Chapter 163
“Shisong, is there something wrong with my eyes?”
Wei Ming rubbed his eyes, staring in disbelief at the small sword embedded in the metal wall.
Was this really one of those obsolete ancient weapons? How could it be more powerful than a laser gun? Could it be a secret weapon newly developed by the base?
Of course, even just thinking about it made him realize how unlikely that was.
After all, the one wielding this sword was a child from the nursery. Even if it were a test of new weaponry, no one would give it to a kid for trial use.
Zhuang Shisong couldn’t provide an answer either. As the two of them stood there in stunned conversation, the sword lodged in the metal wall began to tremble. It looked as if someone were gripping its hilt and pulling it out. In no time, it slid free from the wall.
Meanwhile, the lion-eared boy sitting cross-legged on the ground retracted his hands and slowly adjusted his breathing.
For Rong Heng, the practice session just now hadn’t been easy.
He had only recently gained the ability to barely control objects with his telekinetic powers. While he could move objects remotely without using hand gestures, imbuing those objects with significant power—like what he had just demonstrated—was beyond him. That’s why he had to combine it with the intricate hand gestures.
He couldn’t deny that Su Su’s teachings were extraordinarily effective.
The longer he trained and the more insights he gained, the more Rong Heng realized just how valuable Su Ci’s guidance was. His gratitude and admiration for Su Ci grew deeper every day.
Rong Heng finished his practice, retrieved the small sword, and carefully wiped it clean with a cloth.
The sword was specially crafted for him by Su Ci.
Its materials were repurposed from discarded metals sourced from Luo Shengfei, combined with the exoskeleton and silk of a giant spider. This made the sword both exceptionally strong and remarkably flexible.
Rong Heng was the first among the cubs to receive a weapon from Su Ci—excluding the bamboo flute given to the wolf cub, of course.
He cherished the sword deeply. For safety reasons, Su Ci hadn’t yet sharpened its blade, but it was already powerful enough. Rong Heng had promised Su Ci that he would never use the sword to harm others unless it was absolutely necessary for self-defense.
The metal wall he had been practicing on, which now bore a series of increasingly deep dents, was assigned to him by Su Ci. The marks on the dark metal wall clearly reflected Rong Heng’s progress.
After meticulously cleaning the blade, Rong Heng carefully sheathed it. Finally, he looked up and acknowledged Zhuang Shisong and Wei Ming with a nod.
Rong Heng didn’t hold much affection for anyone outside the nursery, but after frequent visits from Zhuang Shisong and Wei Ming, he had grown accustomed to them and treated them amicably enough.
With his small sword in hand, Rong Heng turned and walked toward the rear of the nursery building.
Zhuang Shisong and Wei Ming watched his retreating figure, utterly awed. For a moment, the commanding presence of this eight-year-old had left them speechless. It wasn’t until he disappeared around the corner that they both swallowed hard and found their voices again.
“Rong Heng… isn’t he supposed to be a Red-Tailed Lion?” Zhuang Shisong hesitated. “How can he control that sword like that?”
Telekinesis wasn’t a known trait of the Red-Tailed Lion bloodline.
“Could it have something to do with those hand gestures?” Wei Ming tried to recall the boy’s movements, mimicking the gestures. But ultimately, he couldn’t make sense of it.
The two cultivators quietly discussed their observations but reached no conclusions. However, they unanimously agreed on one thing—this had to be related to Caretaker Su!
Exchanging a look, they nodded in unison and headed toward the back of the nursery building.
Whatever it took, they were determined to make Caretaker Su their teacher!
The ground on either side of the nursery building had been cleared, but the plants growing there were still sparse and slow to mature. However, when Zhuang Shisong and Wei Ming turned the corner and saw the scene behind the building, their eyes lit up.
There, metal trellises were covered in green vines adorned with flowers in yellow, pink, and white. Clusters of vibrant and plump fruits hung from the trellises, swaying gently in the breeze.
The back wall of the building was completely overgrown with star chain fruit vines. These vines continued to climb upwards, extending beyond the netting and creeping further up the wall.
For an ordinary building, such a wall of vines might pose a safety risk. However, the nursery building’s special construction materials ensured that the climbing plants would cause no damage.
Surrounded by lush greenery and breathing in the fresh, revitalizing air, Zhuang Shisong and Wei Ming couldn’t help but feel utterly refreshed.
Neither of them wanted to leave!
Beneath one of the trellises was a small table with two long benches. Rong Heng, having finished his training, was sitting under the trellis, taking a break.
His small sword was already tucked away in his storage pouch—something every child at the nursery now possessed. These pouches were rewards for their hard work and diligent study.
