Chapter 284 The Mystery of the Blood Orchid

Gazing at the talent panel of the Jiaobao, Yang Lin’s heart was in turmoil. Although he had witnessed many extraordinary talents, the set of abilities possessed by Jiaobao made him think of mythical creatures – dragons. Since ancient times, the Dragon Country had legends about dragons, and there were occasional sightings. The most recent and impactful were the Yingkou Falling Dragon incident and the Gaoyou Dragon Waterspout incident, both of which involved alleged appearances of real dragons. Of course, official explanations were provided: the fallen dragon was a whale swept ashore by a typhoon, and the dragon-shaped shadow near the waterspout was a flock of passing birds. However, Yang Lin remained skeptical. Eleven out of the twelve zodiac animals were real; there was no reason for one to be fake. "Could it be that the dragons seen in ancient times were actually large pythons that had undergone special changes due to radiation?" With this thought, Yang Lin’s gaze returned to the Jiaobao. It appeared weakened, its bodily functions largely unrestored due to prolonged immobility. Yang Lin then focused on the talent "Summoning Rain and Clouds." Although it required ten talent points to activate, his curiosity about this talent led him to activate it. As the talent lit up, a subtle change occurred in the Jiaobao. The previously weak creature suddenly seemed energized, as if injected with adrenaline. To Yang Lin's surprise, its body didn't grow larger; instead, it shrunk slightly. Before Yang Lin could react, the Jiaobao, with a display of affection, coiled around him. Instantly, Yang Lin felt as if he were adorned with a white scarf. Yet, he dared not move. Despite the little one's smaller size compared to its parents, Yang Lin had no doubt that a slight exertion of force from it would immediately send him to his demise. Just then, the system's notification chimed. "Ding! Successfully treated the python cub's illness. Mission complete." "Reward: One Skill Level Up Coupon, one Random Talent Treasure Chest." As Yang Lin's face lit up with joy upon hearing the system's prompt, he felt something wet slide across his face. Turning his head, he discovered that the Jiaobao had somehow pressed its head against his cheek. Seeing how clingy the Jiaobao was, Yang Lin could only helplessly let it wrap around him. At the same time, the two adult mutated pythons guarding outside seemed to sense something and immediately poked their heads in from outside the waterfall. When they saw the Jiaobao coiled around Yang Lin, a flicker of confusion crossed their eyes, which soon turned into profound surprise. "It's our child?" the Python Father asked, sounding uncertain. Hearing the Python Father's question, Yang Lin could only reply with a wry smile, "It couldn't be mine, could it?" He then gently stroked the Jiaobao's forehead. "Go on, go to your parents." As soon as Yang Lin finished speaking, the python cub that had been clinging to him voluntarily unwound itself. Soon, it was beside its parents, presenting a scene of harmonious family reunion. Watching them, Yang Lin's face broke into a paternal smile. However, the smile quickly vanished as the python couple, with the now recovered Jiaobao, swam away before his very eyes, leaving Yang Lin still in the water curtain cave. "Hey, come back! You left me behind." "How am I supposed to get back now? Are you even human?" "I didn't get on the bus!" Ten minutes later, a drenched Yang Lin finally swam to the shore from the pool. As soon as he got out, the Little Toothed Spirit Cat from his backpack hopped over, letting out a satisfied burp. Looking at the Little Toothed Spirit Cat, Yang Lin paused for a moment, then seemed to recall something and quickly looked at the ground next to his backpack. The Blood Orchid that should have been lying there was nowhere to be seen. Combining this with the Little Toothed Spirit Cat's recent burp, Yang Lin quickly grabbed the little creature's front paws. "Where's my flower?" Hearing Yang Lin's question, the little creature immediately put on an innocent look and shook its head vigorously. "What flower? I didn't eat it. I eat meat, not vegetables." However, the bright red juice smeared on the corners of its mouth betrayed it. Realizing that the Blood Orchid had been consumed by the little creature, Yang Lin's heart ached. "My rare specimen worth a million!" "This is a huge loss." Just as Yang Lin was lamenting his loss, the python family of three slowly swam out of the pool again. To Yang Lin's astonishment, they tossed a bundle of wrapped Blood Orchids in front of him. "Human, thank you. Since you like these little flowers so much, we'll give you more." "Huh?" Looking at the bundles of Blood Orchids before him and the enthusiastic python couple, Yang Lin felt his CPU struggling to process the situation. "Aren't these Blood Orchids supposed to be very precious?" "Why are there so many?" As soon as he finished speaking, the Python Father calmly replied, "They're not that precious. There's a large patch down the mountain slope over there." "We eat them occasionally, but eating too many can cause stomachaches." "Would you like to try some?" "Uh, this..." Yang Lin had never expected that the rare specimen he perceived was so common here. Furthermore, it seemed it didn't possess the special properties he imagined, which could cause animal mutations; it was likely poisonous. The toxicity was probably quite significant, as even the giant pythons felt stomachaches. If he ate it, he would surely die on the spot. With this thought, he quickly looked at the Little Toothed Spirit Cat. At this moment, he finally understood why the little creature was so fond of Blood Orchids. It turned out to be because the stuff was poisonous! With its poison resistance, it had become addicted. "Forget it, if it doesn't have special effects, then it doesn't. At least it looks good." With that, Yang Lin prepared to look around for any other special treasures. After all, it would be too inconvenient to leave empty-handed after coming all this way. "Right, if it wasn't the Blood Orchids that caused their mutations, then what was the root cause of their radiation-induced mutations?" Just as this question lingered in his mind, the Little Toothed Spirit Cat's ears suddenly twitched. "Boss, there's a treasure, in the water!" As soon as the little creature finished speaking, Yang Lin's eyes lit up.