Chapter 19

In the basket, on the ground, there was a feather and a few drops of blood.

It was obvious that a small bird had just died there.

It seemed that the bird's disappearance was not because it had flown away, but because it had been killed and eaten.

The first thing that came to Su Jing's mind was a cat, as cats like to catch small animals like mice and birds, and then hide to eat them. If it were a dog or a golden eagle, even if they caught and ate the bird, they couldn't have squeezed into the basket.

"Who could be so greedy? I need to find out, or the other birds will be in danger."

Su Jing glanced at the playful calico cat and other animals around, then watered the vines without showing any emotion, and went back inside. However, he hid behind the window, watching every move in the backyard.

It has to be said that occasionally observing small animals in secret can be quite interesting. When the owner is not around, many animals become quite unrestrained, playful, and cute.

Of course, Su Jing focused on the few birds. He saw them happily flying from branch to branch, sometimes flying up into the sky, and sometimes flying back down. When they flew over the heads of the two calico cats, both cats jumped up, extending their paws to catch the birds.

Su Jing narrowed his eyes, thinking, "Could the culprit really be the calico cats?"

The two calico cats jumped up to a height of about one meter, their athletic ability far surpassing that of ordinary cats, almost like two cloud leopards. However, they were still young and lacked hunting experience, so they failed to catch the agile birds. Their bodies lost balance in mid-air, and they meowed in fright. However, the cats' aerial balance was not to be underestimated, and they quickly flipped in mid-air, landing steadily on the ground.

"Looks like these two little guys can't catch the birds, so it wasn't them."

Su Jing continued to observe. The group of birds seemed to be unable to stay still, flying almost everywhere in the yard. They flew past the dog, the parrot, and the golden eagle. The golden eagle, having been disciplined by Su Jing, did not harm the birds, but it seemed annoyed by them and spread its wings to fly high into the sky, instantly turning into a black dot. Su Jing was not worried, as the golden eagle went out to play every day but always came back.

Su Jing was puzzled. The cat, dog, golden eagle, and parrot did not seem to be the culprits. Could it be an outsider?

At that moment, the group of birds flew over the vines. Su Jing had not paid much attention, but suddenly he noticed a vine shoot out like a snake, and in the next moment, a bird that was lagging behind was caught and dragged into the basket.

"Damn, the culprit is actually it?"

Su Jing was stunned for a moment, then quickly rushed out and ran to the side of the vines.

Looking down, he saw the vine binding the bird like a python, tightening more and more, and secreting a sticky liquid that adhered to the bird's body. At the same time, several roots emerged from the soil, like hands, welcoming the bird.

"Damn, is this a man-eating tree?"

Su Jing suddenly reached out, grabbed the vine that was binding the bird, and tried to pry it open.

He felt that the vine's binding force was quite strong, and the sticky liquid had a certain anesthetic effect, making Su Jing's hands numb. The bird, once bound, had no chance to struggle. Of course, this was only for small animals; a kitten or puppy would likely be able to break free.

Perhaps sensing Su Jing's strength, the vine quickly retracted, and the roots below retreated back into the soil. The entire tree remained motionless, looking like an ordinary plant.

"This tree can even disguise itself and is a bully. It didn't move when I, a kitten, a puppy, a golden eagle, or even a parrot flew by, but it attacked only when the birds flew by."

Su Jing had no time to marvel. He quickly wiped the sticky liquid off his hands and the bird's body, checked the bird's injuries, and found that its bones were not broken, but it was bleeding from the mouth and was barely alive, likely injured internally. Without treatment, it would definitely die.

Su Jing quickly took out a piece of monster meat, tore it into small strips, and fed it to the bird. The bird struggled to swallow the meat, and with each strip, it regained a bit of strength. By the end, it had recovered some spirit and could make sounds, though it still couldn't stand.

Su Jing fed the bird until it was full, then found the nest in the loquat tree and placed it there. The other birds did not wait for Su Jing to leave; they flew down and gathered around the injured bird, chirping.

"What should I do with this man-eating tree?"

Su Jing returned to the man-eating tree, propping his chin in his hand as he examined the motionless, innocent-looking plant.

Actually, there are many carnivorous plants on Earth, such as the Venus flytrap, pitcher plant, yellow bladderwort, and ear digger grass. However, they mainly attract small insects with their scent, then trap or envelop them. A vine that directly reaches out to catch prey like this one is definitely not found.

There is no doubt that this vine must come from the One Piece world.

In the One Piece world, such plants are not uncommon, especially on the island where Usopp trained for two years, the Boing Boing Island. The entire island is covered with carnivorous plants, and the island itself is a giant Venus flytrap. Ordinary people on this island can't survive for more than a day, as they will be eaten by the plants and become their nutrients. After training, Usopp even used various carnivorous plant seeds as super weapons.

However, while this man-eating tree is magical, it seems to have no practical use. It needs to be prevented from eating small animals. Currently, it can only eat birds, but when it grows larger, it might eat cats, dogs, and even humans.

"Or maybe I can wait until it grows larger and use its seeds as weapons?"

Su Jing didn't know if the seeds of this man-eating tree could turn into a tree and bind enemies like the ones Usopp used. Even if they could, it would be too shocking to use them recklessly.

Su Jing thought and thought but couldn't come up with a reason to keep the man-eating tree. However, he still couldn't bear to kill it. For one, he had grown it himself, and for another, it seemed a waste to let such a magical plant die.

Su Jing decided to keep it but had to prevent it from killing other animals. He thought for a moment, then brought many small fish and threw two of them to the base of the man-eating tree. After a moment, several roots of the man-eating tree extended, grabbed the two fish, and dragged them into the soil.

Su Jing whistled, and the golden eagle flew down from the sky.

"From now on, you are responsible for throwing a few fish here every day, understand?" Su Jing used both words and gestures to teach the golden eagle. After eating the monster meat, the golden eagle had become increasingly intelligent. After a few lessons, it understood, picked up a fish, flew over the man-eating tree, and accurately threw the fish into the basket. It seemed to know that the man-eating tree was not a good thing and did not approach it easily.

"Very smart." Su Jing patted the golden eagle's head and rewarded it with a large piece of monster meat.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends