"Fang He, time's up!"
Yu Jing transmitted the message through the core of his body, clearly sensing that Fang He, who was far away, had already received it.
Before long, a fragmentary message came back, directing Yu Jing to a location relatively close to the castle.
When Yu Jing arrived, he found a small opening hidden behind dense vegetation and blocked by a special membrane. The hole was only half a meter in diameter, so Yu Jing had to enter in the form of his Plantified Body. The passage sloped downward, its walls slick with moisture.
Yu Jing slid smoothly down to a depth of roughly eight hundred meters, landing steadily on a suspended plant platform.
Wearing glasses and a long dress, Fang He stood at the edge of the platform, waving at a group of natives whose heads were made of plants. She made a peculiar series of sounds as she communicated with them.
"Fang He, your body..."
Seeing Fang He in person, Yu Jing found that although she still looked like a shy, artsy young woman on the surface, her overall presence had changed completely.
"Mm. My Star Plants can contain the core of the secret realm and even resonate intensely with it... The people here have all been very kind to me! Over the past ten-odd days, I've learned many techniques for using plants."
"Contain the core of the secret realm... No wonder the Masked Man noticed you."
"I should be able to fuse with you, Master Yu Jing, even better now. They taught me many methods of 'plant symbiosis.' Although ten-odd days was rather rushed, they said I would always be welcome to return whenever I had the time."
"Mm."
Yu Jing looked at the waving natives. Not all of them were the "rare" Grade-A plant