Wonderful Reactions

After Chen Bing left, Lin Hai looked around the greenhouse. When he reached a corner, he found a Seven-Leaf Lotus with drooping leaves.

Lin Hai was curious. Dr. Chen had kept so many green plants and medicinal herbs in perfect order; there should not have been such a wilted plant here.

So he extended his right hand, intending to touch the Seven-Leaf Lotus's leaves. But just as he was about to make contact, he suddenly felt his palm grow slightly warm.

The sensation was like touching a cup of warm water in the depths of winter. Yet the heat did not come from outside—it seeped out from beneath his own skin.

When his fingers truly touched the leaf, something incredible happened—a faint light flashed along its veins, so quickly that it was almost an illusion. At the same time, Lin Hai felt a tiny wisp of something being "drawn" from within him, flowing through his fingertips and into the plant.

Of course, he had no way of knowing that this tiny wisp of "something" was actually part of the energy that had settled into his Lower Dantian after he finished practicing earlier.

"This..." His eyes widened as he watched the previously yellowing leaf regain some of its luster at a visible rate. Its curled edges slowly unfurled, like crops receiving sweet rain after a long drought.

Even more astonishingly, during the process, he could vaguely sense the plant's "emotions"—the joy of a life parched for far too long finally receiving nourishment.

Lin Hai's heart began to race. After glancing around and confirming that Dr. Chen was still in the clinic next door, he carefully picked up the flowerpot and placed it on the workbench.

Then he took a deep breath, gently laid his hand over the Seven-Leaf Lotus's leaves again, closed his eyes, and tried to actively guide the unfamiliar warm current inside him.

At first, nothing happened. But when he recalled that feeling of "giving," his palm suddenly began to heat up. This time, the sensation was clearer, as if a warm stream rose from his Lower Dantian, flowed along his meridians to his right arm, and finally entered the plant through his fingertips.

A strange image appeared in Lin Hai's mind. He "saw" countless hair-thin green paths of light inside the Seven-Leaf Lotus. Most of them were dim and lifeless, while only the area he touched glimmered with a faint green radiance.

Ten minutes later, Lin Hai released his hand, drenched in sweat. The Seven-Leaf Lotus had not fully recovered, but at least two-thirds of its leaves had stood upright again, and its spots had faded considerably.

As for himself, he felt exhausted, as if he had just finished some intense exercise.

"What the hell is going on..." Lin Hai braced himself against the workbench and panted. "Why is there this kind of energy in my Dantian?" He frowned as he thought.

Then he suddenly remembered that after practicing earlier, something really had seemed to make a circuit through his body before finally sinking into his Lower Dantian. Looking at it now, that must have been it.

Lin Hai's gaze swept across the other plants in the shop. A bold thought surfaced in his mind: if the Seven-Leaf Lotus could react, what about the other plants?

He first headed toward the row of Dendrobium Orchids. These mountain plants had been in poor condition lately because of the weather.

Lin Hai chose the weakest one and placed his hand on its leaf in the same manner.

This time, the energy transfer went more smoothly, but the results were less than satisfactory. The Dendrobium Orchid absorbed only a tiny amount of energy before reaching saturation, and its improvement was minimal.

"Is its vitality too weak to bear it?" This phenomenon gave Lin Hai pause. He then tried Lemon Balm, but it was the same.

"Looks like my idea was right, then..." He turned toward the century-old Fo-ti and immediately walked over.

The moment Lin Hai's hand touched the Fo-ti's leaves, a powerful "desire" suddenly came from the plant, startling him so badly that he nearly stepped back.

The Fo-ti's "desire" was so intense that Lin Hai could sense it without even closing his eyes—like a traveler in the desert yearning for water from an oasis.

"All right, let's try you." Lin Hai gritted his teeth. This time, he gently held a Fo-ti leaf with his left hand and tried to form the thought of "giving." He wanted to find out whether only his right hand could trigger it, or if both hands could.

In an instant, Lin Hai felt all the energy in his Lower Dantian surge toward the Fo-ti, so fast that it made him panic.

But it lasted only a moment. Immediately afterward, an unprecedented pleasure swept through Lin Hai's entire body, making him close his eyes and savor the feeling. The Fo-ti was feeding some kind of energy back to him!

This energy was similar to what he had sent out, yet different. If he had to describe it, the energy inside Lin Hai was more balanced and peaceful, impartial and neutral, like so-called attribute-less energy. The energy returned by the Fo-ti carried one meaning—life.

Then Lin Hai felt the Life Energy pass through his body, sweeping away all the fatigue caused by expending his energy.

Lin Hai "saw" the Fo-ti's intricate energy network. Those paths of light were more complicated and sturdier than those of the Seven-Leaf Lotus, like the roots of a towering tree.

Even more startlingly, he could sense a kind of "consciousness" within the ancient plant. It was not logical thought or historical memory like that of a human, but an instinctive memory of sunlight, rainwater, and changing seasons.

When the connection naturally broke off, the green Life Force returned by the Fo-ti ultimately went back into Lin Hai's Lower Dantian.

Lin Hai opened his eyes and looked at the Fo-ti. Its leaves had completely unfurled, like someone stretching limbs stiffened by a long sleep after waking up.

