Chapter 4

After staring at it for a long time, Xia Ruofei reluctantly moved his gaze from the crystal-clear potted plant and cast it toward the clear, bottomless pond, his eyes filled with excitement.

There was no doubt that the potted plant had undergone a complete transformation in a short period, mostly due to the pond water he had previously poured on it. Of course, it was also possible that the spirit diagram space itself had a significant promoting effect on plant growth.

But regardless of the reason, Xia Ruofei had at least found a way to make money.

After leaving the spirit diagram space, the first thing Xia Ruofei did was to go online and search for information about the potted plant he had just seen.

The rental apartment, though old and narrow, was equipped with all the necessary facilities—mainly rented to young people who had just moved to the city for work or had just graduated from university, so each room had a network connection.

The desktop computer he had bought before enlisting was now put to good use.

After waiting for a full two to three minutes, the old, slow desktop computer finally completed its startup.

Xia Ruofei opened the browser and logged into the search engine, starting to search for relevant information.

He searched for a long time but didn't find much useful information. However, he did learn that the rosette-shaped plant was called "Yulu" (Haworthia), belonging to the Asphodelaceae family and the genus Haworthia, and was a popular succulent plant at the time.

The varieties of Yulu were quite diverse, and Xia Ruofei searched for a long time without finding out what specific variety the Yulu in his space was or how much it was worth.

However, Xia Ruofei was certain that before the Yulu underwent its transformation, it was a very ordinary variety, and the previous tenant had neglected it, leaving it in a half-dead state. When moving out, it was casually discarded in the room, so it was definitely not valuable.

As for the mutated Yulu, Xia Ruofei also couldn't find any definitive information.

So he decided to enter the space again, took out his knockoff phone, and took several photos of the Yulu. Then he returned to the room, uploaded the photos to the Yulu and succulent plant forums on Baidu, and posted a thread asking for help.

After posting, Xia Ruofei didn't pay much attention to it, directly shut down the computer, took a shower, and went to bed.

...

The next morning, after a quick wash and without even having breakfast, Xia Ruofei took out the spirit diagram he kept close to his body and entered the spirit diagram space with a thought.

As soon as he entered, Xia Ruofei noticed that the Yulu by the pond had grown significantly. The leaves were even more tender, transitioning from light green to purple with a more distinct gradation. The patterns at the tips of the leaves were almost entirely transparent, and the fleshy leaves inside were crystal clear, making one feel an irresistible urge to pinch them.

This space was truly magical! A nearly dead ordinary Yulu, after being watered with some pond water and left in the space overnight, had undergone a complete transformation!

Xia Ruofei was extremely excited.

He remembered the help thread he posted yesterday and, with a thought, left the space and sat down at the computer.

Opening Baidu Tieba, Xia Ruofei logged into his account and was startled by a series of message notifications. Upon closer inspection, he found nearly two hundred private messages.

He had registered a new account just to post the thread yesterday, so how could so many people have messaged him overnight? Xia Ruofei muttered to himself as he opened the private messages.

"Brother, where did you get this premium Yulu from?"

"Too beautiful! This is a premium Ice Lantern Yulu!"

"My god! Are you sure this picture isn't photoshopped? How can there be such a transparent Yulu?"

...

All the messages were about the Yulu photos Xia Ruofei had posted yesterday.

Xia Ruofei wasn't surprised, as his account had only posted two threads, both asking what variety of Yulu it was and whether it was valuable, with photos attached. One was posted in the succulent plant forum, and the other in the Yulu forum.

Some of the messages were even more direct:

"I want this premium Ice Lantern. Name your price! Phone: 136XXXXXXXX..."

The screen practically radiated a strong aura of wealth.

Xia Ruofei had only noticed that the Yulu had become much more beautiful after being watered with the pond water from the space yesterday. Not being very knowledgeable about succulent plants, he didn't realize that his post had caused a stir in both forums.

Xia Ruofei didn't know what an Ice Lantern Yulu was, but it seemed to be very valuable. He opened the help thread he had posted with a hint of anticipation.

Compared to the private messages, the threads were even more lively.

Both threads had dozens of pages of replies overnight, with at least a thousand or two, as if the entire forum had exploded.

Not only were there many replies to Xia Ruofei's threads, but many new threads had also been opened to discuss the Yulu he had posted.

The views in the replies and new threads were roughly divided into two camps.

