly remembered something and shouted: "Wait!"

Leanne stopped, turned around to look at him: "What is it?"

Dominic pointed to King Ginseng lying asleep: "Is it okay to leave him sleeping here alone?"

"Are you worried about him? Who could harm him?"

"No, a long night is full of dreams. Aurora is missing, and if we lose him too, it's like pouring water into the river. We must take him with us." Saying this, he lifted the ginseng onto his shoulder and turned to Leanne: "Let's go."

Leanne was carried smoothly and ethereally by the leaf carpet, and Dominic ran after her, then asked: "Hey, this way of moving, can I hitch a ride?"

Leanne turned back and replied: "Try jumping on, I've never let anyone ride like this."

Dominic jumped onto the leaf carpet, his feet sinking a bit, a bit wobbly because of carrying King Ginseng, but he regained his balance, leaning slightly forward to stand firmly. It felt strange, like gliding on water.

The wind brushed against his face, and in a moment, they were in front of a cave, light emitting from inside. He heard Aurora's voice coming from inside, vaguely hearing something unclear. But no matter, as long as he could hear Aurora's voice, he didn't hesitate anymore, he quickly put down the ginseng from his shoulder, jumped off the leaf carpet, and rushed inside.

He swung his sword, leaped through the cave entrance, shouting for Aurora, only to be shocked by the scene before him, freezing in place, his sword hanging loosely, his mouth twisted, and his face turned very ugly.

Before him, Aurora was sitting, teaching a man with a powdered face... how to apply makeup!

...

Everyone sat around the stone table in front of the cave, Aurora giggling behind her hand at the thought of Dominic's recent fierce appearance: "Sorry for making you worry."

Dominic waved it off: "As long as you're safe." Then he turned to vent his frustration on the man for appearing to enjoy the act of makeup, typically a woman's pursuit: "And you, a grown man, why indulge in women's makeup?"

The man replied in a languid tone: "I was born with a love for beauty, what can I do about it?"

After the greetings, everyone introduced themselves, the sly fox named Sheldon!

Following the introductions, Dominic, looking at King Ginseng still snoring away, wondered aloud: "When will he wake up?"

Sheldon smirked slightly: "That's easy, I can help."

"How so?"

"King Ginseng likes the smell of food, so conversely, he detests foul odors. After a meal, he can sleep for days, but a bad smell wakes him up immediately."

"Where do we find a foul odor?"

Sheldon chuckled: "Just cover your noses."

Dominic suddenly remembered he was in front of a skunk, and exclaimed in horror: "Wait, you don't mean..."

Before he could finish, Sheldon leaned over and released a burst of gas, a potent stench filling the air. Dominic, Aurora, and Leanne covered their noses and scattered in all directions.

Poor King Ginseng, asleep, could do nothing but lie there and take in the full brunt of Sheldon's emission.

Aurora, having run a distance away, fanned the air trying to dissipate the smell while telling everyone: "This secret, we take it to our graves."

King Ginseng on the ground suddenly started coughing violently, then clumsily got up, panting heavily as if he was about to suffocate.

Seeing this, Leanne quickly waved her hand, summoning vines that formed a fan, swiftly dispersing the foul odor and restoring the fresh air.

Dominic rushed to support King Ginseng, who whispered: "I was about to suffocate."

He fanned the old man, reassuring him: "It's nothing, you just ate too much and fell into a deep sleep, having a bit of a nightmare, that's all. You'll be fine now."

King Ginseng still dazed, asked: "Was that a nightmare? I felt like Emperor Audience was sitting on my face."

Emperor Audience is an ancient divine beast, capable of hearing everything in the human world, but its large size meant it emitted a less than pleasant smell.

Dominic comforted him: "Yes, just a nightmare. It's all over now."