Chapter 557: Hey, Another Flower Picked

Although the newly learned Shadow Veil cannot be used here, Ji Ming still has a simple and handy old trick, the Suggestion Technique, that he can employ.

So to outsiders, they might appear to be watching a pair of Er Bi standing on a platform, straining their eyes at a distant gigantic sunlamp, looking dazed.

But in the real world, Ji Ming's thoughts have already shrouded the perceptions of all living things around, including the two sects' humans and horses.

At the forefront of this is Koste, who is leaning on the railing, staring blankly at the Holy Mountain like a bug that has just seen the light.

"Heh heh heh, there is even a flower‑level envoy daring to be alone with me; be obedient, relax your mind, and receive my grand healing!"

However, just as Ji Ming pressed his hand against Koste's occiput, preparing to dig out another corner of the Deep Forest's old ridge, he found that something seemed off.

"My brain, where is my brain!"

Just as in fantasy settings the dantian is located behind the navel and in front of the kidneys, the spirit consciousness also resides within an objectively existing organ.

Therefore, if Ji Ming wishes to reshape the dandelion's spirit consciousness, the counterpart must first possess a qualified brain.

However, the current situation is that the control can hold, even tightly, but after touching his occiput, there is simply nowhere to operate!

"Gui Gui, why does this situation feel a bit off?"

But Ji Ming didn't panic; instead, he expanded his own spirit consciousness, enveloped the entire dandelion, and began a comprehensive scan.

Then…

"Ah, this."

Now he finally understood the problem—the dandelion does have a brain, but its brain isn't on its head; it's in its belly!

And as he followed the dandelion's spirit pathways, re‑examining its body a second time, Ji Ming couldn't help recalling a bizarre joke he had once heard.

"Do you think our brains might be parasites, with nerves as their tentacles, using this method to control our bodily movements?"

And.

"Hou Li Xie, my mother turned out to be a necromancer! Because after I went to the hospital for an X‑ray today, I discovered that inside my body is sealed a super skeleton man that can move in perfect sync with me!"

Indeed, on the technology‑driven Earth these would be mere jokes, but in the Yangyue World, similar occurrences are far from impossible.

—For example, the being before Ji Ming's eyes.

Factually, the Deep Forest Archbishop Koste, who has been conversing with him for quite a while, is merely a lifelike doll costume.

The real dandelion resides inside him, like nerves and sinews, its branches and fine filaments spreading through every inch of his body as a bizarre plant!

Thus Koste's earlier reticence can be explained; it's like the alien cockroach in 'Men in Black' that moves in a human skin—simply a suit restricting his performance, which can be torn off.

Objectively speaking, this biological form is rather disgusting; after all, whether it's the head, neck, heart, or fatal strike, all of Koste's biological vulnerabilities are in fact not vulnerabilities.

It can even combine tentacle entanglement, bodily parasitism, hypnotic pollen, paralytic toxins, sensory masking, and any other effects, creating a wonderfully odd combo.

But because of his arrogance, following the usual interview protocol, he swaggered into the Holy Light Court Headquarters and personally witnessed the Holy Mountain, the shed skin of a deity.

Just as fish cannot live without water, lazy dog dragons cannot leave their nests, a plant's pursuit of light is etched into its very bones.

Like the neighboring blood clan, no matter how high their rank, they cannot completely resist the lure of hunger; they can only use willpower to curb desire as much as possible.

Yet what now stands before him is the purest, most primordial Holy Light, a mere sip of which can make one soar to great heights.

The crop deity Greisen certainly doesn't have to endure it; he can even sign agreements with Bishop Sterling, occasionally sending Holy Light cultivators to let him enjoy a full Holy Light bath.

But as the first Deep Forest Church cultivator in nearly a century to experience the primordial Holy Light up close—and moreover an unprecedented artificial‑plant dandelion—

Given such a coincidence, it is only natural that Ji Ming, already adept at mind‑control techniques, could capture him with a single move.

What follows is the classic anti‑brainwash trio: cleansing the Deep Forest deity's influence, stripping chaotic thoughts, and reconstructing a complete mind.

After this process is complete, although Koste shows no outward change, his heart has become that of a steadfast Upper Deity follower.

Moreover, compared to the Deep Forest, which, despite offering monetary incentives, is essentially a brain‑washing monstrosity, Ji Ming's approach is far more enlightened.

Du She loves to play and cause trouble, so let her and her follower friends join Greisen in revelry, fully loosening the restraints.

Bai Li Xiang enjoys scientific research, so grant him access to the rights of perfect‑life study and open the library in the tower castle for his perusal.

Rose and the dandelion crave fame and progress; let them become our inside agents—when the Shen Lin Wang Guo collapses, they'll surely earn a top‑grade merit.

Thus, under the directed subversion offensive, unwittingly the Twelve Golden Flowers of Deep Forest managed to coax four of them over to Ji Ming.

There's no choice: moving from a third‑rate firm already on the brink of closure that even liked PUA employees, to seamlessly jump to the world's largest megacorp with millions of staff and ever‑expanding scale—no worker can withstand such poaching.

【Pathetic, the pitiful victim Deep Forest, already wearing four hats, is still being kept in the dark by everyone, sigh!】

"Child, that's not funny at all."

But the little boss's odd remark did alert Ji Ming. He had, in a short span, turned two flower‑level envoys, and the probability of the Deep Forest deity noticing something amiss was rising linearly.

Since retreat is now unlikely, the only thing he can do is intensify his efforts, using Rose and the dandelion's method to deceive more flower‑level envoys into contacting him, accelerating the subversion process.

Ideally, on the day he and the Deep Forest deity finally clash openly, when it descends from the divine realm and is surprised to find that, aside from the Pope…

No! Ideally, all high‑level forces, including the Pope, have already become traitors!

—Grandma's, have I just founded a black‑clad organization!?

And since the dandelion has already been turned into an ally, the rest is simple; Ji Ming followed the procedure and completed the tour before night fell.

Regardless, as a high‑ranking heretic, Archbishop Koste certainly wouldn't stay overnight at the Holy Light Court, so he led his subordinates back to Qixia City.

Thus, after delivering the sightseeing party to the temporary lodging arranged by the Pioneers, Ji Ming's task for today was concluded.

But just as he was about to leave, a person suddenly blocked his steps.

"Sir, may I speak with you privately?"

Ji Ming:???

He looked up and saw that it was the young man who served as head of the sightseeing group's guards.

"You…"

But he still had time to leisurely recall; the youngster before him was already frantic.

"Sir, I am also a royal relative of the Wang clan! Please consider, I truly have something very important to tell you!"

"Hmm?"

When he said that, Ji Ming was no longer sleepy, immediately agreeing, "Sure, let's go to that private garden you visited yesterday morning; I forgot my key… no, the key is still in my hand, convenient."

A moment later, Ji Ming entered the garden with the guard captain, first letting him wander around like a panicked animal, checking everything, then setting down a few formation arrays as alarm devices, and only then spoke.

"Harming you means nothing to me; rather, I should be wary of you harming me."

The guard captain quickly waved his hand.

"No, no, no, I absolutely have no intention of harming you; on the contrary, I desperately need your help!"

Seeing the kid so frightened that even the whites of his eyes turned red, Ji Ming stopped his intimidation and sat on the pavilion bench.

"Meeting you privately carries risk for me; you have three minutes to explain your intentions clearly."

"Alright, then let me introduce myself first…"

When the youngster opened his mouth, Ji Ming smiled.

It couldn't be helped; his story somehow linked with that of the unlucky Ke Si Te.

Since Dandelion is a specially engineered plant, its official host, Ke Si Te's identity is naturally genuine.

Just like those great families that gamble on both sides and send offspring as hostages, Ke Si Te is actually the Flying Feather Clan's "loyalty" offered to the Deep Forest Church.

