Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 200 - 200 199 Bamboo Spirit Insect

Chapter 200: Chapter 199: Bamboo Spirit Insect Chapter 200: Chapter 199: Bamboo Spirit Insect “Bamboo!”

Russell spotted a small cluster of plants inside and outside Charlie’s courtyard and immediately recognized them as bamboo, moreover, not trees but a type of grass.

“Sir, you recognize these strange trees?” Charles asked.

“These aren’t strange trees, just a special kind of grass,” Russell answered with a smile as he walked toward the small bamboo grove.

If there was one plant that Russell loved most, it was undoubtedly bamboo. When he lived on Earth, he used to visit his hometown every weekend, not for anything in particular but to see the small bamboo grove there and to enjoy the breeze while hiding amidst it.

Of course, it was just a fondness.

He hadn’t reached the point of “preferring to live without meat rather than live without bamboo” yet.

But finding bamboo in Glowing Valley, or rather, Wuyao Snake Manor, was a pleasant surprise for Russell indeed.

What delighted him more was when he touched the bamboo and carefully sensed it, he could detect a faint, nearly imperceptible aura of magic power from the entire grove. Not from just one piece of bamboo, but all of them.

Charles quickly noticed this as well, his eyes widening in astonishment, “Sir, these, all these bamboos are spirit plants? How many spirit plants might there be?”

“Don’t think too much,” Russell shook his head, “These aren’t individual bamboos, but a whole grove that is really one bamboo. The roots spread underground, and all these bamboos are grown from one root.”

There are three main types of bamboo: clumping, running, and mixed.

The bamboo before them was undoubtedly of the running kind. Its rhizomes would extend outward underground, forming shoots from which new sprouts would emerge, and these sprouts would then grow into bamboo. They looked like individual bamboos, but were in fact all the same plant.

“How strange!” Charles exclaimed.

“Hurry and look around, see if we can find any bamboo spirit insects,” Russell instructed.

Everyone searched together and quickly found a green spirit insect, slightly longer and thicker than a finger, complete with ring patterns on its body, lounging lazily on a dried leaf at the base of a few closely growing bamboos in the center of the grove.

“Found it, my lord!”

“Good!”

Russell laughed heartily as he squatted beside the bamboo’s roots, then took some jade powder from the hand of the Knight Attendant and sprinkled a bit on the dried leaf.

The bamboo spirit insect instantly caught the scent of the jade powder and began to slowly move, nibbling at the jade powder.

As it nibbled earnestly, a finger unexpectedly stretched out and let it take a small bite, oozing a few drops of blood that mixed with the jade powder and were swallowed by the insect.

In an instant,

The power of the contract, through the blood as a medium, was completed in the most mystical of ways.

A moment passed, and the bamboo spirit insect stopped nibbling on the jade powder. Instead, it lifted its upper body and, with eyes the size of sesame seeds, looked along the finger to see the smiling Russell, feeling an instant sense of familiarity.

“Come here, little fella,” Russell beckoned.

The bamboo spirit insect immediately crawled into Russell’s hand, still curiously gazing up at the extremely approachable Russell.

“Congratulations, Sir, on acquiring a spirit insect!” Charles saw this and immediately shouted with glee.

The people around, as if waking from a dream, swiftly joined the chorus, showering Russell with flattery—endless praises like “under the Great Dragon’s watch” and “praising the lord” filled the air.

Only Charlie, after praising the lord, murmured worriedly in a low voice, “How did these weird trees turn into spirit plants? Can I still live in my courtyard, my house? I dare not chop spirit plants, or the lord would whip me to death.”

Meanwhile, as Charlie fretted,

Russell had already gently patted the bamboo spirit insect and then softly said, “Little fella, gather up the spirit plants, let’s go home!”

The bamboo spirit bug turned its head and gently opened its mouth.

In an instant, all the bamboo in this small grove began to shake, both bamboo shoots and stalks started to contract, and then the ground also started to tremble, until at last, this patch of bamboo transformed into a single slender grain of bamboo rice, falling into the mouth of the bamboo spirit bug.

“It’s truly miraculous, so many bamboos, yet they’re just a single caterpillar fungus,” Charles exclaimed in admiration.

Russell had already mounted his horse, and before departing, he waved his hand and asked, “Who discovered the bamboo?”

Charlie, who was delighted that the caterpillar fungus had been taken away and that his yard could once again grow vegetables, didn’t react in time, and Heipite, the hamlet chief standing behind him, immediately nudged him with a kick and then smiled sheepishly at Russell, saying, “Sir, it’s him, old Charlie!”

Charles also added, “Indeed, it’s Charlie. He came to the Temporary Office and found the bamboo caterpillar fungus.”

“Very good, Charlie, you have done a meritorious deed in discovering the bamboo.” Russell smiled slightly, “Reward him, directly reward him with a Gold Coin!”

“Ah!” Charlie cried out in astonishment, frozen on the spot.

Not just Charlie, but all the serfs gathered around were stunned by Russell’s generous gesture.

A single Gold Coin!

A hundred silver coins, ten thousand copper coins!

The reward money Charlie received at once was even more than the total reward money Russell gave to all the serfs of the manor during festivals!

“Anyone who discovers a magical creature and reports it to the Office in time will be handsomely rewarded,” Russell, seated on his warhorse, proclaimed to the astonished manor serfs, “This is the promise of I, Russell Fluorescent Fungus, your Lord.”

Having said that.

He left Wheat Hamlet without waiting for the serfs’ reaction, accompanied by his Knight Attendants.

Leaving Charles to deal with the aftermath.

“Sir, did the Lord really reward me with a Gold Coin?” Charlie still hadn’t recovered from his shock.

Charles laughed, “What Sir said is true, of course. Charlie, you’ve made a fortune.”

“Ah, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, the Lord will surely ride the Great Dragon one day!” Charlie knelt on the ground, bowing in the direction Russell had left, then stood up and bowed to Charles, “Thank you, Sir, thank you for your assistance. If it weren’t for you, I…”

Charlie’s family gathered the courage to come forward and thank Charles, one after another.

At this time, Hamlet Chief Heipite, with a sheepish smile, came over and said, “Sir, it was I who prevented old Charlie from cutting down the bamboo. You see… shouldn’t I say a word to the Lord, hehe, isn’t this proof of my loyalty, hehe…”

“Is that so.” Charles squinted, amused, “So you mean the Lord should also reward you?”

“Hehe, just a little bit, just a little bit,” Heipite rubbed his palms together.

“Just a little bit!” Charles’ face grew stern, glaring fiercely at Heipite, “As a hamlet chief, why didn’t you help Charlie resolve the issue of the bamboo encroaching on his house and vegetable garden? What’s the duty of a hamlet chief, can’t you remember?”

“Ah, I…” Heipite immediately panicked.

“I think you’re no longer able to carry out your duties as a hamlet chief, Heipite. I am now announcing in my capacity as Chancellor of Records, we’re suspending your position as hamlet chief. After I investigate your actions over the past few months, I will decide on your punishment!”

Having said that, Charles no longer paid attention to Heipite who had a crestfallen face.

He informed Charlie’s family to collect the reward money at the Temporary Office in the afternoon, then arranged for a clerk to notify all the people of Wheat Hamlet to come to the Temporary Office in the afternoon, as he intended to personally inquire about the actions of Hamlet Chief Heipite over the past few months.

Then, he mounted his horse and returned to the Temporary Office to work.

Leaving only Heipite, who sat down in Charlie’s yard, on the verge of tears.