Erthos Ghost Grass

The coffee table was practically covered with various manuscripts and notebooks. In the spaces between them sat a cup of cold coffee, a small plate of scattered snacks, and in the corner, a tiny flowerpot.

The plant in the pot was pitch black with a hint of purple. It looked like a dried-up sunflower that had been dipped in ink, dried, and then flipped over and left there – utterly unremarkable.

Whoosh!

A gust of night wind blew the curtains open, sweeping through the living room. The plant's dry leaves and branches stirred.

Was it the wind?

The night wind was gentle, but occasionally a stronger gust would come, causing the lamp beside Tang Qi to sway suddenly, its light flickering along with it.

Amidst the creaking sounds, another noise was mixed in.

"Pfft~"

The withered plant in the flowerpot suddenly leaped up, like a strange insect, launching itself towards Tang Qi's face at an incredibly precise angle.

Disturbed in his sleep, a high school student had absolutely no defense.

He probably wouldn't even notice, right?

Rip!

In that instant, a flash of silver light appeared. A sharp dagger plunged into the body of the seemingly dry, yet actually slimy, "plant." Then, with a thud, the dagger tip pierced through the wooden coffee table, pinning the plant to it.

"Squeak~ Squeak squeak"

A sound like a mouse immediately came from inside the plant, sharp and piercing.

"Hmm? Just as the notes described. The legendary dark plant that can temporarily host a soul... Shadow Caged Mushroom!"

"Buzz"

As Tang Qi uttered those four words, the strange plant struggling and squeaking on the coffee table, which was the Shadow Caged Mushroom, suddenly stopped. Although it was still twitching slightly, trying to relieve its pain, it was indeed quiet. Only a few black, slimy tentacles were flailing wildly, as if trying to express something.

Seeing this scene, Tang Qi didn't find it strange at all.

He quietly turned around and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Then he placed it in front of the pinned plant's tentacles and spoke, saying something that felt rather unsettling.

"Nice to meet you, Professor Cassel. You can call me Tang Qi."

When introducing himself, Tang Qi didn't extend his hand, probably because it wasn't necessary. After all, his conversation partner was a plant.

Well, arguably a plant.

At least the interface that popped up in Tang Qi's eyes didn't deny this.

[Supernatural Creature: Shadow Caged Mushroom.]
[Status: Activating.]
[Information Fragment One: One of the oldest and rarest plants on the Saha Continent. It is called "Erthos Ghost Grass" by Dark Witches and Shamans. Its real name is Shadow Caged Mushroom. After special treatment, it can allow a soul that has lost its body to temporarily reside within it and be in an activated state, making it easier for the hosted soul to find a new body.]
[Information Fragment Two: Although it is activated, it is also very fragile, so fragile that an adult human can easily kill it and the soul inside.]

This information was why Tang Qi had specifically brought it back.

Now, Tang Qi was hosting the guest inside.

It was just that the guest clearly didn't like the method.

Tang Qi blinked, looking at the tentacles that had given up struggling. Without much small talk, he spoke plainly, as if telling a story: "A history professor who traveled around and worked hard on his research in his youth finally achieved a high status and income in his old age. Oh, and fame too."

"Unfortunately, just when he should have been enjoying it all, he contracted an incurable cancer. His terminally ill body couldn't even satisfy the young and beautiful assistant. The Female Assistant couldn't tolerate her enticing body being unwatered, so she hooked up with the charming Guard Captain at the school."

"The old professor couldn't bear any of this, so he remembered the knowledge he possessed, the mysterious domain, the strange secret potions. The old professor prepared two doses of curse potion and arranged for the assistant and her lover to drink them."

"Soon, two Spider Monsters appeared at the school. They couldn't control their urge to kill. After killing six people in a row, they finally tasted enough human fear and mustered the courage to find the professor, successfully killing him."

"Unfortunately, they didn't know that the professor had anticipated all of this. His soul transferred into the Erthos Ghost Grass at that moment. The old professor planned to wait for everything to pass, find a suitable body, and start a new life."

"Am I right? Professor Rick Cassel!"

Tang Qi finished speaking, asked the question, and then fell silent.

After waiting for a while, one of the bizarre plant's slimy tentacles moved. It slowly lifted and dipped into the cup, getting wet, and began writing on the coffee table.

It can hear, but it can't speak? Truly amazing.

Tang Qi marveled in his heart, watching the crooked words appear.

Although it was the first time using a tentacle to write, Professor Cassel's control was good. The line of text appeared clearly.

"What do you want?"

Seeing the question, Tang Qi wasn't surprised.

After all, he was a professor who was nearing the end of his life. He wouldn't really be like some stereotypical novel characters, with high intelligence but low emotional intelligence.

He didn't ask what Tang Qi intended to do, but directly asked what Tang Qi wanted.

Clearly, the old professor also knew that in his current state, having fallen into the hands of Tang Qi, who was clearly a "supernatural person," he probably didn't have many bargaining chips.

Tang Qi didn't immediately state his demands. Instead, he glanced at it and twisted the knife in its injured heart again. He heard Tang Qi continue, "Before you hear my conditions, I have to tell you a cruel truth. Your recent attempt at parasitism was very impolite, and even if I hadn't resisted, your efforts would have been futile."

"I don't know where you got the idea that after transferring your soul into the Erthos Ghost Grass, you could freely parasitize human bodies by relying on the activated state. I regret to inform you, that's impossible."

"Erthos Ghost Grass can indeed be used to transfer souls, but it requires extremely demanding conditions. You need to find a suitable body. Believe me, the word 'suitable' rules out most humans on Blue Star. At the same time, you need someone to help you perform the ritual, like chanting spells."

"If these conditions aren't met, you'll only be able to maintain this state until you wither and die in ten days."

Just as Tang Qi finished speaking, he heard a smack from the coffee table. The water glass was directly knocked over by a tentacle, and seven or eight slick tentacles twisted wildly, clearly having taken a significant blow.

Lines of crooked small words were unconsciously written out by it.

Damn witches, how dare they lie to me?

I gave them half the funding!

I'll kill them!

For a full thirty seconds, it expressed its rage, but still couldn't break free from the dagger.

Finally, a tentacle lifted again and, in front of Tang Qi, wrote out the following words one by one.

You, willing to help me?

Seeing this sentence, Tang Qi's eyelids lowered slightly, his gaze deep, and a faint curve slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Of course!"

Tang Qi put down his coffee and said with a smile.