Chapter 5: Is it worth sacrificing to him?
The cave was deep and silent, footsteps echoing with low reverberations against the stone walls.
Tang Chuan narrowed his eyes, adjusting to the darkness within the cave, then pulled out a pre-prepared tinder from his pocket.
With a gentle blow.
"Hiss—"
The tinder instantly ignited a faint flicker of fire, its yellowish glow softly dancing, casting a play of light and shadow across his face.
The cave was damp and cold, the firelight enveloped by mist, yet it burned steadily.
Holding the tinder, Tang Chuan slowly walked deeper into the cave.
On the stony ground, there were occasional patches of moss and small puddles formed by dripping water, which he carefully avoided, making little noise. The further he went, the more intense the faint life aura 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 naturally formed stone chamber, with rough rock walls around it, but above, there were traces of artificial carving, seemingly left by Tang Hao when he personally carved out this place.
Tang Chuan pushed the door open.
"Click—"
The interior of the stone chamber suddenly opened up, the space larger than he had expected. The moment Tang Chuan stepped in, a beam of light suddenly shone down from above, landing in the center of the chamber.
He looked up, only to see a circular opening in the ceiling of the stone chamber, through which 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 discovered a small mound about half a meter high in the very center of the stone chamber. And on that small mound, a single Blue Silver Grass was growing.
This Blue Silver Grass was entirely emerald green, slender and upright, at first glance appearing no different from ordinary wild grass, but Tang Chuan's gaze suddenly fixated on its leaves.
He saw that the grass leaves were slightly longer than ordinary Blue Silver Grass, their edges gently trembling, and the leaves were clearly covered with faint, shimmering golden fine lines.
At this moment.
Tang Chuan recognized its identity with almost no hesitation.
Ah Yin, his mother in this life, and also Tang San's birth mother, and the true origin of the Blue Silver Grass Bloodline.
Walking quickly forward, Tang Chuan slowly knelt before the small mound, lowering his head to examine it closely.
Upon closer inspection, this Blue Silver Grass still exuded a clear, vibrant life force.
But Tang Chuan's gaze quickly noticed something unusual.
The edges of the Blue Silver Grass leaves, which Ah Yin had transformed into, were slightly withered and yellow, and although the grass body was upright, it was clearly not full enough, and the color of its stem was also a bit dim.
This was not 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?"
"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, the golden pillar of light beautiful and magnificent, falling directly onto Ah Yin.
But at this very moment.
Tang Chuan's eyes narrowed, and he instantly deduced the logic of 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 is to say, the time Mother can receive sunlight each day is probably less than an hour, which is precisely the reason her leaves are withered and yellow."
Thinking of this, his heart sank slightly, and his gaze returned to the gently trembling Blue Silver Grass.
The dense golden patterns still faintly shimmered, but it was not the surge of vigorous growth, but the struggling rhythm of life; at this moment, Ah Yin, though on her last breath, 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 fundamental reliance 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 is not protection at all, but a form of torment."
Tang Chuan did not roar, nor did he scold; at this moment, his heart was filled with a sorrow and irony from the depths of his Soul.
"You sacrificed yourself for him, transforming into grass, yet he abandoned you in a sunless cave. Is it truly worth it?"
Lowering his head to gaze at the weak Blue Silver Grass, Tang Chuan's chest was a mix of emotions, and as his voice faded, the air in the stone chamber instantly solidified.
His words just now, each one landing, were utterly calm.
Yet they pierced like fine needles into the depths of Ah Yin's subconscious.
At this 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 this moment, Ah Yin's consciousness rippled like lake water, and fragments of memory slowly surfaced.
She clearly remembered that day she sacrificed herself for Tang Hao, her body disintegrating.
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…"
"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 on the run was a burden, I am only 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, and then, Blue Silver Grass quietly emerged from his palm, gently swaying.
And at this very moment.
A strange change suddenly occurred.
The Blue Silver Grass in his palm seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force, trembling violently, and the next moment, the Blue Silver Grass on the small mound also trembled gently, and the golden fine lines 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 mountain 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 pulsating 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's direction.
[end of the chapter]