Bubu Pharmacy.
Baizhu sat at a desk cluttered with petri dishes, lifting his head from the microscope. He paused in thought, then picked up his pen and began noting down lines of today's experint results.
The long white snake coiled its way up the table leg, raising its head and speaking in a human voice to remind him, "Baizhu, it's quite late already."
Baizhu gave a gentle nod. "Mm."
"You have to attend the school's inauguration ceremony tomorrow. You should get so rest."
"Alright."
"Then put down the pen already, would you?"
"Just a mont more."
Changsheng's eyes betrayed a hint of helplessness. It turned its head to look out the window.
Across the courtyard was a small, long-neglected room.
That was where Qiqi used to live.
"Baizhu, Qiqi hasn't co back at all these past few days."
"She's not that little child she once was anymore. She should have things she wants to pursue for herself."
"I do feel a little lonely sotis, not having her around."
"Lonely, huh… Why don't you join in the lab?"
"You—ugh…"
Changsheng let out a faintly exasperated sigh, but Baizhu just chuckled as he tucked away his pen and notebook.
"Alright, ti to rest. We've been running around all over the place lately—no wonder we're exhausted."
"At least it wasn't all in vain."
"True. Let's hope Mr. Xia likes the gift we prepared."
—
Just like diligent cultivation always yields sweet fruit, the daily regin of secret dicinal massages had finally paid off.
Tonight, a beautiful golden progress bar shimred into existence on Miss Yelan's status display.
Naturally, Xia Zhi was quite pleased.
The treasure chest didn't really matter—what mattered was that he now felt far more reassured about Miss Yelan's upcoming expedition to The Chasm.
So far, he'd encountered quite a few golden-tier progress bars.
There was the temporarily weakened Moon Carver, Hu Tao with her peculiar inherited constitution, Qiqi the zombie, the ghostly Chi Yu, Shenhe with her innate super strength, Ganyu of the qilin bloodline, the reborn Guoba, the Fatui Harbinger "Childe," and even Raiden Makoto in her remnant soul state…
Every golden-tier individual possessed extraordinary strength or a unique physique.
But Yelan was different. She was fully, undeniably human.
Yes, she wielded a Hydro Vision—but physically speaking, she had no special qualities.
And her "fondness" for pain… well, that was just a peculiar kink, not a superpower.
Without any outside intervention, it would've been extrely difficult for soone like her to break through to this level.
Take Zhu Zi and Ying'er, for instance—both were normal humans, and yet even without Visions, they'd already reached silver tier.
That Yelan now stood at the pinnacle of mortal potential was, ultimately, thanks to the little bottle's incredible power.
"Mr. Xia…"
As the secret dicine was smoothly massaged across her skin, Miss Yelan's entire body relaxed into a delicious languor. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, her voice growing soft and sultry.
"I feel… like sothing strange is happening to my body…"
"Don't worry. That just ans the secret dicine is finally taking effect."
"Didn't it always have an effect?"
"This ti is different."
"Hm?"
"No need to be concerned, Miss Yelan. I'll use a special massage technique to help disperse the dicinal power quickly. It might hurt a little, though."
"That's fine. Mr. Xia, you can go all out… Mm…"
Alright, yeah. The mont pain was ntioned, the expression on Yelan's face noticeably brightened.
Her voice grew even softer, almost teasing: "That list you gave the other day—I had my people investigate it these past two days…"
"What did you find?"
"The bribes recorded on that list were real. Lady Ningguang was… very distressed to learn of it."
"Well, it's understandable to feel pained after uncovering so many leeches. But at least it was caught in ti. With her abilities, I imagine Miss Ningguang can now use this opportunity to take complete control of the situation."
"Mr. Xia really does understand Lady Ningguang well."
"That much is obvious. I wouldn't call it understanding."
Yelan chuckled softly and closed her eyes.
A warm, soothing sensation washed over her body, bringing a deep sense of comfort and peace. Gradually, she drifted off into sleep.
When she awoke again, as expected, she found herself soaking in the pool.
Next to her was Ningguang, looking relaxed and utterly content.
"You're awake?"
"Mm. When did you get here?"
"I've been here for a while."
"I saw more gossip about you and Mr. Xia in the paper again today. You really do enjoy stirring up that sort of thing."
"If you're interested, I can ask Charlotte to include you in the next one."
"I'll pass. Soone like shouldn't be appearing in the public eye."
"…You're more concerned about your identity than whether it's appropriate?"
"Well, getting caught in a scandal with Mr. Xia is kind of a privilege, isn't it?"
"Honestly…"
Two won, one ostensibly the superior and the other subordinate, lounged in the bath like a pair of close friends, chatting about the most bizarre topics.
—
Tonight, Xia Zhi didn't sleep in the Serenitea Pot, but stayed in the school's principal's office instead.
His cousin had done a fantastic job designing the space.
In addition to the reception area and a proper office, there was a spacious bedroom and a private bathroom in the back.
The bed was especially extravagant—soft, luxurious, and huge, easily big enough for four or five people.
Apparently, it had been delivered by Baishi on Ningguang's orders.
Xia Zhi wasn't quite sure what to make of that.
Maybe she was just being considerate, thinking ahead about how hard the principal would be working day and night…
Having such a thoughtful vice principal really was a blessing.
He pulled out the book about faith and picked up where he'd left off last ti.
It had cost him 100 points, after all. He needed to buckle down and get through more of it tonight…
After flipping through a few pages, he heard a gentle knock at the door.
Using his god's eye, he took a quick peek.
It was Shenhe, dressed neatly in uniform, standing outside.
…Forget it. The book could wait.
Ti for the usual daily routine.
—
The next morning.
Xia Zhi lay in the soft, oversized bed, staring at the thick book on the nightstand, lost in self-reflection.
"Xia Zhi, oh Xia Zhi… how could you fall so far? You even forgot the study plan you set for yourself last night. This can't go on…"
Shenhe slid in from behind, her voice gentle and firm.
"Boss… are you talking to yourself again?"
"Nothing much. Just… daily prayer."
"Prayer?"
"To ask for Morax's protection, or sothing like that…"
"…"
Shenhe paused, then broke into quiet laughter.
Her gaze drifted to the book on the nightstand.
"Have you been reading lately, Boss?"
"Just got interested in sothing out of the blue."
"I see."
The book's cover did have a title, but it was written in so ancient script Shenhe couldn't decipher. Still, the symbols looked rather mystical to her.
"In that case, I won't disturb you tonight."
Xia Zhi thought for a mont, then shook his head.
"No need for that."
"Hm?"
"Between the book and you… you're more important."
Shenhe's breath caught just a little.
And then… nothing more was said.
If anything needed to be said, it was probably this:
That bed Miss Ningguang had gifted?
Incredible quality.
---
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