Monster Cub Live Stream – CH49

Chapter 49

Qiu Baiyu was a bona fide chatterbox.

Ever since getting off the starship, he had been bouncing along at Feng Wu’s side, chattering nonstop to Feng Wu and Lin An’an the whole way.

“Baby An, let me tell you! You have no idea—on the very night you agreed to cooperate with us, everyone in the Qiu family, from the elders all the way down to the three-year-old kids, was so excited they couldn’t sleep!”

“The moment Grandpa said that even people who hadn’t awakened plant-type abilities could still go to Sin Star to farm, everyone fought so hard for the final spots that their heads nearly broke open!”

“If the elders of the Qiu family weren’t already too old and unsteady on their feet, the entire council of elders would have wanted to come out in full force!”

“Everyone in the family has been studying planting knowledge in the clan school since childhood, all for a day like this!”

“We’ve always believed that the planting industry would never remain such a barren wasteland forever. One day, we would definitely be able to restart the flourishing golden age of ancient agriculture!”

“I really never imagined that this day would come so fast!”

As he got more and more worked up, Qiu Baiyu suddenly bent down and grabbed one of the little cub’s soft tentacles.

“Baby An!” His eyes were so full of tears that they looked ready to spill out at any second. “You are our god!”

The little cub froze. [Th-thank you?]

Off to the side, Shi Xiaoxing finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

Behind them, when the large group of Qiu family disciples saw Qiu Baiyu’s state, quite a few of them couldn’t help covering their eyes, unable to bear watching their team leader make such a fool of himself.

“Brother Baiyu really did completely forget what the old master told him about restraining himself a little…” one of them muttered under his breath, his eyes flicking nonstop toward the virtual camera. “It’s over. We’ve embarrassed ourselves in front of the whole galaxy…”

[One hundred and seventy people. I’m seriously shaken. [pupils trembling jpg]]
[Why is Qiu Baiyu so funny, hahaha, I’m dying laughing.]
[Holy shit, holy shit—is what Baby An said true? Even if you don’t have a plant-type ability, as long as the seeds were improved with his ability, fruits, vegetables, and green plants can still be grown alive? That’s what he means, right? I’m not misunderstanding, right???]
[That’s exactly what he means, ahhh! Doesn’t that mean ordinary people can farm now too? [shaking with excitement jpg]]
[The premise is that you actually know how to farm. At the very least, you’d have to have solid theoretical knowledge like the Qiu family, right?]
[Across the whole galaxy, outside of the Qiu family, I bet you could count the number of ordinary people who know planting techniques on one hand. I remember the Shi family has a similar school too, but only those who’ve awakened plant-type abilities are qualified to enter. The rest—even direct members of the Shi family—aren’t qualified if they don’t have abilities. [shrug jpg]]
[Wow, when you compare them like that, the difference is obvious.]
[It really feels like we might live to see the day when green coverage skyrockets! Are we about to witness history, ahhh? [excited scream jpg]]

Qiu Baiyu chattered at Feng Wu and Lin An’an all the way until they were almost at the safe house. Only then did he finally calm down.

“Oh, right, Baby An.” His tone changed abruptly, suddenly turning serious. “Using abilities to improve seed quality…”

As if she already knew what he was about to say, Lin An’an replied, [As long as someone has a plant-type ability, they can improve seed quality. This isn’t a skill unique to me.]

Qiu Baiyu’s eyes lit up. “Then I—I can do it too?”

[You can.] Lin An’an nodded. [This skill isn’t difficult. In a couple of days, I’ll teach all of you.]

After a pause, he glanced toward the camera again. [When I teach it, I’ll turn on a livestream. Anyone who wants to learn can come to the livestream and learn how to use plant-type abilities to improve seed quality.]

After saying that, Lin An’an glanced lightly at Qiu Baiyu—only to see that his eyes had gone red and his mouth had twisted into a miserable crooked pout.

The next second, Qiu Baiyu let out a loud wail, grabbed one of his clansmen from behind at random, and burst into tears in his arms.

“This is great, this is so great!!!” Qiu Baiyu cried until he was choking on sobs, howling and bawling, “Grandpa was right! We finally waited for this day, wuwuwu!!!”

Lin An’an stared at him in shock for a moment. Then she looked away and couldn’t help smiling, her eyes curving.

She really did prefer dealing with people whose hearts were simple and pure.

For this world to have a family like the Qiu family—people who truly worried about the future of planting and had been preparing for this day at every moment—really was a blessing for the whole galaxy.

