Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 85

Hated by the owner

Si Yin Yuan’s eyes flickered with a dark shade, rationality gradually returning. Along with it surged a mix of heartache and anger within.

This anger was directed at himself.

He wondered how the little fellow managed to live alone for these three years. Finally meeting, and if he didn’t recognize him, it must have been frustrating.

The comfortably lying grass being gently stroked in his palm questioned with curiosity.

Though unsure of what the owner was imagining, judging by his increasingly strange gaze, something was off.

They had only been separated for a day.

However, witnessing the grass he had been nurturing suddenly able to move and run was indeed strange for a human. If he hadn’t woken up in this unfamiliar environment, he could probably have hidden forever, living carefreely as a blade of grass.

Ji Jiu stared at the owner’s golden eyes, seemingly asleep like a dormant beast. Before he could think too much, everything before him suddenly darkened.

In a panic, the grass struggled, only to realize it was now tucked into the pocket of a garment.

The owner’s scent filled the air around him. Ji Jiu slowly relaxed, raising his tiny leaf to listen carefully to the sounds outside.

Yu Feichen rushed over, panting, “Boss, did you find anything?”

That surge of psychic disturbance – the only one capable of creating such a commotion was none other than Captain Si.

He nearly thought Ji Jiu was in trouble.

The owner soothingly slipped his hand into the pocket, lightly tapping Ji Jiu, his expression unchanged, “Hmm, found that mutant.”

“Where is it?”

“Hiding in the tree trunk.” A faint hint of killing intent filled Si Yan Yuan’s eyes as he spoke.

He had noticed the mutant in the trunk, hence his sidestepping. Unexpectedly, he gained a clueless little grass as a bonus.

He intended to reclaim the time that belonged to the grass.

For an instant, he considered going back to how things were three years ago with the old Ji Jiu. However, the three-year gap was already a done deal, and he couldn’t treat it as if nothing happened.

In the pocket, the tiny grass intimately wound around his fingers.

Si Yan Yuan hesitated for a moment, his heart softening. He turned to Yu Feichen, “You stay here.”

Yu Feichen paused for a moment, “Yes, but Boss, where are you going?”

Before he could finish, Si Yan Yuan had already stridden towards another direction.

Whether it was his imagination or not, it seemed like there was some movement in Boss’s pocket just now.

Yu Feichen didn’t dwell on it, smacking his head as he scolded himself for being muddled.

How could there be something in Boss’s pocket?

Ji Jiu extended a tiny leaf to the edge of the pocket, making a strange “Ji” sound.

Perplexed about why he suddenly changed places, he was then gently plucked out.

Si Yan Yuan’s method of grabbing people had always been straightforward.

When Ji Jiu was in human form, running amok would lead to him being lifted by the back of his collar. Now, as a three-centimeter-tall grass, he was picked up directly.

Placed back in the owner’s hand, Ji Jiu saw the nearby tap, pointing at it happily.

“Ji!” Water, please.

Si Yan Yuan’s eyes quickly filled with a smile; he had temporarily left to water the little fellow.

Although they couldn’t communicate verbally, he unexpectedly understood what the little one wanted.

Scooping up a handful of water, he watched Ji Jiu cautiously approach, patiently waiting.

The tiny grass extended its delicate leaves, tapping the water a few times like a cat’s paw before joyfully inserting itself to indulge.

However, most of the water flowed away from his palm due to this rubbing, with only a small portion being absorbed.

The delicate grass disliked being hit directly by water droplets, so Si Yan Yuan patiently repeated the process, reaccepting the grass several times until it had its fill of water.

After drinking enough water, Ji Jiu refused to be put back into the pocket, bouncing over to the man’s collar, hiding inside.

Due to his small size, he completely concealed himself.

Nestled in the closest place to the main artery, a mutant’s presence didn’t feel odd to Si Yan Yuan. The slightly chilly touch was rather comfortable.

Ji Jiu had thus claimed a new hideout for himself, comfortably clinging on, treating himself like a special pendant.

The obedient little grass wouldn’t cause trouble for the owner.

He had just heard that the owner had things to attend to.

Even though he didn’t know what the mutant was, it must be something profound!

Truly deserving of being the owner.

The adoring little grass happily curled its small leaves.

…

As the night deepened, the mutant still didn’t emerge from the tree trunk. Yu Feichen and Feng Chuyao continued to guard under the banyan tree, harboring no doubts about Si Yan Yuan’s words.

Time passed, and close to midnight, Si Yan Yuan reappeared under the banyan tree with Ji Jiu. His eyes were as cold as if they contained gilded surges.

He dispersed the golden flame, causing it to spread instantly, surrounding the area to prevent others from inadvertently entering.

Sensing the anger emanating from the owner, Ji Jiu shifted to a more comfortable position on his neck.

Well, even though he didn’t know what the mutant was, something that angered the owner must be a bad thing!

What the owner disliked, the little grass disliked.

After midnight passed, the full moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the gama concentration began to rise. Soon, the banyan tree underwent mutation.

