He thought that perhaps the Dandelion had managed to hurt him earlier by creating an illusion of Xu Nuo, so now it was trying the same trick again, creating another Xu Nuo but different from the previous one, hoping to defeat him in another way.
The more Park Su thought about it, the more likely he felt this was the case. His guard immediately went back up. He scoffed at the Xu Nuo in front of him, "How many times are you going to repeat the same trick? You really underestimate Xu Nuo, don't you? His abilities are not as simple as you think."
Unfortunately, after he said that, the Xu Nuo didn't speak at all. He just continued to stare at him. Park Su felt frustrated and asked, "Why are you just staring? Say something, what's your plan this time? What are you trying to trick me with?"
Still, Xu Nuo didn't answer. His silence made Park Su feel even more irritated. But then, Xu Nuo's cold expression slowly shifted to one of confusion. He then spoke, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty, "Park Su?"
Park Su sneered, "Oh? Now you're pretending to have amnesia? Or are you going with the 'I don't know you' act? Or are you going to tell me that you're the real Xu Nuo? And then, what? Are you going to say you like me?"
Park Su snorted, summoning Green Vine to his palm. "Let me tell you, this trick won't work on me anymore. I'm right next to your main body."
He paused and then continued, "You either submit to me and break out of your illusion, or I'll take care of you myself. One option, you'll be done quickly and without much pain. The other… I can't guarantee how much pain you'll be in."
At this moment, Green Vine in his hand suddenly wiggled and said, "By the way, the main body of the Illusory Dandelion seems to be quite weak right now. It looks like it's no longer capable of creating illusions. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to appear in your palm like this. So the Xu Nuo in front of you should be the real Xu Nuo."
Park Su was momentarily stunned by Green Vine's words. He then looked toward Xu Nuo, and saw Xu Nuo staring at Green Vine in Park Su's palm. His eyes narrowed, as if he had confirmed something, and then a small smile finally appeared on his face.
In the next moment, Xu Nuo quickened his pace and walked straight toward Park Su. Park Su hadn't yet fully processed that the person in front of him was the real Xu Nuo. He was still caught in the state of having just said things he shouldn't have to Xu Nuo, feeling awkward and conflicted.
Before he could respond, it felt like his body was forcefully pulled, and in the next instant, he found himself in a warm embrace. He was left utterly dumbfounded, confused, and lost in the moment.
If this was truly Xu Nuo, why would he do something like this? Xu Nuo had always kept his distance from him.
However, being held by Xu Nuo, the feeling was incredibly strange, especially after Park Su had just realized his own feelings. He'd come to terms with the fact that he had started to have feelings for Xu Nuo, and now he was being held by him. The sensation was so bewildering that he didn't know what to do.
Although it was awkward, Park Su still struggled a bit to get out of Xu Nuo's embrace. It was too embarrassing. If it weren't for Green Vine telling him that this person was truly Xu Nuo, Park Su might have just pushed him away with a slap, thinking it was a fake Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo noticed Park Su's struggle and finally realized his actions might have been too forward. He let go of him and looked him over, immediately noticing the wound and blood on his chest.
His expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes and asked, "How did you get hurt? Was it the Dandelion's doing?"
Park Su recalled how he had gotten the injury and thought about the man who had just embraced him. His face turned redder as he quickly turned his head away, saying, "Don't worry, it's not serious. It was just a moment of carelessness. Besides, didn't you get hurt too? We all make mistakes, right? Just rest up and it'll be fine."
When Xu Nuo's injuries were mentioned, he fell silent, his gaze flashing slightly. He stepped aside and said, "Forget about it. We need to figure out how to capture the Dandelion quickly. Both of us are injured, and our blood is thick with energy. We'll probably attract zombies soon. The zombies aren't affected by the Dandelion's illusions. If we get trapped again, things could get ugly."
Park Su realized the severity of the situation and nodded. Though he wasn't confident in his ability to capture the Dandelion, after all, everything he knew about it was just theoretical, he was determined to try. He had to capture it, not just to prevent future illusions, but also to learn how it could have injured Xu Nuo, whose strength was far greater than his own.
With that in mind, Park Su stepped in front of the Dandelion and unleashed his Wood Elemental power to its full extent. The Dandelion, seeing this, attempted to resist, summoning a few Dandelion seeds. However, before it could act, the seeds were instantly crushed by Xu Nuo.
Park Su couldn't help but stare with his mouth agape. Wait, this is supposed to be my show. Why are you stealing the spotlight, Xu Nuo? Also, how come I feel like the Dandelion is trembling and submitting just as soon as you act?
Did you already deal with it before I arrived?
