Chapter 222
“A demon?”
Zhang Mi looked at Wu Yunqin, feeling as though she might have misheard or misunderstood. She tried to make light of it, jokingly saying, “You’re not talking about those legendary spirits, are you?”
She thought she was being humorous, but after she spoke, she noticed Wu Yunqin and the Wood Clan’s patriarch looking at her with grave expressions. The serious atmosphere quickly wiped the smile off her face.
“What… could it really be a demon?”
Then, to her astonishment, both of them nodded.
Zhang Mi: …???
What nonsense was this? That giant tree was a demon? The kind of legendary spirit seen only in myths or movies—living beings, plants, or even inanimate objects that gained magical powers?
Zhang Mi suspected she hadn’t fully woken up. Otherwise, how could such an absurd notion come from two highly respected agricultural experts known for their scientific rigor?
However, the two experts seemed unconcerned with her incredulity. While Zhang Mi was still processing, they had already begun discussing the matter.
Even Mu Yuncheng was surprised to learn that Wu Yunqin knew about the Wood Clan’s ancestral spirits.
It was understandable, though. The elders of the Wood Clan, having lived so long, were no longer active. In recent years, they had all rooted themselves in secluded places for prolonged rest, with their “naps” often spanning years. They rarely appeared in public anymore.
Though this was something of an open secret, not everyone in the agricultural community was privy to it.
Noticing Mu Yuncheng’s curiosity, Wu Yunqin smiled and explained, “My mentor once had the honor of interacting with one of them. It was she who told me about their existence.”
At first, Wu Yunqin hadn’t believed it either. But after seeing a growing body of classified information, she had to admit that the existence of such spirits might be real.
For example, when Zhuang Shimeng and the others proposed their theory that the mutated garlic was advancing to a new stage and even possessed consciousness and emotions, Wu Yunqin couldn’t help but wonder whether the mutated plants on Prison Star had something to do with spirits.
Of course, she lacked any solid evidence to prove this.
After all, in the tens of thousands of years since humanity had entered the interstellar age, there hadn’t been a single confirmed case of a plant or animal gaining human-like intelligence or form.
Even children who had undergone complete bloodline transformation into wild beasts could not later revert to human form, let alone plants or animals evolving into humanoids.
Thus, Wu Yunqin kept her suspicions as a personal research topic, never sharing them publicly.
From her research so far, it was evident that the mutated garlic reacted much more strongly to external stimuli than other plants. Most notably, it responded significantly to the voice of the caretaker, Su Ci.
This phenomenon puzzled Wu Yunqin, but if she attributed it to the garlic’s fondness for Su Ci, it seemed to make sense.
She was still exploring this line of research and had yet to make any breakthroughs when Mu Yuncheng suddenly brought her this astonishing news.
Prison Star… was humanity’s mother planet.
Hearing this sent chills down Wu Yunqin’s spine. Some of the mysteries she had struggled to understand now seemed to have an answer—especially the questions of:
Why did mutated plants only appear on Prison Star?
Why did ordinary people gain unique abilities upon arriving there?
Could it be related to the fact that only on the mother planet could spirits be born?
As Wu Yunqin pondered these questions, Zhang Mi snapped out of her shock and declared, “If there really are spirits, why don’t we just go and take a look?”
Zhang Mi suggested revisiting the giant tree on the plains to investigate further, but Mu Yuncheng quickly stopped her.
He explained that the ancestor was in a special state and unable to respond to them for now. Visiting the tree at this time would be pointless. If they wanted to pay their respects, they would have to wait.
After Mu Yuncheng’s explanation, Zhang Mi and the others had to suppress their excitement. Instead, they focused on helping Mu Yuncheng, his son, and their accompanying pilot complete the necessary procedures and arrange accommodations.
As for the follow-up plans, those would have to be discussed between Mu Yuncheng and the cultivation facility staff.
The task of restoring the mother planet’s rightful name would have to wait until Mu Yuncheng was settled. With the ancestral elder currently in a state of hibernation and unsure when they might awaken, he would need more evidence to convince the Star Alliance of his claim.
After completing the necessary formalities, Mu Yuncheng bid farewell to Zhang Mi and declined Wu Yunqin’s invitation for further discussion for the time being. He planned to stay on Prison Star for an extended period, so there was no urgency.
Eager to reach the plains—not only because he was concerned about his son but also due to his desire to meet Su Ci, whom the elder had reverently called the “Earth Spirit”—he was interrupted mid-journey by an avalanche of interstellar messages.
The calls were from guardians of various Wood Clan elders, but it was the elders themselves who actually spoke.
For the first time, Mu Yuncheng witnessed the usually reserved and slow-talking ancient trees in a collective frenzy.
Some of them, being located nearby, had already gathered together and were clamoring to speak to him, bombarding him with questions until his head spun.
Every message he received revolved around the same three key topics: the mother planet, the Earth Spirit, and Mu Qing.
Mu Yuncheng explained until his throat was hoarse. The most surprising revelation? Two elders who had been presumed dead for centuries—having vanished without a trace—had reappeared!
They had been in deep slumber but were awakened by the bombshell news shared by Mu Qing, unable to remain dormant any longer.
This unexpected turn of events was a joyous surprise for the Wood Clan.
Patiently, Mu Yuncheng explained the situation to each elder, soothing their excitement and promising to arrange for their travel to Prison Star—their mother planet—as soon as possible.
