Chapter 44
Potato carefully protected his little backpack and circled the big cherry a whole way.
It reached out and touched the big cherry's belly, patted it twice, and leaned in to listen carefully.
Qianhui noticed the movement from the two plants and turned to look over: "What's wrong?"
Potato quickly ran to Qianhui, grabbed his sleeve and whimpered, then pointed at Big Cherry and accused it of stealing and eating his landmine.
Fortunately... the bag still contained all the candy, otherwise it would have given this cherry a good beating.
Big Cherry jumped over and joined Qian Hui, looking innocent and naive.
It became a little more obedient at this point, but its attention was still on the potatoes, clearly indicating that it was not yet full.
The new plants were all nearby, including the sunflowers, and Qianhui understood what the potato meant.
He seemed to be deep in thought, and had probably guessed a few things.
After arriving at the forest, Chili told Qianhui that the plant team was lucky this time; one of the cherries swallowed a nuclear bomb, otherwise they would probably have been injured again.
But that cherry wasn't behaving well on the road; it wouldn't eat anything, so we need to observe it more closely.
It can swallow nuclear bombs, doesn't eat normal food, and now it's eaten a potato mine.
This is mostly Cherry's unique skill, but her loyalty isn't high enough for Qianhui to see the more specifics.
He put down the plant he was holding and picked up the cherry.
The cherry was quite heavy, its shell was a slightly dull color, and it had several marks on it that looked like it had been tied up.
Qian Hui patted its head and asked, "Have you been hungry for a long time?"
Cherry let out a "whoosh" and shook the stem in the center of its head.
Qianhui asked Tudou to make a few more landmines, or bombs if needed, because Cherry needed to eat them.
Potato and Cherry weren't familiar with each other, but they listened to Qian Hui and obediently handed over two larger bombs.
This will only consume a little energy for it and will not have a significant impact.
Qianhui fed the bombs to Cherry, while Potato watched from the side and then took the initiative to pinch several more.
She ate all the cherries in one go, making "mmm" sounds as she ate, and even took the opportunity to rub her hands against Qian Hui's palms.
Those people at Sky Base probably didn't discover this ability of its, otherwise they would have been careful when using the nuclear bomb. Cherry must have been starving for who knows how long.
Potato gradually realized that Cherry ate bombs!
Its gaze toward the large cherry became subtle, and it began to pinch some other varieties.
Cherries accepted everything, from bombs and landmines of different sizes to potato-shaped missiles.
Watching it eat it all, Potato put his hands on his hips and hummed twice, feeling a sense of accomplishment for the first time as he fed the poor little plant.
Although the large cherry is a premium product, of a higher grade and larger size than this one.
Potato squeezed out the last bomb, waved it at Big Cherry, and wanted it to come with him.
Several corn cobs were resting by the lake, while Potato wanted to show them how to feed them cherries and bombs.
Big Cherry licked her lips and looked at Qian Hui.
Qianhui placed it in the grass: "Go play."
Big Cherry happily followed Potato, Starfruit quickly jumped back into Qianhui's arms, and a dragon fruit followed closely behind.
There was another cactus trying to get closer, but it had too many thorns. It had been forced to use its attack skills too many times before, making it difficult to retract them. Qian Hui had just touched the top of its head.
It fears hurting Qianhui, and reflexively fears being punished or disliked as a result, so it keeps a distance from other plants.
Qian Hui was already paying close attention to the newly added plants and was keenly aware of the cactus's emotions.
He thought for a moment, then opened the game store and bought a helmet for the cactus.
The cactus's loyalty is currently only 10%. The game prompted Qianhui to confirm the purchase, and she chose yes.
The helmet is custom-made for each plant, sturdy yet lightweight, like a small iron garment.
Qianhui asked the cactus to come over and help it "put on" a helmet.
The cactus's body is slightly taller than an adult's palm, flat, with a pair of long, thin legs that resemble intertwined roots, and similar hands, without thorns.
