Su Ling recounted what happened at the water bank, and felt a little complicated in his heart when he thought of the scene where the crocodile twisted its body in a weird angle and ran away like there’s no tomorrow. At that moment, he was scared senseless, but he didn't expect the other party to be more scared than him, somewhat funny.
As Gu Liheng listened to the recount, his eyes briefly swept over the side of Su Ling’s neck, "You should be correct about that."
Su Ling touched the back of his neck, and there was still an unpleasant smell in the air. Fanning his palms in front of his nose, he said, "You are much calmer than the animals." Then he smiled, "Go and wear a mask ba, don't hold back your expression. I don't mind it, even I myself can't stand the smell."
Gu Liheng: "No need." He pointed to a big tree not far away and said, "I’ll stand behind the tree; call me if something happened."
Su Ling: "You should go back and take off your isolator to relax for a while." He smiled and nodded, "I am safer than you."
Gu Liheng couldn't refute this. He nodded after briefly checked out the surrounding, "Okay."
After Gu Liheng left, Su Ling took off the isolator again. After washing, he sent a message to Gu Liheng and went back to the tent, feeling refreshed. His hair was slightly damp, and he didn't wear a jacket, only wearing a round-neck camouflage t-shirt. In this environment with dim lighting, his neck was particularly conspicuous.
Gu Liheng had already reattached his isolator when he received Su Ling’s message, but a faint fragrance like red wine still lingered in the air. Leaning on a tree next to the tent, he glanced over Su Ling before walked away, "Contact me if something happened."
Su Ling smiled and nodded, "If there is danger by the water, remember to call me."
Sitting at the entrance of the tent, Su Ling took advantage of the time Gu Liheng went to wash and took off his isolator. Thinking for a while, he took out the sachet that Gu Liheng gave him previously. The sachet was placed under his nose, and a cool aroma wafted out, saving him from the unpleasant smell. However, because the unpleasant smell came from the back of his neck, it rushed back to his nose after a while. Refreshing fragrance mixing with a smelly stink caused Su Ling wrinkled his nose in disgust.
When Gu Liheng came back, the two were ready to sleep. Gu Liheng suggested, "You should take the isolator off to sleep." As the young man is still young, his gland is just starting to mature and is not stable yet. He should be careful during this growing period.
Su Ling shook his head and said, "How could you possibly fall asleep like that then?" Although the scent of pheromones will become lighter when one is sleeping, it is impossible not to smell the stink as their tents are so close together.
Gu Liheng said, "It won't affect me," but seeing Su Ling’s disbelief expression, he added, "It's safer."
Su Ling thought of the wild animals scattering away earlier, and was a bit convinced. "Then you can take it off too, it will be very uncomfortable to keep it on, and it is not good for the health of your gland as well."
Gu Liheng: "I'm fine."
Su Ling raised his eyebrows, "How could you be okay? Are you worried that I will react to your pheromones?"
Gu Liheng was silent.
Su Ling shook the sachet in his hand, "I will put this next to my pillow. My pheromone and yours will not react to each other anyway so nothing will happen." It’ll be fine if something really happens!
Seeing Gu Liheng hesitated, Su Ling decided to be stubborn and said, "If you don't take it off, I won’t either."
In the end, Gu Liheng compromised. They sleep without the isolator, and both slept with a sachet beside them to relax the glands. Nothing happened all night, and there were no birds even around the tent, so it was as quiet as when they were in the villa. When Su Ling came out of his tent, Gu Liheng has already returned from the water bank. Su Ling regretfully attached his isolator. If his pheromones were normal, something should happen ba!
In the next two days, the two kept travelling south. The further they ventured, the harder it is to walk, and there were more poisonous insects and beasts. In the end, Su Ling took off his isolator during the day as well. Only when he needs to take out the Grade A spiritual plants, he would put on the isolator so as not to overcome the fragrance with the smell of his pheromones. However, there has been no trace of Xian Mo Yu.
