Chapter 49: Is This... a Pitcher Plant?

Outside the door of the nameless little shop lay a narrow alley, ending at a wall beyond which was an old residential complex.

Few people walked this path; there were scarcely any psychics, and even fewer ordinary folk. After the two took their fighting stances, no onlookers gathered.

Zhang Xuan roared loudly, disregarding the fact that he was Level 3 while his opponent was only Level 2, and launched the first attack. Raising both hands, countless psychic strikes erupted, merging and transforming midair into two enormous thorny vines that whipped toward his adversary.

This was a common basic attack for wood-element psychics.

Water Sheng dodged left and right, evading the vines' strikes. Occasionally, amid his evasions, he counterattacked with bursts of water-element psychic power.

Zhang Xuan made no effort to dodge, allowing the water attacks to hit him. Only the psychic shield on his body was shattered temporarily, quickly restored without leaving a wound. Then he drove the vines to lash out again.

The vines struck the ground and walls, sending shards of cement and bricks flying.

He did not immediately use his ultimate move; these ordinary attacks were meant to probe his opponent’s capabilities.

A youth capable of killing an Ice Prison Eagle and possessing a Boundary Stone ring could not be taken lightly by Zhang Xuan.

He dared to provoke and make the first move for three reasons: first, Water Sheng was unfamiliar to him and was not from any renowned family in Fuling City he had encountered before; second, Water Sheng avoided the “Great Psychic World” frequented by elite families and instead came to Spirit Street to trade, indicating a less auspicious background; third, Water Sheng was only Level 2 at fourteen or fifteen years old, which among aristocratic families marked him as the least promising.

Still, to be safe, Zhang Xuan chose to continue testing him.

Water Sheng kept dodging the twin vines like skipping rope, rhythmically jumping between attacks.

......

Elsewhere, Yan Ning quickly dialed the young lady’s phone. “Miss, there’s a fight!”

The young lady had instructed that any significant developments concerning Water Sheng must be reported immediately.

“Is fighting so honorable that you need to report it?” Yan Ruobing snapped and hung up.

Yan Ning: ...

He hurriedly called again. “Miss, it’s not me fighting—it’s that kid Water Sheng!”

------

This time, the young lady did not hang up. “Who is he fighting? Is there any danger to life?”

“Someone from the Zhang family in Fudong District, named Zhang Xuan,” Yan Ning briefly explained the situation.

“He even hunted an Ice Prison Eagle himself?” The young lady was surprised. “But he’s only Level 2 in water element—how did he manage that?”

“No idea. He didn’t say,” Yan Ning replied, puzzled. “Miss, I’ve noticed that although this kid grew up in a fishing village, he’s not as simple as he looks... He’s actually quite cunning. He kept silent about this matter the entire time.”

Who says growing up in a fishing village means you’re simple?

“That’s just as it should be,” Yan Ruobing said. “If he were straightforward, why would Grandfather make such a big move? A separate will? Even I don’t have that privilege! Clearly, in Grandfather’s eyes, he’s more important than I am!”

Saying this, she felt a pang of jealousy.

“Then, Miss, should I help chase away that Zhang family kid?” Yan Ning asked.

“No need,” Yan Ruobing answered. “Zhang Xuan from the Zhang family—I know him. Greedy and lustful, with shallow cultivation roots. He barely scraped into Level 3 thanks to the Zhang family’s wealth and medicine, his skills are limited. Let him force Water Sheng to reveal his true strength! Whatever Water Sheng shows, you must remember carefully. Don’t intervene unless it’s a life-or-death situation!”

“Understood!”

......

Back at the nameless little shop.

“No wonder I said his reason for provoking was strange,” said Ning Xuanbo, watching from inside. “He was after the Boundary Stone ring, not just the Ice Prison Eagle. With the Zhang family’s resources, killing an Ice Domain Eagle isn’t worth their concern.”

“He still has some strength. Facing a higher level, the boy shouldn’t win,” Ning Xiaoxuan said.

“Nothing is absolute. I find him somewhat interesting,” Ning Xuanbo replied.

“Why do you say that?” Ning Xiaoxuan poured two cups of tea, handing one to him. They sat at the tea table, watching the fight as if spectators at a theater.

“I’ve never encountered the Ice Domain Eagle, a magical beast from another world. I estimate its strength equivalent to psychic Level 3 to 4. For a Level 2 to kill such a beast with intelligence inferior to humans is possible,” Ning Xuanbo said, “But I don’t know how he drained all the moisture from it... From what I know of low-level water psychics, that shouldn’t be feasible.”

“So, he likely possesses an extraordinary artifact.”

------

After wave upon wave of probing attacks, Zhang Xuan finally confirmed the youth opposite him was unaffiliated with Fuling City’s three major factions. He noticed the boy’s moves in offense and defense were raw, as if he had only recently learned them.

“He’s still a rookie,” Zhang Xuan thought. Glancing around, he saw some people starting to be drawn by the fight. His position was weak, and he couldn’t afford a prolonged battle; a swift victory was essential.

He pulled something from his jacket pocket and infused it with psychic power. The object rapidly expanded, growing to a height as tall as two men within seconds.

It resembled a pitcher plant—two feet tall, topped with two large, water-jug-like traps hanging beneath its twin leaves.

This was a mutated plant found deep in the mountains by the Zhang family, domesticated and cultivated into its current form. It was gifted by the family head to his second son, Zhang Xuan, as a defensive weapon.

“What the hell is that? A giant grass?” Water Sheng had never encountered such a thing and was stunned by its sudden growth from a tiny form to several hundred times larger.

In that moment of surprise, a shadow fell before him. The pitcher plant’s trap suddenly closed in, its lid opening.

Unaware of the danger, Water Sheng instinctively sensed trouble and tried to leap back, but a mysterious fragrance hit his nose. The scent connected to his nerves, instantly dulling his senses, muddling his gaze.

He then began to smile foolishly, stepping forward blankly while muttering, “...Don’t cut losses... don’t cut losses... buy more... buy more... need to unwind... need to unwind...”

He stepped onto the trap lid and entered the pitcher plant’s cage. The lid snapped shut behind him.

Inside, his murmuring continued, “...Don’t cut losses... don’t cut losses... buy more... buy more... need to unwind... need to unwind...”

“Haha.” Seeing his tactic succeed, Zhang Xuan laughed triumphantly.

This mutated pitcher plant possessed innate talents, and after cultivation by the Zhang family, gained extraordinary powers. It released a hallucinogenic scent that instantly affected a psychic’s nervous system, clouding their consciousness, numbing their mind, and amplifying their deepest desires... causing them to follow the scent into the trap, where the deadly digestive fluid dissolved them.

Zhang Xuan had already used it to eliminate several enemies and was adept at its use.

Within half an hour, the kid would be digested and become nourishment for the mutated pitcher plant. Indigestible clothing, weapons, and equipment would be expelled. By then, the valuable Boundary Stone ring would be his!