CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: SPIRITUAL PLANT?

Su Qinglan’s eyes sparkled.

The moment she saw the evil ferocious beast, her whole body trembled.

Not from fear.

No, no...she was excited!

Actually, it wasn’t even her trembling. It was her little plants.

The plant-type ability deep inside her body quivered with energy, itching to fight. For so long, they had been bored out of their minds. Healing this, poking around uselessly... but no real battles. And now? A real enemy had appeared.

Su Qinglan’s heart thudded wildly.

Finally!

She wanted to see it herself. How strong were these beasts? Could they compare to the zombies she had fought in her past world?

Without a second thought, she charged straight at the creature, eyes blazing with anticipation.

"Host! Host, stop!!"

Xuyu’s panicked voice shrieked inside her mind.

"Host! Stop! Stop right now!" Xuyu’s frantic voice screamed in her mind. "You need to act virtuously! Let the beastmen protect you! That’s the proper way for a female to behave!"

Su Qinglan rolled her eyes so hard she almost tripped. Virtuous, my foot!

The little system kept nagging, panicking louder and louder.

"Host! Evil ferocious beasts love munching females! And someone like you...round face, soft arms, plenty of meat, you’re like a juicy feast waiting to be eaten!"

But did Su Qinglan listen?

Of course not.

Her grin widened, her eyes sparkling. "Zombies, beasts, whatever...you’re all test subjects today!"

She dashed forward, her plant-type ability already stirring, ready to lash out any moment.

And then...

Thick green vines shot out like snakes, coiling around the ferocious beast’s legs in one swift move. Another vine whipped up, wrapped around its neck, and with one merciless twist...

Crack.

The beast went limp.

Dead.

Before Su Qinglan even touched it.

"..."

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her plants were also speechless, almost sulking.

Her wide eyes stared at the twitching corpse, disbelief filling her chest.

"...That’s it? That weakling? One squeeze and it’s gone?"

Her vines shrank back a little, radiating disappointment. They had gotten all excited for this?

Su Qinglan sighed in frustration.

"What the hell! At least put up a fight!"

On the other side, Han Jue stood there, completely dumbfounded.

Just a moment ago, he had been prepared to leap in to save that foolish female even if she was hellbent on committing suicide right in front of him.

Yes, she was stupid. Yes, she was reckless. But at least in front of him, he would not let her die.

His muscles had coiled, ready to strike down the ferocious beast in a heartbeat. He was already picturing himself tearing its throat out...

But then... the beast suddenly choked. Its limbs thrashed violently.

Then the creature slumped to the ground, dead.

Han Jue froze. His icy blue eyes widened slightly.

What... what just happened?

Ferocious beasts were powerful and ruthless. They didn’t just crumple over like frightened rabbits. Yet this one had died so fast it didn’t even scream.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the round-faced female standing in front of him. Suspicion gnawed at him.

Could it be... her?

Su Qinglan blinked, then blinked again.

Crap. Crap. Crap!

She had gotten too carried away. In all that excitement, she’d forgotten—there was still a certain wolf beastman watching her every move!

Her mind raced. She couldn’t admit the truth. Who would believe that a female had a plant ability in the beast world? They’d either laugh in her face or treat her like a monster.

So she quickly plastered on her most innocent expression and pointed at the ground.

"Uh... look, it was the plant! The plant killed it!"

Han Jue’s eyes narrowed, following the direction of her finger.

And sure enough, he saw it.

Thick, green vines were curled tightly around the corpse of the ferocious beast. Slowly, almost lazily, they loosened and slithered back into the earth. The ends coiled and retreated like snakes disappearing into a burrow.

Han Jue’s sharp gaze darkened, but at the same time, there was a spark of something else... interest.

"Could it be..." he muttered under his breath. His icy eyes glimmered faintly. "Is this... a spiritual plant? Has it awakened its consciousness?"

Excitement flickered across his face.

A legendary spiritual plant! If he could capture it, tame it, and bring it home...

Without hesitation, Han Jue reached out. His long fingers stretched toward the vines, ready to grab them.

But the moment his hand brushed against the green tendril...

Boing!

The plant jumped.

Like a frightened rabbit, it shot out of the ground and flung itself straight at Su Qinglan, wrapping around her like an octopus.

Han Jue’s body stiffened. His hand froze mid-air.

"...?"

The vines clung tightly to Su Qinglan, curling up her arms and shoulders, rubbing its leafy tip against her cheek like a spoiled child.

Su Qinglan gave an awkward little smile. Her fingers scratched her cheek as she laughed weakly.

"Ahaha... Well, um... seems like it likes me."

As if to prove her words, the plant wiggled happily and even gave what looked suspiciously like a nod.

Han Jue’s lips parted slightly. He stared at her, then at the plant, then back at her. His heart pounded with a confusing mix of curiosity and... annoyance.

Meanwhile, Su Qinglan’s eyes gleamed in secret satisfaction.

Perfect.

She knew she couldn’t keep hiding her ability forever. She would need it again and again to survive in this world. Living in constant fear of being exposed was exhausting.

So why not shift the blame?

She’d simply say it wasn’t her, but this "special plant" that chose to follow her. This way, she could use her powers openly, and if anyone doubted... well, that was their problem. Clearly, they just hadn’t seen the world and what it holds.

Her plan was flawless.

Or so she thought.

Han Jue, however, was sulking.

His icy blue eyes glared at the plant rubbing itself against her cheek, making her laugh like an idiot. His chest felt strangely heavy.

Even plants were biased?

Shouldn’t it have chosen him? He was strong. He was powerful. He was the fiercest wolf in the tribe!

And yet, this little thing had chosen her—a round, reckless, foolish female who nearly got herself eaten?

Han Jue clenched his jaw.

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

He could only stand there and seethe quietly, watching as the plant snuggled up to her face with obvious affection.