15. Chen Nan's Family

Ning Xuan studied Chen Nan carefully and reached out to touch the golden eagle with emerald eyes. The eagle squinted contentedly and even leaned its head forward as she stroked it.

As Ning Xuan touched the large bird, Chen Nan, kneeling on the ground, lowered his head. His face felt feverish. The psychic connection between them made him sense a warm glow flooding his mind. The pain from old injuries eased considerably, and to his own surprise, he found himself yearning—yearning for more.

Ning Xuan had already familiarized herself with the details of forming a contract the night before. A female spirit controller offers mental comfort to her contractor. The first step is establishing a psychic link; the stronger the female controller’s mental power and the higher the compatibility, the greater her control and the more effective the mental comfort. When to initiate this psychic link is generally up to the female controller.

As the contracting party, Chen Nan’s requests were reasonable. A wealthy, obedient, attractive, and powerful contractor was an advantage from every angle—he stood to gain nothing less.

Ning Xuan was cautious about trusting others but was not afraid of people approaching her with ulterior motives. Especially now, with her strength not fully restored and Ning Chuchu harboring ill intentions toward her, she genuinely needed Chen Nan’s protection.

“If your goal is detoxification and healing, I can help you. During this period, I’ll rely on you to handle daily tasks!” Ning Xuan glanced at the strange plants and felt compelled to study them further. As a high-level alchemist, concocting a detoxifying and healing pill was well within her grasp.

Chen Nan watched as Ning Xuan took a bundle of alien plants upstairs. Standing up, he opened his light screen and saw a dozen messages from his father, causing his hand to tremble slightly.

A directive from his father flashed through his mind: “Anan, she’s just a girl from a trash star, orphaned, only recently awakened as she nears adulthood. Her aptitude will confine her to a low-ranking spirit controller all her life, matched with a few low-level males to fulfill her reproductive value. No matter how high the genetic compatibility, she’s not suitable for you. The second young lady of the Bai family noticing you is your good fortune. This Ning Xuan is blocking your path. We won’t wait ten years. Go to D618 star yourself and use others to get rid of her. Remember, leave no loose ends!”

Chen Nan sat dazed, not opening those messages. The second young lady of the Bai family was only at C-level strength now, relying on her family’s influence to dominate the city. Last year, she cruelly killed a contractor who was supposed to be bonded with her, and the Bai family merely paid a fine to cover it up.

He had stayed on the battlefield, refusing to return to the city for treatment, primarily to avoid such complications. Yet, the Bai family still sought him out.

At that moment, he received a notification of forced contracting. He had hoped this would free him from the Bai family’s grasp but was surprised when his father immediately chose to hide his information and warned him not to tell anyone.

Chen Nan opened his father’s messages and grew darker by the moment. Eventually, his fingers trembled with anger. Closing his eyes, he replied, concealing the news of contracting with Ning Xuan. He planned to stabilize things at home first, then seek a way out. If he got along well with his contractor and she reached adulthood, he could take her away from D618 star, back to the First Legion or elsewhere. Now that he was an adult, his father’s desire to control him for the family’s sake wouldn’t be so easy.

Ning Xuan tore a leaf from the blue flame grass and crushed it between her fingers. The blue juice stained her fingertips slowly, and the cool essence seeped beneath her skin, flowing into her blood. She could feel her blood slowing its rush. Blue flame grass was a common remedy for external wounds, with hemostatic properties and effective relief for swelling and heat caused by injuries.

After the cataclysmic crisis, the Federation had widely adopted gene fusion technology, greatly enhancing the constitution of its citizens. Alongside the mutations of flora and fauna, many plants developed toxins, reducing the need for medicines. However, post-crisis, especially over the past century, low birth rates and gene-induced mental breakdowns became more severe. The Federation increased funding into pharmaceutical research, establishing alien plant institutes and drug research centers.

But Ning Xuan’s search through the light screen revealed that most finished drugs focused on restoring mental power and were prohibitively expensive. Common folk used raw alien plants like blue flame grass directly, sacrificing drug efficiency and convenience in favor of affordability.

She studied all the alien plants Chen Nan had bought, cross-referencing with information from the star network. She ordered an alchemy furnace online, determined to try her hand at concocting medicines.

At the same time, she applied online to switch her major to Pharmaceutical Refinement. Confident in her alchemy skills, she knew it was necessary to understand the dominant pharmaceutical system in this new world, as its alien plants differed from those of her previous world.

Changing to a pharmaceutical refinement major required submitting an application online and then passing an on-site assessment at school to confirm psychic awakening.

The next morning, Ning Xuan arrived early at the school’s academic office to apply. The staff was delighted when her initial psychic test ranked at D-level and quickly processed her transfer.

In fact, female psychic awakenings that exceeded their expected tier were rare, especially by two or more levels. Even on A-level or central stars, young awakenings like hers attracted significant attention.

“Ning Xuan, many medicinal herbs overlap with culinary ingredients. You might consider taking cooking classes as electives. Achieving a C-level is sufficient for certification,” the academic officer suggested.

“Alright, Teacher, I will consider that,” Ning Xuan replied. The school focused on exam results rather than attendance, so management was not strict.

“Contractor, I only have one class today. I can accompany you to the others,” she said after stabilizing her psychic focus and continuously practicing the ‘Soul Essence Classic.’ The waves of spiritual energy that sometimes dissipated helped ease the golden eagle’s toxin-induced suffering, making Chen Nan more willing to stay close.

“That’s fine. But as a contractor, preparing three meals a day for your contracting party is your duty. I hope to enjoy some tasty food. If you have time, perhaps consider taking a cooking class,” Ning Xuan said, thinking of the breakfast Chen Nan had bought for her early that morning. She couldn’t help but smile.