With experience this time, Yu Feichen and Feng Chuyao unhesitatingly attacked the tree trunk, using the fire whip to clear the nearby flowers and plants as it started absorbing.

The speed of the banyan tree’s mutation indeed slowed down, even the rate of turning gray was slower than the previous cycle.

The gray rat still didn’t come out.

Si Yan Yuan wasn’t in a hurry; he could feel the residual gama fluctuations of that rat right there.

Even if it hid within a time rift, evading pursuit from his ability, it couldn’t escape his perception. Not coming out now was just a desperate struggle.

If that rat could sense his current thoughts, it would probably loudly protest in its mind.

It wasn’t that it didn’t want to come out; it was clearly injured and had to hide inside!

If it knew that the three years of gama concentration was spent feasting on what looked like tender human flesh came at the cost of half its life, it would never willingly walk into the line of fire.

He couldn’t even harm Ji Jiu, who had lost his abilities and returned to the state three years ago. If he delayed any longer, it would die. It could only cling to its last breath and hide within the tree trunk.

The banyan tree began to retreat step by step, and the sharp branches it swung were no match for Yu Feichen and Feng Chuyao.

Not making the same mistake twice, Yu Feichen explicitly directed all his bullets into the trunk from the beginning this time. With Feng Chuyao covering him, her flexible fire whip repelled all the attacking branches.

Si Yan Yuan extended his palm, releasing a fierce golden flame, ready to seize the vitality of the banyan tree. However, he felt a burning sensation on his neck.

In less than half a second, he realized what was happening. Without hesitation, he turned around, leaving the battlefield to them.

It wasn’t until he reached a secluded corner where no one would come that he stopped and pulled Ji Jiu out, a hint of regret appearing in his eyes.

He had actually forgotten such an important thing. After midnight, Ji Jiu, as a mutant, would also undergo a transformation.

The reaction seemed much larger than anticipated.

Ji Jiu was already in a daze, being pulled out of his comfortable nest without resistance. His tiny leaves sagged in discomfort, and a large amount of gama concentration crowded into his body. It seemed as if it wanted to burst his fragile body all at once, with gama elements conflicting with each other in the gaps.

But it wasn’t enough; he needed to grow, he needed more energy.

It felt like being torn in half, one side relentless in its demands, the other side in painful acceptance.

In a trance, he heard the call of his owner, echoing nearby.

Uncomfortable, he wanted to touch his leaves.

But now, he couldn’t even produce the usual chirping sound of embarrassment.

If only he could transform into a human and speak directly. Why wasn’t he a human like his owner?

A drop of blood fell on him, carrying the scorching scent of alcohol.

The pain on his body was instantly soothed, and Ji Jiu unconsciously began to absorb, his leaves visibly gaining vitality.

Si Yan Yuan smoothly pulled out the combat knife attached to his waist, directly cutting his hand and using blood as nourishment.

This was the only solution he could think of. Most mutants, after undergoing a transformation, would quickly exhibit devouring behavior towards their surroundings. The most prominent sensation awakened individuals experienced after gaining abilities was hunger. Therefore, mutants were undoubtedly entities that consumed their own nutrients.

As more blood dripped, staining the ground red, Ji Jiu’s absorption speed increased. His figure soared, a flash of white light passed through. Where there was once lush green grass, now only a youth with rosy lips and white teeth remained, looking bewildered in Si Yan Yuan’s arms, lifting his head.

Clearly, he was very puzzled about how he suddenly turned from a little grass into a human just by drinking blood.

After locking eyes with Si Yan Yuan for two seconds, he suddenly cried out with grievance.

Sobs and hiccups couldn’t be stopped.

Although it was just a false alarm, Si Yan Yuan still held him tightly, continuously soothing, “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

He wanted to embrace the person tightly, yet feared that he might hurt him with excessive force. There had never been a moment when he felt so helpless.

Ji Jiu, like a small ostrich, buried himself in Si Yan Yuan’s arms, looking very aggrieved. “You, you don’t hate me, okay?”

He, like that bad banyan tree hated by the owner, became strange. He wasn’t just a simple little grass anymore; he was a mutant, a mutant detested by the master.

Although becoming a human was his wish, he felt no joy at all. All he had was fear and unease, afraid of being abandoned and hated. His body even showed subtle tremors.

Si Yan Yuan’s breath eased, suddenly realizing something.

So, this was the reason his future self didn’t want to reveal the truth to him. Even though he had so much trust in himself, even before the mutation, he could expose his unusual nature. His intention was never to conceal, but to avoid, fearing being disliked.

The reunion three years later left Ji Jiu with the first impression of a merciless slayer of mutants. It was because of his attitude towards mutants that made the youth so afraid to reveal his true identity.

Sensing that the owner’s mood was not right, Ji Jiu carefully raised his head, then suddenly a gentle kiss fell on his lips.

A kiss unrelated to any desire.

Golden fireworks spread in Si Yan Yuan’s eyes, and his chest felt continuous pulsations.

He lowered his head and whispered, “No, I don’t hate you.”