Chapter 7: Mutation

Zhou Quan was very talkative; his mouth didn't stop the whole way. He spoke of strange and wondrous tales he'd heard while studying in the west back then, all of which had a distinct air of mystery.

Legends abound in Tibet, and some stories are widely circulated locally; the origins of some accounts can even be traced. They were truly captivating, and people in the adjacent seats listened, completely engrossed.

"Don't take these as mere myths," Zhou Quan said earnestly. "Some of them actually happened."

Hearing him build suspense, someone urged him to tell the story quickly.

"I once saw a small Tibetan Mastiff in a dilapidated temple, whimpering as it guarded a dying old dog," Zhou Quan recounted. "The puppy's eyes were actually shedding golden tears."

"Hiss!"

A group of people hissed, all disbelieving. This was too far-fetched, completely unrealistic.

"It's absolutely true; I witnessed it myself," Zhou Quan insisted vehemently. He pounded his chest, swearing his words were not false.

"Thinking back afterwards," Zhou Quan explained, "perhaps its golden pupils were so brilliant that they reflected on the tears, making them appear golden."

"If you saw such an extraordinary Tibetan Mastiff puppy, wouldn't you immediately rush over, take it, and train it properly?" someone laughed. "Where is it now?"

"Alas, I did want to take it," he replied. "But there was also an incredibly ancient old lama in that dilapidated temple. He was impossible to communicate with and wouldn't let me take it."

According to Zhou Quan, that temple was dilapidated, located deep in the desolate plateau, and few people visited it throughout the year; the monastery was on the verge of collapse.

The old lama was extremely old, and his hearing was poor, making communication very difficult.

In the end, Zhou Quan finally understood the old lama's meaning: the young mastiff belonged to no one; it was destined to enter the sacred mountain and would be able to subdue demons in the future.

"However, that little mastiff puppy's strength was indeed terrifying," Zhou Quan continued, a strange expression still on his face as he recalled the incident from back then. "After it bit my trouser leg, it immediately pulled me down, tripping me. It was very strange."

The others didn't believe him.

"When did this happen?" Chu Feng asked.

Chu Feng asked because he had encountered a majestic mastiff in the Kunlun Mountains that easily hunted wild beasts, far surpassing others of its kind and truly extraordinary.

"About three years ago, I'd say," Zhou Quan replied.

The train whistled, and the scenery outside the window quickly sped by. It traveled eastward, eventually leaving the plateau.

"You bought so much food?" Zhou Quan was completely unreserved. He came over to help Chu Feng with his share and even asked him what tasted good.

"These 'divine seeds' taste pretty good," Chu Feng replied.

"Huh?" Zhou Quan looked puzzled.

"Didn't you say that some figures in myths might have been 'grown'?" Chu Feng asked. "I think these might be 'divine seeds'." He pointed to some broad beans and nuts.

Zhou Quan looked speechless. He stuffed a lot of food into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly, "Divine seeds do taste good."

Everyone around them laughed.

"Ouch!" Suddenly, Zhou Quan grimaced and cried out in pain, pulling a bean from his mouth.

"Brother, where did you buy these broad beans? Are they even edible?" he grumbled. "They're harder than iron! My old teeth are almost broken." He grimaced, his face contorted in pain.

With a clang, he threw a seed onto the table.

"My goodness, it's so hard! Listen to it clink when it hits!" Zhou Quan complained indignantly, holding his cheek. "What era are we in? Food safety still hasn't been resolved!"

Chu Feng was startled, because this wasn't a broad bean at all, but the relatively plump, dull yellow seed from the stone box.

He had taken it out, intending to ask those around him what it was, but had forgotten about it while chatting and simply placed it next to the nuts and other snacks.

"Damn it, is there no conscience left?" Zhou Quan bellowed, his anger flaring as he clearly saw its shape. "This isn't a bean at all! What in the world is this?!" He clamored about noting down the manufacturer on the food packaging to file a complaint back home.

Chu Feng felt a little guilty, but still confessed, telling him it wasn't a bean from the food packaging, but a seed he had brought back from the plateau.

Zhou Quan was immediately silenced. His face turned bright red, and he looked extremely uncomfortable.

First, silence fell over the surroundings, then a burst of laughter erupted.

Zhou Quan held it in for a long time before finally saying, "Brother, you're really not careful. Can you just put something like this anywhere? This isn't a seed; it's a block of iron!"

Chu Feng also laughed and offered him various nuts as an apology.