On the morning of the 4th day, Su Ling finished breakfast and contacted Darry. Su Ling was using the video mode, while Darry using the 3D holographic projection mode. Darry greeted him with a smile and approached the Redthorn Ball. As he walked around, Su Ling's 3D image followed him. At first glance, it looked like Su Ling was walking beside Darry.
"Good morning." Su Ling greeted the Redthorn Ball.
Redthorn Ball heard his voice, its branches bend towards the place where the sound came out, and the filaments on the red ball raised up, waving frantically.
Su Ling was stunned, and smiled, "I just saw you yesterday. Why are you so enthusiastic?"
Darry took off his isolator, released his pheromone and prepared to communicate with Redthorn Ball to harvest the ball liquid, "You haven't been next to each other for a few days...hiss..."
Darry held his forehead and took a breath, his expression complicated.
Su Ling was taken aback, "Darry, what happened?"
Darry put the isolator on and slowly frowned, "It panicked and refused to communicate with me."
Su Ling was puzzled, "Panicked? Wasn't it all right the other day?"
They had done some experiments before his departure. Su Ling himself was not there but appeared in a holographic image to communicate with the Redthorn Ball. That way could also enable him to assist Darry in harvesting the ball liquid. The first few days went well too.
Darry looked at the Redthorn Ball and saw that the filaments on the ball were waving frantically. Before this, he thought Redthorn Ball was just excited to hear Su Ling's voice. Now it seems that it should be flustered.
"I don't know, I will check it."
The test result came out quickly, "Everything is normal, no insects, and it has balanced nutrition."
Su Ling tried to calm down the Redthorn Ball. It took a while for the filaments on the red ball to settle down. The two tried again to get the ball liquid, but still failed and Darry's expression became worse.
Su Ling frowned and turned to look at Gu Liheng, who was frowning slightly. He asked Darry, "How much more ball liquid is needed?"
Darry: "One week."
Su Ling made a decision, "We are returning now."
Hanging up the call, he smiled at Gu Liheng and said, "Don't worry, we should reach before noon. You should go and contact Hua Cheng."
Gu Liheng looked down at him and pursed his thin lips, "I will accompany you again after a week."
Su Ling nodded, "Okay."
The two returned quickly and reached the villa at half-past ten. The Redthorn Ball calmed down in a series of comforts by Su Ling talking to it and stroking its leaves. Darry harvested the ball fluid and sent it to the hospital immediately. Su Ling moved all three plants to the garden to bask in the sun. They gently swayed their branches and leaves, and looked very happy.
The next morning, when Su Ling, Gu Liheng and Darry entered the spiritual plant’s room, they found the three plants that were still joyful the previous afternoon, hugging their leaves together, shaking frantically.
Needless to say, Su Ling saw their panic without Darry’s translation. Su Ling approached them, stroking their leaves to comfort the plants. Just when he touched them, the leaves came to entangled his hands and wrists, and the filaments were actively drilling into his sleeves.
Su Ling: "...what are you afraid of?"
At this moment, Domi walked up to Gu Liheng and said, "Master, the police station received a report and came to the villa to investigate."
Gu Liheng frowned slightly, and Su Ling was taken aback. A police report? The three came to the living room, where three police officers stood.
"President Gu, there are reports from the public that there is a stench in the area of your villa, which we suspected to be a smell of rotting animals. Please cooperate with the investigation."
What?
Su Ling couldn't help asking, "Is it a misunderstanding; why didn't I smell it?"
The police officer was also puzzled. After all, he did not smell anything when he arrived at the villa. "Maybe it's a misunderstanding, but since there are a lot of people complaining, and some people even suffered respiratory attacks," he looked at Gu Liheng embarrassedly, "please cooperate with us."
Gu Liheng: "Who lodged the report?"
The police officer pointed down the hill and said, "The area at the downwind of your villa. They were having a party last night. We contacted the participants, and their statement was the same." In fact, those people were imagining that Gu Liheng is a terrorist who killed people and buried the body without blinking. Their face was pale when the policemen took the statement.
Gu Liheng knows a little bit about the people in the villa area. The one who lives downwind of the villa is a writer. Although the writer often has ideas that are out of the world, he is not a nonsense person. He nodded and said, "You can come in to investigate."