Chapter 226
Seeing that the leaves finally stopped growing, Mu Bao calmed down. However, with his head full of leaves making him feel top-heavy, he had no choice but to sit down on the ground.
From a distance, he looked like a small bush.
The first little tree, whose encouragement had been interrupted, stopped shouting for growth and instead commented on its companion, “Lazy… lazy…”
Its baby-like voice was crisp and innocent, as though it was chiding its partner for being so slothful.
The other small pear tree, the one that had been woken up, responded slowly, speaking in a sluggish tone without a hint of guilt for its laziness. “Sleep… lazy… sleep…”
Its voice trailed off, growing quieter and quieter until it seemed to fall asleep again.
“…..”
Mu Bao tilted his head, studying the two little trees. They felt entirely different from any plants he’d encountered before. Apart from the ancestral elder, he’d never heard other plants “speak” so clearly and fluently.
“Bao Bao? Bao Bao?”
A worried voice called out from behind him. Mu Bao quickly turned his head and shouted back, “Daddy, I’m here!”
Hearing his son’s voice, the anxious Mu Yuncheng looked over, but the moment he saw Mu Bao’s new look, his face froze in shock.
He hurried over and crouched next to Mu Bao, staring in astonishment at the leaves covering his son’s head.
“Bao Bao, are you okay? How did this happen?” Even at the peak of Mu Bao’s plantification, he’d never grown this many leaves!
Mu Bao shook his head to show he was fine and then pointed at the two small pear trees beside him.
“Wake up! Lazy one—wake up!”
Mu Yuncheng, who had been focused on his son, froze when he heard the voice. He turned toward the two small pear trees, his expression uncertain as he listened intently.
“Sleep… snore… sleep…”
He wasn’t mistaken! These were indeed the thoughts of the two small pear trees—voices that only members of the Wood-Elemental Tribe could hear! But the problem was…
Ordinary plants usually only conveyed garbled emotions through faint noise, which helped the tribe discern whether they were content with their environment or if there was a problem. For troubled plants, they could judge the effectiveness of their interventions by the changes in these noises.
However, for the pear trees to express themselves so clearly was something only seen in tree spirits! Even those who had reverted to their ancestral forms couldn’t communicate with such clarity.
So… were these two small pear trees also spirits, like the elder Mu Qing?
Mu Yuncheng’s face lit up with excitement—this discovery thrilled him even more than finding the water spirit.
It reinforced his belief that relocating the tribe to the homeworld was the right decision. He was confident their kin would support this move as well!
“These two pear trees are being very well cared for,” Mu Yuncheng remarked when Zhuang Shisong walked over.
To his surprise, Zhuang Shisong shook his head and replied, “These two mutant pear saplings are under A-Yan’s care. We’re responsible for the ordinary plants around them.”
Hearing this, Mu Yuncheng wasn’t surprised. He had already guessed that A-Yan wasn’t an ordinary human.
However, he picked up on another key detail—Zhuang Shisong had referred to the pear trees as “mutant.” Could it be that other mutated plants on the homeworld were also spirits?
Mu Yuncheng couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked Zhuang Shisong if there were other mutated plants in Base 24.
Zhuang Shisong wasn’t surprised by the question, especially since Director Wu had briefed him in advance. He didn’t withhold any information. “Yes, those two Star Chain Fruit plants are also mutated.”
Beyond the nursery’s greenery, the cultivation garden contains a mutated garlic plant. By the riverbank outside the base, there’s a Selaginella and two green bamboos, while the Lotus in the river seems to be showing signs of mutation as well.
As Zhuang Shisong listed these plants, Mu Yuncheng’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he felt an overwhelming urge to dive into researching them immediately.
However, he had other pressing matters to attend to for now.
“Mu Bao, greet Teacher Zhuang,” Mu Yuncheng said eagerly, pulling his son forward.
“Hello, Teacher,” Mu Bao said sweetly.
Hearing this, Zhuang Shisong quickly waved his hands in modesty.
“I’m not qualified to be called a teacher. I’m still learning myself. Caretaker Su instructed me to pass on some mental techniques to Mu Bao, but the real teacher here is Caretaker Su.”
Zhuang Shisong wasn’t being overly humble—though he had made some progress in his training over the past few months, he was aware of his limits.
