Chapter 20
Lu Yuanqing repeatedly confirmed with the intelligent system and finally determined that he had neither logged into the wrong account nor been hacked.
He looked at the young caregiver sitting by the bedside, telling Lu Nanzhou a fairy tale, then glanced at the Emperor’s physical monitoring data—
Aside from the video feed, these data were also being transmitted to him in real time through encrypted channels.
After watching for more than a year, although most of it was still beyond him, there were certain indicators he could now understand.
For example…
The Emperor’s current mental state was very stable. That meant—his mood was actually quite good?
Lu Yuanqing couldn’t resist sending Mo Yin a message.
[Prince]?What’s going on with this caregiver?
Mo Yin quickly replied.
He explained that this was the Xihe caregiver he had reported yesterday, who had just been transferred to the top-floor ward—his name was Ye Yumeng.
Of course Lu Yuanqing remembered that, but the problem was…
Why was he telling Lu Nanzhou fairy tales? This felt completely out of place.
Lu Yuanqing was three years younger than his brother. In his mind, his powerful, dignified, and composed elder brother could never possibly enjoy listening to fairy tales.
[Mo Yin]?He doesn’t know His Majesty’s true identity. He thinks His Majesty is a five-year-old cub, so…
Lu Yuanqing froze for a few seconds upon reading this. After rereading it two or three times and glancing back at the surveillance feed, he finally burst out laughing.
Ever since Lu Nanzhou had been gravely injured, it had been a long time since he had laughed so freely.
[Prince]?And my brother just accepted that?
Seeing the message, Mo Yin could practically hear the surprise and teasing in the Prince’s tone. He sighed inwardly.
He had expected this reaction, but he could only report truthfully.
[Mo Yin]?Yes, Your Highness.
[Prince]?Hahaha.
[Prince]?Alright, let him do his job well.
Mo Yin acknowledged and then hesitated.
Should he tell the Prince about the Emperor’s unusual attitude toward this caregiver? If His Majesty found out later, he might not spare him…
After some internal struggle, he decided to observe a little longer.
Just as he thought the conversation had ended, another message came.
[Prince]?Hu Yunjin is on his way to the medical planet. He should arrive soon—keep an eye on it.
Mo Yin straightened instantly.
[Mo Yin]?Yes, Your Highness.
Ye Yumeng’s storytelling didn’t stop.
Time passed unknowingly. After lunch, he cast another Minor Rejuvenation.
By now, Lu Nanzhou had finally confirmed his suspicion.
The comfort he felt around Ye Yumeng wasn’t an illusion—it was a kind of ability Ye Yumeng possessed.
Whether it was consciously or unconsciously activated remained unclear, but one thing was certain: it required physical contact.
Did the young caregiver even know he had such an ability?
As Lu Nanzhou pondered this, his consciousness gradually blurred, and under the effect of the technique, he drifted into sleep.
When he woke again from pain, it was already evening.
He heard Ye Yumeng discussing something with Mo Yin.
“The room feels a bit dull. If we add some greenery, wouldn’t it be better?”
Perhaps because Mo Yin didn’t respond, the young caregiver continued, “Plants help people relax. Little Rabbit has been staying in the room all the time—it would really help him to have some connection with nature.”
“I’ll report it to Director Lei,” Mo Yin replied.
“Mm-hmm. If he agrees, can I handle it?” the young caregiver asked eagerly.
Mo Yin hesitated. “But the nearest flower market is still half a day’s journey…”
“Can we just dig them up from the grounds?”
Mo Yin clearly hadn’t expected that answer. His voice rose slightly. “Dig them up from the grounds?”
“Yeah, there are so many plants around the facility. Taking one or two shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Ye Yumeng said. “It’s a small matter—I can handle it!”
Watching how unusually enthusiastic he was, Mo Yin instinctively felt something was off.
Just as he was about to refuse, Lu Nanzhou’s voice sounded in his mind again.
‘Let him do it.’
‘Your Majesty!’
Mo Yin immediately explained why he disagreed. He believed the idea itself was fine, but it should be handled by the sanatorium staff to avoid any tampering.
After all, whatever was brought in would be placed in the Emperor’s room.
But Lu Nanzhou’s reply left him stunned.
‘I trust him.’
Mo Yin could not believe Lu Nanzhou would say such a thing so casually.
They had only known this caregiver for a few days. Moreover, all their interactions had happened right before his eyes. He couldn’t understand why the Emperor trusted him so much.
“Ah Mo?”
Ye Yumeng, unable to hear their mental exchange, noticed Mo Yin spacing out and called him.
Mo Yin came back to himself and looked at him.
