CHAPTER 457: CHAPTER 445: THE FLOWERING GIANT WILLOWLEAF FLYCATCHER PLANT

If we could bring back a few hundred Mist Butterflies, would there even be a worry about wood?

After watching the Mist Butterflies flutter up and down for a while, Han Qiwu withdrew his gaze and turned to look at other parts of the yard, hoping for a little surprise.

Just as he was looking, Han Qiwu suddenly noticed a glimmer of light slowly forming in a corner of the yard.

The light took shape quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it began to ripple gently around the Giant Willowleaf Sundew.

"The Giant Willowleaf Sundew has matured?"

Han Qiwu quickly ran over. The ancient plant had been growing in the yard for some time now. Since it had remained quiet, Han Qiwu hadn’t paid much attention to it.

As he got closer, Han Qiwu noticed that the Giant Willowleaf Sundew had grown from its original one meter height to nearly two meters. However, its leaves were still sparse, long and slender, closely resembling willow leaves. The number of small white flowers on it had increased from just one to over a dozen, and their petals emanated a faint, peculiar fragrance that was refreshing just to smell.

[Giant Willowleaf Sundew]

[Use: Medicinal Material]

[In bloom, no fruit yet]

[Special Effect - Blood Circulation: Crushing the leaves and flowers in a 1:1 ratio and applying the mixture to muscle injuries aids recovery.]

[Special Effect - Insect Poison Remedy: Crushing the leaves and applying them to the affected area significantly alleviates poisoning symptoms.]

[Note: The Willowleaf Sundew is your trusty partner for wetland adventures!]

"This is a great set of properties," Han Qiwu’s eyes lit up as he observed. It could both improve blood circulation and detoxify.

Although his body’s recovery ability was already quite good, there were still times when his shoulders would get a little sore after chopping too much wood or fishing for too long.

This special blood-circulation effect of the Giant Willowleaf Sundew would be just perfect!

As for the second effect of detoxifying insect venom, Han Qiwu thought that would certainly come in handy too.

Just as the note hinted, wetlands must be filled with bugs—in that case, keeping some of these leaves with him would eliminate any cause for concern.

Han Qiwu stood next to the Giant Willowleaf Sundew and counted. Currently, it had forty-three willow-like leaves and thirteen small white flowers.

The quantities were a bit low, but there were also some tiny flower buds and tender leaves still slowly growing on the plant.

"It seems that this ancient plant only develops its special effects after it starts flowering, but it continues to grow even after blooming. I wonder what kind of properties its fruits will have." Han Qiwu speculated as he thoughtfully plucked three large leaves and two small white flowers, placing them into his storage compartment.

Who knows when they might come in handy!

"Neighhh!"

The little horse, after doing a lap, stopped just outside the icy and snow-filled environment, snorted at Han Qiwu and flicked its ears.

Han Qiwu chuckled, walked over to grab its reins, and mounted the horse, saying, "We can’t go in there. Your hooves would freeze off. Let’s head out ourselves instead."

The reason he said "ourselves" was that the Little Prince and the just-awakened Little Shui were also planning to head out.

Perched on the Little Prince’s back, Little Shui waved a paw at Han Qiwu, who was now seated on horseback in greeting.

It was the salute of knights.

Han Qiwu grinned, lightly nudged the horse’s flanks, and made it leap over the Hospital River, stopping at the gate to wait for the Little Prince.

The little horse, after jumping over the Hospital River again, seemed in high spirits. It raised its head to snort and even stomped its feet, flashing its silver horseshoes.

The Little Prince, seeing this as he prepared to step onto the osmanthus wood bridge, felt disgruntled.

Why don’t I have something flashy under my paws?

It’s just jumping a river!

Who can’t do that?

With Little Shui on its back, the Little Prince skirted around the osmanthus bridge ahead, stepped back a couple of paces, and began charging towards the Hospital River.

"Thud, thud, BAM!"

The ground trembled, and the river rippled with each of its steps.

Little Shui, having sensed this coming from a mile away, used its right paw to rub its forehead in exasperation and prepared to leap off the Little Prince’s back and abandon ship mid-jump if needed.

"Don’t! Little Prince, just cross properly!"

Han Qiwu, realizing the Little Prince’s plan, quickly shouted to stop it.

The sprinting Little Prince, still feeling smug, thought, "Master really does care about me."

But seeing that the Little Prince wasn’t slowing down, Han Qiwu added, "No! Don’t ruin the house’s fish!"

The Little Prince: "....."

Hmph!!!!

Underestimating me, huh?!

Bear Jump Activated!!!

The Little Prince, upon reaching the riverbank, mimicked the little horse’s actions and leaped high.

And then...

Fell heavily.

From the Wutong Ventilation View Platform, the chicken watching the spectacle covered its eyes in frustration, turned around, and leapt off the platform.

What a massive splash.

Zero points!

Can’t bear to watch.

The Little Prince, panicking after landing in the water, flailed around before finally scrambling onto the shore at Han Qiwu’s feet, completely drenched.

"Are you okay?" Han Qiwu quickly dismounted and jogged over.

The Little Prince felt a glimmer of emotion in its heart.

Master does care about me after all!

Just when it prepared to let out a roar, it realized the master had bypassed it and run over to the river, clapping his hands at Little Shui in the water.

The Little Prince: "....."

"Roar!"

It let out a pitiful growl.

Han Qiwu turned back, tugged on the Little Prince’s ears, and gestured toward the river as he scolded, "You’re growling? Take a closer look at how many fish your big butt just squashed!"

In the river, over a dozen fish had flipped belly-up, floating on the surface.

They would have to be tossed into the sale bin.

The Little Prince hung its head low, its two bear paws fidgeting with each other.

Little Shui, seeing this, quickly put down the fish in its paws, leapt onto the riverbank, shook itself to fling off water, and went over to comfort the Little Prince.

"Chirp, chirp!"

Little Shui pointed at the Little Prince’s feet and then at the little horse’s flashy silver shoes.

Han Qiwu finally caught on, crouching beside the Little Prince. "You want shiny horseshoes too?"

"Mm!"

The Little Prince nodded, still with its head down.

Han Qiwu couldn’t help laughing as he reached out to ruffle its head. "Next time, just say what you want. The little horse is a horse, so it can wear horseshoes. But you’re a bear—do you want me to nail them straight into your paws? How about this: I’ll make some shoes for you instead."

Hearing that it would get its own shoes, the Little Prince immediately perked up, grinning foolishly.

It felt oddly happy inside.

"Alright, let’s go chop some osmanthus trees." Han Qiwu ruffled the Little Prince’s head again.

"Roar!" The Little Prince stood up and, mimicking Little Shui, shook the water off its body.

It ended up splashing Han Qiwu’s face.

"Stop right there!"

Han Qiwu stood up and walked away, grumbling internally about how this bear seemed to get sillier as it grew.

While the bear and the human were chatting, Little Shui obediently fished all the stunned fish out of the river and placed them on the bank.

When Han Qiwu stood up and saw this, he patted Little Shui on the head with a look of affection. "Next time, don’t tire yourself out like this. Isn’t your Big Brother Little Prince here for these messes? It won’t drown—let it clean up its own trouble."

The just-cheered-up Little Prince: ".....Can I even stay in this family anymore?!"