One camp naturally revered Xia Ruofei, admiring his ability to cultivate such a premium Ice Lantern Yulu, with some even shouting that they wanted to be his disciples.

The other camp was skeptical.

Some questioned whether the Yulu was an Ice Lantern, citing the simple reason that they had never seen an Ice Lantern variety that transitioned from green to purple. Many said it was fake, created by applying a solution.

Moreover, the Yulu was so crystal clear that it looked like real jade, and some confidently claimed it must be photoshopped.

A veteran succulent plant enthusiast who had been involved in the hobby for over a decade stated that he had never seen such a perfect Ice Lantern Yulu, further supporting the claim that the pictures were photoshopped.

The supporters refuted these views one by one, analyzing from various aspects and insisting that it was definitely an Ice Lantern, a rare mutant variety with extremely high ornamental value, and the best of the Ice Lantern Yulus.

Even a succulent plant enthusiast in the graphic design industry analyzed from a technical perspective, stating that the pictures were completely original, with not even the simplest optimization done, just the original images.

In short, both forums were in heated debate due to Xia Ruofei's post.

Xia Ruofei flipped through the threads and private messages, and couldn't help but smile.

He didn't understand the professional terms used by succulent plant enthusiasts, such as "side buds," "corona," and "plant shape," but he was certain of one thing: this Yulu would definitely be very valuable.

Xia Ruofei was currently in dire need of money.

One private message caught his attention.

"Brother, I am very interested in your Ice Lantern. I wonder if you have any intention of selling it? If so, please consider me first. I will definitely give you a satisfactory price. I specialize in succulent plant cultivation and sales in San Shan City, with my own studio and greenhouse. If you are not comfortable, I can also come to your city personally. My phone: 159XXXXXXXX, looking forward to your contact!!!"

It was clear that the sender was sincere and conveniently in the same city, which would reduce many complications for a local transaction.

Xia Ruofei pondered for a moment and then took out his knockoff phone and dialed the number left in the private message.

As soon as the call connected, a young voice came through the receiver:

"Hello!"

Xia Ruofei asked:

"Are you 'Cool Succulent' from the Baidu Yulu forum?"

The voice on the other end immediately became more enthusiastic:

"Yes, are you interested in buying succulent plants? Our 'Immortal Meat Diner' has a wide variety, including万象 (Wanxiang), 生石花 (Shengshihua), 玉扇 (Yushan)... Basically, all the popular succulent plants are available, and the quality is absolutely top-notch."

It seemed that "Cool Succulent" was indeed a succulent plant enthusiast, and the name of his cultivation base was "Immortal Meat Diner."

Hearing this somewhat unconventional name, Xia Ruofei was momentarily taken aback before saying:

"Uh... I am 'Bloodwolf' from the Baidu forum. You left me a private message last night..."

"Bloodwolf" was a random username Xia Ruofei had chosen when registering yesterday, which translated to "Blood Wolf," the codename he used during his service in the Lone Wolf Special Forces.

Xia Ruofei had deep feelings for this codename.

The voice on the other end, "Cool Succulent," was stunned for a few seconds, then Xia Ruofei clearly heard him draw a sharp breath. Immediately, an excited voice came through the phone:

"You are the great Bloodwolf! Hello, hello... Wait! So you are also from San Shan City? Oh, what a coincidence! It must be fate!"

Clearly, "Cool Succulent" had noticed the caller ID and was so excited that he was speaking incoherently.

Xia Ruofei smiled faintly and asked:

"You are interested in my Ice Lantern?"

"Absolutely! I've been playing with succulent plants for many years, and I've never seen such a beautiful premium Ice Lantern! This Ice Lantern, whether in plant shape or the transparency of the window, is perfect! And it's a mutant variety with a corona, simply perfect..."

As he spoke, "Cool Succulent" asked with a hint of expectation:

"Great Bloodwolf, are you... willing to sell this Ice Lantern?"

From the professional terms and praise, even a fool could tell how much "Cool Succulent" wanted this premium Ice Lantern.

Xia Ruofei couldn't help but find it amusing.

This "Cool Succulent" didn't seem like a businessman at all. A true businessman, if interested in a purchase, would never openly express such enthusiasm, as it could lead to the other party inflating the price.

However, after this brief interaction, Xia Ruofei developed a liking for the straightforward "Cool Succulent."

"If the price is right, I can sell it to you." Xia Ruofei said after a moment's thought.

...