However, one or two hot-tempered elders were unwilling to wait and demanded immediate travel. It wasn’t until Mu Yuncheng invoked the Earth Spirit’s name that they reluctantly calmed down and agreed to follow his arrangements.
Their sudden obedience astonished Mu Yuncheng. But remembering Mu Qing’s elation and reverence for Su Ci, it made sense.
He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like when all the elders finally gathered on Prison Star. He felt a spark of anticipation.
After pacifying the elders, Mu Yuncheng set about making detailed arrangements.
The process of gaining access to Prison Star wasn’t particularly complicated. Although the Wood Clan wasn’t large in number, their unique status in the interstellar community granted them considerable influence.
After all, no other clan had as many elders aged tens of thousands of years.
The main challenge lay in their scattered locations. For the farthest elder, it would take at least six months to reach Prison Star, while the shortest journey would still require four to five months.
Given the lengthy travel times, it made sense to consolidate their resources and plan for an all-encompassing move.
Notably, Mu Yuncheng considered relocating all the clan members who had undergone ancestral regression into plant forms to the mother planet. Surely, this would align with the elders’ wishes.
And with the Earth Spirit’s immense power, might it even be possible to restore their consciousness and human forms?
The thought alone made Mu Yuncheng’s heart race with excitement.
Determined to avoid the same rushed approach as this time, Mu Yuncheng decided to organize everything meticulously. A poorly planned journey would waste too much time going back and forth.
After delegating tasks to other clan members, it was already evening when he set out for the plains—only to find it empty.
Realizing his mistake, Mu Yuncheng quickly redirected his path to the nursery.
Following the sound of laughter, he arrived at the second-floor dining hall, where the children were gathered for dinner.
Although they had eaten barbecue during the afternoon outing, their play and activities had burned off all the calories. Now, they were ravenously devouring their meals with great gusto.
Among them was Mu Bao, who had just arrived that day.
Having spent the afternoon practicing walking and attentively listening to Su Ci’s lessons for Little Li Hua, Mu Bao had expended both physical and mental energy. His stomach had been growling for some time.
Wen Yan had prepared a meal for him, and now he sat beside Lu Jiao, obediently eating with a spoon.
Lu Jiao asked Mu Bao if the food suited his taste, and he nodded enthusiastically, cheeks puffed like a little hamster, clearly showing his love for the nursery’s dinner through his actions.
When Mu Yuncheng arrived, this was the scene he saw.
Watching his son interact so well with the children at the nursery, he couldn’t help but smile with relief. He even snapped a photo of the moment and sent it to his wife back on Mu Pa Pa Star.
Looking up again, he noticed Mu Bao suddenly turn toward the door, as though sensing something.
When he saw his father, Mu Bao’s eyes lit up. He quickly chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth, then set down his spoon and waved.
“Dad! I’m here!” he called out happily.
Mu Yuncheng was about to tell him to keep eating when, to his shock, he froze.
He saw his son push his chair back, stand up, and take slow, deliberate steps toward him. Though his pace was unhurried, each step was steady.
It was then that Mu Yuncheng realized Mu Bao hadn’t been sitting in a hoverchair—and that his legs… were moving!
He stared in disbelief, barely comprehending the sight before him. When Mu Bao finally reached him with a beaming smile and called him “Dad,” Mu Yuncheng snapped back to reality.
He crouched down and scooped his son into his arms.
“Dad, I can walk now!” Mu Bao exclaimed, leaning against his father and looking up to share the good news.
Mu Yuncheng’s eyes turned red as he asked in a choked voice, “Your legs are better?”
“Mm-hmm!” Mu Bao nodded eagerly. “Su Su healed me! If you don’t believe me, touch them!”
Mu Yuncheng still felt like he was dreaming. How could this be real? He’d only been gone for a few hours, and his son’s legs were suddenly healed?
Reaching out, he touched Mu Bao’s little leg. Instead of the rigid wood-like texture he was used to, it was now soft and childlike. He couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore and started crying tears of joy.
“This is amazing… truly amazing…”
Hugging his son tightly, he was overwhelmed by the surge of gratitude he felt for Su Ci. The awe and reverence he’d already held for the caretaker deepened even further.
Thinking this, he quickly set Mu Bao down and said, “You go ahead and eat. I need to go thank Su Su.”
But Mu Bao grabbed his hand with a serious expression and said, “Youyou said we can’t bother Su Su at night. If you want to talk to him, you have to wait until tomorrow.”
Mu Yuncheng glanced at the time and was about to argue that it wasn’t too late when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Looking up, he realized that all the younglings, who had been enjoying their meal, were now glaring at him like a pack of carnivorous and herbivorous beasts united in warning.
The intense, predatory stares made his scalp tingle.
He swallowed nervously and forced out a smile. “Alright, I’ll wait until tomorrow to see him.”
As soon as he agreed, the stares softened, and the younglings beamed warmly at him. They even invited him and Mu Bao to join them for dinner.
Still unsure what had just happened, Mu Yuncheng decided it was best to heed their advice.
As he joined the younglings for dinner, the little sparrow, Chirp Chirp, had just returned to the underground sealed barrier.
Inside the barrier, the red-robed man with a mask remained seated quietly, chains extending from his body to anchor him in place.
When the sparrow flew in, the man slowly opened his eyes. The red hue in his calm, indifferent gaze had noticeably faded.
“I’m back!” Chirp Chirp chirped cheerfully.
The man extended his hand, and the sparrow flapped its wings, landing gently in his pale, jade-like palm.
