Although Yun Ge found the Candylord untrustworthy, judging from the Candylord's confident demeanor and the obedience the crowd had just shown him, the Candylord was indeed the absolute leader here. Moreover, these women who had become sacrificial offerings indeed had reasons to resent Candy Town and the qualifications to seek justice for their misfortunes.

  Thus, it was understandable that they were willing to join the Candylord in seeking opportunities for revenge. After all, sometimes the enemy of one's enemy is a friend. Only by uniting all forces that can be united do we have a chance to defeat that powerful opponent.

  Thinking of this, Yun Ge temporarily put aside his wariness of the Candylord and instead asked, "So, have you found any way to return to the upper forest to deal with Rainbow Bear during the past time?"

  The Candylord shook his head helplessly, "Due to some unknown reason, the candies I made with the original formula have lost their effectiveness in resisting the fog for a long time. Now, let alone the villagers here, even I can't last long in the upper Lost Woods."

  "Unless we can find that special sweetaurum flower. Otherwise, no matter how hard we try, we still won't have a chance to return to the upper Lost Woods. If we don't even have the ability to stay in the upper forest, how can we think of ways to deal with Rainbow Bear?"

  "What is this special sweetaurum flower?" Yun Ge asked curiously.

  The Candylord first looked at Yun Ge with a meaningful gaze, then said, "This special sweetaurum flower is called the bloody sweetaurum flower. Whether you believe it or not, I indeed learned of the existence of this flower during a cultivation session when I entered a trance, guided by that familiar voice."

  "According to the voice's guidance, as long as we can enter the Icy Abyss, we will have a chance to find an extremely precious bloody sweetaurum flower. With this flower, we can make a special candy that will allow us to never suffer from the fog's invasion again!"

  The Candylord said with some excitement, "Of course, for me, this bloody sweetaurum flower has another benefit. That is, if I can make a potion from the flower's roots and take it, I can cure the injuries in my body.”

  “When that time comes, I will regain the realm I once lost through cultivation! After defeating Rainbow Bear and liberating everyone in Candy Town, I will let these humans become the true masters of Candy Town. I, on the other hand, will step back and live a reclusive life dedicated to cultivation."

  Then, the Candylord said in a tone that was both emotional and fearful, "Sigh! After going through so much, I have finally realized how terrifying humans can be. When faced with temptation, humans really can't resist the greed in their hearts."

  "Therefore, to ensure that my cultivation can get back on track, I must stay as far away as possible from the world dominated by humans after solving the trouble. Then, I will quickly reach a realm through cultivation that is sufficient to ascend to immortality, thus shaking off the many troubles that being transformed into a human has brought me!"

  Just like before, even though the Candylord appeared sincere, he still couldn't gain Yun Ge's trust. So, Yun Ge ignored the Candylord's display of great realization and focused on the bloody sweetaurum flower, asking, "Since you already know where to find the bloody sweetaurum flower, why are you still looking so sickly?"

  "Hey! Although I know where the bloody sweetaurum flower is, I don't have the ability to collect it! In fact, many brave warriors in the village have tried, but they all failed without exception," the Candylord replied with great regret.

  "Why?" Yun Ge asked.

  "The voice told me that only the chosen one can enter the Ice Abyss and find the sweetaurum flower. And because we are not the chosen ones, we don't even have the ability to survive in the Icy Realm for a long time, let alone go deep into the Icy Realm to search for the bloody sweetaurum flower!" The Candylord answered, while looking at Yun Ge with a gaze that seemed to see hope.

  "You——, why are you looking at me like that?" Yun Ge, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the Candylord's gaze, asked vigilantly as he turned his body to one side.

  "Because, if I'm not mistaken, Brother Yun Ge, you are the chosen one we've been waiting for!" the Candylord replied, his tone gradually becoming more respectful.

  "Me? How could that be! Just because I managed to escape from Candy Town alive, you think I'm the chosen one?!" Yun Ge hurriedly argued.

