However, the thing it feared didn’t happen. When the tendrils of Jingshen touched No. 2, the small white dots on No. 2’s body flowed along those Jingshen threads.
The previously ferocious tendrils of Jingshen instantly became docile.
No. 1 was rolling around, dizzy and disoriented, only to find itself surrounded by countless Jingshen threads.
No. 1: shivering.jpg
After a while, it realized it was unharmed.
It was a bit puzzled.
So, these fierce-looking Jingshen threads weren’t here to attack it; instead, they gently helped it up.
On the other side, No. 2 was already happily playing with the Jingshen threads.
No. 1: Oh, it’s safe? Great.
Soon, No. 1 also discovered that these fierce-looking Jingshen threads not only didn’t harm them but were incredibly indulgent.
So, it too started to heal while playing, using the Jingshen threads as its personal vehicle, like riding a horse, moving around and cleaning up any filth they encountered.
As for the Jingshen threads, which used to avoid the pollutants, now they actively chased them down.
With this kind of cooperation, the healing speed seemed to increase.
However, Ruan Shu only had two healing tendrils, whereas Ruan Ling’an had countless dense Jingshen threads, an uncountable number.
These healing tendrils, which could also ease their deep-seated ailments, made them particularly endearing to the Jingshen threads.
But with just two little tendrils and so many Jingshen threads, a fight eventually broke out over who would get to carry these two healing cuties around.
Some Jingshen threads got so entangled in their struggle that they nearly twisted themselves into knots.
Ruan Ling’an: “!!!”
When Ruan Shu’s healing was complete, Ruan Ling’an looked inwardly into his mental sea, seeing the tangled, still-fighting threads, and immediately felt a headache.
How long was this going to take to sort out?
However…
His head no longer hurt, and the side effects of the inhibitor had disappeared.
Then, Ruan Ling’an felt entirely numb.
What exactly had happened? What was going on…?
The young man looked down in a daze at his seemingly harmless, utterly feeble little sister, who was a total non-combatant.
He felt like he was starting to not recognize this little sister of his.
His throat felt so dry that he could barely speak.
“So, Big Cousin also…because of…her.”
After healing her third brother, Ruan Shu simply yawned a bit out of fatigue, sitting in his arms and licking her little paws.
“Meow~”
The fluffy ragdoll cat let out a soft meow.
Ruan Ling’an: Who am I? Where am I?
His little sister’s combat power was absolutely negligible, yet not only could she upgrade her own Jingshen, she could also heal Jingshen pollution. What kind of wordly treasure was this!
No, this was a treasure of cosmic proportions!
Ruan Xiao came over with a bottle of Jingshen recovery medicine for the little cat.
The ragdoll cat lay in her dad’s arms, tilting her little head curiously to look at the bottle, even pawing at it a bit.
“Meow?”
“Drink it.”
The little one was obedient; she licked the medicine with her tiny tongue as her dad fed her, then curled up into a fluffy ball and fell asleep.
Healing two people’s Jingshen in a single day—even if she hadn’t completely cured them—had left the little cat utterly exhausted. She needed rest.
“Let’s keep Shushu’s abilities a secret.”
Once Ruan Shu fell asleep, the men of the Ruan family gathered in the hall for a meeting.
“Do you think we’re the type to run our mouths? You must have known about Shushu’s abilities before, so why keep it from us?” Ruan Fengsi’s tone was a bit sarcastic.
But Ruan Xiao and Ruan He didn’t pay him any mind.
Ruan Ling’an looked at his big brother and said, “I was the last to know, alright?”
Ruan He shot a glare at his grandsons. “Quiet, let’s get to the main issue. Someone is bound to investigate Linzhan’s situation. A lot of people saw you blocking the Zerg King’s self-destruction by yourself. There’s no hiding that, so you’ll need to stay home to ‘recover’ and not go anywhere for now. We’ll work out a public explanation.”
Ruan Linzhan nodded. It would be hard for anyone to believe he recovered so quickly without any unusual reason.
“Everyone else, keep quiet about this. Qingran is researching Shushu’s energy. If we can develop a substitute medicine from it, that would be ideal. Above all, we must protect Shushu.”
No matter what, they all agreed on one thing: protecting Shushu.
There might be countless others in the world who needed her, but Shushu was too young. The world was too large, and being in the spotlight was dangerous.
Once they agreed on a plan, everyone got to work.
Meanwhile, news of the incident had already spread online, though the competition results still needed to be tallied.
Many schools had lost students in the incident. It was heartbreaking, but such trials were essential and could not be canceled.
The universe was never a safe place. If the Empire’s army wanted to remain strong, it needed new blood. Children raised solely in a greenhouse would never become strong.
This trial was already a controlled-risk scenario.
When Ruan Shu woke up the next day, she stretched and tried to transform into a human, but still couldn’t manage it.
She licked her paw, taking it slow—no rush.
While Ruan Shu was busy grooming herself, a small vine deftly crawled in through the window, looking for her. But suddenly, it spotted something on the balcony that made it bristle entirely.
Ruan Shu: “???”
Seeing the furious little vine about to lash out at her potted plants, Ruan Shu leaped up and sprinted over, meowing loudly along the way, sounding almost as if she were shouting complaints.
‘What are you doing? Stop right there!’
These were very expensive pots, and they’d been gifted to her by family members, so Ruan Shu treasured them dearly.
But as she got closer, she froze in place, staring up at the four extra pots in the second row. She was completely bewildered.
If she wasn’t mistaken, these four pots looked like the “rebellious children” she had been trying to grow forever but never seemed to get bigger.
The last time she checked, they weren’t even as big as her paw.
But now, someone please explain to her—what were these four vigorous, lush potted plants doing here?
And…
“Meow!”
Ruan Shu swore she saw those plants move, actually move—not just swaying in the wind, but really moving on their own!
Seeing that they had frightened Ruan Shu, the little vine immediately seized the chance to “settle personal grudges,” flaring up and attempting to slap one of the orchids.
Ruan Shu: “Meow meow meow!”
Stop it!
Luckily, the little vine missed, as a nearby pothos yanked it away.
The orchid extended its slender leaves gracefully, sprouting a beautiful, slightly translucent bud that looked like white jade. Ruan Shu’s keen nose picked up a faint orchid fragrance.
It was a cool, fresh scent—not overwhelming, just clean and natural, and overall, very pleasant.