CH 96.2

On the Chu family flagship, after Chu Rong diverted to the floor where the isolation room was located, he found the situation somewhat different from what Zhuang Yu described. There was no chaotic rushing of energy in the air; instead, the corridors were filled with vines and hard soil clumps, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, covering the floor, walls, and ceiling. At the end of the line of sight, a large boulder had even materialized out of thin air, blocking the passage.

“S-sir.” 

A team of disheveled medical assistants emerged from the other side of the giant boulder, looking helpless and embarrassed. One of them reported, “About ten minutes ago, the chaotic energy in the air suddenly disappeared, and then these things started emerging from the isolation room. They quickly spread across the walls and floor, and we can’t seem to clear them all. While these vines won’t actively attack people, if we use too much force to clear them, they’ll coil around us and throw us out.” It was like dealing with a petulant child.

“And there’s this big rock too. It was originally just a small piece, but now…” Another assistant, a young lady, added tearfully, pointing at the large stone. She then poked the stone, and as if provoked, the boulder rolled in place and even jumped angrily, sending a cloud of dust flying.

“…That’s how it is. This boulder has quite the temper,” the assistant girl said, dodging the vines that were entwining her, unsure of what expression to wear next.

They’ve seen the commanding officer’s mental breakdown before, especially how brutal and terrifying it can be. How did it come to Qiao Zhiya, and why does the method of releasing power become so… uh, unconventional?

Zhuang Yu caught up and was startled by the appearance of the corridor. Wide-eyed, she exclaimed, “What’s going on? Did someone renovate this place? Huh, why is the chaotic energy in the air gone?”

Her assistants all looked at her speechlessly—was the boss so busy day and night that she lacked sleep, causing her brain to malfunction? Who in their right mind would renovate a flagship to look like this?

Upon seeing the scene, the solemn expression on Chu Rong’s face softened slightly. Almost indulgently, he reached out and gently touched the vines clinging to the wall, as if comforting Qiao Zhiya himself. In a gentle tone, she said, “Be good, let me in.”

Then magically, the vine on the wall actually responded, wrapping his wrist around, seemingly understanding what he said. All of them were no longer disturbed. The boulder rolled as far as possible, leaving the corridor empty. There was a passage through which one could pass.

The assistant girl could only stand silently in surprise, before tentatively stepping in.

“Boom!”

The boulder suddenly trembled with even greater anger, while the nearby vines began to coil menacingly towards her, seemingly ready to throw her out again.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m not going in there! Please don’t throw me out! I, I’m scared of pain, I’m really, really scared of pain.” The young woman squealed in fear, quickly retracting her legs and hiding behind her colleague.

The vines abruptly stopped moving and surprisingly didn’t coil around her, instead angrily whipping against the wall, threatening to prevent her from getting any closer.

“Pfft–”

Someone couldn’t help but to laugh.

The manifestation of power release comes in various forms, but the one they are witnessing now is the least threatening, which is truly… quite funny. 

With a cold glance at the male assistant who was struggling to hold back laughter, Chu Rong waved his hand to signal everyone to leave. He then approached the giant rock blocking the passage.

It probably noticed that the one approaching closer had a familiar aura. The boulder obediently rolled aside, letting him enter the passage unhindered.

Chu Rong’s expression softened as he reached out and touched the rock. Then, he turned to look at Zhuang Yu, who was being restrained by the vines around her waist, and instructed, “Seal off this area. If there’s anything, contact me.” Without looking back, he turned and entered the passage left by the giant boulder.

Zhuang Yu stared angrily at the vines around her waist, feeling quite miffed about the situation.

Why can the Marshal go in safely, but she can’t? The reaction of power is an expression of people’s subconscious. This is blatant favoritism! Even though the vines only wrapped around her without hurting her, this situation is still very infuriating!

Don’t think she didn’t catch the smug tone in the Marshal’s voice just now! People in love are really scary! Even in such a situation, they can still show off!

Qiao Zhiya’s unique way of releasing power did indeed relax Chu Rong’s mood a lot, but when he discovered that the doors of the isolation rooms were also sealed with vines and a layer of hard soil, his relaxed mood disappeared.

“Let me in.”

He spoke, but the vines on the door moved slightly without opening, instead tightening even more, showing no intention of opening the door. They even pushed him from the outside, attempting to drive him away.

Chu Rong frowned, unmoved, as he reached out and grabbed the vines pushing him, releasing his spiritual power and saying, “I’m not leaving. Let me in.”

The vine began to pretend to be dead, limply paralyzed in his hands and pretended that it was just a harmless rope.

Chu Rong squinted, took out a short dagger, and raised his hand to slash at the vines and soil blocking the door. However, he saw the vines shrinking pitifully, and in his mind flashed the image of Qiao Zhiya, sick and curled up in a blanket. He furrowed his brow, retracted the dagger, and instead concentrated his spiritual power on the vines around the door.

As the familiar aura approached, the vines, which were only responsive to their master, immediately became foolishly happy. Without any guard, they all leaned towards the source, causing the door to lose its defense. Chu Rong quickly pushed the door open, simultaneously using his power to entice the vines away, and strode into the room.

The scene inside the room was similar to the outside; it was also filled with vines and soil. Even the soil had been artistically arranged to form a magic circle on the ground, although it was haphazardly drawn and messy.

Chu Rong looked towards the bed, which was also covered in vines. His brow furrowed, and as he stepped closer, he accidentally kicked something. Bending down to take a look, he saw a roughly made clay doll lying on the vines. Faintly, it resembled Rong Tian.

“……”

‘Very good, he didn’t forget to play even when this sick.’ 

