Chapter 94 — Strange Blooms

In an instant the wondrous flower underwent an incredible change. All its blossoms seemed suddenly to come alive, closing in on the monster from every side. And the red, crystal globes on the branches seemed possessed of a powerful stickiness; once the monster touched them, it struggled with all its might but could not break free. Before long more and more petals wrapped around it, layer upon layer, until at last the man-high monster was wholly enveloped, and even its roars gradually sank into silence.

Facheng and Zeng Shuyan, who had set this trap, now saw with their own eyes how terrible the wondrous flower was, and could not help but pale as Lin Jinghong had.

For a long while the wondrous flower held the monster completely enclosed, until no trace of it could be seen. The clearing suddenly returned to calm, and between heaven and earth there remained only the sound of wind and rain.

The three looked at one another. Facheng sighed, raised one palm upright, and softly chanted a Buddha's name.

Note 1: From "Strange Creatures of Gods and Demons, Chapter on the Hundred Herbs," the Man-Eating Flower: a monstrous species of the wild lands. Its blossom grows over a zhang across, red above and white below, with red pearls at the upper end that adhere to and devour living creatures.

Another note: In "A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Carnivorous Plants," this creature is suspected to be of the genus Utricularia. It is found in South America and Asia (North America has not been clearly investigated; it seems it may also be distributed there?), but is small in size, insectivorous, and poses no great danger to humans. Its appearance resembles that described in the ancient books; it may be an aquatic bladderwort, or perhaps a sundew.

Note 2: This creature is recorded in "Classic of Mountains and Seas, Mountain Classic, Volume Five, Central Mountain Classic, Mount Qingyao."