At the same time, he placed all three seeds on the table, asking those around him what kind of plants they were from. Of course, he didn't reveal the origin of the three ancient seeds.

"This round one looks like a bean, but it isn't."

"How come there's a flat one too? Could it have been crushed?"

"This one is shriveled and completely black, which is quite rare."

People discussed them, but no one could identify them or name them. A few speculated they were seeds from mountain vines.

"I really want to smash it!" Zhou Quan mumbled, gently rubbing his cheek, staring at one of the seeds.

"Don't, these are rare species," Chu Feng chuckled. "I'm planning to plant them; maybe a goddess will grow."

"According to Zhou Quan, you never know," the others laughed in agreement, joining in the teasing.

"Grow a goddess? I bet they'll mostly grow three old lamas, or three old Daoists," Zhou Quan said, still holding his mouth, looking like the pain wouldn't go away.

Time passed quickly along the way.

However, when the train arrived at a certain station, it stopped and didn't move again.

"What happened?"

The stop was too long, and many people couldn't sit still, so they began to stand up.

Soon, a train attendant announced that there was an incident on the tracks ahead, which was being urgently addressed, and the train would be moving again soon.

People sat back down, waiting patiently.

"Look, there's new breaking news!" Zhou Quan exclaimed. "This is big! Not only are there floating grasses in the air, but trees too. This photo is very clear!"

Zhou Quan exclaimed, poking Chu Feng beside him and gesturing for him to look at the news on his communicator.

"This is truly bizarre. These recent events are inexplicable," someone else exclaimed. "Is this still the world I know?"

Clearly, not only Zhou Quan had seen this breaking news; others had noticed it too.

Chu Feng looked closely. The digital photo was very clear; it seemed to be in space, with several trees just floating there, full of vigorous life.

Upon closer inspection, some trees were intensely green, others were purplish-brown all over, and there were even blood-red ones, which were very peculiar.

How could these trees appear in the sky? Everyone was perplexed.

Immediately, the train carriage buzzed with noise as people discussed animatedly. This matter was too strange and significant and could easily cause panic.

It wasn't until the train started moving again, whistling into the distance, that people's attention was diverted and the noise subsided slightly.

"I'm quite familiar with this route," Zhou Quan said, introducing the cities they passed along the way. "When I studied in the west back then, I traveled this path many times."

About an hour later, the train stopped again at a certain station.

At the same time, Zhou Quan gazed out the window in a daze, muttering to himself, "That's not right. There's no big mountain at this station."

"You're right, I also frequently take this route," someone else said doubtfully. "There shouldn't be any giant mountains nearby."

"No, look quickly!" someone exclaimed. "That's... not a big mountain, it's a giant tree!"

Many people leaned towards the window, looking closely.

Chu Feng's face showed surprise. He saw clearly that it was indeed a giant tree, so immense it resembled a mountain. It stood in the distance, almost touching the clouds.

"Are there people getting on at this station?" someone said. "Ask them what's going on!"

Before long, some people boarded the train, and the truth they revealed left everyone shocked and dumbfounded.

It was an ancient ginkgo tree, very famous locally, having grown for hundreds of years. But recently, for unknown reasons, it had begun to grow wildly.

This caused a huge sensation locally, and many people were shocked.

The area had already been cordoned off, and people were not allowed to approach.

"So it's true!" someone in the carriage exclaimed. "Two days ago, I saw someone post photos, but they were mysteriously deleted. So this really happened!"

Such a bizarre event had occurred, which was truly hard to comprehend.

An ancient tree, even if it had existed for a very long time, couldn't possibly have grown to this extent in just two or three days. It was too incredible to believe.

Time passed; the train remained stopped. In the blink of an eye, over half an hour passed, and it was still at the same station.

An attendant explained that another sudden incident had occurred ahead, which was being resolved, and they would be on their way soon.

On the train, people couldn't calm down. They talked about the ancient tree and discussed the bizarre trees in space. Surely these weren't connected, were they?

Eventually, people grew truly impatient, and some disembarked to stretch their legs.

Zhou Quan also got off the train but quickly returned, his face looking very strange. "Look what plant I dug up!" he said.

Some dirt clung to his hands. He held a common wild grass, but now it was somewhat special. It was vibrant green, exuding a strong life force. Moreover, it bore a bright red fruit, the size of a fist, emitting a fragrant scent.

"This is a huge discovery!" Zhou Quan said, his voice trembling. "A weed grew a vibrant red fruit, and it smells wonderful!"

Chu Feng felt a chill run down his spine. What was happening to this world? It was actually beginning to mutate!