He quickly approached, pulling aside the vines to look at the bed. There, he saw Qiao Zhiya peacefully sleeping, his face flushed with fever, indeed showing signs of high temperature. Yet, there was a hint of joy in his expression, as if he were enjoying himself in his dreams.

‘…forget it.’

He pulled aside the vines and sat on the edge of the bed. First, he applied a cooling patch to Qiao Zhiya’s forehead, then fed him a bit of the fever-reducing medicine given by Zhuang Yu. Afterward, he lay down on the bed, wrapping himself, the blanket, and the vines around Qiao Zhiya. He gently surrounded him with his spiritual power.

He’ll let Qiao Zhiya play as long as it’s not dangerous. 

When Chu Huai and Gu Yan’an arrived on the flagship, Qiao Zhiya’s power release had temporarily ceased. However, the vines and boulders in the corridor remained, as did Chu Rong’s sealing command, preventing anyone else from entering.

Chu Huai stood on the side of the sealed door, watching the situation inside through the monitors, his expression somewhat strange. He turned to Zhuang Yu and asked, “Is Qiao really okay?”

“He’s okay,” Zhuang Yu replied helplessly. To add credibility, she took out a recording device and said, “Here is the data from the various monitoring instruments in the isolation room. Qiao’s temperature is just a bit high; all other bodily functions are normal.”

Gu Yan’an, also a doctor, immediately leaned in to take a look. Her relieved heart slightly eased as she said, “That’s good. It means Qiao’s condition is relatively stable.”

“So, you two don’t need to worry too much,” Zhuang Yu smiled. Her gaze fell on Gu Yan’an’s abdomen, and she stepped forward to give her a hug. “Congratulations. You’ve been working too hard recently, and your emotions have been unstable, which isn’t good for the baby’s development. It’s best to rest for a while during this period.”

Zhuang Yu and Gu Yan’an, both medical practitioners, had always had a good relationship. Gu Yan’an received her friend’s concern warmly, and a hint of a smile appeared on her face. She hugged Zhuang Yu back and nodded, saying, “Thank you, I will.”

Standing quietly in the background, Chu Yan stepped forward at the right moment and said, “Dasao, let me take you to rest first. It’s getting late.”

Gu Yan’an turned back to look at him again, seeing him still in his military uniform, seemingly not intending to take it off again. He looked even thinner. Her heart felt a pang, and her eyes reddened once more. She fought back the tears and instead forced a smile, stepping forward to hug him.

When she married Chu Huai, Chu Yan was still just a child of less than ten years old. Over the years, she watched Chu Yan grow little by little. In her heart, Chu Yan was almost like her own child.

Now that the child had safely returned, grown sensible and mature, it should have been a comforting thing. Yet, she couldn’t help but wish that Chu Yan would always remain the same as he was before, carefree and mischievous, the carefree Third Young Master of the Chu family, never having to worry about anything for the rest of his life.

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” Chu Yan hugged her back, patting her back to comfort her. Then, he looked at Chu Huai, wanting to smile reassuringly but feeling a lump forming in his throat. So, he quickly lowered his head.

Chu Huai stepped forward and hugged his wife and younger brother. He both patted them back, silently soothing both of them. 

In the dead of night, Qiao Zhiya’s power once again erupted violently, even more fiercely than before. This time, the vines and rocks managed to break through the sealed door, quickly spreading throughout the area where the isolation room was located. Then, as if knowing the location of the people he cared about, he headed straight for the rest area where the Chu family resided.

Chu Huai was awakened by the knocking at the door in the middle of the night. Seeing Gu Yan’an still asleep, he worried about her being disturbed and quickly opened the soundproof shield of their bed before getting up to open the door.

After opening the door, the warm yellow light from the corridor spilled in. There was no one at the door, just a few vines and some small clay dolls tied to the vines. Upon seeing Chu Huai, the vines seemed to greet him by curling slightly, then swiftly bypassed him and entered the room. They climbed onto the soundproof shield of the bed, nudging it a few times, then dropped the dolls and swiftly retreated. Next, they moved to Chu Yan’s door, politely “knocking” with a stone tied to a vine.

“Clunk.”

A few seconds later, Chu Yan’s door opened, and his figure appeared behind it. Then, a vine wrapped around a clay sword struck his foot.

Chu Huai & Chu Yan: “…”

They exchanged a glance, then looked at the vines happily crawling around the corridor after delivering their gifts, falling into silence.

From the looks of it, Qiao seemed quite spirited.

That night, it wasn’t just them who got “knocked” on their doors; it was also Fan Xiangnan, Lin Zhen, Zhuang Yu, and even Tan Shengwei. In short, everyone Qiao Zhiya felt familiar with received the warm and caring attention from the vines and clay dolls.

The next morning, when Gu Yan’an learned about what had happened, she glared at Chu Huai accusingly. Then, she tenderly touched those ugly clay dolls and specially sought out the vines that had retreated after releasing their power, speaking softly to them in a soothing manner.

At noon, Qiao’s power began another round of rampage.

The door to the flagship’s dining hall was broken through by the vines, and the table around which the Chu family sat was covered with vines, as if trying to provide them with an additional meal. The vines even generously bloomed a few flowers, leaving them within reach of the family’s hands.

Gu Yan’an couldn’t help but smile. She reached out and gently touched the vine that had just bloomed flowers, whispering softly, “Thank you.”

Chu Yan fell silent for a few seconds, then decisively picked up one of the flowers and put it in his mouth, completely unconcerned about whether the flower was clean or not. This action delighted the vine next to him, which eagerly rubbed against his wrist.

Chu Huai: “…”