It hesitated for a moment, then cautiously stepped forward. When it saw Qian Hui holding up her helmet and reaching out, it closed its eyes and dared not move.
Qianhui put the helmet on the cactus, adjusted its position, and then secured the buckle at the bottom.
The helmet has a square opening on one side, which allows the eyes and mouth to be exposed, and two small holes on the edge are just right for putting hands in.
Feeling something on its body, the cactus opened its eyes and reached out to touch the cool outer shell of the helmet.
Now there's no need to worry about getting pricked by thorns. Qian Hui picked up the cactus and squeezed its slightly wide palm: "All done."
The cactus wasn't quite used to it yet, so it shifted its body. The helmet was specially made a little larger, with a layer of cloth inside so the sharp thorns wouldn't make a sound.
It was nervous at first, but slowly it came to its senses and, flattered, clutched Qian Hui's sleeve tightly.
With the helmet, the cactus's loyalty instantly increased to 40%.
It is a mid-level mutated plant, primarily offensive, which perfectly matches the requirements of the side quest.
Qian Hui was secretly happy as she thought that the little mushroom was one step closer to being resurrected, and yawned while hugging the plants in her arms.
The plants along the way could rest in the mouths of the carnivorous plants, but he hadn't slept all night and was now completely exhausted.
It was already bright outside. Qianhui ate some biscuits and replenished her backpack with enough food.
He didn't take out the cabbage husks, but lay down directly in the soft, dry grass.
Qian Hui closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
The newly arrived plants gathered around him, each finding a good spot to lie down, while the bolder ones would wander around a few steps.
Soon after, Chili and Bamboo Shoots also came to sleep together.
Chili noticed that Qianhui's arms were full, and she was not happy. She squatted down next to her and glanced at her.
The dragon fruit and star fruit quietly moved aside to make room for it.
—
Qianhui slept for a long time, until she woke up hungry around 2 p.m.
He opened his eyes groggily and found himself surrounded by plants, with several more in his arms. The carrots and durians had returned, replaced by carnivorous plants that patrolled and guarded the area.
Looking at the plants covering the ground, Qian Hui felt as if she were in another world, as if she were still in the small garden with plants.
He sat up and stood there in a daze for a while, then ate something to replenish his energy.
As soon as Qianhui awoke, the plants gradually awoke as well.
Corn lay on his lap, tilted its head back and opened its mouth, habitually asking for food. Qianhui fed it half a piece of jerky.
After feeding all the plants, taking advantage of the good weather, Xiao Baocai brought out the cabbage bowl and let Qianhui take a bath.
The other plants obediently cleaned themselves and jumped directly into the lake.
The dozen or so newly arrived plants, led by the cabbage and apple, also went into the water one after another.
The plants take a quick bath, swimming around in the water twice. The watermelon and pumpkin aren't very good swimmers, and the cactus isn't in a good position with its helmet on. The soft vines help to entangle the three plants to prevent them from accidentally drowning.
Two large towels were laid out on the shore. After washing, you can roll around in them and that should be enough.
Qianhui took his time washing up. After he changed his clothes, Chili helped him dry his hair, and a group of plants started playing in the woods.
Little Apple and Little Succulent, carrying the newly added plants, went for a stroll nearby and picked a few tiny wild fruits to give to Qianhui.
The pumpkin sat quietly under the tree, with a small patch of mimosa plant on its head. The mimosa plant was still asleep, so the pumpkin didn't move at all.
The potato and the cherry have become quite adept at playing together; the potato sits on the cherry's head and holds its stem with both hands.
The big cherry bobbed along, like a fruit steed, carrying potatoes through the woods.
The corn also wanted to play, so it chased after them.
But since Big Cherry was fed by him, he naturally had the best relationship with him. Potato hadn't had enough fun yet, so he patted Big Cherry's head and told it to jump faster.
Big Cherry put all her strength into it and quickly flung the corn away.
Potato chuckled, but soon heard another noise behind him.
