12: Chapter 12 Let's Act Together

"Hearts Eye, let's get out of here quickly."

As he spoke, he subconsciously jumped onto Hearts Eye's back, causing the deer's legs to tremble under the weight.

"Yo!"

"Oh, sorry, force of habit."

Su Mo scratched his head sheepishly with his broad fox paw and quickly climbed off.

The fox and the deer returned to the Blue-Ringed Giant Snake's lair once more. A patch of ground that had been well-protected by the giant snake and not covered by white porridge came into view.

In the center of the ground grew a small tree less than half a meter tall. Glowing blue veins extended from the base of the tree to its branches. On the slender branches hung three crystal-clear Blue Fruits, shimmering with a sapphire-like luster under the light.

As Su Mo approached, he smelled a refreshing fragrance, and a desire to swallow them welled up within him.

"What is this? Hearts Eye, do you recognize it?"

"Yo~"

"You haven't seen it either? It certainly looks delicious, though."

Hearts Eye stood nearby, staring intently at the fruit on the branches, its longing unconcealed.

The fruits on this small tree didn't look ripe yet. Compared to his paw, they were like a soybean in the palm of a three-hundred-pound strongman.

He also wanted to wait for the fruit to ripen before eating it, as ripe fruit would surely have better effects.

However, the giant snake hadn't even gotten a bite before it died. Taking a lesson from its fate, he figured it was better to just eat them now to be safe, rather than risk something going wrong during a long wait.

Su Mo reached out and picked the three fruits, tossing one into his mouth. The fruit was so small that it went straight to his stomach with a gulp of saliva; he couldn't even taste it.

A familiar heat spread through his body. His five-meter-tall frame grew another half-meter. He clenched his fist and felt that his strength had also increased significantly.

He glanced at his personal panel:

[Host: Su Mo]

[Race: Red Fox]

[Rank: Tier 2 (2615/10000)]

[Skill: Infinite White Porridge (Never Expires)]

[Talent: Savage Growth]

"The progress jumped by over three hundred points. It seems that if the fruit were ripe, it should provide around five hundred."

Su Mo looked at the remaining two Blue Fruits, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"The energy in this thing is almost equal to that Blue Crystal Core inside the giant snake's body!"

He turned to look at Hearts Eye, who was staring longingly at his palm, and grinned:

"Here, have one to try it out."

"Yo!"

Hearts Eye let out a joyful cry and eagerly leaned in, carefully picking up a fruit with its mouth and swallowing it.

Instantly, the blue light on its antlers became more dazzling, and its aura clearly grew stronger, though its size didn't change.

Seeing this, Su Mo felt a bit of pity.

"It looks like I won't be able to ride on your back anymore..."

"Yo~"

After finishing the fruit, Hearts Eye leaned its face in again. Su Mo quickly hid the last one behind his back.

"I can't give you this one; I have other uses for it."

"Yo..."

Hearing this, it drooped its head and rubbed its wet nose against Su Mo's bare thigh.

"Alright, alright, look up and open your mouth!"

Hearts Eye immediately changed its expression, obediently tilting its head back and opening its mouth to wait.

After a few breaths, Hearts Eye was so full it was about to roll its eyes. It stood frozen in place, not daring to move a step.

Su Mo finally had the chance to observe the small tree. After the fruits were picked, the tree didn't change much. It should be able to bear fruit again after a while.

"Can I transplant it somewhere else?"

Thinking of this, he immediately took action, carefully digging up the moist soil around the base of the small tree with his hands.

As time passed, he discovered that the tree's roots were very deep, with dense blue veins spread throughout the soil within a ten-meter radius.

He had to stop digging at that point. Looking at how fragile it was, it certainly wouldn't survive being pulled out, let alone transplanted.

"Might as well not let it go to waste..."

Su Mo applied a bit of force with his broad palm, and the small tree was pulled up along with the soil. The root system snapped cleanly, and drops of blue sap flowed from the wounds.

Just moments after being pulled out, the blue veins on the small tree rapidly dimmed. Su Mo quickly stuffed it into his mouth and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good thing I moved fast; not much energy should have been lost."

In Su Mo's enhanced stomach, the small tree was digested in the blink of an eye. Su Mo's height grew again, reaching six meters.

[Host: Su Mo]

[Race: Red Fox]

[Rank: Tier 2 (2910/10000)]

[Skill: Infinite White Porridge (Never Expires)]

[Talent: Savage Growth]

Looking at the panel, he realized that the nutrition contained in this small tree was almost equal to an unripe fruit.

Su Mo rubbed his chin, pondering to himself.

"It seems I need to change my strategy. These special plants have more nutrition; I should focus on finding them in the future."

Having tasted the sweetness, he no longer wanted to go through the hardship of finding nutrient-poor prey. Clearly, Spiritual Fruits and Spiritual Plants were more cost-effective.

"Hearts Eye, I'm heading out now."

He looked up; the sky had darkened, and he had to get back quickly. Without Su Mo's protection, the little one was like a piece of meat in a can.

After saying goodbye, Su Mo turned to leave.

Suddenly, Hearts Eye's urgent cry came from behind.

"Yo~"

Hearing this, Su Mo turned back to look at it in surprise.

"You want to come with me?"

"What? Aren't you afraid of the dangers outside the forest anymore?"

"Yo!"

Hearts Eye nodded vigorously and took a few steps toward Su Mo, its expression as determined as if it were taking a solemn oath.

"Alright then, let's act together from now on."

Su Mo's six-meter-tall frame sped across the ground, accompanied by a streak of blue light.

With his current weight and strength, the thick tree trunks could no longer support him, so he could only be a ground-bound fox.

However, his running speed on two legs wasn't much slower than Hearts Eye's. The enhancement of his physique was all-around, so speed was naturally not a weakness.

About fifteen minutes later, the fox and the deer returned from the depths of the Dark Forest to the location of Su Mo's lair.

Along the way, he kept scanning his surroundings, hoping to find more Spiritual Plants or Spiritual Fruits. Unfortunately, he found nothing, not even a single trace of a Spiritual Plant.

Standing under the tree, he looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. The nest made of branches was still intact, with no signs of damage. Su Su should be fine.

With a light leap, he jumped onto a branch over ten meters high, shaking the tree canopy and causing quite a few leaves to fall.

He brushed aside the leaves blocking the entrance to the hollow. A faint blue light immediately shot out from inside, but Su Su was nowhere to be seen.

Su Mo's body was too large now; even his head couldn't fit inside. He could only lie down and call out softly:

"Su Su?"

A rustling sound came from the nest, and then a small head with fur tinged blue by the light poked out, looking out timidly with a mix of unease, caution, and confusion.

"Su Su, it's me, your brother."

Seeing the little one's cautious look, Su Mo immediately realized that his current appearance was very different from before.

A six-meter-tall body with bulging muscles, a single paw larger than Su Su's entire body, his bright red fur gone, wearing Snake-skin shorts, and even his scent was covered.

So he spoke up to remind her. Upon hearing him, Su Su finally ran out of the nest, standing on Su Mo's broad palm and looking him up and down, her pink nose twitching constantly.