Liu Ruyan paused briefly, then nodded. "Yes, the Withered Vine inherited by Ito Makoto did undergo a mutation in his ancestors' time.
"That mutation gave the Withered Vine another ability: bestowing life force.
"In other words, Ito Makoto can use his martial soul to bestow the life force he absorbs upon other plants, making them grow rapidly.
"That's also why he tended part of my family's medicinal garden."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Chen Xiaojun's eyes. "So he planted the Nether Blood Lilies in secret?"
Liu Ruyan shook her head. "No. My family has practiced medicine for generations. Nether Blood Lilies have special medicinal properties, but they're extremely rare and difficult to find.
"A few years ago, Ito Makoto said he'd found some Nether Blood Lily seeds in the mountains and gave them to me.
"But Nether Blood Lilies need a great deal of life force to mature and are difficult to keep alive, so he was still mainly responsible for growing them."
Chen Xiaojun frowned slightly, looking at Liu Ruyan with a trace of doubt in his eyes. "Sister-in-law, what about Ito Makoto's health? Is he really so frail that a gust of wind could knock him over?"
Liu Ruyan sighed, complicated emotions showing in her eyes. "He really was born prematurely, and his health was poor from childhood.
"His father died when he was very young, and his mother died giving birth to him.
"His grandfather raised him. He was always very lonely."
Ji Boda picked up the thread. "Ito Makoto followed us around from childhood. We were the ones who took him along to play.
"Seven or eight years ago, his grandfather and Grandpa Liu were attacked by a group of black-clothed men while traveling together. We still haven't gotten to the bottom of it.
"His