It turned its head and saw that the corn was sitting on the nut's head!
The nut had grown a bit bigger and was hopping around, but since it didn't have a stem on its head, the corn almost fell off.
It jumped very high, and Corn hurriedly lay down and clung to it tightly, looking terrified: "Waaah..."
The nut jumped around twice before finally stopping. The corn cautiously climbed off its head, no longer wanting to play the game.
Under the tree on the other side, the cabbage and the baby cabbage were together. The baby cabbage gently massaged the cabbage's arm and asked it if it had rested well.
There are so many new plants that it has to help take care of them, so it doesn't have time to spend with the cabbage.
Cabbage nodded to indicate that it had rested well, then grabbed a twig and scribbled on the ground, calculating how many human superhumans it had killed the previous night.
All things considered, it seems there are still fewer carrots... but carrots have a greater advantage in terms of group attacks.
The little cabbage sat to the side, listening to it recount the battle, and couldn't resist taking out the two small glove-shaped gloves that were tucked inside its outer shell.
It learned this stuffing method from the little bamboo shoot. The little cabbage puts on its boxing gloves and holds it up for the cabbage to see.
It was a little nervous, afraid that the cabbage would laugh at it.
The boxing gloves made of leaves were so small that the cabbage had to get close to see them clearly.
It thumped its chest: "Woo!"
Want to learn boxing? I'll teach you!
The little cabbage's eyes widened instantly, overjoyed and not knowing what to do.
It was then led to a more spacious area under a tree nearby.
Two plants, one large and one small, stand facing each other; this makes them easier to see.
The cabbage made a fist gesture, and the little cabbage immediately copied it, even though the left and right sides were reversed, it didn't seem to matter.
Gradually, the cabbage started moving faster, and the bok choy also sped up. It didn't matter if they didn't see clearly and made a mistake, as long as they got the momentum right.
The cabbage used tree trunks as sandbags, while the baby cabbage used branches from bushes, successfully breaking three of them.
Finally, the boxing gloves that Leaf made broke, so Little Cabbage immediately changed into new ones and confidently looked around.
It wanted to try it on a plant, so it set its sights on a nut not far away, because it was the hardest and wouldn't feel pain.
Cabbage cheered from the sidelines, "Woohoo!"
The little cabbage mustered its courage, made itself invisible, and ran quickly over.
Its body disappeared, leaving only two floating gauntlets. It slipped behind the nut, threw a punch, and then ran away in a panic.
The little cabbage hid behind a tree and peeked out, but the nut didn't move, as if it was asleep and hadn't noticed.
Actually, Nut noticed it as it quietly approached, but it didn't know what it was going to do, so it kept its eyes closed and didn't bother to move.
Not getting any feedback on her boxing practice, Little Cabbage refused to give up. After observing the surroundings, she set her sights on Corn, who was eating snacks nearby.
It waited until the skill could be used again, then ran over invisibly a second time.
Corn was engrossed in munching on a biscuit when he heard a series of hurried footsteps.
It turned its head and saw a pair of small round balls fly away inexplicably. Confused, it wiped its mouth and whimpered, "Huh?"
Who poked it?
Corn faintly smelled the scent of the small cabbage, but ignored it and continued munching on her biscuit.
Behind the tree, Little Cabbage took off her boxing gloves and hugged them to her chest, feeling that she was still too weak, and was a little depressed.
The cabbage comforted it, saying that it had only been learning for one day and was already very good; at least the little cabbage could make its own boxing gloves!
Hearing this, the little cabbage became happier, put the boxing gloves back into their shells and went off to play elsewhere with the cabbage.
In another corner, Durian crouched in the grass, watching the cabbage and bok choy run away together.
It was very envious. Although cabbage and bok choy were different in size, they looked very similar and could be considered the same kind of thing.
But his own durian brother hasn't turned back to normal in a long time.
Durian looked up at the carrot sitting on the branch, enjoying the breeze, its eyes filled with melancholy.
By the lake, Chili helped Qianhui dry her hair.
After taking a shower, the original dye in his hair completely disappeared, restoring its original color.
Several newly arrived plants were sunbathing nearby. Seeing that he seemed to have changed, they couldn't help but come closer to take a look.
Eggplant circled around Qianhui, its eyes glazed over.
Silver hair and red eyes... these are the physical characteristics of a zombie!
The eggplant was terrified and turned to run away, but after only a few steps, it realized that it was the only one that had reacted so strongly, while the other plants remained still.
It scratched its head, then slowly walked back, its eyes still glazed over.
Qian Hui was amused by it and patted its head: "Don't be afraid, I won't eat you."
After another nap, it seemed that none of the newly added plants had any intention of leaving and were willing to stay by Qianhui's side.
Perhaps it was also because of the sunflower and the mimosa; the comfort brought by a healing-type super-grade exotic plant greatly alleviated their fear and tension. In addition, the mimosa was clearly well taken care of by Qian Hui.
Qianhui opened the encyclopedia and looked around. The loyalty of the new plants had increased, but it had only been less than a day, so it was not yet enough to complete the side quest.
He thought for a moment, then got up to go find Nan Tingjin.
Nan Tingjin sat alone under the tree to rest. His gentle aura was completely different from Qian Hui's, and the new plants were initially afraid of him.
Later, when they saw chili peppers, they weren't afraid at all, and they weren't even afraid of low-level plants like small cabbages, so they reluctantly accepted it, but they still wouldn't go near them.
Only Nuts was closer to him, standing quietly not far away, as if secretly guarding against him.
Qian Hui came to the tree and sat down next to Nan Tingjin: "Xiao Jin..."
"The commission you mentioned last time," he asked proactively, "when should I pay you?"
Qianhui wanted to arrange all her remaining balance in advance to prepare for purchasing resurrection beans.
The carnivorous plant doesn't know it has enough money... just a little short. It will be very happy once the little mushroom is successfully revived.
Nan Tingjin looked at Qian Hui, his gaze sweeping over the faint dark circles under his eyes.
Aside from her hair color and pupils, Qianhui looks more and more human, and her skin is more radiant than before, which is more noticeable when she is tired.
He didn't sleep a wink all night and took a nap during the day, but he still hadn't fully recovered his energy.
“I’m not in a hurry,” Nan Tingjin said slowly. “I’ll give it to you when the time is right.”
Qian Hui was quite happy: "Is it okay?"
He leaned closer and mumbled, "Then I'll owe you for now..."
There's no rush for Nan Tingjin here; he can buy the resurrection beans first and then find an opportunity to return them later.
Actually, Qianhui wanted to ask how much the commission would be.
Since the last time he had a dream that brought back some memories, and told Nan Tingjin that he wasn't her boyfriend, it seems like nothing has happened since then.
Nan Tingjin still hugged and kissed him, but didn't mention the boyfriend again.
But Qianhui was too embarrassed to ask, feeling as if she was trying to use their relationship to pay less commission.
Qian Hui glanced at Nan Tingjin, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
He hesitated silently for a while, then got up and left.
—
The afternoon passed quickly. Qianhui stayed with the plants, and later felt sleepy, so she took a nap.
When he woke up again, it was almost dark, and the carrot and the man-eating flower decided to rest in the woods for another night.
It's safe here. Qianhui can spend more time nurturing the new plants and increasing their loyalty. Tomorrow, she can go to the surrounding area to look for zombies and try to earn some extra balance.
With so many new plants added and the forest so large, Qianhui was afraid that one of them might get lost without anyone noticing. So she divided the thirteen plants into groups and assigned different plants to take care of them.
The cherry and the potato are now very close, so it follows the potato and the corn around.
Four-leaf clover, cactus, eggplant, watermelon, and pumpkin are output-type plants, with four-leaf clover being a high-level exotic plant, which should be given to carrots and cabbage.
Pomegranates, star fruit, and dragon fruit are also output-type fruits, all of which are intermediate level, so leave them to chili peppers and bamboo shoots.
Pothos and tulips are high-end auxiliary plants that can be planted alongside sunflowers and money trees.
The remaining crisp peaches and morning glories were left for the small cabbages and apples.
After all the plants were assigned, Qianhui instructed them not to run around on their own, and to find the plant in charge of taking care of them or talk to her if they encountered any problems.
The plants obediently responded, taking their dinner from Qian Hui one by one, and left with their "group leaders".
The soft vine was the last to arrive, and after digesting the biscuits with its leaves, it wrapped around Qian Hui's wrist.
Qianhui counted the number of plants and found that one was missing. Looking around, she saw Durian alone under a tree.
It retracted its limbs and rolled back and forth in place, hitting the tree trunk and bouncing back, then hitting it again.
Qian Hui walked over, squatted down to stop Durian from doing so, and picked it up: "Why aren't you going over? Aren't you hungry?"
Durian looked at him and shook her head to indicate that she didn't want to eat.
Seeing that it seemed a bit listless, Qian Hui quickly looked down to examine it and frowned, asking, "Is something wrong?"
Durian shook her head again, hesitantly looking at the carrot, then at the cabbage and bok choy.
All the plants were having dinner nearby, and there were so many new plants... not a single one that resembled me.
Even watermelons and pumpkins look somewhat alike, as do morning glories and soft vines.
Although cacti have thorns, they are completely different from myself.
Qianhui followed the gaze of the durian and initially thought it might have had a tiff with the carrot, but then she remembered that the durian's guide said that it longed for its own kind.
The fact that the durian agreed to join the plant team was indeed partly due to the fact that the carrot had been given a disguise potion.
But if that's really the reason, where would he go to find a second durian...?
Qian Hui hugged the durian and felt sorry for it when she saw that it was unhappy. Then she suddenly remembered something and opened the Prestige Points Shop.
Disguise potion!
The two bottles last time were a reward from a hidden quest. You can buy one bottle directly from the shop for only 5 reputation points.
Save the remaining balance to buy resurrection beans. Since you can't gather the extra 100,000 and 5,000 prestige points to build a base in a short time, you can use some first.
Qian Hui put down the durian and gave it a bag of biscuits: "Eat some... I'll go check over there and come back later."
Durian assumed he was busy taking care of other plants, so she silently accepted the biscuit.
Carrots now have new followers, some of whom are high-class and mostly don't have time to bother with them.
Durian sat down with its back to the plants and ate a biscuit by itself.
It was actually very hungry, and ate half a bag in one go, when it heard a noise in the bushes behind it.
Durian didn't notice who it was and kept eating, when suddenly she caught a glimpse of a familiar yellow color flashing by from the side.
It paused for a moment, then turned its head and saw a "durian" hiding behind the tree, sneaking out half of its head.
With a "thud," the biscuit in Durian's hand fell to the ground.
It thought it was hallucinating, so it closed its eyes, shook its head, and then opened them again.
—The "durian" next to the tree has turned into two!
Durian was shocked; she felt a poke on the back of her head.
It slowly turned its head, and behind it stood another "durian".
"Durian" put his hands on his hips and chuckled twice.
Durian stood there motionless for a full half minute before taking a closer sniff.
Wait, why does this durian smell like potatoes...?
Immediately after, a bamboo shoot-flavored durian appeared behind the potato-flavored durian.
The two that had been behind the tree earlier also ran over, one smelled of corn and the other of chili.
Apart from the smell, they all look exactly like durians, and it is impossible to tell them apart from their appearance.
Looking at the four "durians" surrounding him, the durian was at a loss, yet felt that happiness had come too suddenly.
Isn't this the scene it's seen in its dreams several times...?
Then, more "durian" flavors came running over—cabbage, nut, and baby bok choy flavors...
The carnivorous plant is responsible for patrolling, while the sunflowers and apples are looking after the new plants. The idle plants have almost all drunk camouflage potions.