In fact, the real Ke Si Te started off fairly well in the church; at least through his own effort he became a bishop of a major noble domain.

After all, he's not a flamboyant playboy, but a well‑educated, calm, steady, seemingly reliable high‑quality male of Deep Forest.

And precisely because of that, the fortunate Ke Si Te, with his deadpan demeanor that needs no acting, became Dandelion's best parasitic host.

Good news: Little Ke has since risen swiftly and gradually reached the position of southern‑region Archbishop.

Bad news: Little Ke is no longer the wealthy son of the Flying Feather Clan, but the watery Dandelion_official's host.

So, since these great families can hedge both sides, why can't the Deep Forest royal family?

Therefore, the person before Ji Ming, in terms of seniority, could actually be counted as the seventh son of the Lionheart King.

Note, considering that Lionheart Kings have produced many offspring, I have the "good" habit of not even acknowledging illegitimate children.

Strictly speaking, the gentleman named A Qi Ta is not the seventh son of the Lionheart King, merely the seventh son he recognized.

And even if recognized, it only grants him a ticket to join this royal war; compared with the three crown princes, A Qi Ta's value is still too low.

Thus, to prevent him later from being punished by his siblings for stepping left first, A Qi Ta's noble lady mother secured for him the status of a hostage, entering the Deep Forest Church.

After all, being of the old Lion family, the youngster's physique is decent; not only did he become a member of the armed cultivator through his excellent combat talent, but also climbed step by step to his current position.

But as everyone knows, the higher one climbs, the farther one sees, and the easier it is to discern whether one's surroundings are a free expanse or a shrinking pool.

So when A Qi Ta was promoted again, gaining the right to oversee a district's peace and stability, he suddenly realized his situation seemed rather dire.

Especially after he accidentally uncovered Archbishop Ke Te Si's secret, he was so frightened he could hardly eat or sleep, fearing he might one day become a parasitic host for some bizarre plant.

Indeed, that's the very reason he abandoned his comfortable post as Deep Forest Guard Corps Commander to follow Archbishop Ke Si Te on this distant diplomatic mission.

—Running away, running away, just laugh it off.

According to A Qi Ta's original plan, once he entered Qixia City he would act swiftly, secretly contacting the Holy Light Pope at top speed to request protection.

But as everyone knows, plans never keep up with change, especially since this kid is indecisive and too soft for a heavy responsibility.

Thus the promised immediate action turned into a procrastination disaster; on the final day of the three‑day visit, A Qi Ta still hadn't taken any action.

It wasn't until, as the guard captain, he followed the Archbishop to the Holy Light Papal Court for a visit and saw the seemingly affable JiMiYin Divine Selection, who greeted everyone with a friendly demeanor, that he finally mustered courage.

Thus the limited‑time event "Plan Can't Keep Up with Change" was proudly re‑released; the A Qi Ta who had intended to be restrained was suddenly rattled by Ji Ming and began babbling.

"Oh, so that's because of this."

Given Ji Ming's temperament, defections by Deep Forest insiders are certainly welcome and strongly supported, but only one or two low‑level pawns causing minor trouble is not satisfying enough.

This is also why, after turning Rose and other relatively normal flower‑rank envoys, Ji Ming without hesitation sent them back as spies—the very act of planting a trap.

But from another angle, since time is on his side, Ji Ming cannot risk tearing relations early; under Deep Forest pressure, he forcibly protects a minor figure who couldn't even mingle with the crown princes.

Of course, this doesn't mean A Qi Ta lacks value, so Ji Ming's response was.

"Since you are also of noble royal blood, why, when faced with such injustice, is your first thought to flee? That is rather shameful, isn't it?"

A Qi Ta was stunned by Ji Ming's question: "Ah, this…"

And before he could realize that Ji Ming, an outsider, was speaking on behalf of others, Ji Ming's second round of questioning began.

"Does this action honor the Lionheart blood within you? Or do you think simple avoidance can solve everything, and you don't care about the mother who has been so good to you?"