Curiosity Flower

In Su Ling'er's palm lay a seed, dull and lifeless.

"This thing is special,"

A messy head leaned in, Shen Nong's dry voice sounding in her ear, "It can only be awakened with your vital blood."

Vital blood?

He wants my vital blood?!

Does raising this Mo plant require vital blood?!

Su Ling'er's internal alarm bells rang loudly.

"Come, reach out."

A hand covered in dirt grabbed her wrist, its grip so strong she couldn't break free.

She watched, wide-eyed, as Shen Nong produced a silver needle.

"Don't be afraid, it'll only take a moment."

A cold sensation landed on her fingertip, followed by a slight sting.

A drop of blood welled up. Shen Nong pinched her finger, burying the seed in a pot of black soil, then positioned her fingertip over the soil.

"Plink."

The blood bead dripped, instantly soaking into the black soil and disappearing.

After waiting a while...

That's... it?

Did it fail?

Suddenly!

The black soil in the pot rustled and churned. A tender sprout broke through the soil, then grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It had only one twisted main vine, with two side branches extending upwards, eventually reaching about half a foot tall. At the tip of the vine, a dark blue flower bloomed.

In the center of the flower's pistil, there was a blurry outline, vaguely recognizable as traces of eyes, nose, and mouth.

It was a face.

A face filled with terror, melancholy, and bewilderment, and this face bore a striking resemblance to Su Ling'er's.

Shen Nong examined the small Mo plant, a faint glint flashing in his eyes. He cast a [Spirit Plant · Appraisal] skill, then nodded in satisfaction.

[Mysterious Item: Worry Flower (Immature)]
Quality: ???
Category: Companion Spirit Plant
Bonding Status: Bound with "Su Ling'er's" vital blood.
Description: Guided by the master's blood, fed by the master's worries, reflecting the master's appearance.
When the flower blooms, it will have an unexpected effect...
Current Status: Seedling Stage
Growth Requirement: Absorb host's negative emotions (terror, anxiety, sadness, despair...)

"This flower, using your vital blood as a guide, your thoughts as its form.

The deeper the worries in your heart, the more vigorously it will grow.

I'll give you this 'Worry Flower,' since it was grown with your blood as its food."

After speaking, he patted the dirt off his hands and, without looking back, plunged back into the medicinal field he had purchased.

He left?

He just left?!

He grew this bizarre 'Worry Flower' and just gave it to me?!

Su Ling'er froze in place.

The wind blew through the valley, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, but she couldn't smell anything. Her mind was filled with a giant question mark.

She looked down at the small vine with her own worried face at its tip.

It swayed in the wind, its two thin branches hanging limply. The face drawn in dark ink at the tip was filled with the same bewilderment and helplessness she felt at that moment.

Looking at it, Su Ling'er felt as if she were looking at herself.

Tiny, pitiful, weak, and helpless.

Yet, this flower also carried a strange sense of destiny.

Was this a shackle?

Countless thoughts churned in her mind.

Using vital blood as a guide, and divine thoughts as its form...

Could this flower be my substitute?

Or is it like the insect Gu the Sect Master gave me before he left – if one is harmed, both are?

Will it also be like the Spirit Contract Insect, where if it's damaged, my soul will suffer?

Or perhaps even worse?

If some ignorant disciple walks by and plucks a single vine, will my arm break off?

If someone dislikes it and steps on it, will my head explode with a "bang"?!

The Spirit Contract Insect the Sect Master gave me only caused my soul to tremble when I died.

But what are the feedback consequences for me if this thing gets injured or dies?

You should have explained clearly!

Why did you run off?

She wished she could immediately throw this thing off a ten-thousand-foot cliff.

But she didn't dare.

This thing was already bound to her vital blood.

Discarding it might be equivalent to discarding her own life.

Also, it feeds on worry...

Does that mean the more anxious, pained, and desperate I am, the better it will grow?

This is truly the method of the evil Demonic Sect!

But what am I supposed to do with you?

Su Ling'er looked at the little, sorrowful-looking thing, on the verge of tears.

You little monster, besides bringing me bad luck, can you do anything else?

Do I need to water it?

What should I use to fertilize it?

Is it ground-up grain, or... the flesh and blood of another disciple?

She couldn't help but shiver.

"Junior Sister, don't worry about it, just put it away."

Lin Qingfeng's voice came. He had just cast an appraisal spell on the flower as well.

"If you nurture it well, it should be of great use."

"Just water it normally. I don't really study this area. If you're more gloomy, perhaps it will grow faster?"

That eccentric Shen Nong, he never explains things clearly.

Forget it, it won't kill Junior Sister anyway.

Su Ling'er very carefully held the flowerpot to her chest. She stiffly moved her legs, following behind Senior Disciple Brother.

Every step was cautious, for fear that something would happen to the little ancestor in her arms, and then her own head would explode with a "bang."

At this moment, a disciple walked towards them from the front, a look of joy on his face, carefully holding a handful of seemingly warm and delicate black soil.

And that soil... seemed identical to the soil in Su Ling'er's flowerpot.

"Junior Sister, do you see that handful of black soil?"

Lin Qingfeng pointed and said, "It's the same type as in your potted plant, called 'Human Origin Soil'. It's currently the highest-ranked spirit soil in our sect.

Shen Nong gave you such precious spirit soil, along with this valuable Worry Flower, for free. Others have to spend spirit stones just to get black soil.

So don't just see him as eccentric; he's actually quite a good person. Just adapt to it, and perhaps he'll give you other good things in the future."

But Su Ling'er only heard the words "Human Origin Soil."

This instantly captured Su Ling'er's entire attention.

A scene unfolded uncontrollably in her mind:

It was a quagmire of blood and flesh, where the blood, bones, and even souls of countless cultivators were crushed by some evil power.

Then they were stirred and mixed, turning into the most basic nutrients, which were then ground together with the finest soil, and finally...

Refined into this delicate black soil!

Using the flesh and blood and souls of cultivators as fertilizer to nourish spirit plants?!

A wave of nausea surged up her throat. She even wanted to throw the potted plant in her hand away, but she forcibly suppressed it.

Based on her understanding of this Demonic Dao sect, they were entirely capable of such things!

They're actually using cultivators as fertilizer here?!

Lin Qingfeng felt he'd seen enough of the place and changed the subject, turning to Su Ling'er.

"Junior Sister, have you ever thought... if there was a way to have a lot of tedious labor done by 'others'?"

'Others'?!

Were they new prisoners?

Or perhaps low-level disciples with even worse aptitude?!

Lin Qingfeng didn't give her much time to guess. Instead, he turned and pointed deeper into Hundred Herbs Valley, in the direction where faint beast roars could be heard.

"Let's go, Junior Sister. Your senior brother will show you Gui Xi Sect's... Palus... no, that's not right, the Spirit Beast Garden."