"Dean Wang, she left right after she finished the medicine. But she should still be on campus. I'll go find her!" Teacher Zhao eagerly volunteered. This was a student from his class, and he couldn't let anyone else snatch her away. He had to be the first to find Ning Xuan.
When the other teachers present heard that Ning Xuan wasn't in the classroom but was likely still on campus—and that this was her first-ever First Year of High School class—they all grew excited. The second-year teachers thought to themselves, 'With her skill level, she could go straight into the second-year curriculum! I have to find her and get her moved up. It wouldn't even take a month to catch her up on the first-year material.' The third-year teachers had the same idea.
To be able to create a medicine of such purity... so what if she couldn't use an Alchemy Furnace for now? With this level of fine control over her spiritual power, it wouldn't be impossible to believe she could one day craft Elixir Pills by hand!
Ning Xuan was on the Star Network, engrossed in researching how to make a fortune. She had even contacted a specialized consignment store. After some negotiation, the store agreed to perform purity tests for free and would only charge a 10% commission on sales.
After finalizing the deal, Ning Xuan felt she should still discuss it with Chen Nan and see if he was willing to let her use his personal information to sell items.
The study room Ning Xuan had found was on the fifth floor, the highest in the Alchemy Department. The fifth floor was lined with rows of data rooms and study rooms. The one she was in was particularly remote and easy to overlook, so very few students ever came here.
While the entire academy was out looking for her, Ning Xuan was browsing websites on the Star Network that sold medicine. She soon discovered that a topical medicine used for mending bones and reattaching tendons was frequently out of stock. This medicine was called Bone Healing Potion, and many people were online desperately seeking it. She did some research and found that the raw material, Bone Healing Wood, only cost about one thousand Star Coins, yet a single bottle of the purified medicine sold for as much as three hundred thousand Star Coins. The price difference was enormous. Logically, many people should be willing to produce this medicine, yet the Bone Healing Potion remained in short supply.
'It seems this Exotic Plant, Bone Healing Wood, is quite difficult to purify. I might as well try it tonight when I get back.'
At that thought, Ning Xuan immediately placed an order on the Star Network for ten portions of Bone Healing Wood. She remembered that her own Star Network account only had a balance of just over 300 Star Coins. The fact that she could now buy whatever she wanted was all thanks to Chen Nan. 'Classes for today are pretty much over anyway,' she mused. 'I might as well go find him and see how his classes went!'
Ning Xuan got up and walked out of the study room. The moment she stepped outside, she saw Chen Nan standing there. "What are you doing standing here?" Ning Xuan asked with a frown.
"Contractor, I was afraid of disturbing you, so I waited here," Chen Nan explained, bowing respectfully.
"There's no need to be so formal. We have a mutually beneficial relationship. You can relax a little!" As Ning Xuan walked over to Chen Nan's side, she suddenly leaned in toward him. "Why are your ears so red?"
Ning Xuan's sudden proximity made Chen Nan's heart pound like a drum. Now, not only were his ears red, but his face was too.
He didn't know what was wrong with him. The truth was, from the very first moment he saw her, an inner impulse had driven him to get closer to her. And so, he had followed that impulse and come to her side.
But Ning Xuan was no naive, innocent girl who didn't understand anything. In fact, before she had accidentally arrived in this world, she had spent many years in Cultivation, ruled over a city, and naturally had men in her life. Seeing Chen Nan's bashful reaction, she found it rather amusing.
"C-Contractor, there are a lot of people outside looking for you. They even came looking for me. I was worried they would disturb you, so I stood guard here!" Chen Nan had also grown tired of being pestered by them, which was why he had come here to hide.
"Looking for me? What for?" Ning Xuan asked, puzzled.
"I asked around. You refined a high-purity Blue Flame Grass Potion in your very first class. That's why they're looking for you!" The profession of an Alchemist was one that demanded a high degree of control over spiritual power. Some people didn't have a high Spiritual Power Level but were naturally skilled at manipulating it. These individuals were prime candidates for becoming Alchemists. Most people, however, had to train relentlessly to achieve that status.
"For that?" Hearing Chen Nan's answer, Ning Xuan remembered the little trick she had pulled with the medicine filtration device. It was just a small gadget that used the principle of adsorption for a second round of filtering. 'Does the academy want my idea?'
'No way. A unique skill is for making money. She was so poor right now that she was relying on Chen Nan to support her. How could she possibly hand over her money-making secret?'
Ning Xuan made up her mind in an instant. If anyone asked, she would have to play dumb. From now on, she would also try to avoid making medicine in public.
"Let's go. It's time to head home. I'll cook dinner for you tonight!" Ning Xuan decided to avoid those people and go home to eat. Maybe by tomorrow, they would have forgotten all about it.
When Chen Nan heard Ning Xuan say she would cook for him, a smile couldn't help but tug at the corners of his mouth. Her cooking was truly delicious. The Earth Deer Beast Meat she prepared was a hundred times more delicious than the way Cui Mingche had taught him to make it.
He found it hard to believe. She was such a good cook, yet her past grades in culinary arts were mediocre, even failing. He suspected that Ning Xuan might not have been taking her exams seriously back then.
"Ning Xuan! Teacher Zhao! Ning Xuan's over here! Hurry, I found her!" Luo Meng, who was about to leave school for the day, had sharp eyes and spotted Ning Xuan just as she was about to reach the school gate. He excitedly darted in front of her, blocking her path while shouting at the top of his lungs.
Seeing Luo Meng shouting and trying to get close to Ning Xuan, Chen Nan's gaze turned cold. He flew into action, and with a THUD, kicked him away. He turned back and called out to Ning Xuan, "Contractor." With just a look from her, he would get her out of there immediately.
Ning Xuan waved her hand dismissively. It wasn't like she had done anything shameful. 'Why run?' she thought. 'Listening to how excited Luo Meng was when he stopped me, he probably thought I'd committed some crime to be hunted by the entire school!'
In that brief moment they were delayed, many students who were about to leave school gathered around. Teacher Zhao came running over, panting. "Ning Xuan! Dean Wang and all of us have been looking for you all day! Quick, come with me!"
"Teacher Zhao, school is already out. Whatever it is, can't it wait until tomorrow?" Ning Xuan's stomach was rumbling. Right now, all she wanted was to go home, cook, and eat.