The little cabbage was the slowest to run. Its sudden increase in size made it a little dizzy and disoriented. It opened its eyes wide, searching for the cabbage-flavored durian.
As darkness fell, some cabbage lanterns that had been placed in advance lit up the grass, and the sunflower's light gradually spread outwards.
Finally, the eighth "durian" appeared. The durian recognized it at a glance; it was a carrot that had been transformed.
Including myself, that makes nine!
It excitedly rushed forward and hugged the carrot-flavored durian, crying out, "Waaah!"
The carrot-flavored durian patted the durian's head and waved its hand: "Woo!"
Let's go! Let's explore the area!
So, the nine identical durians set off together, intending to catch fish by the lake or look for any unfamiliar plants that dared to approach, and bring them back to Qianhui to complete her encyclopedia.
They looked spectacular in large groups, wandering around the lake. When they couldn't catch any fish, they started playing "durian bumping" game, bumping into each other.
The nut-flavored durian was the strongest, remaining silent throughout and almost knocking the cabbage-flavored durian flying.
The cabbage-flavored durian quickly came over to stop it, protecting the small cabbage-flavored durian behind it.
Qianhui watched them playing together from afar, and seeing all the durians made her happy, which also improved her mood.
He originally wanted to drink the disguise potion, but he had never experienced what it felt like to become a plant, and everyone else had gone to keep Durian company, so he stayed with Sunflower.
The potion lasts for two hours, enough time for them to have a good time.
Qianhui watched for a while longer, while feeding the cactus in her arms.
The new plants around him were all behaving themselves, so he casually opened the encyclopedia and found that the cactus's loyalty was already 50%.
Once another intermediate-level alien plant reaches 50% loyalty, you can redeem a reward of 40,000!
Qian Hui quickly checked and found that Yang Tao and Pumpkin's loyalty was already 35%, and it felt like it would soon reach 50%.
He was secretly pleased and glanced at the resurrection beans in the shop several times. Just then, he heard Nan Tingjin's voice from behind: "Qian Hui."
Qianhui put down the cactus and got up to go over.
"You were looking for me?" He sat down next to Nan Tingjin, the joy from not long ago still lingering in his eyes, his beautiful red pupils shining slightly.
Nan Tingjin looked over and touched his cheek: "So happy?"
Qian Hui gave a vague reply, but couldn't help telling Nan Tingjin, "Because...because Xiao Fen will be back soon."
He lowered his voice and whispered, "Little Purple and Radish don't know yet."
Nan Tingjin had a rough idea of what was going on, but didn't ask any further questions.
He stared at Qian Hui for a while, then suddenly leaned closer.
Nan Tingjin's movements were somewhat forceful; he pressed down on Qian Hui's lower back and pulled him close.
Caught off guard, Qian Hui sat on Nan Tingjin's lap, and the two became very intimate.
Immediately afterwards, the surrounding trees suddenly began to move slowly.
Many trees in the distance were moved closer one after another, arranged closely together, their top branches twisted and crooked, gradually forming a small "wooden house".
Moonlight streamed down through the gaps in the branches above, and Qianhui looked around, both surprised and curious.
So Nan Tingjin's supernatural abilities can do these things too...
He tried to get up to take a closer look, but Nan Tingjin held him in his arms and he couldn't move.
Qian Hui, confused, looked at him blankly: "Xiao Jin?"
Nan Tingjin responded slowly and gently, then leaned in to kiss his cheek.
At this moment, Qian Hui realized that only Nan Tingjin and she were in the wooden house. Ruan Teng, who had just helped take care of the new plants, had also left his side.
This may be one of the very few times the two have been alone together in a long time.
Qian Hui didn't dodge. He vaguely sensed the change in Nan Tingjin's emotions and asked softly, "What's wrong..."
Nan Tingjin pinched Qian Hui's chin and kissed him hard again.
“Now,” he whispered, “tell me properly, who is your boyfriend.”
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