  The Candylord shook his head and said in an extremely certain tone, "No. Your survival here is not a coincidence. If you were not the chosen one, you would not have been able to survive in the Lost Woods at night. The reason why the beasts didn't attack you and the fog in the forest didn't cause you fatal harm is because you possess a unique quality!"

  The Candylord pointed at Yun Ge's body and continued, "It is also because of your uniqueness that the amnesia witchcraft Rainbow Bear cast on you had no effect. That's right, the amnesia witchcraft Rainbow Bear cast on you is still in effect. This witchcraft was taught to him by me, so I can easily sense its presence."

  "More importantly, if you were not the chosen one, you would never have been able to walk out of the Venomvine tunnel without the protection of witchcraft. Brother Yun Ge, you are the chosen one we've been waiting for after countless months!"

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  Although Yun Ge firmly denied being the chosen one, upon reflection, he realized that what the Candylord said was true. Moreover, it did seem to explain why the amnesia witchcraft Rainbow Bear had cast on him multiple times had no effect.

  Could it be that it was because of his uniqueness that allowed him to easily escape from Candy Town and successfully pass through the Venomvine tunnel? Thinking of this, Yun Ge's thoughts began to waver.

  Just as Yun Ge was pondering, You Lan suddenly pushed the door open and walked in, "Oh? I didn't expect you two to be having such a lively conversation!"

  You Lan first made a jest, then said respectfully to the Candylord, "Lord Candylord, Lily has awakened. Please go and check on her condition as soon as possible!"

  Hearing that Lily had awakened, Yun Ge immediately stood up and exclaimed, "You mean Lily has awakened? How is she now? Is she alright?!"

  "Lily just woke up, but her consciousness is not very clear. That's why I'm asking Lord Candylord to come and check on her condition right away," You Lan nodded and replied to the excited Yun Ge.

  Yun Ge urged anxiously, "Yes! That's right! Lord Candylord! Let's go and see Lily's condition right away!"

  The Candylord, who hadn't had his hot tea, smiled helplessly, then calmly got up, inquiring about Lily's condition while being led by You Lan to the cave where Lily was.

  "Lily! It's really you! Are you okay?!" As soon as Yun Ge entered the room, he saw Lily lying half on a large wooden bed, so he immediately rushed up, grabbed Lily's hand, and asked excitedly.

  "Ah Yun? Ah Yun! It's really you! How did you——huff! Huff!" Lily obviously didn't expect Yun Ge to be here, so she spoke in an incredulous tone while trying to sit up to get a good look at Yun Ge.

  However, as soon as Lily sat up, she felt an unprecedented wave of fatigue. She was so dizzy that she collapsed back onto the bed before she could finish her sentence, and began to breathe heavily uncontrollably.

  "Lily! Lie down quickly! Your body is still very weak, so you must control your emotions and not get too excited!" You Lan advised with concern.

  "Huff——! Sister, I'm fine. I'm just a bit dizzy from just waking up. I'll be better after I rest a bit more!" Lily said after adjusting her breathing.

  After speaking, Lily looked at Yun Ge and then asked both of them, "Sister You Lan, Ah Yun, why are you both here? Where is this place? Could it be that we're all dead?"

  You Lan lovingly combed Lily's slightly messy hair with her hand and gently replied, "Silly child, we're all safe now. You just need to rest well and don't worry about anything else!"

  "Yes, Lily! You've already escaped the fate of being a sacrificial offering and can now live freely!" Yun Ge continued.

  Upon hearing the word "sacrificial offering," Lily's body trembled involuntarily. She gasped, "Sacrificial offering——, that's such a terrifying memory! The town mayor, he's really too terrible!"

  You Lan immediately held Lily tightly in her arms and comforted her softly, "Don't talk about it, Lily. We've all experienced the witchcraft the town mayor cast on you before you were taken to the altar. But it's all in the past now, and you're safe."

