"Though it's true that I could use a bit more experience…"
When Su Ran brought her a teacher,
Ningguang immediately felt conflicted.
After all—
She was already a successful businesswoman.
Teyvat might not have the population of the wider universe,
But it certainly wasn't lacking people.
To stand out among so many—
Ningguang had always considered herself exceptionally capable.
And yet—
This fox-eared girl looked barely twenty.
Could she really teach her anything?
"She's a Foxian from the Xianzhou. She runs a merchant guild under her name. Sure, she's not as rich as Asta, but she's done plenty of business—and she's already over a hundred years old."
Su Ran had no choice but to explain Tingyun's background.
"More importantly, she's backed by the Sky-Faring Commission. Her role is basically equivalent to one of the Qixing. She's got real status. She's perfect to teach you."
As Tingyun listened to Su Ran's introduction,
A thought naturally formed in her mind.
She assumed—
Su Ran wanted to use her influence to establish ties with the Xianzhou Alliance.
But honestly—
That was wishful thinking.
She was only a humble Whistling Flames merchant envoy.
How could she possibly have that much influence?
Unfortunately—
Now that she was in someone else's territory,
She didn't dare rashly explain the situation to her benefactor.
What if—
Once he discovered she wasn't useful,
She lost even the value she currently had?
That would only put her in danger.
"The Xianzhou… I've heard of it. Their culture seems quite similar to Liyue's."
Still—
Its history seemed even older than Liyue's.
"Exactly. That's why she's perfect for you. Work hard! Don't disappoint my expectations."
"And where are you going now?"
Seeing that Su Ran was about to leave again,
Ningguang felt genuinely puzzled.
Was he really so at ease,
Leaving her alone to manage such a massive space station?
Though—
To be fair,
As far as bosses went, Ningguang actually quite liked this type.
Capable subordinates could fully display their talents.
Less capable ones could muddle through.
After all—
The boss rarely came around to inspect things anyway.
Still—
At the very least,
Shouldn't he wait until she was more familiar with things before letting go completely?
"I'm going to pick up a Stellaron. Don't miss me too much."
With that,
Su Ran activated the teleportation device—
And vanished from the station.
"Hehe… Benefactor really is interesting. Miss Ningguang's daily life must be full of amusing things, no?"
While Su Ran was present,
Tingyun didn't dare probe too much.
But now—
Facing his subordinate alone,
She naturally needed to gather some information.
Especially since—
She'd just learned the name Asta.
That only made her more curious about Su Ran's identity.
"Interesting things… not really. He's usually away. He doesn't spend much time here."
Having Su Ran as a superior—
Whether you were capable or not—
Was honestly quite pleasant.
Talented people could thrive.
Untalented ones could coast.
After all—
The boss almost never checked in.
"So Benefactor is quite the busy man. I still don't know exactly who he is."
Tingyun looked toward the place Su Ran had disappeared,
Her eyes full of admiration and longing.
Even if part of it was an act for Ningguang's sake—
At least some of it was genuine.
After all—
She was alive now.
Her gratitude was certainly real.
Ningguang looked at her with a strange expression.
Because Tingyun was someone Su Ran had personally brought—
She didn't feel comfortable questioning too much.
But that was exactly why it felt strange.
If Su Ran had brought her here—
How could she not know who he was?
"What kind of look is that? Did this little woman say something wrong?"
Without her usual folding fan in hand,
Tingyun simply covered her mouth with one hand,
Putting on a delicate, slightly anxious expression.
"No… I was just thinking. He once said members of the Genius Society were very famous…"
If not for Asta,
And that Miss Jade's immense respect toward Su Ran—
Ningguang might've started wondering if she'd been sold a dream.
Someone that incredible—
Surely he should be famous, right?
"Genius…"
Tingyun froze for a moment.
Now—
Everything made sense.
Anyone who could take her from Ruan Mei's hands—
Naturally wasn't ordinary.
Just as she'd suspected—
He really was a Genius Society member.
"Could he be that newly emerged genius?"
If Tingyun remembered correctly—
That genius's name had also been short and simple.
If Su Ran truly was that genius—
Then helping him connect with the Xianzhou Alliance…
Tingyun would actually be more than happy to assist.
The Xianzhou would absolutely be willing to befriend someone like him.
"Mhm. In terms of age, he's actually a few years younger than me. Probably because he only appeared recently, so his fame hasn't spread very far yet."
Tingyun blinked.
Not spread very far?
How could that be?
At most—
It was simply because he was too low-profile,
And too little information about him had circulated.
If Genius Society member portraits were public—
She would've recognized him instantly.
And besides—
Other than the longevity-related research she'd heard about at first—
She hadn't heard of any other major works from him.
Wasn't that the very definition of low-key?
Unless—
He had entered the Genius Society with just a single invention?
Though honestly…
That didn't seem impossible either.
"Then you're mistaken. The entire universe knows of Benefactor's existence. It's just that no one knows what he looks like."
At this point,
Tingyun truly felt that Ningguang came from a rather underdeveloped world.
To question the fame of the Genius Society—
And even doubt the reputation of a genius?
That was almost adorable.
"Miss Ningguang, would you mind showing Tingyun around Benefactor's world? This little woman is very interested in Benefactor's home."
"…"
Ningguang looked at Tingyun,
And suddenly felt deeply exasperated.
If she remembered correctly—
Hadn't Su Ran said Tingyun was already over a hundred years old?
You—
A century-old old monster—
Calling yourself "this little woman" in front of me, someone not even thirty—
Wasn't that a bit shameless?
At your age—
Why are you pretending to be young?
"Of course. Since Su Ran entrusted you to teach me, then naturally, I should let Teacher see my achievements."
Ningguang deliberately emphasized the respectful Teacher—
Subtly raising Tingyun's seniority another notch.
If Tingyun kept calling herself "little woman" in front of her after that—
Then it really would seem like forced youthful affectation.
"Then as your teacher, I shall gladly accept you as my student."
Naturally—
Tingyun noticed Ningguang's little counterattack.
But she didn't mind.
Foxians didn't live as long as the longer-lived Xianzhou natives—
But they still far surpassed short-lived species.
As far as age was concerned—
She had no intention of squabbling over it with ordinary mortals.
What ordinary people considered "old"—
In the Xianzhou,
Might not even count as fully grown yet.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer