After taking a short rest, the team regrouped and began heading toward their true destination.
No one dared to relax after the earlier ambush—half their number was already gone.
Mu Nujiao walked beside Song Jie. "Although I don't know what you did just now… thank you for saving me."
Song Jie's tone was calm. "I'm the hunter assigned to protect you. Saving you is my duty."
Mu Nujiao didn't argue. She only nodded softly—no matter what he said, she had already engraved this favor in her heart.
She was curious about how he managed that impossible escape, but since he had asked her to keep it secret, she chose not to ask.
After half an hour of travel, they finally arrived at the dense forest that hid their goal—the plant stamens.
Uncle Jin's eyes swept the group. "The Mu family will purchase all plant stamens at market price. The more you find, the better!"
The exhausted hunters immediately perked up. After all, this was why they had risked their lives to come here.
Mu Lei leaned closer to Song Jie. "Be careful inside. The stamens are precious for a reason—something dangerous is bound to guard them."
Song Jie nodded slightly. Despite Mu Lei's obvious scheming, he didn't dislike the guy.
When the search began, everyone split up to cover more ground. Song Jie moved deeper into the forest, away from the crowd.
He glanced around, then quietly extended his hand.
"Come out, Xiaolu."
A swirl of green light appeared beside him, and a small vine-haired creature hopped into view, rubbing its sleepy eyes.
"Ring~ ring~ ring~?"
Song Jie chuckled and patted its leafy head. "Don't pout. I called you out to find something yummy."
At the mention of food, Xiaolu blinked curiously, her little face instantly brightening.
He showed her a sketch of the plant stamen. "Find this, and I'll cook your favorite nectar porridge later."
"Ring!" Xiaolu's eyes gleamed, and she immediately stretched out her tiny arms.
Countless thin vines extended from the ground, intertwining with the surrounding foliage.
In an instant, the nearby plants began whispering—tiny rustling sounds like a conversation in the wind.
Song Jie was stunned.
"So that's your extra function… you can talk to other plants?"
"Ring-ring!" Xiaolu puffed up proudly.
The vines trembled, then suddenly pointed in one direction. Xiaolu floated a few centimeters off the ground and waved for Song Jie to follow.
"Good job, let's go."
They walked deeper into the dense forest, where the sunlight grew dim and humid air filled with faint glowing spores.
Ten minutes later, Xiaolu stopped and chirped sharply. "Ring! Ring!"
Song Jie's gaze followed her gesture—and his eyes narrowed slightly.
There, in a small clearing covered in moss, a cluster of strange luminous flowers swayed gently… each one radiating a faint spiritual fluctuation.