Learning to use the storage pouches had taken the children quite some time. Now, every one of them was adept at using them, and the convenience these pouches provided was undeniable.
Whether for heavy items or tiny objects, the pouches made it easy to carry anything effortlessly. As long as the pouches weren’t lost, they had no downsides.
On the small table were refreshments prepared by 4586, the caretaker robot.
The snacks, made from fragrant rice tubers, were soft and springy, filled with a variety of ingredients—lotus seeds, taro paste, diced taros, and even flower petals.
This creativity had been driven by necessity. There were simply too many star chain fruits!
The two star chain fruit trees at the nursery had entered their maturation cycle twice in the past two weeks. With their expanded growth, they were producing even more fruit than before.
This was after Su Ci had intentionally suppressed their growth. The tree planted by the riverbank was growing at an even more alarming rate.
Fortunately, the base personnel were responsible for harvesting that tree’s fruit. Even if some fruits fell and rotted on the ground, Su Ci wasn’t too concerned—it was simply a return to the earth.
However, the tree near the riverbank attracted a significant number of mutant insects.
Spiritual fruits naturally attracted bugs, and despite their mutations, the insects retained a genetic instinct for such delicacies.
With more and more insects gathering around the spiritual tree, the base personnel grew hesitant to approach. Now, only robots were dispatched to harvest the fruits.
Following Su Ci’s orders, the giant panda paid no attention to the battles forming around the spiritual tree on the other side of the riverbank. As long as the insects didn’t cross to its side, it couldn’t be bothered.
On the rare occasion that a few insects did wander over, the panda took care of them, adding a bit of entertainment to its otherwise monotonous, foot-fidgeting life.
Meanwhile, the two star chain fruit trees at the nursery had their harvest assigned to the children.
At Xue Wei’s suggestion, they experimented with using the petals of the star chain fruit flowers as fillings. With fewer flowers, there would naturally be fewer fruits.
In addition to making pastries, Xue Wei used the flower petals to brew tea. The resulting tea had a faint fragrance, was delightfully sweet, and quickly became the nursery’s most popular beverage.
Although the spirit-infused clear water was already delicious, who could resist spirit water enhanced with flower petals and nectar?
Rong Heng gulped down a cup of floral tea, feeling the dull ache in his head from overusing his mental strength gradually ease.
Beside him, Xue Wei poured him another cup and glanced at him as though she wanted to say something. However, in the end, she lowered her head without speaking.
“Xue Wei, is there something on your mind?”
Noticing her hesitation, Rong Heng spoke up after finishing his tea.
He had sensed something was off with Xue Wei since morning. It seemed she had something she wanted to tell him, but every time he waited for her to speak, she would fall silent again.
After several such moments, Rong Heng couldn’t help but find it strange.
Holding the teapot, Xue Wei’s hands froze for a moment. After some thought, she cautiously looked at Rong Heng and asked, “Xiang Yang, once your bloodline conflict is resolved, will you and Little Li Hua want to leave the nursery?”
Recently, Xue Wei had another brief communication with her lady.
Somehow, her lady had learned about the nursery’s situation and, during their conversation, asked about Xiang Yang and Little Li Hua.
Xue Wei hadn’t concealed anything and had shared all her doubts and uncertainties with Li Sinian and Yan Ya.
She vividly remembered the joy and excitement that burst forth on Sir’s face when she mentioned Xiang Yang’s ability to control objects. This man, whom she had always perceived as cold and authoritative, had shown a rare and unguarded reaction for the first time in her presence.
Now, the only question that remained was: why did the siblings’ ages not match?
Ultimately, the truth would have to wait until they arrived at the nursery. However, from the video, Xue Wei understood her lady and sir’s intentions.
Regardless of whether Xiang Yang and Little Li Hua were their children, they had already made a decision—they would adopt the siblings and take them away from the nursery.
Seeing how overjoyed they were, Xue Wei didn’t have the heart to dampen their spirits and simply nodded in agreement.
But deep down, she knew that because of the bloodline conflict, Rong Heng would likely have to stay at the nursery. Moreover, she suspected that even if this issue were resolved, the lion siblings might still not want to leave.
Sure enough, when she asked, Rong Heng didn’t hesitate at all. He shook his head and said, “I haven’t considered it for now.”
At least until he repaid Su Su’s kindness, leaving was not something he had even thought about. Besides, the nursery was home to both him and his sister. Even if they ever left, it would probably be a short trip before they returned again.
Then, after Rong Heng finished speaking, he noticed a clear trace of worry in Xue Wei’s expression.
He thought Xue Wei was a rather sentimental girl. While she usually carried herself with grace and had a likable personality, she occasionally revealed a hint of melancholy when caught off guard.
Even though she possessed a power that both he and Ran Lie envied, it seemed that this strength didn’t hold much importance to her.
