Little Sprout Bullies the Weak!

Lin Ze'an looked in the direction Yue Guan had left and said softly, "Master, thank you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and pushed open the courtyard gate.

"Huh?"

Lin Ze'an's mind had been clouded with sleepiness, but the instant he saw what was in the courtyard, he was wide awake.

"Ah...?"

In the middle of the courtyard, a familiar figure hung upside down in midair, bound by several thick thorny vines.

And that figure... was none other than Yan.

His hands were tied behind his back with vines, and his legs were wrapped up tight, too.

Even his mouth was stuffed with leaves, leaving him able to make only muffled sounds.

"Senior Yan?!" Lin Ze'an's eyes widened as he stared at Yan dangling in midair.

What was going on? Why was Yan here? And why was he hanging upside down?

"Mm-mm-mm!!!" When Yan saw Lin Ze'an return, he looked as though he'd spotted his savior and immediately began wriggling frantically.

Before Lin Ze'an could react, a tiny figure darted out from the side.

Little Sprout bounced over to his feet, then tilted up its little head, pointed at Yan dangling in midair, and patted its own little chest.

Lin Ze'an: "..."

He looked down at the smug Little Sprout, then up at Yan's aggrieved face as he hung in the air, and suddenly seemed to understand what had happened.

Most likely, Yan had come looking for him and Little Sprout had mistaken him for a bad guy...

But how had it managed to hang Yan up? He had at least thirty levels of Soul Power, and his Martial Soul even had a fire attribute.

Lin Ze'an gave a soft sigh and raised his little hand. Soul Power flowed from his palm, quickly spreading over the vines wrapped around Yan.

At Lin Ze'an's command, the vines that had been wrapped tightly around Yan slowly loosened their hold.

They unwound one loop at a time, their movements gentle and unhurried, as though afraid of hurting Yan.

As the vines loosened, Yan's body slowly descended to the ground.

"Senior, are you all right?" Lin Ze'an hurried over and asked with concern.

Yan climbed to his feet, his face flushed.

He opened his mouth to speak, then remembered that it was still stuffed with leaves.

"Mm-mm..." Yan made an indistinct sound and hurriedly reached up to pull the leaves from his mouth.

He took a deep breath, then pointed at Little Sprout by Lin Ze'an's feet. His voice was full of indignation. "You raised this thing???"

"Senior, um... what happened?" Lin Ze'an scratched his head and asked quietly. "It's called Little Sprout. It really is mine."

Yan sighed and said helplessly, "I came to see you last night. I thought you hadn't heard me, and since the gate wasn't locked, I pushed it open and came in."

"But the moment I stepped inside, this thing ambushed me. Those vines suppressed my Soul Power, so I couldn't fight back at all."

Seeing Yan covered in dust and fallen leaves, Lin Ze'an quickly reached out to brush them off him.

"Sorry about that, Senior." Lin Ze'an awkwardly scratched his head. "It's my new spirit pet. It didn't recognize you, so that's why it did that."

"It's a plant-type Soul Beast, just like me. It must've used the plants I left in the courtyard to restrain you."

Yan waved a hand and rolled his wrists, which had been reddened by the vines. "Forget it, forget it."

If he hadn't been ambushed completely off guard, how could a little Soul Beast like this have beaten him?

"Nana asked me to find out if you want to join us for dinner tonight. We're celebrating her reaching level forty."

"After dinner, we'll leave Spirit City for a training trip. Nana will lead the group, and Xie Yue and I will go, too."

"His Holiness the Pope said you've already got two Soul Rings, so this time you'll just support us. The three of us will protect you."

Lin Ze'an was taken aback. Hu Liena had reached level forty so quickly? But then his eyes lit up.

He'd be leaving Spirit Hall for training, and if they were going the right way, he could stop by home and visit his father.

"Really?" Lin Ze'an asked excitedly. "Where are we going?"

Yan nodded. "Probably somewhere near Sunset Forest. With our strength, training somewhere else wouldn't be safe."

"His Holiness the Pope specifically said that even though you're young, your talent is exceptional, so you're coming with us. This trip will be a good chance to sharpen your skills."

"But you'll mainly be supporting us. Leave the dangerous stuff to us."

Lin Ze'an rubbed his little hands together with a grin, his eyes sparkling. He was clearly thrilled about the training trip to Sunset Forest.

He looked up at Yan and said cheerfully, "All right! Just come knock on my door before you leave, and I'll be ready."

Yan smiled and nodded at Lin Ze'an's eager expression. "Sure. We'll come get you before we set off."

As he spoke, Yan rolled his wrists. The red marks left by the vines were already fading.

"I'm off."

After Yan left, Lin Ze'an closed the courtyard gate, and the smile on his face vanished.

He looked at Little Sprout, picked it up, and examined it carefully.

What was going on with this little guy?

Even if it could use some of the Soul Power he had left in the courtyard, its own Soul Power had to be at least level twenty. Otherwise, it couldn't possibly have subdued Yan.

But where had it gotten that Soul Power? The little bit it had absorbed from him couldn't be enough, could it?

As though it had sensed his confusion, Little Sprout suddenly jumped out of his arms, tugged at Lin Ze'an's clothes, and motioned for him to follow.

He paused for a moment, then followed, curious.

Little Sprout bounced across the courtyard and headed straight for Lin Ze'an's room.

But the moment he went inside, Lin Ze'an was dumbfounded.

The large chest that had been sitting in the corner, filled with the cultivation resources his master had prepared for him, was now completely empty.

All the precious cultivation resources had vanished. Only the empty chest remained, standing quietly where it had been.

"This..." Lin Ze'an stared at Little Sprout in disbelief.

Did this little guy have such a huge appetite? Had it eaten everything Bibi Dong gave it and still not been full, so it had gobbled up the rest, too?

He rushed to the chest, crouched down, and rummaged through it, turning everything over.

But apart from a little fine dust and a few crumbs left at the bottom, there really was nothing!

Lin Ze'an slumped onto the floor, looked up at the empty chest, and twitched his mouth.

"Aw, you could've at least left me a little..."

How was he supposed to tell his master he'd eaten an entire chest of medicinal herbs in one night?

Little Sprout had been bouncing around the chest, but when it heard Lin Ze'an, it suddenly stopped.

It tilted its head. A flicker of panic crossed its eyes, and then it edged over to Lin Ze'an's feet and carefully rubbed against his leg.

"Sprout..." Little Sprout let out a plaintive cry, and the little flower bud on its head drooped.

Lin Ze'an's little face had still held a hint of reproach, but the moment he saw how pitiful Little Sprout looked, his heart softened.

"Ah..." He sighed and gently patted Little Sprout on the head.

"All right, all right. I don't blame you. Now that I've raised you, of course I have to keep you fed."

It was only a few cultivation resources. If they'd been eaten, then so be it.

Besides, they were going on a training trip anyway. He could use the chance to find Little Sprout some food.