Qiu Baiyu sniffled and wiped at his red-rimmed eyes, still emotional. “Baby An! No need to wait two days! Tomorrow—or no, tonight, or even this afternoon is fine! We’re free anytime!!!”

[I’m weirdly touched, wuwuwu. [tearful jpg]]
[Holy shit, Baby An is really going to share the technique for improving seed quality?! I’m completely stunned. [crying wildly jpg]]
[Wait, let me sort this out. Once all the plant-type ability users across the galaxy learn this skill, then in the future the ability users will only need to improve seed quality and sell the seeds. As long as ordinary people learn planting techniques, they can also buy seeds, open farms, and develop the planting industry—]
[A brand-new industrial chain and employment direction has appeared!!! [excited hand-rubbing jpg]]
[Now just waiting for the big shots in agriculture to open classes teaching planting. I’m willing to pay no matter how expensive it is, ahhh.]
[I’ve already started digging through old records. In ancient times, vegetation coverage was around fifty percent. It was really, really beautiful. [cat starry eyes jpg]]
[In our lifetime, can we really see such a golden age again? [who can stay calm jpg]]
[Qiu Silly is right! Baby An, you are our god!!!]

While they were talking, the group arrived at the safe house.

The safe house prepared for the Qiu family was located near the wilderness farm. Lin An’an had already surveyed the surrounding terrain beforehand, and it was very suitable for growing part of the fruits and vegetables there.

Since the Qiu family had sent a large number of people to support them, this safe house was built especially large as well, enough to accommodate the entire Qiu family, with separate floors even set up specifically for entertainment, dining, work, and so on.

Lin An’an asked, [You’re all carrying the protective buttons I mailed to you beforehand, right?]

Qiu Baiyu tugged open his coat and pointed to the small metal button pinned at his shirt pocket. “Every single person is wearing one!”

[Good.] Lin An’an nodded. [You can take them off while you’re within the protected range of the safe house, but if you leave the safe house, you must remember to put them back on. And if you feel even the slightest discomfort anywhere in your body, tell me immediately.]

Qiu Baiyu nodded. “No problem! I’ve already repeated all of this to everyone more than ten times. Baby An, just relax!”

The little cub curved his eyes at him. [Protecting yourselves comes first. Don’t ever force yourselves to endure it.]

Qiu Baiyu smiled. “Got it.”

[That’s right, that’s right! Everyone absolutely has to protect yourselves!]
[Baby An’s equipment is so complete—protective buttons, safe houses… it makes people feel so secure. [happy confetti jpg]]
[This safe house is so luxurious. Does Sin Star still need more support personnel? I can cook, I can clean, I can do heavy labor, and I work super hard. Baby An, look at me. [hopeful eyes jpg]]
[Me too! If Baby An ever needs people in the future, just say one word on StarNet! I’ll be the first to sign up!!!]

After a short rest, Qiu Baiyu could no longer contain his excitement and hurriedly sought out Lin An’an.

Lin An’an knew exactly why he had come. [How many plant-type ability users are there in the Qiu family in total?]

Qiu Baiyu held up both hands. “Eight in total, but only six came to Sin Star.”

As if worried that Lin An’an might feel upset about that, he quickly added, “The other two—one is my grandfather. He’s the head of the family, so he has to stay on Capital Star to guard the house—uh, no, to hold down the fort. And the other one is one of the Qiu family elders. He’s almost a hundred and fifty years old and it’s inconvenient for him to travel far, so—”

[I know.] Lin An’an cut him off. [Even if the Qiu family had only sent one person, that would have been fine. Everyone came here to help, so don’t burden yourself with extra guilt.]

Qiu Baiyu scratched his head and smiled foolishly. “Alright.”

The largest conference hall inside the safe house was big enough to seat the entire Qiu family at once.

After Lin An’an informed Qiu Baiyu of the location, all one hundred and seventy members of the Qiu family quickly gathered in the hall.

The plant-type ability users sat in the very front row, each of them solemnly holding their terminals, and they had even brought along a good number of seeds themselves. Even the non-ability users had each brought small flowerpots, all of them looking as if they were bracing for a great battle.

At first glance, the whole scene was rather amusing. But on second thought, it also made Lin An’an feel deeply moved.

In the Qiu family’s view, planting was no longer merely a technique. It was more like a faith, something carved deep into their instincts.

Looking at the eager, hopeful, excited faces below, Lin An’an’s own mood unconsciously turned serious as well.

The livestream began.

