Her own blood possessed an exceptionally potent life force. Even without channeling Void Energy through [Senluo], it could revitalize ordinary plants, making them flourish and grow at an accelerated pace.
This was a fact Huang Xiu had ascertained long ago.
She then sprinkled her blood onto the withered mutated plant, simultaneously infusing it with her Void Energy.
Drip!
A drop of blood trembled and slid from the withered leaves of the four-season strawberry, much like a raindrop, finally landing on the dark soil and soaking in.
A flicker of understanding passed through Huang Xiu’s eyes.
“Can blood alone not revive a plant that has completely withered?”
She dropped more blood, but this time, she actively channeled her ability.
The crimson droplet fell, instantly merging into the leaf. The entire four-season strawberry plant immediately burst forth with renewed vitality, resurrected from its withered dormancy.
Leaves unfurled, and flower branches spread.
The receptacle, which had already begun to form a strawberry shape, continued to swell and grow, transforming from yellow to crimson.
The kumquat responded similarly. Shoots sprouted from the dry branches, and the small green fruits enlarged and ripened to a vibrant yellow.
In an instant, both plants were laden with luscious fruit.
“It’s alive…” Fang Miaoging murmured, her voice laced with awe.
“It’s merely been forcibly revived through mutation, a temporary measure.”
Huang Xiu shook her head, relaying the information she had perceived through her ability to Fang Miaoging.
“These strawberries and kumquats have completely depleted their life force. The moment I cease the mutation, they will instantly wither and die.”
Though her own life force was abundant, it could only sustain them, prolonging their existence. Resurrecting them entirely was still far beyond her current capabilities.
“Then this project…” Fang Miaoging’s right hand clenched slightly as she walked past the sliding door to Huang Xiu’s side.
“I think there’s still a chance.”
Huang Xiu turned, her tone resolute. “Aqing, you’re familiar with my ability. Last time, after I mutated something, I didn’t cancel the mutation.”
“So?” Fang Miaoging asked, puzzled.
She didn’t fully grasp the difference between canceling a mutation and not canceling it.
“If I don’t cancel the mutation, these mutated plants will continuously consume Void Energy from my body until it’s exhausted,” Huang Xiu explained.
“And as for why these mutated plants withered, my guess is that they didn’t have enough Void Energy to nurture so many fruits, leading to a depletion of their life force.”
“Can’t you replenish their Void Energy?” Fang Miaoging understood Huang Xiu’s meaning.
If they lacked Void Energy, then replenishing it should be the solution. However, if this project was to truly succeed and become viable…
Huang Xiu turned to look at the strawberries and kumquats, reborn from withered husks.
“I can’t be the sole source of Void Energy. Otherwise, it will never be widely adopted and I’ll be the only one able to cultivate and nurture them.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have that much time, and if it’s done that way, the project won’t be cost-effective.”
“Then what about canceling the mutation?” Fang Miaoging, relying on her excellent memory, recalled her previous conversation with Huang Xiu.
“I remember you saying that mutated plants can retain some of their characteristics even after the mutation is canceled.”
“That’s right.” Huang Xiu nodded, speaking earnestly. “I was thinking the same thing. We should cancel the mutation and try cultivating the offspring of these mutated plants.”
Fang Miaoging rubbed her earlobe, a smile gracing her lips. “Miss Xiu Xiu is truly reliable!”
****
Having spoken, she looked up at Huang Xiu’s earnest face.
The sight of the beautiful, spirited young woman, her brow furrowed in thought, gradually merged with the image of a similarly contemplative male face in her memory.
Different genders, yet the same expression, the same intensity.
She suddenly remembered why she had developed an affection for the seemingly ordinary Huang Xiu in the past.
Wasn’t it precisely because of that serious expression?
But… there was no turning back now.
‘Truly… even having become a girl, she’s still so reliable, so dashing.’
Fang Miaoging silently mumbled a few words, then proposed, “In that case, for our next experiment, we should divide it into two groups. One group for cultivating mutated plants, and another for cultivating de-mutated plants.”
Huang Xiu approved of Fang Miaoging’s suggestion.
“Alright, let’s buy more plants. Next week is the sixth week, and in the tenth week, I’ll be going for military training.”
The two subsequently purchased eight more potted plants, again four-season strawberries and kumquats, from Soubao.com.
The withered strawberries and kumquats that Huang Xiu had revived through mutation no longer held any experimental value. Naturally, they were divided between the two of them and given to their friends.
The delicious strawberries and kumquats caused a small stir among their friends. Especially for Fang Miaoging, people kept asking where such tasty strawberries and kumquats could be bought.
Huang Xiu’s friends, however, were aware of her ability. They likely guessed the origin of the fruit and didn’t ask, simply marveling at how delicious they were. They strongly insisted that if she had more in the future, she must bring some for them.
“Bring more… these were all nurtured with my blood. Seriously, what if I become anemic?” Huang Xiu had retorted, feigning indignation.
However, anemia was merely an excuse she’d casually concocted. She had used her ability for so long, and each time the blood loss wasn’t insignificant; if she were going to become anemic, she would have done so and collapsed long ago.
****
The first few days of the sixth week brought no significant changes. Or rather, ever since the lineage testing, Huang Xiu and her peers’ curriculum and content had largely become fixed.
Moreover, they had grown accustomed to novelties, their threshold for excitement constantly rising. It was now difficult to feel the same fresh enthusiasm as when they first enrolled.
Many students had begun to tire of the endless theoretical classes and the grueling combat training. Were it not for the allure of strengthening themselves and the pressure of Void Realm touchpoints, a small fraction of students might have already given up.
For Huang Xiu, however, the temptation of a scholarship alone was enough to keep her highly motivated. Not to mention, watching herself grow stronger step by step was inherently a deeply satisfying experience.
She was almost entirely immersed in her fulfilling yet busy academic life, her days a constant loop between three points.
Yet, amidst the hustle, Huang Xiu constantly felt as though she had forgotten something incredibly important. Several times during her leisure, she tried to recall it, but to no avail, leaving her deeply troubled.
However, early Wednesday morning, before four o’clock, Huang Xiu awoke from her sleep feeling unwell, and instantly understood what she had forgotten.
‘Oh my god, so soon? I remember Mom saying it would take at least 28 to 35 days. My last one was… ah, it’s already been 32 days.’
Feeling the sticky dampness between her legs and the intermittent, agonizing cramps in her abdomen, Huang Xiu covered her face, speechless.
She had lived as a boy for seventeen years. Having only experienced one menstrual cycle as a girl, she couldn’t form an effective memory of monthly periods.
“Sigh!” Huang Xiu let out a sigh.
Pressing her right hand against her stomach, she pulled back the quilt with her left to check. Fortunately, the bleeding wasn’t heavy this time. Only her underwear and bedsheet were stained; the quilt remained clean.
Huang Xiu, now familiar with the routine, quickly changed her sanitary pad and underwear. Then, taking advantage of the early morning while her roommates were still asleep, she quietly stuffed the soiled underwear and bedsheet into the washing machine.
With incredible speed, she silently and hastily dealt with all traces. Even with her Awakened individual physique, Huang Xiu broke out in a slight cold sweat.
Returning to the dorm, she sat on the mattress, now bare without a sheet.
Huang Xiu pouted slightly.
Having not slept enough, her mood was already foul, compounded by the intermittent abdominal cramps. This untimely onset of her period made her frown deeply, her mood instantly plummeting.
“The bedsheet won’t dry during the day… I’ll have to sleep on the mattress tonight.” Huang Xiu touched the mattress with her right hand, her mood worsening.
“Seriously, why am I so unlucky?”
She climbed onto the bed, pulled the quilt over herself, and curled into a ball, peeking through a gap in the covers at the window. Outside, it was pitch black; dawn had not yet broken.
At half past three in the morning, everything was quiet, save for the rumbling of the washing machine on the balcony, penetrating through the door.
It vexed her, yet she also feared waking her roommates.
“Goo-ga!”
A bird’s cry, of an unknown species, suddenly echoed from outside the window, accompanied by the rustling of wind through the treetops.
“At this hour, I must be the only one in the entire school still awake, hahaha. I, Huang Xiu, have truly experienced Tiandu University at 3:30 AM.”
Huang Xiu amused herself with a few words, but it did nothing to lift her spirits from the negative emotions plaguing her. Moreover, the thought that she alone was awake, suffering from abdominal cramps and without a bedsheet, brought a wave of intense loneliness that instantly surged into her heart, nearly suffocating her.
“So annoying, so annoying!”
Huang Xiu suddenly pounded the mattress several times, making the bed thump loudly.
The intense negative emotions, for the first time, made her contemplate skipping class for a day.
Huang Xiaoxian, beneath the bed, was severely jolted. It groggily crawled out, seeing its master sitting on the bed, wrapped in a quilt, knees hugged to her chest, curled into a ball.
Her eyes were red, faintly misted with tears. ‘Like a red-eyed rabbit…’ Huang Xiaoxian thought.
“Xiaoxian. Come here!” The girl’s voice carried a hint of a sob.
Huang Xiaoxian said nothing, climbing onto the bed and then pattering over to the girl’s side. The next moment, it was pulled into the warmth of the covers, into an embrace of extreme comfort.
Plop…
A slightly cold tear fell in the darkness of the quilt, landing on the green cactus’s head, sliding down its cheek, and finally reaching its lips. It was salty.
