In a crevice in the fiery-red rock grew a plant with a large, fan-shaped leaf, its entire body shimmering with crystalline red light.
At that moment, the strange plant, which had only a single large leaf, was dripping blood-red liquid from its drooping leaf, one drop after another. The liquid was crystal clear, dazzling like tiny red diamonds, but whenever it landed on the rock, it hissed and released a hazy red mist. The mist dissipated around its roots, as though the roots had absorbed it.
Han Shuo moved faster than Gilbert had expected. In an instant, he turned sideways, bent down, and opened his mouth wide beneath the falling drops of crimson liquid.
"Drip... drip..."
The blood-red liquid landed on Han Shuo's tongue with soft sounds. Whenever a cloud of red mist rose with a hiss, he drew a sharp breath and sucked it into his body. Under Gilbert's gaze, Han Shuo's cheeks gradually flushed crimson.
Not knowing what was going on, Gilbert simply stared at Han Shuo in astonishment. He found these strange actions utterly baffling, and his master seemed increasingly mysterious to him.
As drop after drop of crystal-clear, bloodlike liquid fell from the large leaf, the once-vigorous plant slowly turned dark red, drooping little by little onto the fiery-red rock until its color blended with the stone.
When the fan-shaped leaf stopped dripping bright red liquid, the peculiar plant seemed to have become hard stone, actually fusing with the rock beneath it.
By then, all of Han Shuo's skin had turned blood-red. He immediately sat cross-legged on the spot, looking like a man made of blood, with faint wisps of bright red mist swirling around him.
About an hour passed before Han Shuo slowly opened his eyes. He let out a hearty, lingering cry and said