The cave was deep and silent, and Tang Chuan's footsteps echoed softly against the stone walls. He narrowed his eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the darkness, then pulled a small piece of tinder from his pocket.
With a gentle blow, the tinder instantly ignited with a faint flicker. Its yellowish glow danced softly, casting light and shadow across his face. The cave was damp and cold, and a mist seemed to surround the small flame, yet it burned steadily. Holding the light, Tang Chuan walked deeper into the cave.
The stony ground was dotted with moss and small puddles of water, which he carefully avoided, making little noise. The further he went, the more intense the faint life force became, as if the air itself was growing warm and gentle.
Finally, the firelight illuminated a stone door ahead. It was the entrance to a natural stone chamber, with rough rock walls. Above the entrance, however, there were traces of man-made carving, likely left by Tang Hao.
Tang Chuan pushed the door open. With a click, the interior of the stone chamber was revealed, and it was larger than he had expected. The moment he stepped inside, a beam of light suddenly shone down from above, landing in the center of the chamber.
He looked up, seeing a circular opening in the ceiling. Sunlight slanted in from outside, forming a golden pillar of light in the cave, like a gate to heaven.
His gaze slowly shifted forward, and Tang Chuan saw a small mound about half a meter high in the very center of the chamber. On that mound, a single stalk of Blue Silver Grass was growing. It was entirely emerald green, slender and straight.
At first glance, it looked no different from ordinary wild grass, but Tang Chuan's eyes suddenly fixed on its leaves. He saw that they were slightly longer than those of normal Blue Silver Grass, their edges trembling gently, and they were covered with faint, shimmering golden lines.
At that moment, Tang Chuan recognized its identity with almost no hesitation. This was Ah Yin, his mother in this life, and Tang San's birth mother—the true origin of the Blue Silver Grass bloodline.
Walking quickly forward, Tang Chuan knelt slowly before the mound, lowering his head to examine the grass. Up close, this Blue Silver Grass still gave off a clear, vibrant life force. But Tang Chuan's gaze quickly noticed something unusual.
The edges of the leaves were slightly withered and yellow. Although the stalk was upright, it wasn't full enough, and the color of its stem was a bit dim. This wasn't how a healthy plant should look. And it certainly shouldn't be the seed of life of a 100,000-year-old Spirit Beast, the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Why is this happening?" he wondered. "Mother doesn't seem to be doing well here." Frowning slightly, Tang Chuan slowly raised his head and looked at the opening at the top of the stone chamber. Sunlight poured down from that circular opening, a beautiful and magnificent golden pillar of light falling directly onto Ah Yin.
At that moment, Tang Chuan's eyes narrowed, and he instantly understood the entire situation: "The opening faces east, and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Sunlight will only shine vertically into this spot for a brief moment at noon. That means the time Mother can receive sunlight each day is probably less than an hour, which is exactly why her leaves are withered and yellow."
His heart sank slightly, and his gaze returned to the gently trembling Blue Silver Grass. The dense golden patterns still shimmered faintly, but it wasn't the surge of vigorous growth. It was the struggling rhythm of life. At this moment, Ah Yin was on her last breath but was still bravely living.
His throat tightened slightly. Tang Chuan's lips moved, and he softly murmured to himself: "As a plant-type Spirit Beast, the most important thing is photosynthesis. Tang Hao planted you in this cave where you barely see the light of day, only allowing you to receive a brief ray of sunlight each day... This isn't protection at all. It's a form of torture."
Tang Chuan didn't yell or scold. At that moment, his heart was filled with a sorrow and irony that came from the depths of his soul. "You sacrificed yourself for him, transforming into grass, yet he abandoned you in a sunless cave. Was it really worth it?"
Lowering his head to gaze at the weak Blue Silver Grass, Tang Chuan's chest was a mix of emotions. As his voice faded, the air in the stone chamber instantly solidified. His words had been calm, but they pierced like fine needles into the depths of Ah Yin's subconscious.
At that moment, the Blue Silver Grass standing quietly on the mound actually trembled slightly. Its leaves, which had been swaying with the wind, suddenly paused, as if it had fallen into some deep thought and... astonishment, even carrying a hint of regret. Even though she had transformed into a plant, as a 100,000-year-old Spirit Beast, Ah Yin's consciousness had never completely vanished. She could naturally hear what Tang Chuan had just said.
At that moment, Ah Yin's consciousness rippled like lake water, and fragments of memory slowly surfaced. She clearly remembered the day she sacrificed herself for Tang Hao, her body breaking apart. When she woke up again, she was in this silent, cold soil, surrounded by darkness, with only the sound of dripping water echoing in her ears, day after day, year after year…
Six years had passed, and Tang Hao had not visited once. "Brother Hao… where did you go…" she thought. "Brother Hao, why did you plant me in such a dark, sunless cave? I remember when we were together, I taught you so much about planting flowers and plants, but why did you still make such a big mistake in the end? Even if you felt taking me with you was a burden, I'm just an ordinary Blue Silver Grass now; even if you planted me by the roadside, no one would notice. After all, Blue Silver Grass is the most common plant in this world. Did you truly love me back then… or did you have other intentions?"
Just then, Tang Chuan slowly raised his right hand, a faint light swirling in his palm. Then, a stalk of Blue Silver Grass quietly emerged from his palm, gently swaying.
At that very moment, a strange change suddenly occurred. The Blue Silver Grass in his palm seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force, trembling violently. The next moment, the Blue Silver Grass on the small mound also trembled gently, and the golden lines on its leaves suddenly brightened.
A resonance occurred between the two Blue Silver Grasses. A faint, visible light pattern extended from the Blue Silver Grass in Tang Chuan's palm, quietly connecting to the Blue Silver Grass on the mound. In just an instant, Ah Yin felt this familiar and unique aura.
"This is…"
"My child…"
Ah Yin's consciousness surged like a flood, as if years of waiting were just for this moment. She recognized Tang Chuan. That was her flesh and blood, her child.
The next second, the Blue Silver Grass on the small mound grew rapidly, its leaves quickly unfurling. The golden patterns pulsed like a heartbeat, swiftly climbing and spreading. Strands of Blue Silver Grass leaves, like gentle threads, quietly extended from the small mound, slowly approaching Tang Chuan.