[It’s starting, it’s starting!]
[Baby An is so considerate! He even posted an announcement in advance!]
[Non–plant-type ability user barging in uninvited. What if someday my ability suddenly mutates into a plant-type one? [doge jpg]]
[I seriously suspect every plant-type ability user in the galaxy has gathered in this livestream. [cat starry eyes jpg]]
[Plant-type ability concentration exceeding safe limits. [hahaha jpg]]
[I’ll be honest, I’m here to witness history. It feels like once today’s livestream ends, the entire galaxy’s planting industry is about to change forever. [excited hand-rubbing jpg]]

The skill of using abilities to improve seed quality was not difficult. It just required a few little tricks.

The Qiu family had a level of obsession with all planting-related techniques that was honestly startling. After Lin An’an explained the methods, the six plant-type ability users present quickly learned it one after another.

They distributed the enhanced seeds to the other Qiu family members who had no abilities, and had them plant them into the flowerpots they had brought with them.

Qiu Baiyu said nervously, “Now it all depends on whether these seeds can sprout by tomorrow morning.”

The ability levels of the plant-type users present varied. Qiu Baiyu had the strongest ability among them, and under normal circumstances it took him around ten minutes to directly stimulate a seed into sprouting.

After estimating the timing, Lin An’an said, [You don’t need to wait until tomorrow morning. At your ability levels, once the seeds have been improved, the fastest will sprout in an hour, and even the slowest only need to wait until tonight.]

Hearing that, the Qiu family members who had just been preparing to leave all stopped in unison.

“Th-that fast?” Qiu Baiyu muttered in shock.

Lin An’an nodded. [That’s right. Improving seed quality is actually more effective than directly stimulating the seed with abilities, and it also uses much less ability energy. But the quality of the final fruit is no different.]

Qiu Baiyu’s eyes shone brightly. “I’m staying right here to keep watch! Hurry, hurry, hurry, start recording! Such a historic moment absolutely has to be captured!!!”

[An hour? That fast?!]
[I beg with blood from one hundred men—Baby An, don’t end the livestream! [wild screaming jpg]]
[Let everyone witness history together. [hopeful eyes jpg]]
[I won’t say anything else. Baby An, look at me. [Universe Starship x10]]

After seeing the comments, Lin An’an, who had originally been about to end the livestream, thought about it and then let the virtual camera float above the center of the hall.

Everyone in the hall had their attention fixed on the many flowerpots, and almost nobody noticed that the hall doors had quietly opened and Feng Wu, who had been gone for some time, had returned.

Feng Wu walked to the little cub’s side. “An’an, it’s done.”

Lin An’an smiled at him. [Thanks for your hard work, Brother Wolf.]

Off to the side, Wuhula looked puzzled. “This technique is so powerful it’s enough to change interstellar history, and yet you’re just giving it away this generously to every plant-type ability user in the galaxy? Without charging even a single star coin? Without asking for anything in return?”

[Who says I’m not asking for anything in return?] Lin An’an blinked.

She raised her head and glanced at the virtual camera. The camera was in midair, quite far from them. At that distance, it wouldn’t be able to pick up their voices.

[Not charging star coins doesn’t mean I get nothing out of this.] Lin An’an said. [The public doesn’t know yet that I’m the Empire’s Third Prince, but sooner or later, I’ll have to take off the “Lin An’an” disguise in front of them.]

[Think about it. Right now I’m just a Third Prince who’s been missing for years, unloved, and has barely ever shown his face before the public. If I did nothing at all, then by the time I return to Capital Star, I would naturally have zero competitive strength when facing Xia Yuanhan.]

The little cub analyzed the situation in a grave and proper tone, his soft little face carrying a seriousness that looked a bit mismatched with it.

But things were different now. The benefits this seed-enhancement technique would bring to the entire Empire—even the whole galaxy—were immense. With that kind of foundation beneath him, when the day came for him to shed his disguise, who would still be able to say he had achieved nothing?

Wuhula still did not quite understand. “Being able to treat Alpha—isn’t that already enough?”

[It’s not the same.] Lin An’an shook his head. [Alpha is only a temporary crisis. The people who benefit the most are the patients on Sin Star. Even though others no longer have to worry about catching Alpha, since they never suffered from it themselves, there will always be a sense of unreality for them.]

[But enhancing seeds is different. Once this technique spreads, every single person in the galaxy benefits. Every one of them will personally gain something from it. Those benefits are real, tangible, and something every person can personally experience.]

Wuhula fell into thoughtful silence.