Even though Mu Bao was just a child, his plant bloodline meant he would advance far quicker and further in the path of a spirit planter. Someday, Zhuang Shisong might even need to seek advice from Mu Bao.
“I’ll teach you the techniques, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask. We can learn from each other,” Zhuang Shisong said.
Mu Bao tilted his heavy, leaf-laden head to look at his father. Under Mu Yuncheng’s encouragement, he nodded and said, “Okay, thank you, Senior Brother! I’ll do my best to learn!”
Zhuang Shisong chuckled and agreed with a warm “Alright.” He was about to lead them to sit under the trellis when the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention.
“A-Yan.”
“Brother A-Yan!”
When they saw the young man’s figure, all three greeted him. Mu Bao, in particular, called out warmly, his gaze sparkling with affection.
He still remembered how A-Yan had held his hand and walked with him the day before. Mu Bao liked this gentle elder brother.
“Mm, I just came to take a look,” A-Yan replied with a faint smile, gently patting Mu Bao’s head.
Immediately, the leaves that had been growing wildly on Mu Bao’s head shrank back. While his hair didn’t fully return to normal, it at least felt much lighter now.
“Thank you, Brother A-Yan!” Mu Bao said happily.
As for Zhuang Shisong and Mu Yuncheng, they didn’t seem too surprised to see A-Yan using his abilities.
Someone who could earn the attention of Caretaker Su, couldn’t possibly be an ordinary human.
A-Yan then turned his attention to the two small pear trees.
In just a few months, the little green sprouts had grown, although the growth of trees, especially spiritual plants, was naturally slow. They hadn’t grown significantly taller, but their intelligence had noticeably advanced.
The lively tree, noticing A-Yan’s presence, stopped trying to wake its companion and instead resumed its determined chant: “Grow—grow—grow!”
However, no matter how enthusiastically it shouted, it no longer had any effect on Mu Bao.
“Grow—grow—grow!”
The small pear tree shook its leaves with increasing vigor, its voice louder and more insistent. Yet, no matter how hard it tried, the green vines on Mu Bao’s head remained still, refusing to grow wildly as they had earlier.
Noticing this change, the little pear tree’s voice turned huffy.
“You! Lazybones!” it called out angrily.
The “lazybones” pear tree next to it suddenly woke up and slowly muttered, “Sleeeep…” But it seemed to realize something midway and abruptly changed its tone.
“Grow… grow… grow…” it said lazily.
Mu Bao was stunned by its sudden shift, but the lively pear tree was clearly delighted. Its earlier frustration vanished, replaced by excitement.
“Grow! Grow! Grow! Heeheehee!”
A-Yan seemed satisfied with the result. He watered and fertilized the two little pear trees, then stayed to listen as Zhuang Shisong taught Mu Bao the basics of being a spirit planter. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he left.
Mu Bao was very focused on learning the mental technique, and Mu Yuncheng, who was listening on the side, paid close attention as well.
Although the technique was beyond his comprehension, he felt faint inklings of understanding forming in his heart. Perhaps… he could learn it too?
Since the Earth Spirit hadn’t asked him to leave, it probably meant he was allowed to learn alongside his son, right?
By the time Mu Bao and Zhuang Shisong finished practicing and recorded the technique with a communicator, it was lunchtime. They headed to the cafeteria together, only to find it completely empty.
Come to think of it, ever since they left the caretaker’s quarters, they hadn’t seen any of the other younglings.
Where had they all gone?
While Mu Bao was puzzling over this, the sound of children laughing and playing came from outside.
“Ahhh! We’re late! Mommy Yan Ya, I’m starving—I need food!” Lang Ze’s voice rang out first, followed by the chatter of the other younglings.
Mu Bao watched in surprise as the group of children entered, all of them looking dirty. Even Xue Wei, who was usually immaculate, had smudges of dark grime on her clothes. The only exception was Little Li Hua, who remained spotless.
“Little ones, come wash your hands and faces!” 4586, the caretaker robot, had long grown used to this and had already prepared warm water for the children to clean up.
Reluctantly, Lang Ze shuffled over to comply.
“Did anyone get hurt today?” the robot asked.
“Nope! I was super awesome today!” Lang Ze replied proudly.
Mu Bao blinked curiously, his interest growing—where had the older children been? Whatever it was, it seemed fun. Could he join them next time?
