After the Ice Queen’s departure, the care they lavished on their seedlings grew even more intense.

The rose seedlings were so delicate that the smallest mishap could kill them. All three stayed at peak alertness, not missing a single change.

Freshly sprouted seeds grow with fierce energy. Once the first pair of seed leaves had unfurled, a pair of true leaves quickly followed — deeper in color than the seed leaves, with a stem that gradually thickened.

Ed had witnessed Erik’s death with his own eyes, and the shadow of it seemed to linger. He sat rigid, gripping his lid, eyes fixed unblinking on his seedling.

If the soil surface dried, he gave it water. If the temperature dipped, he added fuel.

The seedling grew taller and taller, but also more and more slender — and finally, unable to bear the weight of the true leaves, it tilted and collapsed.

“Old man!!!” Ed cried out. “Old man! Come quick — what’s wrong with my seedling?! Come look! Hurry!!!”

Cheng Weicai was startled. Before he could even get up, Ed was already racing toward him, cup lid outstretched.

“Do something!” Ed’s face was wild with alarm. “Don’t let it die! Old man — I’m telling you right now, if my seedling dies, you’re not walking away from this either. We can all go down together!!!”

The rules only prohibited killing people. Destroying a tiny seedling would be the easiest thing in the world.

“Calm down…” Cheng Weicai was rattled by his frantic voice. “Set it down first, set it down and let me look…”

“Ed.” Brian frowned. “Put the seedling down.”

Ed was covered in a cold sweat, barely keeping himself together. He managed to steady his nerves and set down the small cup lid, still muttering with unease, “What happened… is the lid too small? Why would a perfectly healthy seedling fall over? Will it die? Is it going to die…”

He could not end up like Erik.

Ed stared at Cheng Weicai with desperate intensity. “Old man, my seedling…”

“You gave it too much water,” Cheng Weicai said. “It’s all right — there’s still time to fix it.”

He found a small wooden splint, carefully inserted it alongside the seedling to give the fragile stem something to lean against, then tested the moisture level of the soil with his finger. He reached into his pack, pinched out a small amount of dry soil, crumbled it fine, and scattered it over the surface of the lid to help absorb the excess moisture.

“Don’t water it again for now. Wait until the soil surface is clearly dry before adding water.” Cheng Weicai instructed.

Ed nodded, then didn’t leave — he simply sat down right beside Cheng Weicai. He probably felt safer staying close, in case something went wrong with the seedling again.

Cheng Weicai didn’t object. He silently kept watch over his own seedling, his thoughts drifting…

He had watched Ed’s panic and rage with clear eyes. Proximity to death always drove people to desperate extremes — hysteria, the abandonment of conscience and morality.

Cheng Weicai understood very well that no matter how firm their temporary alliance, if their lives were threatened, these men would not hesitate to act against him. For now, they needed him to teach them how to grow flowers. But afterward? Once the seedlings had grown?

When that time came, would he also have to raise a blade against his enemies in order to protect himself?

This brutal reality pressed down on Cheng Weicai with enormous weight.

He had taught and cultivated students for nearly forty years. What he gave them was sincerity, goodness, and beauty. Was he now to become like these men — something unrecognizable?

A person reduced to a beast. How pitiable.

Brian’s question broke through his thoughts.

“When can we transfer them to larger containers?” Brian asked. “If they keep growing, the lid will be too small.”

“Ah… wait until they have another three or four leaves, and are about seven or eight centimeters tall. Transplanting then gives a better survival rate,” Cheng Weicai said. “The bowls and pots we found outside will all work fine. It’s best to punch a few holes in the bottom first — that way the aeration will be better…”

Without another word, Brian and Ed stood up to go pick out containers.

—