Thinking back on the past couple of days, aside from wanting to return to the activity center, the young caregiver hadn’t done anything unusual.
He pressed his lips together and finally chose to compromise.
“I understand,” he said, responding both to Ye Yumeng and to Lu Nanzhou’s command. “I’ll inform Director Lei.”
Ye Yumeng couldn’t help but feel delighted.
In truth, the idea had come to him suddenly—if spirit plants were placed in the room, increasing the spiritual energy concentration, it could speed up his recovery of energy.
Long-term exposure to such an environment would also improve the body’s ability to absorb energy.
That was why he had brought it up. He hadn’t expected it to be approved!
“Ah Mo, thank you!”
Hearing his sincere gratitude, Mo Yin still couldn’t figure out what benefit Ye Yumeng could possibly gain from this.
If he really had ulterior motives, could he be using this opportunity to set something up within the grounds?
Or to meet with accomplices from other areas?
Or tamper with the potted plants…
Mo Yin’s thoughts wandered. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “If you want to thank someone, thank the young master. He’s the one who agreed.”
Ye Yumeng was taken aback and looked toward the bed.
Little Rabbit hadn’t said anything just now, had he?
“We communicate through mental power,” Mo Yin explained.
Hearing this, Ye Yumeng couldn’t help but marvel. Having mental power was really convenient—even cubs could communicate silently.
He walked over to the bedside and gently stroked the little rabbit’s head.
“Little Rabbit is so good to me.”
After thanking him with a bright smile, Ye Yumeng used up the rest of his spiritual energy, turning it into the faint glow of his technique and enveloping the little rabbit.
He had no idea what the rabbit had gone through to end up so badly injured.
Even after so many casts of Minor Rejuvenation, he had only managed to pull him back from the brink of death. To truly recover, the body’s own healing functions needed to be restored.
Only when the body could function normally again would he be truly out of danger. Otherwise, once external support was withdrawn, everything would revert.
Lu Nanzhou, unaware of his concerns, simply narrowed his eyes, enjoying the peace brought by their contact.
At the same time, he wondered whether he should tell Mo Yin or Lei Qi about this discovery.
It would likely aid his recovery, but… for the young caregiver, it might not be a good thing.
If Ye Yumeng became the key to his recovery, his importance would skyrocket—and with it, unpredictable danger.
After all, Lu Nanzhou knew very well that not everyone wanted him to recover.
And in his current broken state, he could not protect Ye Yumeng.
As for others… he did not trust them.
Soon, Ye Yumeng withdrew his hand, said goodbye, and left happily after work.
He had also considered whether his ability might be noticed, but there was no helping it.
So… he would just let things take their course. He had never intended to hide it forever anyway.
Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.
Just when Ye Yumeng thought the matter of digging up spirit plants had fallen through, Lei Qi called him over before the end of his shift that day.
“Adding greenery to the ward is indeed a good idea. Since you want to do it, I’ll leave it to you.”
Creating a comfortable environment for patients was, after all, part of a caregiver’s responsibility.
“As for timing, arrange it yourself.”
Lei Qi sent him the updated schedule and added, “In principle, the plants on the grounds are not to be damaged.”
“You can dig up a few, but don’t overdo it.”
Then he sent Ye Yumeng a contact.
“This is the sanatorium’s gardener. I’ve already informed him. You’ll need to transplant under his supervision—he can provide professional guidance if needed.”
They said it was accompaniment and guidance, but in reality, it was also a form of surveillance.
Although Lei Qi couldn’t think of what Ye Yumeng might achieve through this, the Royal Sanatorium was still under lockdown—there was no such thing as being too cautious.
“Alright, I understand!”
Ye Yumeng happily said goodbye to him. After returning to his dorm, he checked his upcoming schedule.
He had only been working for five days, but it was clear that medical staff didn’t have fixed days off. For the next seven days, his schedule was still fully packed.
But Ye Yumeng didn’t really want a day off.
On one hand, Little Rabbit needed him. On the other…
If he took a day off, he wouldn’t get to eat the work meals!
The meals provided for the top-floor ward were so delicious that he couldn’t forget them. And more importantly—among the ingredients supplied to that ward, there were likely spirit plants.
That’s right. His idea of cultivating by consuming spirit plants had been realized just like that!
Of course, not every day’s ingredients contained spirit plants—that was why he had only discovered it yesterday.
This world had no concept of spirit plants, but since their quality was naturally higher than ordinary plants, they had a higher chance of being selected as premium ingredients.
Ever since realizing this, Ye Yumeng had fallen in love with going to work.
Back in the cultivation world, even a low-grade spirit plant would cost over a hundred low-grade spirit stones, and higher-grade ones were even more outrageously priced—and not always available!
