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Chapter 235 Heart-shaped Herb
TL: Kyous
With great care, Leo approached the entrance of the Temple of Panther God, crossing the vividly lifelike black panther sculptures, passing by the good-looking guards, and finally passing through the intricately carved huge gate.
He made it through safely without any trouble!
Breathing a sigh of relief, he realized that nothing bad had occurred despite his suspicions. The interior of the temple was just as impressive as the exterior, with a spacious room and a sloping path leading down. Every five meters, golden lights illuminated the area, casting a luxurious and grand atmosphere.
Leo descended nearly sixty meters along the slope, which was supported by stone pillars on both sides before reaching the bottom, where a massive circular platform of almost five hundred square meters lay.
To his right was a stone tablet engraved with three ancient Wakandan characters that spelled “Temple of Panther God.”
As he withdrew his gaze from the stone tablet, he looked ahead and saw a two-meter-wide stone path extending from under his feet all the way to the end of the circular platform.
His gaze then swept to both sides and he noticed that there were two smaller stone black panther statues on either side of him. Beyond the statues were circular flowerbeds, where around eight people were scattered about, tending to the green, blue, and purple heart-shaped herbs that grew within.
The herbs had green leaves, blue trumpet-shaped petals, and purple heart-shaped fruits. It was clear to Leo that these weren’t ordinary plants that could survive without sunlight for years and still look so healthy.
Suspended himself in midair, he scanned the area, but couldn’t find Bucky.
He activated his communicator in his helmet right away, “Hey Bucky, I’m here. Where are you?”
“I’m in the flowerbed on the far right where you came in. There’s a blue morning glory here, I’m inside it,” Bucky replied excitedly.
Leo flew towards the right and soon found Bucky crawling around inside a petal that was bigger than his palm, on top of a heart-shaped fruit emitting a purple glow.
Even though he couldn’t see Bucky’s face behind the Winter suit, he was certain that Bucky’s expression was exactly the same as when he saw Ant-Man Suit for the first time at Dr. Pym’s house.
Landing next to Bucky, he steadied himself with his hands.
“Hey Leo, there you are!” Bucky turned his head and greeted Leo, then continued to stare at the heart-shaped fruit.
Seeing Bucky’s reaction, Leo kicked him and said, “You’re not a bee, why are you acting like you’re collecting honey?”
Bucky stood up, still holding onto the outer leaves of the herb, and excitedly clarified, “Leo, this is the miraculous herb I found. It’s called Heart-shaped Herb, and it’s the source of Black Panther’s superhuman strength.”
Intrigued, Leo asked, “How do you know that?”
With a smirk, Bucky answered, “After you installed a translator in my Winter, I wandered around outside for two days without finding anything useful. Finally, a light bulb lit in my brain and I snuck into their school to read their history books. That’s how I found out everything!”
Leo presented a thumbs-up to Bucky’s ingenuity.
Bucky laughed even more happily, like a child. Suddenly, he remembered something and stopped laughing as he asked, “Leo, do you know how to take the heart-shaped herb? I couldn’t find it in the history book.”
Bucky’s question stumped Leo as Leo only knew from the movies that herbs were crushed and then drunk. But he was unclear if there was any particular procedure or if a neutralizing agent needed to be added.
“Maybe
 you pick it and stuff it into your mouth, chew it, and it will work?” Leo could only guess.
Rolling his eyes at Leo, Bucky knew that Leo didn’t know the answer either and was just spouting nonsense.
Just as they were at a loss, they suddenly heard voices coming from the temple, gradually getting louder as the speakers approached.
They climbed to the top of the flower petals and looked in the direction of the voices.
An old man and a young man were walking towards the flower garden where Leo and Bucky were.
The old man, who appeared to be in his twilight years, had a slightly hunched stature and was dressed in a typical Wakandan robe that appeared a bit worn. He held a tool that resembled a shovel in his right hand, appearing like an ordinary farmer.
However, the old man spoke with great authority. He sternly scolded the young man, “Why can’t you concentrate on your work in the temple? This is the most honorable profession that has been handed down from generation to generation in Wakanda!”
The young man hung his head in silence, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Expressing his disappointment and frustration, the old man continued, “You’re already twenty-eight years old. You spent a whole decade in America for the mission and in Wakanda, you don’t even have a single friend. It’s only because King T’Chaka admired you that he selected you to succeed me as the high priest of the temple. If you don’t want to, then you can go to the mines to dig, the farms to plant, or the factories to assemble parts!”
Still receiving no response from the young man, the old man heaved out a sigh and softened his tone, “Your mother died early, and I haven’t taken care of you for a whole decade. But we share the same blood, and I just want you to have a better life. I have no other requests. Only if you inherit my position as the high priest of the temple, can you stand firm in Wakanda. Then, I’ll have the dignity to face your mother again.”
Finally, the young man reacted, appearing very emotional but also speaking softly, as if afraid of being overheard, “But to save me, the king killed
”
“Silent!” Abruptly, the old man interrupted him with a stern tone, his expression was solemn and had no intention of joking.
The old man stood up straight, and his bent figure rose up, even half a head taller than his son. Staring at his son, he asked in a deep voice, “Who are you?”
Momentarily startled, the young man instinctively straightened his body, and answered loudly, “Zuri, son of Badu.”
The old man enunciated each word deliberately, “I am Badu, your father!”
He then spoke swiftly and lowered his voice, “If you still recognize me as your father, then listen to me and forget about what happened two years ago completely! You promised the king not to say a word to anyone else, and by telling me this secret, you have already disobeyed the king’s command. You absolutely cannot say another word!”
After listening silently, the young man lowered his head and said nothing. The old man also remained silent, staring at him with a stern expression.
After a while, the young man seemed to suddenly realize something and looked up at the old man, meeting the old man’s gaze, “Father, I understood. I’ll do as you say.”
The old man smiled, nodding in relief. He then resumed his appearance as an old farmer, taking a shovel and casually digging in the flowerbed, loosening the soil around a heart-shaped herb.
As he passed by a blue-purple herb, he plucked the fruit at its center and handed it to Zuri, who was standing nearby.