The dodder plant was practically heartbroken. Did it really grow this lushly just to get trampled on?
Today, it was determined to kill that star beast to vent its frustration!
It moved Ruan Shu to a safer place from afar, keeping her out of harm’s way.
But then…
“Stop, everyone stop!”
Ruan Shu’s heart raced as she spotted the qilin tiger fighting with the dodder plant.
“Dodder plant, stop fighting. That’s my brother. Take me over there, and I’ll ask him to stop too.”
The girl’s voice was so urgent it even had a slight tremor.
The dodder plant hesitated. What? That’s the brother you’ve been looking for?
On the other side, Ruan Linzhan also heard his little cousin’s voice. Though it was somewhat faint, he was sure it was Shushu.
So she was safe.
He had harbored a faint hope, but hearing her for real made his heart finally settle.
As he fought, he noticed the dodder plant retreating entirely.
His ice-blue eyes darkened slightly, and he walked over slowly, his tiger paws padding on the ground.
“Brother!”
Finally, he heard that all-too-familiar voice.
It carried a hint of a sob, but more than that, joy and excitement.
Ruan Linzhan quickened his steps.
“Wha…what’s going on here?”
Everyone else who had followed along, including the director and those he brought with him, was stunned. One moment, the star beast and the mutant plant were locked in a fierce battle; the next moment, they had stopped and were approaching each other peacefully.
“Uh, I think I just heard something, a little girl’s voice.”
Someone finally broke the strange silence.
Then they put two and two together—the girl the big boss was looking for.
Could it be…she’s really alive?
And she survived under the dodder plant’s care—this was nothing short of a miracle!
“Should we…go over and take a look?”
“Mutant plants can’t talk, right? Dodder plant shouldn’t be mimicking voices to lure people, right?”
They couldn’t be blamed for being so cautious; the dodder plant’s strangling prowess was terrifying. Even though they had cultivated this powerful plant in their botanical garden, they usually treated it with utmost respect, feeding it nutrient solutions and bringing it toys to play with.
No one had the courage to actually get close enough to play with it.
“Look, someone went over… and it seems fine.”
“Wait, look at the nest—it’s opening!”
In stunned silence, everyone watched as a figure emerged from the open nest!
Ruan Shu dashed straight into her brother’s embrace, clinging to his neck as if frightened.
“Brother.”
Ruan Shu buried her little head against his neck, nuzzling affectionately, her soft voice slightly muffled.
“Don’t be scared, I’m here.”
Ruan Linzhan gently stroked her hair, holding her tightly, unwilling to let go.
No one knew how panicked he had felt when the protective ice sphere around Shushu had disappeared. His heart had never been more unsettled.
In reassuring her not to be afraid, he wasn’t sure if the words were meant for her or for himself.
The young man lowered his chin to lightly rest on the head of the little dumpling in his arms. Perhaps he couldn’t believe it himself.
As he held Ruan Shu, he turned to leave but found his path blocked.
Staring at the dense, silvery threads in front of him, a cold gleam flashed in Ruan Linzhan’s eyes.
For a moment, a tense standoff resumed, and the onlookers could feel the heavy, intimidating atmosphere.
Good heavens, would these two actually start fighting again?
Just as the tension reached a breaking point, Ruan Shu looked up, snapping out of her daze. She blinked at the dodder plant blocking their way.
“Dodder plant.”
Her soft call caused the previously sharp, lethal-looking silver threads to soften immediately, transforming from deadly weapons to something akin to fine, silky threads of the highest quality.
Everyone was stunned by this change, and those holding weapons couldn’t keep their grips, letting them clatter to the ground.
Jaw after jaw dropped in disbelief.
What…what on earth is going on?
Ruan Linzhan’s entire body tensed up.
But Ruan Shu was perfectly accustomed to the dodder plant’s softened state. After all, the plant had been just as gentle when she played with it before. If it hadn’t been soft, how would she have braided its vines?
“I want to go home.”
She reached out her small hand, and the dodder plant’s threads immediately came over, tenderly touching her fingertips.
Ruan Linzhan’s pupils contracted, his gaze fixed intently on it.
The dodder plant’s silvery threads quivered, refusing, refusing—it wouldn’t let her leave!
Ruan Shu stroked it, soothing it skillfully, drawing from her ample experience in calming down small, unruly vines.
“But I’m hungry.”
Ruan Shu’s soft, slightly pitiful voice had a hint of complaint: “Dodder, I need to eat, you know. I can’t stay here forever, or I’ll starve. Besides, I have my own home to return to.”
Countless silver threads drooped. Couldn’t she stay?
It wanted her to stay.
With a gentle tone, Ruan Shu fed it a bit of her innate energy. “Be good, alright? I know you’re here, and I’ll come back to see you.”
The dodder plant, feeling both wistful and reluctant, wrapped its tendrils gently around her arm.
Ruan Linzhan couldn’t bear it anymore. This mutant plant was pushing his limits!
The air grew chilly around them as he commanded, “Let go!”
He stared icily at the silver threads around his little cousin’s arm.
Her skin was so delicate—if the dodder plant even had a hint of ill intent, it could leave marks on her arm.
Startled by his anger, the dodder plant bristled, directing its hostility toward him.
Ruan Shu pleaded, “Don’t fight, don’t fight! Brother, I’m fine.”
Caught in the middle, Ruan Shu looked helplessly from one to the other, trying to calm both sides.
Just as the tension was starting to ease, another twist occurred.
The little vine, having finally found its way to Ruan Shu, had barely had a chance to dive into her arms before it noticed the dodder plant by her side—and immediately flared up.
Now it understood why Ruan Shu had disappeared during its fight with the willow tree. It was this shameless little spirit that dared to steal her away!
Die, die, die!
And just like that, the two mutant plants, both of the vine family, tangled in combat within seconds, forming a ball of intertwined purple and silver as they wrestled. Broken silver threads and vine fragments littered the ground.
Ruan Shu: ……
The girl looked helplessly at the dodder and little vine almost knotted together in their clash. She reached out both hands, trying to intervene but clueless about where to start.
Why… why were they fighting yet again?
The director of the mutant botanical garden and the other staff: ………
At this point, they were almost numb.
For heaven’s sake, how were they supposed to separate these two?
The director wiped his face, feeling an exhaustion he’d never known before.
Everything that had happened today would be engraved in his memory for a lifetime.