Then, one drop after another fell.
“What is this…”
Huang Xiaoxian was a little confused, wanting to look up, but the next moment, it was firmly pressed down by a fair, tender palm.
“Don’t look up!” the girl choked out. “Don’t look at me! Otherwise, you can go be a cactus forever!”
Huang Xiaoxian dared not speak, dutifully remaining in the girl’s embrace, allowing the soft arms to hold it tighter and tighter. Allowing… those tears to fall.
“Thank goodness for you…” the girl whispered.
A long while later, the green cactus patted the girl’s arm, then actively hugged her tightly.
“Master, I’ll always be here,” it said.
****
Seven o’clock in the morning.
Before her alarm could even ring, Ying Zhiyu sprang out of bed punctually, immediately beginning her washing and skincare routine. Once everything was done, she looked at the beautiful girl in the mirror, blinked, and made a heart shape with her right hand.
“Today is another day full of vitality!”
Having said that, she picked up her small shoulder bag, left her bedroom, and entered the living room. The living room, which usually held two people, now only had one person sitting on the sofa, playing on her phone. It was Jia Qianrou.
She glanced at Huang Xiu’s room, her thoughts racing. ‘Has Sister Xiu Xiu already left?’
“Not yet, she’s in her room. She said to go ahead without her,” Jia Qianrou replied, lowering her phone.
“Alright then.”
Ying Zhiyu, not suspecting anything, ate breakfast with Jia Qianrou and then headed to their usual classroom. She played on her phone, waiting for Sister Xiu Xiu to arrive. But after a long wait, Huang Xiu was still nowhere to be seen.
Ying Zhiyu complained, “She’s so slow. Class is about to start. Is she keeping some kind of secret?” She chuckled.
“The boss still isn’t here, could something have happened?” Bu Chenghua sat in the corner, constantly glancing at the front and back doors.
“Relax, Sister Xiu Xiu sometimes likes to cut it close,” Ying Zhiyu said, as if it were a common occurrence.
But as the class bell rang and Teacher Wen Zhidie entered the classroom, Huang Xiu was still nowhere in sight. Ying Zhiyu couldn’t help but panic.
She messaged Huang Xiu, but received no reply. She called, but it went unanswered. All means of contact sank like stones into the sea.
“Did something really happen to Sister Xiu Xiu?”
Her surrounding classmates had already begun to meditate, but Ying Zhiyu found herself unable to focus, instead growing increasingly restless. “Hmm? Where’s Huang Xiu?” Teacher Wen Zhidie, who had been circulating the classroom, also noticed Huang Xiu’s absence.
She looked at Ying Zhiyu, Huang Xiu’s close friend who often sat with her. “You’re her roommate, aren’t you? Do you know where Huang Xiu went?”
“Sister Xiu Xiu told us to go ahead this morning…” Ying Zhiyu looked up, pleading, “Teacher, can I go back to the dorm to check? She might have just overslept.”
At Tiandu University, barring any accidents, and with her own class to teach, Teacher Wen Zhidie couldn’t leave temporarily. She could only softly instruct, “You go first. If anything happens, contact me immediately, and I’ll rush over.”
Upon receiving permission, Ying Zhiyu immediately ran out of the classroom, jogging all the way to the dorm. She pushed open the dorm door, panting, and looked up. Huang Xiu’s bedroom door was still tightly shut, just as it had been that morning.
Hurrying to the bedroom door, Ying Zhiyu gently knocked. “Sister Xiu Xiu, are you in your bedroom?”
No one answered. Silence.
Ying Zhiyu’s heart sank. ‘Could something really have happened?’ Click… She twisted the doorknob; the door was locked from the inside.
Bang! Bang!
She knocked harder, shouting, “Sister Xiu Xiu, are you there? Huang Xiaoxian, are you there?”
“Woo…”
A tiny whimper came from inside the room, then quickly disappeared, as if someone had muffled it. Ying Zhiyu heard it—it was Huang Xiaoxian’s voice.
“Huang Xiaoxian, can you open the door?” she called again, but there was no response from inside. ‘So, Sister Xiu Xiu isn’t letting Huang Xiaoxian open the door?’ Ying Zhiyu was a little confused about the situation inside.
But she wasn’t going to delay any longer. Placing her right hand on the door, she activated her ability, [Vibrant Life]. A flash of white light. The thick wooden door instantly transformed into a seed the size of a marble.
“Sister Xiu Xiu.”
Ignoring the seed, Ying Zhiyu anxiously rushed into the bedroom. The curtains in the bedroom were half-open, sunlight fragmented by the screen window, scattering like fine sand across the room, illuminating the area near the desk. The bed to the left upon entering was precisely where the sunlight did not reach. The quilt on the bed was highly隆起, suggesting someone was curled up underneath.