As for him, he felt refreshed and invigorated. Every trace of fatigue had vanished, and he even felt his muscles had grown somewhat stronger.

"So... it goes both ways?" Lin Hai muttered, lowering his head to look at his hands.

"Other people get cheat abilities in their transmigration gift packs. Mine are green fingers? Fine by me. At least they're not green tongues, though green tongues are pretty tasty."

"What the hell am I thinking about? Focus on business. Focus on business." Lin Hai stopped letting his thoughts wander, rubbed his temples, and began carefully sorting through everything that had happened.

"If I didn't feel wrong, that attribute-less energy was generated while practicing Tai Chi, and it can affect plants, giving them a huge boost. It seems this energy is no low-grade stuff.

"Dr. Chen has practiced for so many years without ever mentioning anything like this, so the essence of it isn't Tai Chi. That means it must have something to do with me, and the biggest difference about me is the mass of Seven-Colored Essence I encountered during transmigration, which is now deep within my mind.

"In other words, Tai Chi was the catalyst. It stirred the Seven-Colored Essence and affected me, allowing that kind of energy to form in my Dantian."

"And there's also the Life Energy returned by the Fo-ti. The Seven-Leaf Lotus, Dendrobium Orchid, and Lemon Balm didn't produce that reaction, so does that mean only stronger plants can return energy to me? And this Life Energy..."

Lin Hai knew that his single wisp of attribute-less energy had been completely used up on the Fo-ti, but green Life Energy returned by the Fo-ti still remained in his Dantian.

He went over to a Mint plant, reached for its leaves, and silently thought "give," just as before. The green energy in his Dantian likewise flowed out, passing through Lin Hai's hand and into the Mint leaves.

This time, the Mint did not return any energy either. But the emotion it conveyed was something like, "I'm full, well-rested, and full of energy," rather than the feeling of being nourished, as if it had consumed some powerful tonic, like the previous plants.

"It seems these two kinds of energy don't serve the same purpose. Makes sense—their properties are different, so it's not strange that their functions differ too. No matter what, it's a good thing. If I can master these two energies and strengthen them both, I'll have some ability to protect myself in this dangerous Marvel Universe."

Lin Hai clenched his fist. He had not forgotten where he was. Even though it was only the year 2000 and there were still eight years before the story truly began, he was from Huaxia. The mindset of remaining vigilant in peaceful times was etched deep into his bones.

Now that he possessed such ability and power, he would not relax simply because he had eight years left. Instead, he needed to work even harder to improve himself, so that once the story officially began, he would have enough means to take part in it and perhaps even influence everything.

That was right. As a transmigrator, if he did not have the ambition to change the plot, he might as well not have transmigrated at all—or just lie down and wait to die. He could do nothing before transmigrating, and he still could do nothing after transmigrating? Wouldn't that make the whole thing pointless?

Lin Hai decided to set himself a small goal: eight years later, when he witnessed Iron Man's birth, he would find a way to use his abilities to solve Tony Stark's palladium poisoning, perhaps even cure him completely!

He did not want that brain cursed by knowledge to waste too much time on such a trivial matter. Tony Stark's intelligence should be used to explore the profound principles of all things.

Having composed himself, Lin Hai began his official work.

He started with the century-old Fo-ti that had returned so much Life Energy to him. Lin Hai fetched a bamboo spray bottle and evenly misted the leaves with its liquid, ensuring every drop provided just the right amount of moisture without pooling and rotting the roots. Having consumed a "tonic," the Fo-ti's branches and leaves became even more verdant beneath the mist.

Next came the Dendrobium Orchids. They hung from damp bark boards with their roots exposed, requiring especially meticulous care. Lin Hai pressed his palm against their roots and slowly sent over a little Life Energy, helping them better absorb nutrients from the air. He could feel their slightly shriveled aerial roots gradually plump up.

Herbs such as Mint and Rosemary were much simpler, but he still carefully inspected every plant's leaves, removing yellowed portions and ensuring proper ventilation. When he used his fingers to send a trace of Life Energy into the fragrant Lemon Balm, the plant seemed to lightly brush against him, as though expressing gratitude.

The plants requiring the most caution were the poisonous medicinal herbs—Datura and Aconite. Lin Hai put on gloves and pruned them carefully, while reducing the flow of energy to avoid stimulating their toxicity.

Finally, he came to the Seven-Leaf Lotus. After being nourished by energy, it had fully regained its vitality, its leaves a lush, dripping green. Lin Hai gently stroked its leaves and felt the plant's growth.

By the time Lin Hai finished tending all the plants, every green plant and medicinal herb had become full of life. Crystal-clear droplets gleamed on their leaves, and the fragrance of herbs filled the air. Lin Hai let out a long breath, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and looked around in satisfaction.

These plants were not merely his work. They were more like his companions—they craved his energy, while he drew nourishment from their vitality and sensed their emotions.

What excited Lin Hai even more was that the future he had once dreamed of was no longer merely a fantasy.

As long as he could cultivate and make good use of the two kinds of energy inside his body, he would surely be able to survive and live well in the Marvel Universe, a world filled with extraordinary people, according to his own wishes!