Chapter 54: Comrade Xiao Qian and His Crafty Schemes

When Li Shuyun came to see her the day before yesterday, she had already asked the system.
"System, you actually have a lot of magic potion formulas, right?"
[Yes, a whole lot, as long as you can afford them~]
Recalling this conversation, Qian Qi went from trembling at the shoulders to trembling in her upper body, and finally to trembling all over without a single dead angle.
Even her legs began to shake uncontrollably, vibrating the entire dining table so that it bounced up and down, causing the bowls to emit a clinking sound, as if a major magnitude 6 earthquake had struck.
Looking at Qian Qi, who was exuding a "terrifying" aura all over, Li Hongsheng couldn't help but swallow hard.
She wouldn't actually hit an old man like him, would she?!
He had already formulated Plan B; if Qian Qi really tried to beat him, he would just lie down on the ground and pull a scam!
The headmaster wiped his face nearby, thinking: See? I told you not to threaten her, she's terrifying.
"Old man, don't be afraid." Qian Qi, trembling with excitement, glanced at the headmaster and Li Hongsheng sitting upright, lowered her hands, and flashed a kind and gentle smile.
Unfortunately, she hadn't mastered her facial expressions yet, which made her look even more menacing.
"As for the money, the price can be lowered, but something else is needed to make up the difference."
She tapped the table with her finger, stabilizing the wildly shaking tabletop, and stated, "Eight million, plus an unhindered pass to the Magic Plant Research Institute."
She had checked, and the Magic Plant Research Institute was not open to the public. It stocked quite a few high-level magic plants and advanced seeds, which were crucial for her to brew advanced magic potions.
The magic plant seeds at the school were only E-grade and D-grade, which completely failed to meet Qian Qi's needs. Therefore, she had to obtain the privilege of frequently entering the Magic Plant Research Institute in order to safely analyze those high-level magic plants using the "Analysis Technique."
She clasped her hands on the table, curved her lips, and asked, "This price is cheap enough, right?"
Seeing that Qian Qi was willing to make a concession, Li Hongsheng felt a wave of relief wash over him and began to seriously consider Qian Qi's terms.
Allowing Qian Qi to visit the Magic Plant Research Institute was not necessarily a bad thing. After all, since she might be a planting genius, having more exposure to advanced magic plants would definitely benefit the magic plant industry as a whole.
But eight million...
Li Hongsheng gritted his teeth and continued to negotiate, "Six million, plus a pass."
Qian Qi sneered and drove the price back up, "Seven million, a pass, and 3 B-grade magic plant seeds."
Li Hongsheng: !!!
Three B-grade seeds? Why didn't she just go rob a bank! There were only twenty-two B-grade magic plant seeds in the entire research institute, and he had practically begged on his old knees while making people risk their lives to smuggle them out!

"Five million, a pass, and 1 B-grade seed!" Li Hongsheng clenched his fists, on the verge of a myocardial infarction.
This was truly his limit!
"Aha~" Qian Qi stretched out her hands, forming finger guns with one in front of the other, and blinked playfully with a grin, "I was just teasing you, six million plus a pass will do just fine~"
Li Hongsheng: ???
Qian Qi was indeed just teasing him. After all, what use would she have for B-grade seeds? Could she possibly grow a B-grade magic plant just to have it murder her, a delicate and helpless teenage beauty?
Qian Qi laughed wickedly in her heart, picked up her chopsticks, and began to feast heartily.
Actually, she could have originally given it to old man Li for free~
After all, keeping the Magic Plant Research Institute running smoothly had plenty of benefits for her too!
She just hadn't expected old man Li to be so generous and willing to pay her six million!
So she had no choice but to accept it with tearful gratitude~
Wuwuwu, this meal was so delicious too~ Hopefully she would run into more rich fools in the future~!
Comrade Qian Qi, with her scheming ways and tearful gratitude of emotion, accepted six million plus a grand and delicious meal.
...
Upon returning to school after collecting her payment, Qian Qi packaged the cultivation method of the Fire Qilin Lotus and sent it to Li Hongsheng's optical brain.
This was a document she had previously compiled in her spare time, containing various comprehensive reports such as "Fertilizer Analysis for Cultivating Fire Qilin Lotus," "Disease Characteristics and Causes of Fire Qilin Lotus," and "Prevention and Control Measures for Fire Qilin Lotus Cultivation." It could be considered quite thorough.
Browsing through the rigorous and smooth report, Li Hongsheng couldn't help but click his tongue in secret.
The Magic Plant Department's standards for the organization and neatness of cultivation reports were actually not as rigorous as those of ordinary agricultural colleges. However, the reports Qian Qi handed him even incorporated quite a few professional terms and precise data that only agriculture students would understand.
Not only that, but they also included several video clips, allowing him to clearly verify the various growth stages of the Fire Qilin Lotus.
One truly should not judge a book by its cover; Li Hongsheng's impression of Qian Qi finally improved.
He couldn't help asking, "Student Qian Qi, regarding the hemostatic magic potion and the defense fruit..."
Before Li Hongsheng could even finish, Qian Qi raised her hands to block her ears, took her money, and ran away.
As she ran, she shouted back, "Wishing the old man a sudden fortune soon! Come buy my magic potions when your wallet is bulging then~"
Li Hongsheng: ...

Li Hongsheng: #￥%…*@#￥%…
Improved impression my ass! This slippery, money-grubbing, monkey-smart goblin!
A day later, Qian Qi received a package. Opening it, she found the special invitation pass to the Magic Plant Research Institute.
She casually tossed it into her wardrobe. Visiting the Magic Plant Research Institute wasn't urgent yet; right now, she needed to first cultivate a wonderful and warm "master-servant relationship" with the magical beasts.
Magic beast storage room, second floor.
Qian Qi leaned her arms against the head of a mop handle, gazing at the ferocious and sturdy flame hounds inside the room, an expression of fondness and infatuation involuntarily spreading across her face.
"Oh~ My cute and charming doggies~" She pinched her voice, her eunuch-like tone rising and falling, "Did you miss me after a day apart?"
Hearing this, the pupils of the flame hounds all shook slightly. In unison, they took a step back and squatted down on the ground.
Cleaning up poop was one thing, but could she please keep her hands off their fragile little anuses?!
Liu Wangda, an awakened individual who had taken over from Grandpa Li to help Qian Qi deter the magical beasts today, looked at the flame hounds sitting in neat rows and felt a sudden wave of astonishment.
What was going on? Today's flame hounds seemed exceptionally well-behaved?
In the past, when feeding and cleaning up after these trained flame hounds, they always had to resort to some punitive measures first so the hounds would obediently cower in the corners without attacking people. This was the very first time they were this well-behaved the moment someone walked through the door.
"Strange, they're too quiet today."
Liu Wangda couldn't help murmuring.
"That must be because you're too awesome, Senior Liu! The terrifying aura belonging to a powerhouse the moment you stepped through the door completely intimidated them!" Qian Qi immediately laid on the flattery, "That's why they didn't dare move! Senior Liu, I must definitely become a powerhouse just like you in the future!"
"Mhm... perhaps." Liu Wangda was immensely pleased by Qian Qi's flattery, and his reluctance toward this suddenly assigned job largely dissipated. He tossed an electronic controller to Qian Qi and introduced it:
"See the collars around the flame hounds' necks? This is a device that controls the collars to emit a special electrical current. If they try to attack you, you punish them."
"Once they develop a conditioned reflex the moment they see the controller in your hand, you'll be able to feed them and clean up after them alone."
Qian Qi lowered her head to look at the controller in her hand.
This controller was only about the size of a palm, featuring just a single red button. When her thumb brushed against the button, she clearly saw resentment and fear in the eyes of the flame hounds.
"Why is there only one button?" she asked curiously.