He thought for a moment and then extended his spiritual energy to communicate with the Dandelion. He vaguely heard a trembling childlike voice, pleading, "Don't kill me, don't kill me! I was wrong, I was wrong!"
Park Su couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Why does it feel like I'm bullying a child? It's the Dandelion that hurt me!
He had no choice but to try communicating with it using his Wood Element abilities. Unfortunately, the Dandelion couldn't understand him directly. Although Park Su could faintly sense what it was trying to convey, it was only because the Dandelion's previous thoughts had been related to what he had just said.
Helpless, he called upon Green Vine to help with the communication and urged the Dandelion with both threats and inducements. In short, he asked it to willingly enter his dantian and become his new companion.
Green Vine was very effective in this role. She constantly explained the benefits of becoming Park Su's pet, while also emphasizing how bored the Dandelion would be if it stayed in its current place. It wouldn't be able to see the world like she did.
Additionally, Park Su would provide it with food that could help it grow stronger. The life force in his dantian was rich and soothing, much more comfortable than staying in the soil outside.
The Dandelion's resistance weakened as it was coaxed into submission, finally agreeing to be captured and stay in Park Su's dantian.
What's even more important is that Xu Nuo, who was standing nearby, was emitting an overwhelming cold aura and killing intent, which greatly threatened the Dandelion. As a result, Green Vine didn't have to put much effort into getting the Dandelion to agree to enter Park Su's dantian.
After receiving the Dandelion's consent, Park Su prepared for the best possible outcome, but he still had some reservations. He wasn't sure whether his theoretical knowledge was correct. He couldn't help but feel nervous.
He was worried that even if the Dandelion entered his dantian, it might not be tamed in the same way Green Vine had been. After all, Green Vine's submission had been an accident, and who knew if such an accident would turn into something inevitable?
If he failed, it would be a huge blunder, and Park Su couldn't help but wonder if Xu Nuo would be disappointed in him because of it.
Fortunately, once the Dandelion entered his dantian, it didn't show any signs of rejection. On the contrary, a wave of green energy lines surged from his dantian, tightly binding the Dandelion. These green threads slowly began to penetrate into the Dandelion's body.
In just half an hour, the Dandelion actually seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough. Park Su stared at this phenomenon, feeling somewhat alarmed. What's going on here? He didn't realize that his dantian had the ability to help extraordinary plants break through.
However, there was nothing he could do to stop it now. He just had to watch. Once the Dandelion finished its breakthrough, Park Su realized that his spiritual energy had connected with the Dandelion.
He couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. Is this what it means to tame it? D*mn, I put in all this effort just to get close, and now the taming process is so anticlimactic and easy?
He sighed and communicated with the Dandelion a few more times, confirming that he had indeed tamed it. The control he had over it was identical to Green Vine's. However, the Dandelion's voice was even more childlike than Green Vine's. It almost sounded like he had tamed a little sister.
Park Su sighed again. Even though he was curious about the illusions Xu Nuo had experienced, with Xu Nuo still being nearby, he couldn't afford to probe into it now.
Besides, Park Su noticed that the Dandelion seemed to be quite resistant to Xu Nuo. He wondered if it had already been thoroughly dealt with by Xu Nuo before he arrived. Seeing the way the Dandelion acted, Park Su couldn't help but sigh. He severed the connection with it, deciding it was better to wait for another opportunity to learn what Xu Nuo had gone through in the illusion. After all, a vision that could hurt Xu Nuo would likely have a huge impact on his heart.
If Park Su found out what happened, he might be able to help Xu Nuo resolve it—or at the very least, avoid making the same mistake himself.
Noticing that Park Su had snapped out of his thoughts, Xu Nuo asked, "So, did you succeed?"
Park Su nodded. "I think it worked."
As he spoke, he raised his palm and summoned the Dandelion. A medium-sized Dandelion appeared in his hand. It was only slightly bigger than the ones Park Su had seen before the apocalypse.
If the Dandelion didn't use its illusions, it would be hard to tell it was a mutated plant at first glance.
The Dandelion had a small purple flower on it, which looked somewhat cute. However, its fragrance was rather unusual. The moment Xu Nuo caught a whiff of it, he frowned and coldly said to the Dandelion, "What? You still plan to use illusions on me?"
Upon hearing this, Park Su was stunned to see the Dandelion actually physically shrink back. It then immediately jumped back into Xu Nuo's dantian.
Seeing this, Park Su couldn't help but twitch his mouth. He hadn't realized that Xu Nuo's threat would be so effective on a plant. But then again, he himself had also noticed the odd fragrance of the Dandelion's pollen earlier.