"A fugitive?!"
Huaiyu jumped. "Water-type abilities can identify someone's identity?!"
That sounded ridiculously powerful.
The man paused slightly at her words. "No," he said, "it's his clothes—he's wearing a prison uniform. Look at his chest."
As he spoke, another stream of water slithered up the fugitive's chest, washing away the caked mud to reveal a line of tiny embroidered letters.
[Third Prison — Ⅲ]
Before she could ask anything more, the man raised a finger to his lips and gave her a playful wink.
"Shh. I'm not supposed to be here. Best if no one knows I came."
"Can I leave the prisoner with you? By dawn, he can be sent to the Defense Force—by then I'll be gone, and it won't matter if anyone finds out."
Huaiyu let out a long sigh. "You have way too much faith in me… The Defense Force said this rain is dangerous—you're not supposed to get wet."
"It's fine," the man said with a smile. "You're an Awakened—you've got far better resistance. As long as you don't make direct contact with a mutated plant, there's not much to worry about."
Huaiyu: …
She thought about how she'd already definitely made direct contact. Not only that, she'd even bowed to a few roses.
She glanced at the branch of rose still blooming stubbornly in the perforated clay vase inside the treehouse, then fell silent for a moment before stepping aside.
"You can come in."
"Hm?"
"You can stay the night here. Leave in the morning. I'll take the prisoner to the Defense Force for you—just make sure he's tied up good and tight."
Her sudden generosity took him by surprise. "You're not afraid anymore?"
Huaiyu shook her head. "I want you to teach me how to use my ability."
He was clearly powerful enough to subdue her in the blink of an eye. She had relied too much on the rose corridor's protection. In the end, she had to learn to protect herself.
The young man smiled, turning his hand. The water rope binding the middle-aged man slithered into the ground, anchoring the prisoner firmly in place beneath the pelting rain, unable to move.
Then he reached out his hand. His fingers were broad and dry, his palm callused.
"Hi. I'm Lin Xuefeng."
Huaiyu nodded and reached out her own hand. "I'm Huaiyu—like the elm tree."
Their hands clasped. Lin Xuefeng stared at her for a moment, then smiled as if a burden had been lifted.
Still holding her multi-tool shovel in the other hand, Huaiyu let go, turned, and picked up the bowl of soybeans, walking back into the house under his gaze.
Inside, Lin Xuefeng looked around in slight surprise. "You built this yourself? It's quite spacious."
"Of course!" Huaiyu said proudly. "Took me forever."
His gaze swept over the wisteria roots embedded in the structure, and he nodded in approval. "Impressive. With your weak ability, getting the vines to anchor like that must've been tough."
Huaiyu sighed as she poured the soybeans back into the pot. "If I knew you'd see through it in one glance, I wouldn't have bothered hiding… You scared me half to death in the middle of the night. My beans got damp—I have to roast them again."
"If you don't want to join the Defense Force, it's fine to hide your ability," Lin Xuefeng said. "It's your freedom."
There was only one brick stool in the treehouse, but Lin Xuefeng casually grabbed a few loose bricks and stacked them up.
A flow of water passed invisibly over them, washing away years of grime. Huaiyu watched in open envy.
"Can you evaporate the moisture from these beans?"
She looked at him hopefully.
He rested his chin on one hand and smiled. "I could."
Then he raised a finger and wagged it. "But I won't. Beans only get that rich aroma when they're roasted by fire."
"I was planning to head out tonight. Saw firelight here, got curious and came over—and then I smelled this."
He was far more relaxed now, like a neighborhood guy casually chatting, the earlier solemnity shed.
"I left myself just two hundred points for the journey. One handful of soybeans ruined the plan… Since you're letting me stay the night—room and beans—you can have all of it."
This time, Huaiyu didn't refuse. She handed over her trade bracelet again and asked curiously, "Where are you headed?"
"Mm…" His eyes were locked on the soybeans in the pot. "The Wastelands."
"You're an explorer?" she asked. "How do you get there? I thought the Rose Corridor was impassable. Why are you coming through here?"
"It's fine," Lin Xuefeng said, a hint of pride in his smile. "If you're strong enough, you can get past before the corridor reacts. If not for the rain, it's not that aggressive—most of the time, it's more like a quiet little girl."
A quiet little girl?
What a strange metaphor.
Huaiyu gently stirred the soybeans, now a stream of questions bubbling up like from a book of "Ten Thousand Whys."
"What does the number Ⅲ on the prison uniform mean?"
Before he answered, Lin Xuefeng snatched a soybean from the pot, popped it into his mouth—lightning-fast.
"Hot!"
He winced, then started crunching, joy spreading across his face. "Definitely untainted beans… Huaiyu, you're hiding a lot of secrets."
Despite his words, his tone was relaxed and casual, making it impossible for her to feel nervous.
"Could use more salt," Lin Xuefeng muttered. Then finally answered, "The number marks crime severity. That one's a high-risk offender—and also, you're too weak to sense it, but he's fire-type."
"Rainy nights are the best time to take him down. Don't go soft and let him in to avoid the rain. Getting drenched won't kill him… though if he goes mad or dies, it's no real loss either."
Go mad or die from too much rain… Was that because the rain increased mutation levels?
Huaiyu mulled it over.
"What kind of person becomes a high-risk offender? Murder?"
"More than that." Lin Xuefeng shook his head. "New standards post-catastrophe—people who, for personal gain during the chaos, directly or indirectly caused multiple deaths."
"So if you spot a criminal—don't hesitate."
Huaiyu nodded seriously.
"Your power is amazing. How did you train it? I want to learn."
But Lin Xuefeng only gave her a quiet warning.
"If possible, don't."
"Improving your ability raises your mutation level. The closer you get to the threshold, the stronger you become. As for technique—it's just perspective and practice."
"Take me, for example. I'm water-type, but with enough strength, I can instantly extract all moisture from a plant, or vibrate its fluids until they boil."
"Very effective against mutated plants."
Huaiyu paused thoughtfully. "And against humans?"
He smiled gently, eyes kind, voice soft.
"Humans too."