The moment Lu Yin saw that sprout, his mind jolted and he froze. A fragment suddenly appeared in his mind: a pair of hands slowly burying the Myriad Species Seed in the soil, then watering it. Beside them, a beautiful, snow-white hand reached out and offered a piece of silk cloth. It was lovely, with the character Yun embroidered on it.
Lu Yin suddenly came to his senses. What had that been? An illusion? No, a memory? He thought it over carefully. The fragment was vivid, but he couldn't recall what came before or after it. It was as if that single fragment was all there was, and he couldn't see the person's face.
"Brother Long Qi, what's wrong?" Nong Lie asked.
Lu Yin pointed at the sprout. "What is that?"
Nong Lie's expression shifted. "Someone planted it, too."
"Who?" Lu Yin asked, staring at Nong Lie.
Nong Lie shook his head. "I can't tell you. It's something of a taboo in my family."
Lu Yin turned back to the sprout. It was utterly ordinary; anywhere else, it would never have drawn attention. But here, in this garden, not far from the Tree Lotus Vine, a little sprout was worth taking note of.
"Why can it survive so close to the Tree Lotus Vine?" Lu Yin asked curiously.
Nong Lie smiled wryly. "Don't ask me. I don't know. Anyway, after Bai Xian'er planted the Tree Lotus Vine, all the surrounding plants withered. Even a plant cultivated by an Ancestral Realm powerhouse withered. That little sprout was the only one that remained unharmed—and it kept growing strong."
"Growing strong?" Lu Yin blinked. The sprout was only about the size of his palm. How could anyone tell it was growing strong?
"Before the Tree Lotus Vine was planted, the sprout was only