“What if… your parents came looking for you?” Xue Wei pressed on.
“They’re already gone,” Rong Heng replied calmly.
“But… what if they weren’t?”
Sensing the urgency in her tone, Rong Heng glanced at her curiously, then shook his head and said candidly, “Then what?”
Xue Wei froze. “Don’t you miss your mom and dad?”
“I don’t remember them. To me, they’re just strangers,” Rong Heng replied. “Maybe… even less important than the other adults in the base.”
If they had chosen to abandon them back then, why come looking for them now? Or why hadn’t they found them earlier?
During the most difficult and painful times of his and his sister’s lives, they hadn’t shown up. Now that life was getting better, and they no longer needed them, what was the point of their reappearance?
Looking at Rong Heng’s indifferent expression, Xue Wei saw a resemblance to Sir’s stern demeanor. She fell silent, lost in thought.
After a moment, Rong Heng asked, “What about you? Do you want to leave the nursery?”
Xue Wei blinked and murmured, “I can’t bear to.”
“Then stay,” Rong Heng said.
Xue Wei glanced at him before looking toward the little girl quietly drawing nearby and the other companions playing on the green lawn.
Although her time here hadn’t been very long, the thought of leaving truly pained her. But if she stayed… what about Madam?
Forcing a smile, Xue Wei stood and walked out of the trellis without answering Rong Heng’s last remark.
Rong Heng watched her retreating figure, frowning slightly.
*
“Su Su, I’m heading out for a bit.”
In the dormitory, A-Yan stood in the bedroom, gazing softly at Su Ci, who was resting on the bed.
Su Ci had his eyes closed, his breaths steady and light. The sunlight streamed gently onto his face, making him look so beautiful that it was hard to look away.
Eventually, the platinum-haired youth sitting by the bed couldn’t resist leaning down and planting a soft kiss on Su Ci’s hair.
The kiss was brief, almost fleeting, and the next moment, A-Yan’s figure vanished from the room as if nothing had happened.
In the logistics department of Base 24…
“You all wait here for a moment. I’ll take Caretaker Wen to collect her uniform and ID card. Once the onboarding process at the administrative office is complete, I’ll take you to the nursery,” Shi Yijiang said.
Standing before him were none other than Li Sinian and his wife, Yan Ya, who had finally arrived on the prison planet.
Their warship had docked at the supply station, and the couple, along with their adjutant, had accompanied Wen Yan to Base 24 under the guidance of logistics personnel assigned to retrieve supplies.
The situation on the prison planet was just as dire as they had heard. Ever since their arrival, the couple had been deeply concerned, even after watching more videos from Wen Yan. They couldn’t fully set their minds at ease.
“All right, please go quickly,” Yan Ya nodded eagerly, anxious for them to finish their tasks so they could head to the nursery as soon as possible.
Wen Yan then took her daughter’s hand and followed Shi Yijiang to collect her supplies.
“Mom, are we going to live here from now on?” Chichi asked softly, walking close to her mother and curiously observing the logistics office’s first-floor hall.
“Yes, sweetheart. Are you scared?”
Wen Yan had only realized how dire the situation on the prison planet was after arriving. She couldn’t help but feel uneasy, especially with the pervasive smell of garlic that lingered everywhere in Base 24. It made the place seem far from reassuring.
However, Chichi said, “I’m not scared as long as I’m with you, Mom.”
Wen Yan was touched and gently stroked her daughter’s ear.
After they finished collecting their supplies, they started heading back. Shi Yijiang, trailing slightly behind, was about to catch up when he felt someone tap his shoulder.
Startled, he turned around to find a handsome young man with platinum hair and eyes standing quietly behind him.
The young man smiled slightly, exuding a calm and polite demeanor, much like a fresh university graduate entering the workforce.
“And you are…?” Shi Yijiang asked hesitantly.
“I’m the new caretaker. My name is Zhou Yan. Please take care of me,” the young man replied with a gentle smile.
Shi Yijiang blinked in mild confusion before suddenly remembering something. He clapped his hand to his forehead and nodded, “Oh, right, Zhou Yan. Yes, yes, come with me to pick up your supplies, and then we’ll head to the administrative office.”
“Sure.”
A-Yan followed him to collect his uniform, badge, and a box of nutrient fluids before joining Li Sinian and the others.
Noticing the unexpected addition, Li Sinian frowned slightly and asked, “And this is…?”
“The new trainee caretaker, Zhou Yan,” Shi Yijiang explained casually.
Without raising further questions, the group seemed to accept A-Yan’s identity without suspicion.
Thus, they all proceeded together to the administrative office building.
Finally! Next chapter will be the long-awaited reunion right?