Chapter 224
Inside the small cabin, Mu Bao nestled contentedly in his father’s arms and fell soundly asleep.
Outside, the plains were unusually tranquil. As the night deepened, even the chirping of insects gradually faded away, and the gentle sound of flowing water grew quieter.
Amidst the darkness, Mu Yuncheng opened his eyes. Though he stared at the ceiling, his ears were attuned to the faint sounds outside the cabin.
Having awakened his plant-based bloodline, his combat abilities were lacking, but his sensitivity was exceptional. He could sense something lingering outside the cabin. This realization instantly drove away his sleepiness.
He suddenly recalled the repeated warnings from the Star Alliance liaison officer: apart from the blood mist that threatens plant life, there are countless monsters on this prison star.
He had been too careless.
This planet might be their ancestral home, but it was also an extremely dangerous place. He shouldn’t have brought his son into the wilderness at night.
A chill ran down Mu Yuncheng’s spine as he held his breath, focusing intently on how to handle the impending crisis.
Yet, for reasons unclear—whether the creature outside had not discovered them or for some other reason—it did not intrude. Eventually, Mu Yuncheng’s strained nerves, worn out by exhaustion, relaxed, and he unknowingly fell asleep.
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight spilled into the cabin, landing on Mu Yuncheng’s face and startling him awake.
Realizing he had fallen asleep, he hurriedly sat up, only to find the cabin as serene as when they had gone to bed. His son, Mu Bao, was still peacefully asleep beside him.
Mu Yuncheng let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, nothing had happened.
He glanced out of the glass window at the hazy scenery. The eerie sensation from last night was gone, and he couldn’t help but doubt whether his perception had been wrong—or was it just a dream?
Shaking his head, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
Seeing that it was getting late, he woke Mu Bao and helped him get dressed.
Mu Bao, obedient as always, lifted his arm to slip it into the sleeve, only to realize—he couldn’t bend his arm anymore!
Stunned, he looked up at his father.
Mu Yuncheng noticed it too. Overnight, his son’s body had undergone further plantification. Just as he was about to comfort him, Mu Bao spoke first.
The little boy smiled softly, his innocent expression radiant in the sunlight. He said, “It’s okay. Su Su will heal me. Don’t worry, Daddy.”
Hearing this, Mu Yuncheng felt a pang in his chest.
His son was comforting him instead—how ironic. But Mu Bao was right. With the guardian deity of their wood-elemental clan watching over them, everything would be fine.
“Mm, we’ll go find him soon.”
He patted Mu Bao’s head and continued helping him dress. But just as he was fastening the last button, a knock came at the door.
“Uncle Mu! Mu Bao! Are you awake?”
The cheerful voice made Mu Bao’s eyes light up. He called out excitedly, “Lang Ze! I’m awake!”
He climbed down from the bed and was about to run toward the door when Mu Yuncheng scooped him up and carried him to the entrance. Opening the door, he saw not only Lang Ze but also the silver-haired boy standing outside.
“Good morning, Uncle Mu, Mu Bao,” Lu Jiao greeted them politely.
“Meow—”
Before Mu Yuncheng could respond, a soft kitten meow caught his attention. He glanced over and noticed a small black cat peeking out from Lang Ze’s hood.
Its pale blue eyes were striking, and with just one look, Mu Yuncheng thought of the boy named Zheng Xing.
As Mu Yuncheng’s gaze lingered, the black cat quickly ducked its head and retreated back into the hood. I’ve already greeted them, so it’s not impolite, Zheng Xing thought to himself.
Mu Yuncheng chuckled warmly. “Good morning to you too.”
He looked around but didn’t see any caretakers with the children. Instead, there was an odd blue sphere bouncing around on the grass behind them with a playful duang-duang-duang sound.
Frowning slightly, he asked, “Are you here by yourselves?”
“Of course not,” Lang Ze replied cheerfully. “We’ve also got Pulu!”
