Chapter 677: Chapter 677: The Forest’s Chosen One
Xiao Jin blinked his massive golden eyes, his fluffy ears drooping low to play the victim. He let out a soft, pitiful, "Mew..." before burying his chubby little face deep into Su Qinglan’s chest.
However, beneath his fluffy coat, his bright golden eyes secretly peeked back toward the old spiritual plant. They sparkled with pure greed. That leaf... was honestly delicious!
It was much tastier and sweeter than any of the ordinary forest leaves he had chewed on before. If Mama wasn’t watching, he really, ’really’ wanted another bite.
Shi Feng watched the entire scene play out helplessly.
Then, he looked down at his own son, the corner of his mouth twitching in sheer disbelief.
His son was a lion beastman cub! He was supposed to grow up tearing prey apart and chewing on bloody, raw meat.
So... why on earth was his cub obsessed with chewing on a plant?
Shi Feng let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. "...I really don’t know who he inherited this bizarre habit from."
Meanwhile, the old spiritual plant almost exploded from sheer offense.
"Yellow leaf?!" He puffed up all his foliage, vibrating with rage.
"You’re the yellow one! I’m still a vibrant, youthful green! I’m young! I’m healthy! I’m not some old, withered houseplant!" His leaves angrily swayed back and forth, demanding respect.
An Mo finally couldn’t watch the ridiculous bickering anymore.
Without warning...’Whoosh!’ He reached out and snatched the canvas bag hanging from one of the old plant’s thick branches.
"My bag!" the old spiritual plant shrieked, immediately rushing forward.
"No! Give it back!" He desperately flailed his vines to hold onto it, but unfortunately, compared to An Mo’s overwhelming strength, he was as weak as a tiny sprout.
With one casual pull, the bag left his grasp. The old spiritual plant nearly cried.
"My family!"
An Mo calmly turned the magical bag upside down over the smooth floorboards. He gave it a firm shake.
Shake. Shake. Shake.
Plop.
A tiny spiritual plant fell out, rolling across the room. Then another.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
One after another, a whole horde of tiny spiritual plants tumbled out of the spatial sack and rolled across the floor. One, Two, Five, Ten, Fifteen! The once-spacious room instantly became incredibly crowded with rustling greenery.
Su Qinglan and Shi Feng stared in complete shock. "So many..." she breathed.
Among them were Little Hua’s worried parents and her fifteen cousins. One by one, all of them tumbled into a dizzy pile on the floor.
Plop.
A very familiar, small, delicate figure rolled out at the very end. It was Little Hua. She lay there entirely quietly, still deep in her unconscious state.
Su Qinglan’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. "Little Hua!" Without another thought, she stuffed the fluffy little Xiao Jin straight into Xi Feng’s arms.
"Catch him."
Shi Feng instinctively caught his heavy son, blinking in surprise.
Meanwhile, Su Qinglan hurried over to the pile, dropping to her knees. She gently lifted Little Hua’s fragile stem into her warm arms, her face filled with profound worry.
"Little Hua. Wake up. Can you hear me?"
There was no response. Little Hua remained completely still and asleep.
Su Qinglan’s heart tightened painfully. Without a single moment of hesitation, she placed her bare palm gently over Little Hua’s main leaf node.
A soft, brilliant green light slowly began to flow out from her palm. It was warm, gentle, and deeply comforting.
The pure healing energy quietly surrounded Little Hua’s tiny body, carefully examining every fiber of her being and erasing every trace of her emotional exhaustion.
At that exact moment, every single spiritual plant in the room froze solid.
"..."
Their spiritual eyes slowly widened, and then widened even more, until they looked like giant saucers.
The old grandfather spiritual plant’s leaves stood perfectly straight up in sheer terror and awe. His entire five-foot body trembled violently.
"T-That..." the old man choked out, his voice shaking. "The Forest Blessing... No... That pure life energy... It actually exists..."
All fifteen little spiritual plants stared blankly at the glowing green light radiating from the female beastman.
Not a single leaf moved. Not a single rustle could be heard in the dead silence.
Every single one of them looked at Su Qinglan as if they had just witnessed the most impossible, sacred miracle in the history of the world.
***
On the other side of the city...
Stove was still searching frantically for Little Hua.
The heavy, relentless snow had almost completely buried his tiny body. Only his vibrant little green leaves could still be seen poking out above the thick white drifts, shaking violently against the freezing wind. Yet, he stubbornly refused to stop.
He continued moving forward. One step after another step.
"Little Hua..."
"Little Hua..."
He kept calling her name over and over again, his tiny voice echoing weakly into the dark, empty forest. However... there was absolutely no reply. Not even the slightest trace of her familiar, sweet scent remained in the air.
His little root legs were already trembling from sheer exhaustion. He had searched the entire day without taking a single second to rest, his small body frozen to the core.
Behind him, Hu Yan silently followed, his giant boots crunching heavily in the deep snow. His fierce eyes were filled with profound worry. He looked up at the pitch-black sky, noting that night had completely fallen, and the harsh winter snowstorm had started up once again.
Large, heavy snowflakes drifted down one after another, rapidly turning into a blinding whiteout.
Hu Yan frowned deeply.
At this rate... if they stayed outside in the wilderness any longer, all of them would be swallowed alive and buried beneath the snow.
He quickly walked forward, bent down, and gently caught Stove in his hand.
"Stove," Hu Yan said, his deep voice carrying over the howling wind.
"Let’s go home."
Stove immediately began to struggle wildly against his grip, his vines flailing.
"No! I won’t go back! I have to find Little Hua! She must be nearby... she has to be!"
His little voice was already completely hoarse and raspy from shouting all day long.
