A top-tier gigolo, teased by a cool and aloof general, turns warm.

Cullen noticed Shi Yu's worry.

He patted his chest and assured them, "Don't worry, Henry is a master of disguise. We'll be very careful. Just wait for our good news."

After saying that, he and Henry returned along the same route.

Shi Yu's stomach was rumbling loudly; he was already starving.

He rubbed his stomach, looked at the cave not far away, and made up his mind to go in and freeload.

Just as he lifted his foot to take a step, a thick arm blocked his way.

"Don't go, we can't afford to mess with them."

Tatarot shook his head slightly, deliberately lowering his voice.

"That insect, who claims to be from a family that has been growing vegetables for generations, doesn't take the Grafton family seriously at all, and doesn't even give the Insect Emperor any face."

It's not hard to guess his identity; he must be Lord Renn of the Winter family. He has an exceptional talent for growing vegetables, single-handedly increasing the survival rate of his produce by ten percent.

"You mean he's that Lord Renn, who has an extraordinary talent for growing vegetables and whose whereabouts are shrouded in mystery?"

Shi Yu was surprised.

He seems to have made a mistake.

The Zerg here really can't grow vegetables.

The insect that contacted him online before, whose name was something like "Lonely Dream Weaver," genuinely wanted to buy his planting techniques.

Shi Yu suddenly slapped himself, realizing he had missed out on 500 million.

"Don't worry too much, even if it really doesn't grow in the end."

Cullen certainly wouldn't stand idly by; the Grafton family's agricultural expertise was among the most elite in the empire.

Knowing that Tataro had misunderstood, Shi Yu did not explain, still immersed in the pain of losing five hundred million star coins.

It should still be in time to go back and contact the Lonely Dreamer!

At this moment, my stomach started to protest again.

Shi Yu looked embarrassed, his eyes flickering slightly.

He scratched his head awkwardly. "You watch the sweet potato vines, I'll go find something to eat."

He went straight to the cave where the old man lived.

The further he went in, the more surprised he became. What seemed like an ordinary cave turned out to be a spacious and bright laboratory.

The room was neatly arranged with various glasswares, cultivating weeds and green plants common on Earth.

Shi Yu felt a sense of familiarity.

I glanced around and was almost speechless with astonishment.

The drought-resistant and resilient goosegrass was kept in a greenhouse by insects like a treasure.

Sea buckthorn is cold- and drought-resistant, with a well-developed root system that can stabilize sandy soil, and its branches are covered with nutrient solution.

The Japanese knotweed, which is highly aggressive and can thrive in barren soil and adapt to various environments such as drought and humidity, looks wilted.

Even plants that are easy to propagate, such as foxtail grass, dandelion, oxalis, and cactus, which are not demanding in terms of soil, are barely surviving.

He looked like a dying patient, clinging to his last breath.

This is a complete plant killer!

Shi Yu's eyes welled up with tears, and a pang of sorrow gripped his heart.

Feeling sorry for these fellow villagers, I walked over and removed the needles from the sea buckthorn.

He carefully rescued the sea buckthorn berries soaking in the water, muttering to himself.

"You've suffered, I've come to save you."

"Stop! That's incredibly precious sea buckthorn!"

Shi Yu turned around at the sound and saw the old man rushing over aggressively.

They wanted to snatch the sea buckthorn from his hands, but were worried about damaging the branches, so they didn't make a move.

"Put it back, and you don't have to pay for the sweet potato."

Fearing he might harm the precious sea buckthorn, Renn kept a close eye on it and immediately made concessions.

"Grandpa, I'm trying to save it. How long have you left it in the water? It's about to drown."

Shi Yu shook his head silently.

The Zerg couldn't even copy the homework properly; their ancestors must be turning in their graves.

Ignoring Renn's attempts to stop him, he carried the sea buckthorn and walked out.

"Fine, fine, since you won't listen to advice, then don't blame me for being impolite."

Raine's eyes flashed with a cold light as he released a powerful mental force, firmly trapping him.

boom……

Shi Yu suddenly crashed into an invisible barrier, his head buzzing.

He had to stop and patiently explain.

"Sea buckthorn is drought-tolerant but not waterlogged-tolerant. If you water it too much, you must drain the water. Waterlogging will cause the leaves to turn yellow and fall off, which will affect its growth."

Renn's face suddenly darkened. "Hmph, I've been studying sea buckthorn for decades. What do you know, you brat?"

Shi Yu didn't indulge him. He pursed his lips and said, "You've been researching this for decades, and you still haven't figured it out. It's unacceptable to avoid seeking medical help."

He pointed to the roots of the sea buckthorn and spoke eloquently.

"Sea buckthorn has a well-developed root system. The main root can penetrate more than ten meters underground, and the lateral roots are also very abundant and can extend widely in all directions."

This powerful root system can penetrate deep into the soil to fully absorb moisture from the deeper layers of the soil, thus meeting the plant's growth needs.

Its leaves are usually small and thick, and the surface is covered with a cuticle, which allows the sea buckthorn to maintain its internal water balance even in dry conditions.

However, sea buckthorn requires good soil aeration; if it is kept in a waterlogged environment for a long time, its roots will rot.

Once the root system is damaged and rotten, the plant will find it difficult to survive, and in severe cases, the entire sea buckthorn plant will die.

The entire laboratory was completely silent.

Renn's brows furrowed into a deep frown, his sharp gaze like a blade piercing straight into Shi Yu.

He kept his lips tightly closed, not uttering a word, and exuded a powerful aura.

Manipulating those invisible yet powerful spiritual tendrils, they coiled around like swift pythons, silent yet unstoppable.

Shi Yu suddenly felt his neck being tightly strangled, and his breathing became extremely difficult.

His face flushed red, and he instinctively raised his hand to try to break free of the invisible restraints, but to no avail.

The desolate voice seemed to come from the deepest hell, echoing in the silent room.

"How do you know so much about sea buckthorn? Are you a spy sent by an enemy nation, infiltrating the Zerg and waiting for your chance to strike?"

Shi Yu struggled to move his eyes, raised the sea buckthorn in his hand high, and made as if to throw it out hard.

When Raine saw Shi Yu's actions, his heart skipped a beat.

He hastily withdrew his mental tentacles from binding him and threatened him in a cold voice.

"Don't you dare do anything reckless. If you hurt the sea buckthorn, I'll make you wish you were dead."

The pressure in his throat vanished instantly, and Shi Yu's body fell backward uncontrollably, leaning against that invisible barrier.

He gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, as if trying to make up for all the air he had lost.

After a while, Shi Yu's breathing gradually calmed down.

He raised his head and looked at Raine with resentful eyes, his voice hoarse from the restraint he had just endured.

"I kindly told you about the characteristics of sea buckthorn, hoping to help you, but you repaid kindness with enmity."

Not only are you ungrateful, but you also suspect me of being a spy and want to kill me! How could you do this?!

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

His brain was racing; he had to come up with a logical reason to explain the matter.