Hearing there were others, Mu Yuncheng relaxed a little, though the name confused him. “Pulu?”
Sensing his puzzlement, the little white deer turned and pointed to the bouncing blue blob in the distance. “That’s Pulu! It’s our good friend.”
As if it heard its name, the water blob bounced toward them.
Over the past few months, the red tint it once had had almost completely faded, leaving a crystalline, translucent blue hue.
Mu Yuncheng stared at the odd creature, and Mu Bao, equally curious, reached out a finger to touch it. However—
“Pulu—”
A stream of water shot directly at Mu Bao’s face. Despite its faded red color, Pulu’s temper hadn’t improved much.
“Pulu!” Lu Jiao stepped in to shield Mu Bao. Under his stern gaze, the water blob reluctantly refrained from launching another water jet and bounced off to the side.
“Mu Bao, are you okay? Pulu was just playing with you, don’t mind it.” Lu Jiao took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Mu Bao’s face.
Mu Bao shook his head, smiling. “It’s fine, I like water.”
Lu Jiao paused, then remembered—Mu Bao was a plant. And no plant disliked water, right?
“What… kind of creature is that?”
Mu Yuncheng’s voice, tinged with amazement, broke Lu Jiao’s train of thought. Following Mu Yuncheng’s gaze, he saw Pulu drawing water from the river and sprinkling it over the plain, creating a fine mist. In the sunlight, a beautiful rainbow arched across the landscape.
“Su Su said Pulu is a water spirit,” Lu Jiao replied.
Mu Yuncheng’s eyes lit up—a water spirit!
Wasn’t that essentially a water elemental? Did other spirits exist on their home planet? Or was this water spirit newly born? Judging by Pulu’s intelligence, it seemed to have been born only recently.
Realizing this, Mu Yuncheng felt a surge of hope.
He thought about his clan members who had transformed into trees and looked at the lively, bouncing water spirit. This strengthened his resolve to relocate all the wood-elemental clan members who had reverted to their ancestral forms back to their home planet.
No matter the obstacles, he wouldn’t waver in his decision!
Shortly after, Mu Bao prepared to leave with Lang Ze and the others to head to the nursery. Before they departed, Mu Yuncheng recalled something and went to check beneath the window at the back of the house. As expected, he found several footprints from some unknown creatures.
His expression darkened. So something had approached the cabin last night! If they had been out on the plains, they might have encountered it directly.
Although the clan’s ancestor spirit was nearby, it was in a dormant state and likely couldn’t have protected them. Realizing this, Mu Yuncheng felt relieved.
Thankfully, they had heeded the advice of caretaker Zhou and stayed in the cabin last night…
Wait a moment. If Caretaker Su was the Earth Spirit, then what about Caretaker Zhou? Was he truly an ordinary human? The timing of his message yesterday seemed suspiciously perfect.
Mu Yuncheng made a mental note of his doubts, resolving to observe Zhou Yan more closely in the future.
Later, he packed up everything and decided they would stay at the accommodations provided by Base 24 that evening and avoid wandering around unnecessarily.
He had assumed the children had arrived by spacecraft, but he quickly realized he was mistaken. Following them to an open area by the riverbank, he stepped onto a patterned diagram they referred to as a teleportation array.
To his amazement, the water spirit hopped onto the array, and in a burst of dazzling light, the group vanished. When Mu Yuncheng opened his eyes again, they were standing on the rooftop of the nursery.
So convenient?!
Mu Yuncheng marveled at the design underfoot but couldn’t make sense of it. Scratching his head, he carried Mu Bao and joined the children on their way to the cafeteria for breakfast.
After finishing their meal, it wasn’t until past nine o’clock that Caretaker Su finally appeared.
Although he had seen Su Ci the day before, Mu Yuncheng couldn’t help but stare in awe again. Realizing it was inappropriate to gaze at a deity, he quickly averted his eyes.
But then, his attention landed on the other caretaker, Zhou Yan, and he froze again.
Zhou Yan’s presence and demeanor were no less striking than that of the Earth Spirit. What’s more—
Mu Yuncheng sensed an undeniable, subtle closeness between the two. In the interstellar era, society was open-minded, and same-sex marriages had long been legal. But still…
To share such a bond with the Earth Spirit—could Zhou Yan also be a deity?
This suspicion made Mu Yuncheng even more respectful toward Su Ci and Zhou Yan. Since he had many matters to discuss with Su Ci, he brought Mu Bao along to Su Ci’s quarters.
Sitting stiffly on the sofa, Mu Yuncheng watched as Zhou Yan poured juice for them, feeling overwhelmed by the courtesy.
“No need to be so formal,” Zhou Yan said with a gentle smile.
A-Yan’s gentle smile helped ease Mu Yuncheng’s tension. He took a deep breath, then turned to Su Ci and said, “I have some plans that require your approval.”
Sitting upright, he could feel sweat forming in his palms.
“Oh? Let’s hear them,” Su Ci said, studying him with a faint look of curiosity, though he already had a guess.
Mu Yuncheng hesitated, glancing at A-Yan.
A-Yan curved his lips slightly, showing no sign of picking up on Mu Yuncheng’s subtext. Instead, he sat down beside Su Ci with an air of casual familiarity.
Clenching his teeth, Mu Yuncheng turned to Su Ci and cautiously said, “Earth Spirit?”
He assumed that since the deity had chosen to disguise himself as a human, it was likely to keep his identity hidden. If the matter Mu Yuncheng wanted to discuss was unsuitable for A-Yan’s ears, surely the Earth Spirit would send him away?
Yet, seeing how close the two appeared, Mu Yuncheng felt his earlier guess might have been correct.
Sure enough, Su Ci’s lazy voice broke the silence: “Go on.”
Mu Yuncheng continued, “Our ancestor told us that this planet is our homeworld, and you… are the spirit of this land, aren’t you?”
Su Ci gave a slight nod.
Unable to stay seated any longer, Mu Yuncheng stood and performed a formal gesture of respect according to the customs of the wood-elemental clan. “I am Mu Yuncheng, the clan leader of the Wood-Elemental Tribe.”
“I am deeply honored to return to our homeworld and even more so to meet you!”
“You’ve seen Mu Bao’s condition. In truth, there are many more members of the Wood-Elemental Tribe in far worse states than his.”
“They’ve fully reverted to their ancestral forms and become trees, some for many years. Now that we’ve found our homeworld and met you, I humbly request that you allow them to return to this land!”
Mu Yuncheng’s voice was earnest, his plea sincere. He feared that the Earth Spirit might refuse.
“If you are willing to accept us again, we will do anything you ask. Your will shall be the will of the Wood-Elemental Tribe. We will carry out your commands without question.”
“Please, grant us permission to return to our homeworld!”
Because of their ancestor’s continued existence, Mu Yuncheng understood why humans had fled their homeworld long ago. The devastation of the planet was a result of humanity’s reckless exploitation.
If the Earth Spirit harbored resentment toward humanity, Mu Yuncheng could understand. But that didn’t make his plea any less nerve-wracking. Even Mu Bao, listening quietly by the side, seemed to share his unease.
After a long silence, Mu Yuncheng finally heard the Earth Spirit’s calm voice: “How many tree spirits like Mu Qing remain in the interstellar regions?”
“There are eight elders of the Wood-Elemental Tribe. They all contacted me yesterday, expressing their urgent desire to return to the homeworld,” Mu Yuncheng replied respectfully.
Su Ci pondered for a moment before asking, “How many members of the Wood-Elemental Tribe have fully reverted to their ancestral forms, as you described?”
Mu Yuncheng tensed, feeling the pressure mount.
He lowered his head and said, “Because the Wood-Elemental Tribe is scattered across various interstellar nations, and some members have lived as trees for hundreds or even thousands of years, a more precise number requires further confirmation, but…”
He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and said, “At least more than ten thousand!”
