Winter departs and spring arrives; time flies. Deep within the dense forest, the howls of wild beasts echo from time to time. In the distant sky, a sharp cry pierces the air as a black eagle spreads its wings and swoops down. Its keen eyes have already locked onto its prey. Beside a black stone on the ground, a plump gray rabbit nibbles at the grass beneath the stone. Suddenly, the gray rabbit halts, then swiftly darts to the side. It's incredibly fast, vanishing from its spot in an instant. A shadow flashes behind it, and the eagle plunges down, its talons scraping the ground and kicking up dust. The eagle cries out, beating its wings to rise again. But the gray rabbit has already disappeared without a trace. Animals survive by the laws of nature, where the roles of hunter and prey can change in a heartbeat. Often, the chance of survival hangs by a thread. Beneath a grassy mound is a small hole, into which the rabbit quickly disappears. The gray rabbit hurries along the tunnel, and after an unknown time, it reaches a cavernous space within the mountain. Here, it is pitch black, and the ground is covered in moss. The gray rabbit seems to have been here many times before, heading in a familiar direction. It arrives at the base of a massive rock, its eyes gleaming with a look of longing, as it gazes silently at the rock above. On the rock sits a peculiar object: a large, oval-shaped cocoon of greenish-blue hue, draped with withered, yellowed vines. After an unknown period, the cocoon-like object stirs, emitting a burst of greenish-blue light. Tendrils emerge from within. The vines stretch and lengthen rapidly, quickly growing to a length of two to three zhang, swaying gently in the air.
Then, something strange occurs: fine, red lines appear on the surface of the vines. These lines, like liquid, continuously encroach. The vines emit a greenish-blue light, suppressing the red bloodlines. The intertwining of blood-red and greenish-blue light causes the vines to swell, quickly thickening. Cracks appear on the vine, and pieces break off and fall to the ground. The long-waiting gray rabbit acts, rushing to devour the fallen fragments of the vine. This bizarre scene lasts for a full quarter of an hour, until the vines have shrunk by more than half, the greenish-blue light weakens, and the vine is covered in blood-red lines. The blood-colored vines gradually retract back into the cocoon. It's as if nothing happened, except the cocoon emanates a two-toned glow of greenish-blue and blood-red. … Zhang Ling had a strange dream, in which he transformed into a vine, growing happily, its roots deeply embedded in the soil, absorbing nutrients. After an unknown time, he discovered that the nutrients in the soil were diminishing, and his growth became extremely slow. Unwilling to stop growing, he extended his roots downwards, hoping to find new sources of nourishment. As he searched, he discovered another vine hidden underground—a blood-red vine. This vine was frantically absorbing the soil's nutrients, leaving him with less and less. Then, he began to compete with the blood-red vine for the soil's nutrients. As the nutrients dwindled, he and the red vine began to fight. The two vines battled countless times. Once, he defeated the red vine and discovered something new: the red vine's roots were entwined around a skeleton. It was a human skeleton, something he, as a vine, had never seen before. Yet, he sensed that the skeleton was important and wanted to claim it for himself. In the time that followed, he guarded the skeleton, his roots penetrating it. Gradually, his body also changed, with blood-red threads extending from the skeleton onto his vines. He gradually transformed into another blood-red vine. Then, a green vine appeared, attempting to seize the skeleton and attacking him. By now, the skeleton had become his possession, and he fought the green vine more fiercely each time. With each battle, he grew stronger, repeatedly defeating the green vine. From the moment he first defeated the green vine, the skeleton began to sprout blood-red threads like his own. The blood threads on the skeleton multiplied, transforming it into something new. He didn't know what the skeleton was, but as it changed, flesh and hair grew upon it, and the image of a human face appeared in his mind. This feeling, both familiar and alien, repeatedly overlapped in his mind. Until he realized what it was, his consciousness became clearer. It was a person, a boy named Zhang Ling. And he was not a vine; he was Zhang Ling. …
Inside the mountain, on the giant rock, as the blood-colored vines contracted, the cocoon began to fall apart. A gaunt, emaciated boy opened his eyes, his gaze filled with confusion and emptiness. Memories gradually returned to Zhang Ling's mind. 'My name is Zhang Ling; Zhang Ling is me. I have a grandfather, and I am a villager of Qing Tian Village.' Images flashed through his mind, and expressions returned to his face. Zhang Ling! He repeated the name in a hoarse voice. His eyes gradually brightened from their emptiness. Zhang Ling sat up from the vine cocoon, looking at his surroundings. The glowing vines, the fiery scenes, all appeared in his mind. Then, he felt something strange on his left hand. There was a small crack on his arm, but he felt no pain. A tiny, greenish-blue vine emerged from the crack, coiling around his left arm and moving slowly. Strangely, the vine's roots were dense, and gray-green root-like structures, like blood vessels in a human body, were visible beneath his skin, rooted in his heart, making his chest appear mottled with greenish-red. Feeling each beat of his heart, the vine on his arm vibrated. Zhang Ling felt both strange and amazed. The vine felt like his own arm, an indescribable sensation. Suddenly, he sensed something, first in a daze, then realizing what it was. Beneath the giant rock was a gray rabbit, greedily gnawing on a broken piece of vine. At this moment, Zhang Ling's mouth was dry, and his body was weak. Seeing the rabbit, he thought of food. As soon as he had the thought, the vine on his left hand changed. The vine on his left arm rose up like a snake, emitting a green light towards the gray rabbit. With a whoosh, the vine grew longer and larger, instantly becoming a three-zhang-long vine, which constricted and wrapped the gray rabbit within it. The rabbit didn't struggle at all. In the next instant, it was crushed into two pieces, and blood splattered across a small area. This scene startled Zhang Ling. The vine seemed to have its own consciousness. He hadn't controlled the vine to attack the rabbit; the vine had killed it on its own. "Return." He commanded the vine in his mind. Instantly, the vine seemed to become obedient again, turning into a shadow and shrinking back into his left arm. Looking at the blood on the ground, Zhang Ling didn't know whether to be happy or worried. The vine seemed to have merged with him, parasitizing his body. Zhang Ling couldn't help but touch his chest. In this bizarre situation, it seemed he had become a monster. Zhang Ling stared blankly at the vine on his arm, speechless for a long time. After a while, he came back to his senses and opened his right hand. In his right palm, he held a thumb-sized, round, earthy-yellow bead. With his symbiotic relationship with the vine, he sensed that this bead was no ordinary object. Zhang Ling was in a daze for a while before he regained his composure. Although he seemed to have become a monster, it was good that he was still alive. Standing up, he realized he was completely naked; his clothes were long gone. It seemed that if not for the vine's parasitism, he would have been burned to death. Touching his shriveled stomach, Zhang Ling walked down from the giant rock, picked up the two pieces of rabbit meat, and looked for a way out. Only now did he realize that it was pitch black, but he could see everything around him, as if he had gained a special ability.