Beside him, Xiong Yingjun said in a solemn tone despite clearly not fully understanding, “Damn, that’s complicated as hell.”

Lin An’an laughed. [And besides… who said I won’t earn any star coins from this?]

The little cub glanced at Feng Wu, then proudly puffed out his little chest.

Not only would he be making money—he’d be the one walking away with the biggest full-to-bursting haul.

The official accounts of the Interstellar Ability Users Association and the Imperial Plant Ability Users Association posted announcements on StarNet at the same time, declaring that they had already entered into cooperation with Lin An’an.

From now on, any industry chain that needed the “seed-quality enhancement” step would have to obtain official approval through the associations before it could be legally put on the market.

Lin An’an was not surprised at all when he saw the announcement.

He was the one who had sent Feng Wu to arrange it.

Once he had cooperated with the official authorities, Lin An’an no longer had to worry about certain ill-intentioned people freeloading on the technique and then running off to go solo.

If someone wanted to use it privately at home, Lin An’an wouldn’t interfere at all.

But if they wanted to make money using this technique, then they had to cooperate with the official authorities, register with the relevant official associations, sign the proper agreements, and pass the multiple layers of official review.

And Lin An’an, as the one who had provided the technique, only needed to sit back and wait for the money to roll in.

Lin An’an’s little calculations clicked rapidly in his mind, and the whole cub was so happy he practically seemed to be bubbling over.

At the same time, in the Imperial Shi family residence—

Shi Wang, the head of the Shi family, was sitting in his room. The light screen in front of him kept flickering, and the image displayed on it was Lin An’an’s livestream.

Madam Shi sat beside him with several seeds placed in front of her, faint green light from her plant ability glowing weakly in her hands.

Shi Wang sighed. “If I’d known things would turn out like this, we should’ve tried to cooperate with Lin An’an earlier.”

Madam Shi pressed her lips together and said nothing. She was currently trying out the method Lin An’an had taught, attempting to strengthen the ordinary seeds into high-quality ones.

Shi Wang frowned. “That girl Xingxing has such a good relationship with Lin An’an. If we had contacted Lin An’an through her first, then the family being showered in praise now wouldn’t be the Qiu family—it would be our Shi family.”

He sighed to himself for a while and then suddenly thought of something. “Hey, do you think if we go find Shi Xiaoxing now, it’ll still be in time? Sin Star is so big. With fewer than two hundred people from the Qiu family, they must be short-handed, right?”

The more he talked, the more he felt he was absolutely right, and his voice grew more and more animated. “That child Xingxing has always been easy to talk to. If we go find her and say the Shi family is also willing to go to Sin Star to support them, she’ll definitely—”

“That’s enough!” Madam Shi barked coldly. “And you still have the nerve to bring up Xingxing?”

Shi Wang was startled by her sharp rebuke. “Why can’t I bring her up? Xingxing is our daughter. What’s there that I can’t mention?”

“And you still know she’s our daughter?” Madam Shi said coldly. “Do you really know nothing at all about the kind of life she’s lived in this family all these years?”

Shi Wang became angry too. “What kind of life could she have had? Could it be that the Shi family has ever truly mistreated her?”

“You know very well whether you really don’t know or whether you’re just pretending to be stupid.” Madam Shi looked at him coldly and sneered. “If you want to go find Xingxing, then go ahead. I don’t have the shamelessness to go embarrass myself with you.”

With that, she picked up the flowerpot in front of her and prepared to leave—only to cry out the moment she turned around, “Father?”

The person who had come was the old patriarch of the Shi family.

Shi Wang hurriedly turned around, surprised. “Dad, when did you come back?”

Old Master Shi snorted coldly. “If I didn’t come back, the Shi family would be ruined by the lot of you!”

Madam Shi lowered her eyes and silently held the flowerpot in her arms.

“Dad, wh-what do you mean by that?” Shi Wang asked, confused. “What do you mean ruined? What’s wrong with the Shi family now? We’re already the top planting family in the entire Empire!”

“Absurd!” Old Master Shi looked like he wanted nothing more than to grab his cane and whack his son a few times. “How did I end up giving birth to such a short-sighted son!”

He was so angry his face had turned red. Seeing this, Madam Shi quickly stepped forward to support him. “Father, please don’t get angry. Watch your health.”

Shi Wang had not seen Old Master Shi lose his temper like this in a very long time. He immediately did not dare say a word and stood with his head lowered while the old man scolded him for all his faults.

