The little flower plant, dangling helplessly in the air, felt her tiny fake heart skip a beat when she heard the word "fake spiritual plant." Her petals perked up instantly as she processed Su Qinglan’s words.
"Fake! I knew it!" she screamed internally, her leaves rustling with frantic realization.
"She was right! This monster plant is an impostor!" She glared at Stove with all the fury a five-centimeter flower could muster.
All the spiritual plants she had ever known back with her family were sophisticated, graceful, and spent their days meditating in the moonlight.
They certainly didn’t launch themselves at people like green cannonballs, and they definitely didn’t inhale roasted deer legs like a starving wolf.
To her, Stove was a leafy barbarian, a brute with a strange, overwhelming energy that made her feel like a tiny pebble standing next to a mountain.
"My luck is truly rotten," she thought miserably. "I’ve been kidnapped by a high-level fake fake plant who is a brute!"
On the other hand, Su Qinglan was delighted. She ignored the flower’s tiny, silent tantrum and scooped both of them up, carrying them back into her own cozy treehouse. She sat them down on a wooden ground, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
She began to examine the little flower, testing the energy around her.
Su Qinglan had never actually met a real spiritual plant before.
In this world, they were the stuff of legends...rare treasures that most beastmen only heard about in stories.
Because they were so hard to find, she had simply trained Stove to mimic the "vibe" of one. No one could tell the difference because no one knew what a real one looked like!
But now, looking at the tiny thing in her palm, she realized the difference was like night and day.
"Stove, you blockhead," Su Qinglan chuckled, poking the big plant’s stem. "You actually went out and kidnapped a real treasure. Look at her...she’s so delicate, like a real child who’s afraid of strangers."
Stove hummed proudly, puffing out his chest. He didn’t care about "spiritual status"; he just knew she was pretty and quiet, which made her the perfect audience for his greatness.
He leaned in close, his massive shadow looming over the flower, and gave her a "gentle" poke with a vine.
The flower plant practically shriveled into her own roots. "Don’t touch me, you fake!" she thought, trembling.
She looked up at Su Qinglan, her only hope. The female smelled like life and safety, while the plant next to her smelled like rain and roasted meat.
Su Qinglan noticed the flower’s fear and felt a wave of protective motherly instinct.
She gently placed her fingertips on the little flower’s trembling petals.
A soft, emerald-green light began to glow from her skin...her own high-level plant-type energy. It was a warm, energetic life force that felt like a thousand springs blooming at once.
The little flower wife froze. As the energy seeped into her stem, she felt a shock wave of pure bliss.
Her tiny roots tingled, and her wilted leaves instantly snapped upright, turning a vibrant, healthy green.
"Oh... oh my... what is this?!" the flower thought, her tiny consciousness reeling.
She had sensed this energy before. It was the same unique, comforting power she had felt radiating from the "Monster Plant," but on Stove, it was wild and diluted.
On this "Fat Female," it was concentrated and sweet.
And then there was that glowing ball of energy she could sense on her fingertip that was the purest, most divine form of life she had ever encountered. It was like a tiny sun made of forest power.
Suddenly, the "Fat Female" didn’t look so scary anymore. To the little flower, Su Qinglan now looked like a giant, walking pile of the world’s most delicious fertilizer and sunshine.
Forgetting all her fears about being a snack or a hostage, the little flower plant leaned forward.
She used her two tiny, primary leaves to "hug" Su Qinglan’s index finger, rubbing her soft petals against her skin with desperate affection.
"More! Give me more of the Great Green Light!" she thought, her tiny body vibrating with greed and happiness. She was practically swooning in Su Qinglan’s palm.
Stove, watching this, felt his leaves turn a dark shade of jealous forest green.
He had spent all that time dragging her through the rain, feeding her the best roasted meat (in his opinion), and guarding her like a treasure, and now, after one little touch from his Master, his "wife" was throwing herself at Su Qinglan like she had forgotten he even existed!
Stove let out a low, vibrating huff. He shoved his way between them, using his thickest vine to gently but firmly push Su Qinglan’s finger away. Then, he wrapped himself around the little flower, physically blocking her view of Su Qinglan.
"Mine!" his rustling leaves seemed to say. "I found her! I brought her! You can’t have my wife’s attention!"
The little flower plant was furious. She tried to peek around Stove’s thick stem, her leaves reaching out toward Su Qinglan’s glowing hands. "Move, you overgrown hedge! I was having a moment with the Goddess of the Forest!"
Su Qinglan laughed so hard she had to lean back. "Stove, you’re so stingy! I’m just giving her a bit of energy so she doesn’t wilt. Look how happy she is!"
And the little flower also nodded. She was really happy; it was her best day after she was left behind by her family...
Stove didn’t care. He picked up the flower with his vines and tucked it under his "arm," turning his back to Su Qinglan in a huff.
He decided that from now on, he would have to be the middleman for all energy transactions. If the master wanted to give his wife a boost, she’d have to give him a hug first!
He definitely wouldn’t allow them to have interaction behind his back. Because he wanted both of their affection, what if they both loved each other and forgot about his poor existence?