Chapter 155: Mutated Ginseng
By the time she returned home, the sun had already set. Huai Yu put the rock candy into a jar and set it aside, then headed toward the edge of the treehouse.
There, a cluster of lush wisteria had grown. The flowers had already faded, leaving behind only the green leaves and entwining stems, which weren’t very noticeable among the tall wild grasses.
However, near the cleared area by the treehouse, a row of square hole bricks was neatly arranged, each containing green stems of varying heights, with only two or three sparse leaves on top.
Huai Yu counted them one by one. There were a total of 8 mutated ginseng plants.
Five of these had been damaged by Wu Yue, who had cut off half of their stems, so they were all still thin and frail. Huai Yu picked the sturdiest one and carried it back to the front door.
Initially, these ginseng plants were meant to be moved to their new home, but although she didn’t know how to grow ginseng, she had heard of something like “forest ginseng,” which was said to need shaded areas to thrive.
After some hesitation, Huai Yu decided to move them back under the wisteria tree.
There was sunlight here, but not too much, so it could somewhat simulate their natural environment… sort of.
Though it was a rather rough simulation.
At least with a little help from her special abilities, the ginseng had managed to survive.
Now, the mutated ginseng, resembling little carrots, had sprouted from the square hole bricks, and Huai Yu planted them in the open space at the door.
With her ability to stimulate growth and purify, she quickly felt the roots taking hold in the soil, growing rapidly.
The stems grew thicker, and clusters of palm-like leaves unfolded, soon followed by small flowers.
Although it didn’t look like much change, it took up a significant amount of her energy. But Huai Yu was growing more and more excited. After taking a deep breath, she went back inside to grab some cotton and gently brushed it over the flowers.
After a short rest, she used her abilities once again.
Huai Yu woke up groggily and found herself surrounded by darkness. The stars twinkled above, and the air was cool around her.
Something was gently tapping her face with its antennae, and something else was hopping up to her shoulder. She turned her head and tried to make out the shapes in the darkness.
It was Keta Lang and the messy, ugly little chicks from her house that had been shedding feathers.
“Did I fall asleep?”
She groggily propped herself up and then realized—she had been continuously using her abilities to stimulate the mutated ginseng, watching them grow and flower through multiple cycles until she lost consciousness…
The ginseng!
Huai Yu suddenly snapped to attention and began feeling around in the pitch-black surroundings. After a while, she couldn’t find the distinct stem of the ginseng.
Thinking quickly, she carefully lifted her foot and made her way back inside the house, pulling out the solar-powered lamp.
But—
Under the bright light, the square hole bricks were still there, and the pit she had dug to plant the ginseng was still visible.
Only the soil in the middle of the pit was loose, as if something had moved it. But the ginseng, which had been quite sturdy before she fell asleep, was nowhere to be found.
“…”
Huai Yu stood there, holding the lamp, but couldn’t recall any other memory.
She looked over at Keta Lang and the little chicks. The former was still carrying a small ball of food, moving it piece by piece to the nest, like a diligent worker.
The chicks, on the other hand, were following the natural rhythm—digging for food during the day and returning to sleep when night fell. They had only hopped onto Huai Yu’s shoulder because she had fallen near the chicken coop…
It was just a coincidence.
So… her ginseng, the Big Cub, was gone?
The strangest thing was that she had no idea how it disappeared. With the Rose Corridor in place, it was impossible for someone to have stolen it! And as for the creatures around her, even Kuang Biao and Little Tian weren’t the type to steal.
So, how had it gone missing?
It couldn’t have just run away by itself, could it?
Huai Yu suddenly had a thought: Maybe ginseng had to be tied with red threads, or it would burrow into the ground and run away…
Huai Yu: “…”
She thought about it, and considering that bamboo could talk, it seemed plausible for ginseng to run off on its own, right?
Right?
It made sense, but it was still so frustrating!
She moved around the area, inch by inch, desperately searching, but after more than half an hour, she was nearly at the back of the house and still hadn’t found any trace of the ginseng.
Her stomach suddenly growled.
She remembered the height chart she had drawn by the door. With a sigh, she put the lamp away and went back inside to cook. But when she stretched out her hand, she realized that her whole body felt sore and weak, and she couldn’t muster any abilities.
—Alright, I’ll just drink some nutrient solution tonight.
Now that she had the resources, she could drink two packs at once!
Meanwhile, in the bamboo forest behind the house.
A plump, white radish-like mutated ginseng, its stem high and green, with red fruit on top, was unsteadily moving through the forest using its thin roots to support itself.
The stem was so tall and heavy that each step it took was unsteady, wobbling until it could regain its balance.
The fallen bamboo leaves crunched beneath its roots, and the ginseng’s small body shrank even further in fear.
Finally, it reached the deep part of the bamboo forest, where the lights from the house faintly glowed. The plump ginseng collapsed onto the ground.
The bamboo forest was quiet, with only the sound of wind rustling.
“Who are you?”
A voice suddenly spoke.
The plump ginseng rolled once, then twice, then three times before sitting up again. It immediately started burrowing into the ground, but was stopped by the thick and hard bamboo roots that had already claimed the area.
Dazed, it shook its head, trying to steady its top-heavy stem, and stumbled forward again.
“Why are you running? What are you?”
The wind grew louder, and a few bamboo leaves fluttered down, landing in front of the ginseng like iron shards, causing it to pull its tendrils back and freeze.
After a long pause, the ginseng stammered, “I-I-I am… I’m a human…”
“Human, my foot!” Kuang Biao said impatiently. “I’m a bamboo, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes. Look at how fat you are, does that look like a human?”
“Radish spirit! You’re a radish spirit, trying to pass yourself off as something else—tch! Humans aren’t that special!”
“Are you insecure?”
“—I’m ginseng!” the plump ginseng finally managed to say.
Kuang Biao: “…”
The bamboo leaves were silent for a moment, then Kuang Biao said without much apology, “Oh, you’re stuttering.”
After a while, he continued, “Is this how ginseng grows?”
“I-I—I’m like this because…” the ginseng stammered again, but Kuang Biao cut it off.
“Yeah, you’re like a white, fat water radish. Eating one of you would fill up a stomach. You do look pretty nourishing.”