  Lily, nestled in You Lan's arms, responded softly, then turned to look at Yun Ge, whose face was covered in injuries, "Ah Yun, what happened to your face? You didn't get into any more trouble after I was taken to the altar, did you? But the town mayor clearly said that you lost your memory again because you were too emotional!"

  To avoid making Lily overly worried, Yun Ge downplayed his response, "Hey! It's not what you think. Actually, I didn't lose my memory at all. I just pretended to have amnesia to lower the town mayor's guard.”

  “Moreover, the town mayor was the one who truly wanted me to lose my memory. After poisoning and controlling me, he cast the amnesia curse multiple times in an attempt to erase all memories of you."

  Then, Yun Ge told Lily everything that had happened to him after he was driven out of his home by Lily's parents that day. After listening to the entire story of how Yun Ge had come to this place, Lily felt heartbroken and began to cry softly while gently stroking Yun Ge's cheek.

  Seeing the atmosphere turn increasingly sad, the Candylord stepped forward and patted Yun Ge's shoulder, saying, "Hey! You two kids, that's enough! Since you've been reunited safely, why keep bringing up those past experiences? Yun Ge, you can see for yourself that Lily's body is in no great danger, so you can rest easy now."

  "Come! Let me check Lily's mental state again, and then let her get some good rest. There's plenty of time ahead for you lovebirds to catch up!"

  "Ah! Right! Candylord, please hurry up and check on Lily's condition! Lily, be sure to follow the Candylord's guidance and let your body recover as soon as possible!" Realizing that he had spoken too much and might have interfered with the Candylord's treatment of Lily, Yun Ge hurriedly said apologetically and stepped aside.

  Upon seeing the Candylord's appearance, Lily couldn't help but let out a scream and instinctively shrank back into You Lan's arms.

  Seeing this, You Lan immediately comforted her, "Hehehe! Lily, don't be afraid! The Candylord is not a bad person! If it weren't for the Candylord's rescue, we sacrificial offerings would have already become food for the beasts!"

  "Yes, Lily! The Candylord was also driven out of Candy Town by the town mayor. We're all in the same boat. So don't worry and let the Candylord examine you properly!" In order to get Lily to cooperate with the Candylord's treatment, Yun Ge had to temporarily set aside his doubts about the Candylord and persuaded together.

  Although the Candylord's half-human, half-bear appearance was quite terrifying, Lily, who had already experienced a life-and-death tribulation, quickly relaxed under everyone's comfort and cooperated fully with the various examinations the Candylord conducted on her.

  According to the Candylord's diagnosis, Lily's overall physical condition was still acceptable. It was just that because Lily had been affected by the town mayor's debilitating witchcraft and her spirit had been damaged while traveling through the Venomvine tunnel, her body was now very weak.

  The Candylord emphasized that Lily's body had, after all, endured some destruction from the tunnel's toxic gas. Therefore, even if her body recovered, her physical condition would be far from what it used to be. Lily's fate would be similar to that of the other rescued women in the village, often feeling physically weak after recovery.

  Because their bodies were much weaker than before, they lost the ability to engage in high-intensity activities, or even to carry some heavier objects.

  The Candylord further stated that if he could make a new breakthrough in healing witchcraft, he might have the ability to completely cure Lily and the others. But to achieve this, the Candylord must first heal his own internal injuries and then improve his realm once again.

  More importantly, the Candylord needs to obtain the bloody sweetaurum flower and refine it into a new type of candy to dispel the lingering illnesses of everyone.

  Thus, the issue came back to how to find the bloody sweetaurum flower. Yun Ge, due to his distrust of the Candylord, would naturally not easily agree to help the Candylord find the flower.

  The Candylord seemed to understand why Yun Ge refused him, so he only mentioned once during the subsequent casual conversation that he hoped Yun Ge could help find the bloody sweetaurum flower, and after Yun Ge did not give a clear answer, he never brought it up again.