Chapter Twenty-Two: The Seed

About half an hour later, the three of them, having returned to the beach, looked back in unison. Deep within the dense forest, billows of thick black smoke rose straight into the sky.

"Young Master, what if there are survivors?" Su Yang asked.

Jiang Li chuckled, waving a fire starter. "If there are survivors, I’ll just burn the forest down. It’s an uninhabited wilderness anyway; what does it matter if the whole island burns? As for the natives inside, whether they live or die is none of my concern."

Su Yang nodded. "You are right, Young Master."

"Enough, let's get something to eat," Jiang Li said dismissively.

Once they had finished their meal, Jiang Li led the group to find a campsite. The beach was too damp; waking up with soaked clothes every morning was unpleasant, and they preferred not to camp there unless absolutely necessary. They slept soundly that night, free from the harassment of monsters. The campsite Jiang Li chose was a cave, and Chu Chunqiu blocked the entrance with a large boulder, leaving them with no fear of wild beasts.

Early the next morning, Jiang Li opened his eyes to find Qiu Yue and the others already busy. "Young Master, have some meat porridge," Qiu Yue said, handing him a cup.

After breakfast, Jiang Li observed the sun. Once it reached its zenith, he signaled Su Yang and Chu Chunqiu to follow him back into the dense forest. After winding their way through the trees, they soon arrived at the cave from the previous day. Having burned throughout the night, the cave still radiated waves of heat. Large piles of ash were heaped at the entrance. Jiang Li used a wooden spear to poke through the unburnt charcoal as he moved further inside. Compared to the stench of the previous day, the cave now smelled only of charred remains.

Su Yang shook his head. "I imagine this fire left nothing behind."

Before they knew it, they had ventured a hundred meters deep. The cave remained empty, and Jiang Li held up a torch to illuminate the surroundings. "There isn't a single useful clue here, what could this possibly—"

He cut himself short, staring intently ahead. Not far from them, a blood-red flower was quietly blooming. At the same time, a strange, sweet fragrance filled their noses.

"Don't breathe!"

Jiang Li shouted, quickening his pace toward the red flower. However, before he could reach it to destroy it with his spear, the flower, which had been in full bloom, withered instantly. The red petals fell into the soil, vanishing like snowflakes hitting a furnace. Moments later, a seed formed, dropped to the ground, and a sprout burst forth with impossible speed. Before long, another blood-red flower bloomed in its place.

"This is completely irrational!"

A thought flashed through Jiang Li’s mind. The rapid withering of the petals was one thing—after all, there were wonders like the night-blooming cereus on Earth—but for a seed to sprout at such a speed? It was entirely unscientific!

A moment later, the petals fell again, and another seed formed.

"Got you!" Taking advantage of the moment before the seed dropped, Jiang Li tore a piece of cloth from his garment, wrapped it around the seed, and took it.

"Young Master, what is that?" Su Yang asked, staring at the seed in Jiang Li’s hand in disbelief.

"I’m not sure. Perhaps there are many things in this world we don’t yet understand," Jiang Li said, tucking the seed away and continuing his exploration.

A while later, Jiang Li shook his head and began to head back. Aside from that seed, the group found nothing else. Deep in the cave, there was nothing but the remains of monsters incinerated by the fire.

"That should be it. We can continue our journey now," Jiang Li said with a sigh of relief. The root of the problem was that unknown red flower. As for its name, Jiang Li didn't know, and he had no desire to investigate further. One wrong move could cost him his sanity, so for safety’s sake, he kept it carefully wrapped.

Returning to their hideout, the three gathered their supplies and continued their journey.

Not long after they departed, a disheveled figure appeared on the beach where they had cooked their meal earlier that morning.

"Ah! I finally found it!" Qin Lang’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the extinguished fire pit and the discarded food scraps. He didn't hesitate to pick them up and stuff them into his mouth.

"Jiang Li! You despicable, shameless wretch! I, Qin Lang, will have my revenge! I will!"

A while later, Qin Lang picked up an empty waterskin and squeezed with all his might to extract a few drops of fresh water.

"Huff! Huff!" Qin Lang breathed heavily, looking toward the dense forest ahead. Ever since he had been chased by the natives, he had barely stopped to rest. Lu Ren and the others who had been with him had all ended up as food for the natives. If not for his agility and the fact that he had hidden in a small puddle using a hollow reed to breathe, he would never have survived. By the time he had finally shaken off the natives, Jiang Li and his group were long gone.

After some deep thought, Qin Lang sneered and began to follow the tracks on the ground. When he passed the cave that was still smoldering, he stopped, looking at it with surprise. The cave was covered in burn marks, and there were clear footprints at the entrance—it was obviously the work of Jiang Li’s group. But why would Jiang Li burn a cave for no reason?

Curious, Qin Lang picked up a wooden stick and slowly entered. Half an hour later, he emerged with a darkened face. Aside from the burnt charcoal, the cave was empty, containing nothing of value.

"Why are these people wasting time here instead of looking for that small city?"

"Forget it, why do I care? Hmph, do they really think they’ll be safe once they reach that city?"

"Naive fools. I’d like to see if you can actually manage to become the Prefect!" Qin Lang scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. He walked quickly out of the cave, continuing in the direction Jiang Li and his group had gone.

Not long after Qin Lang left, in a corner of the cave, a large pile of burnt charcoal shifted. A figure crawled out, covered in soot, its face indistinguishable. After emerging from the ashes, it stood upright and walked toward the cave entrance. It hesitated for a moment, looking at the sunlight, then stepped out into the open.

"Ah!"

A moan escaped the figure’s lips as it spread its arms, greedily breathing in the fresh air. Suddenly, as if it had noticed something, it fixed its glowing eyes on the direction in which Qin Lang had departed and gave chase.