To the south of the West Hall, there is a lake.
In the center of the lake, there is a giant peach tree.
There, the materials needed to build an arena can be found.
...
"The West Hall can't connect to the human world either?"
As they left Bao Yan's house and headed towards their destination, Jiang Lin asked.
Before they departed, Bao Yan suddenly suggested researching the live stream lens.
He wanted to know how the live stream orb managed to connect the underworld and the human world.
And how it was 'networked'.
After all, this was something even the West Hall couldn't achieve.
The moment ghost artifacts were mentioned, Bao Yan seemed to transform into a different ghost.
Excited and focused.
Jiang Lin didn't know the operational principles of the live stream orb either, so he couldn't answer.
When he left, he did leave a live stream orb for Bao Yan.
However,
Whether Bao Yan could see or touch the live stream orb was another question.
"Yes, phones and such become useless once brought to the underworld."
A Rui, following beside him, nodded and replied, "The West Hall has conducted extensive research and hasn't been able to connect the underworld to the internet."
"Since your live stream appeared, my master has been wondering how you manage to broadcast from the underworld."
Speaking of this, she paused and said,
"My master even found an opportunity to ask Lord Zhong Kui from the South Hall, but your methods of transmission are different, so Lord Zhong Kui couldn't offer an explanation either."
This was also known as an unsolved mystery of the underworld.
Many things in the West Hall were more advanced than in the human world, and ghosts lived longer.
The materials they possessed were definitely the most abundant among the four halls.
Yet, even so, they still hadn't figured it out.
Many things between the human world and the underworld couldn't be fully connected.
This was also why, despite the West Hall's development to its current state, they still had to use mother-child echo stones to view Jiang Lin's live stream.
"My master has been muttering about whether something is missing in the underworld," A Rui said.
What was missing? Or what factors were influencing it?
Bao Yan didn't know.
"Perhaps..."
Jiang Lin looked at the live stream orb in his sleeve, feeling a bit curious about how the system managed it.
He had initially thought only the East and South Halls were like this, but he hadn't expected that the West Hall, with its advanced ghost artifacts and rich resources, would have such limitations.
The rest of the journey was silent.
Seeing the young girl looking a bit nervous, Jiang Lin thought for a moment and initiated a topic.
"How did you and your master meet?"
"Oh, that..."
A Rui's eyes lit up. This was something she could talk a lot about.
She led Jiang Lin through several teleportation arrays, and they arrived on a mountain peak.
"My first meeting with my master was right here."
"Don't let my master's usual unreliability fool you; when it comes to ghost artifacts, he's quite trustworthy."
"Before, when he went out to find materials himself, he encountered an evil spirit causing trouble, and he almost died. But he still remembered to pack the materials first."
A Rui blinked her eyes. It seemed that from the first time she saw her master,
Her master had already had that goofy demeanor.
"Then I pulled him and asked if he didn't want to live?"
Unexpectedly, he was still running while reaching back to grab her.
In such a critical situation, he even had the leisure to ask her, 'Do you want to come back with me?'
'There are so many ghosts living here, but only you worry if I'll die.'
'I, I don't know how to do many things. Without you, I will die.'
...
"At that time, I thought he was some ghost trafficker from somewhere, hahaha..."
A Rui chuckled midway, then quickly closed her mouth.
She wondered if she was laughing too ungracefully.
Quickly changing the subject, "Look, it's just ahead."
A Rui pointed towards the center of the lake, where a giant peach tree stood.
Its branches were lush and spread out, nearly as large as half a football field.
Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, its reflection rippled on the lake's surface.
Many birds flying by would briefly perch on the tree.
After resting enough, they would take flight again.
The scene was like a painting, serene and beautiful.
"This is also a major tourist area in the human world, but usually, ships are prohibited from passing through the lake. They can only watch from afar within the surrounding fences."
"No one knows how long Grandpa Peach Tree has lived here, but he hasn't borne fruit in a long time, and most of the time he's asleep."
A Rui explained as she led Jiang Lin towards the center of the lake.
Jiang Lin slowed his pace and arrived above the lake with A Rui, watching as she took out a token.
A moment later, the branches of the peach tree below stirred.
A Rui's face lit up, and she put away the token. "Lord Jiang Wuchang, let's go down."
Up close, one could feel the immensity of the tree even more.
Marveling at the traces of time that had flowed over it.
"Grandpa Peach Tree, we're just here to pick up some stones and then we'll leave."
A Rui touched the giant trunk of the peach tree and then looked at Jiang Lin.
"Lord Jiang Wuchang, please be careful."
The material Bao Yan mentioned was located beneath the peach tree.
Beneath the lake, the peach tree's brown branches were thick and long.
They were directly rooted into the lakebed.
It was impossible to tell how long they extended.
As Jiang Lin entered the water, his ghost energy surrounded him, and the lake water automatically parted.
Just as he was about to move further down, he suddenly sensed something rapidly approaching.
As Jiang Lin was about to act, a brown wooden strip lashed out first.
Ahead, the water rippled.
Jiang Lin felt a sense of vigilance; the brown wooden strip gave him a feeling of greater pressure than the unknown object from before.
However, the brown wooden strip didn't attack. Instead, it reached deep into the dark lakebed, grabbed a large, smooth-edged stone, and threw it over.
The wooden strip bent slightly and pointed upwards.
At that very moment, Jiang Lin heard A Rui's surprised voice from above:
"Grandpa Peach Tree, you're awake?!"
Another aged voice slowly said, "It's A Rui, how long have I been asleep?"
"Fifty years, Grandpa Peach Tree."
"Fifty years... then have you waited for that person?"
Jiang Lin put the stone into his storage bag and moved, emerging from the lake.
He heard A Rui say curiously, "Grandpa Peach Tree, you've misremembered. I haven't waited for anyone."
Seeing Jiang Lin emerge, she quickly asked, "Lord Jiang Wuchang, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, and I've got the materials."
Jiang Lin looked at the peach tree.
Unlike when they first arrived, human features appeared on the giant peach tree.
Eyes, a nose, a mouth.
He couldn't discern the strength of this peach tree for a moment.
"Thank you."
"Just a stone. Heh heh~"
The peach tree slowly opened its mouth, swayed its branches, and looked around.
"A lot has changed here..."
"Of course. The human world is so much fun now. Grandpa Peach Tree, you can take a good look."
A Rui chimed in, her little mouth babbling.
"The most fun thing they have is something called a mobile phone. It has everything inside."
"You can chat, enjoy delicious food, and even watch many people dance and tell stories anytime... it's a must-have for staying home!"
The peach tree chuckled, "Heh heh~ It sounds quite fun."
Afterward, A Rui chatted with the peach tree for a few more sentences, then took Jiang Lin and left.
"Grandpa Peach Tree, I'll come see you again next time. We have to go back and make ghost artifacts now~"
Master said that the materials brought by Lord Jiang Wuchang needed to be made quickly.
...
Watching the two ghosts depart, the entire lake became quiet again.
A gentle breeze blew.
The peach tree suddenly raised its eyes, "Still not coming out?"