“If I hadn’t come back, how would I ever have known that after I left, you all treated Xingxing like this?!” Old Master Shi closed his eyes, looking stricken. “This nonsense about non-ability users not being allowed into the school, about non-ability users being inferior to ability users—”

“Are you trying to turn the Shi family into some kind of interstellar battlefield?” Old Master Shi’s voice turned sharp. “And you still dare call us the foremost planting family in the Empire? If you keep running the family this way, the Shi family will decline sooner or later!”

Shi Wang wanted to argue. “But—”

“But what but? Short-sighted and overly ambitious!” Old Master Shi did not give him the chance. “You can stay at home and reflect behind closed doors! Don’t concern yourself with family affairs for the time being!”

Madam Shi spoke quietly, “Father, as for that child Xingxing…”

“First, apologize to her.”

Madam Shi paused. “If we apologize to her now, she may not accept it.”

“Whether she accepts it is one matter. Whether you apologize or not is another.” Old Master Shi said. “You, Shi Wang, and Shi Youchen—all of you must apologize to her. As for cooperating with Lin An’an, let’s not bring it up for now. We’ll first handle our own responsibilities properly. If they need support, then we’ll send people over.”

Madam Shi lowered her eyes. “Yes, Father.”

Back in the Sin Star safe house—

Time passed second by second. Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the hall and everyone in the livestream, the first seedling broke through the soil in a little flowerpot.

Then the second pot. Then the third…

The Qiu family members guarding the flowerpots were so excited they could barely speak. It took them quite a while before one of them finally hugged his flowerpot and screamed, “I grew one! I grew one!!”

The cries rose one after another. By the time the sky outside had grown dark, aside from a few seeds that had failed to be successfully enhanced, every other seed had sprouted.

The tender green seedlings stretched themselves freely inside the flowerpots. They were so tiny and fragile that it seemed the next gust of wind might snap them in half—and yet they were also so dazzling, so striking, so full of the light of hope.

Among those present, the more emotional ones already had reddened eyes. They hugged the people beside them and cried and howled, unable even to tell whether what they felt was more excitement or more emotion.

There were over two hundred people in the Qiu family. Every single one of them had been waiting for this day—waiting for the day when, even without a plant-type ability, they could still use what they had learned and enter the field they believed in.

They had waited for this day for far, far too long.

[Wuwuwu, I’m going to cry too.]
[This is such a happy thing, so why does it feel so sad at the same time? [cute tiger crying jpg]]
[The Qiu family is amazing. Baby An is so, so, so amazing. [tearful jpg]]
[Bold prediction: this moment is absolutely going to be recorded in interstellar history!!!]

Shi Xiaoxing was also infected by the emotions on the scene and quietly wiped at the corners of her eyes. Wasn’t this also something she herself had longed for?

At that moment, her terminal rang. Shi Xiaoxing looked down at it, and her expression suddenly froze.

Lin An’an noticed immediately that something was wrong with her mood. [What happened?]

Shi Xiaoxing pressed her lips together and didn’t answer. She lowered her eyes and finished reading the message.

A moment later, she suddenly said, “My grandfather… Old Master Shi, has come back.”

Lin An’an had always known about the Shi family’s situation, and Shi Xiaoxing had no wish to hide things from him, so she told him the contents of the email she had just received.

It was a letter of apology—from the parents who had ignored her for years, from the younger brother who had always found her unpleasant and had led others in excluding her for years, and from the rest of the family as well.

After reading it, Lin An’an felt like he had ten thousand things he wanted to say in complaint—but thinking of the fact that Shi Xiaoxing was beside him, he swallowed them all back down.

The little cub opened his mouth. [You…]

“When I was little, Grandpa hadn’t yet left the Shi family.” Shi Xiaoxing pressed her lips together. “Grandpa was very good to me. Dad and Mom were also very good to me.”

Back then, the family had been harmonious, and her little brother had been adorable.

After a moment of silence, Lin An’an asked carefully, [So… are you planning to forgive them?]

“It’s not really a matter of forgiveness or not.” Shi Xiaoxing smiled. There was a trace of relief in her expression. “I’ve already decided—when I leave Sin Star in the future, I won’t go back to the Shi family either.”

“I want to leave the family and stop having anything to do with them.” Her eyes shone brightly. “I want to open a farm of my own, grow flowers and grass and trees, raise two or three cute little exotic beast pets…”

Her tone was light and full of hope.

“All that family strife, all those schemes and plots—I don’t want any part in it.” Shi Xiaoxing smiled. “This is good enough. I like it this way.”

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