Now he could eat them for free!
Well, “eat to his heart’s content” might be a bit exaggerated since they weren’t available every day. But if he took a day off, he might miss them, so naturally he didn’t want any breaks.
“Hm? The next two days are afternoon shifts?”
Ye Yumeng looked at the schedule. The morning shift was from 8:00 to 18:00, the afternoon shift from 14:00 to 24:00, both with two hours for meals and rest.
The night shift was from midnight to 8:00, leaving the remaining time free.
“Then I can go dig up spirit plants tomorrow morning?”
After five days, Little Rabbit’s condition had stabilized for now. Delaying treatment slightly wouldn’t be a big issue.
Having made his decision, Ye Yumeng immediately contacted the sanatorium gardener and arranged a meeting time.
The next day, he finally met the gardener.
He looked to be in his forties or fifties—still considered in his prime in the interstellar era—yet his face already bore the marks of time.
His hair was disheveled, and his dark green eyes were lifeless, like an ancient well. The whole person gave off a worn-down, desolate air.
Another person with a story, it seemed.
Ye Yumeng glanced at his nameplate—Shi Yichun.
“Hello, Uncle Shi. I’m Ye Yumeng, a new caregiver.”
Shi Yichun had been half-lidded, but lifted his eyes slightly at the overly familiar greeting.
He gave the young caregiver a look and nodded. “I’ve already heard from Director Lei. Just tell me what plants you need.”
“Can I choose them myself?” Ye Yumeng asked.
Shi Yichun frowned, but eventually agreed. “Fine.”
The grounds were vast—walking wasn’t practical. Shi Yichun drove over in a hover car and took Ye Yumeng around the facility.
Along the way, the gardener remained silent.
Ye Yumeng didn’t say much either. He leaned against the window, observing the plants along the route, paying attention to the locations he had previously marked as containing spirit plants, occasionally giving directions.
Soon, they arrived at the destination.
Ye Yumeng got out of the car and walked straight to a small plant. “Uncle Shi, I want this one.”
Shi Yichun, who had followed expressionlessly, looked at him with some surprise.
“Why did you pick this one?”
“It looks good!”
Shi Yichun couldn’t help muttering—well, it did look good. This Red Leaf Lotus was the best specimen in the entire flower bed. He had put in a lot of effort to cultivate it.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked.
“Mm!”
“Don’t want to reconsider?”
“No need, I’ll take this one!”
Although somewhat reluctant, the plants belonged to the Royal Sanatorium, and patient needs always took priority.
Since it was for use in a patient’s room, he had no reason to refuse.
“Alright then, I’ll dig it up.” Shi Yichun turned to fetch tools from the car.
Ye Yumeng quickly took out the flowerpot he had prepared.
These two pots had been bought from a commercial street after work yesterday—costing him 50 Yaojin coins! But the director said they could be reimbursed at the end of the month.
Since it was his own proposal, Ye Yumeng had no complaints.
Spending such a small amount to “obtain” two spirit plants—he was already making a huge profit!
Still, looking at his dwindling wallet, Ye Yumeng couldn’t help considering a side job.
After all, he only worked eight hours a day. If he spent one or two hours earning extra money, that wouldn’t be bad.
Once he had more money, he could order expensive dishes in the cafeteria—maybe even ones made with spirit plants…
For now, though, he hadn’t figured out what kind of side job to do, so he’d take it step by step.
“Red Leaf Lotus prefers shade and tolerates drought. Don’t expose it to direct sunlight. Water it every two days, fertilize it once every half month…”
Shi Yichun carefully transplanted the Red Leaf Lotus into the pot while giving instructions.
Ye Yumeng quickly memorized everything, then asked, “Besides being ornamental, does it have any other uses? Like medicinal value?”
“I’ve heard its leaves can treat burns, but I’ve never tried it.” Shi Yichun stood up and dusted off his hands. “Do you want anything else?”
The kid brought two pots—he definitely wouldn’t stop at one.
Sure enough, Ye Yumeng smiled and led him to another flower bed, pointing out the healthiest Green Jade Bamboo there.
Shi Yichun’s mouth twitched, feeling like his heart was bleeding.
“You know your plants quite well,” he said while digging.
Ye Yumeng waved his hand. “No, no, I just picked the one that looks good.”
Shi Yichun didn’t believe a word.
The Royal Sanatorium grounds were indeed vast, but plants that grew exceptionally well—especially those that could even boost the growth of surrounding plants—were extremely rare.
And this young caregiver had come and taken two of them in one go, yet claimed he knew nothing about plants? Who would believe that?
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