26. Brewing the Elder Potion

"Watch your tongue. Chuchu is your own sister. If you don't want your father's affairs exposed to outsiders, go and take a paternity test with her!" Ning Zhiqing was over forty. As an ordinary person who had not awakened any abilities, she was already firmly in middle age.

"You want to cling to the Bai family, so you’re deliberately splashing dirt on my father, and now you want me to validate it? Didn't you say the Bai family grandmother has already acknowledged you? There’s even a blood test report. You can just go to the Bai family, pick any man, and claim him as your father. That should do it. Get lost!" Ning Xuan looked at Ning Chuchu with eyes full of mockery.

"Aren't you afraid I'll drag Bai Xiuwen’s reputation through the mud?" Ning Zhiqing arched her brows and demanded sharply.

"Afraid? Why should I be? Are you and your daughter trying to climb the social ladder of the Bai family, or are you trying to offend them? I, for one, won't be shameless enough to go to the Bai family to acknowledge any relatives. Do whatever you like!" After saying this, Ning Xuan pulled Chen Nan into the house, ignoring the three women outside.

"Contract Master, the Bai family has operated on Planet A110 for many years. Their family businesses are vast, ranking in the second tier of the noble hierarchy on A-class planets. The current head of the Bai family is Bai Xiurong, an A-class controller and one of the seven executive deans of the Federation’s First Comprehensive Academy. She oversees the Department of Pharmacy. If you participate in this upcoming Pharmacy Competition and perform well, you will certainly catch her attention!" Chen Nan shared what he knew about the Bai family with Ning Xuan.

"Let her pay attention if she wants. I'm going to conduct experiments now!" Although Ning Xuan spoke with bravado, she was actually quite restless. Her current strength was too low; if she were truly targeted, life would likely become turbulent. However, once she gained sufficient power, she would have nothing to fear from Ning Chuchu’s threats!

As Chen Nan watched Ning Xuan head upstairs, he tapped his optical computer. Over the past few days, there had been many missed calls and messages. He opened one and answered. A cold, detached voice came through: "A-Nan, how are things going on your end? Father says he feels something is wrong and wants me to come and bring you back."

"Brother, I have already formed a contract with Ning Xuan! Please help me stall Father!" Chen Nan was feeling irritable; he hadn't expected Ning Xuan to get tangled up with the Bai family.

He had already felt that things were taking a turn for the worse when Ning Xuan mentioned participating in the Pharmacy Competition. He had been trying to figure out how to make her change her mind within the month, but unexpectedly, one problem hadn't even been solved before another emerged.

"What? What contract? Didn't Father tell you to form a contract with the Bai family's second daughter?" Chen Hui asked in surprise.

"Just because he tells me to do something, must I obey? You listened to him, but do you feel that your contract has brought you any benefits?" Chen Nan’s retort struck a raw nerve.

Chen Hui’s eyelid twitched. "You know there’s no benefit, yet you did it anyway? Who is this Ning Xuan? Why have I never heard of a Ning family in the capital? Could it be some insignificant family without any legacy?"

"She was born on Planet D618; of course you haven't heard of her!" Chen Nan rolled his eyes. During this time with Ning Xuan, he had been strictly following the noble etiquette and behavioral standards taught by the Chen family. Acting upright and elegant for so long had exhausted him, and he felt he could barely keep up the pretense anymore.

"What? Born on a D-class planet? Are you trying to emulate the legendary Seventh Young Master Bai and find a low-level woman to spend your life with? You’ve got to be kidding. Back then, Young Master Bai had weak strength and suffered from psychic instability that could be managed with suppressants, but you—you have dual S-rank psychic power and thresholds, with S+ combat capability. Suppressants won't solve your problems. You're young; surely you don't want an early death!" Chen Hui chided him angrily.

"Enough nonsense. Do you have any money left? Lend me some!" Chen Nan didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"You know I’ve already formed a contract; the money in my account..." Chen Hui started to complain, but Chen Nan cut him off: "Are you foolish enough to keep all your money in one account? Hurry up and find a way to transfer funds to me. I’ll pay you back when I return to the capital!"

"What kind of money could you possibly spend on a low-level planet? Are you planning to run away with her? That makes sense; Father is already suspicious. Even if I can help you stall for a while, it won't be long before the truth comes out." Chen Hui didn't say anything more. He found a colleague to transfer the money to his brother, gave a few words of warning, and hung up.

With over a hundred planets in the Federation, it would be easy for his brother to go into hiding with someone. At that moment, it never occurred to him to wonder if Ning Xuan, Chen Nan’s contract master, would even be willing to go into hiding.

Ning Xuan’s extreme restlessness dissipated quickly once she began working with her experimental equipment. When Dean Wang had delivered her materials and books earlier that day, he had also lent her a space button. If she could win a ranking for the school, the button would be hers as a prize; if not, she would have to return it.

It was a standard space button with a capacity of only 32 cubic meters—much smaller than the space artifacts she used to possess—but it was better than nothing.

On the interstellar network, a standard space button sold for 1.2 million star coins. If she could refine four bottles of Elderwood potion, she could afford one herself!

Ning Xuan had prepared three portions of Blue Flame Grass and ten portions of Elderwood. The extraction of the Blue Flame Grass went smoothly; from three portions, she produced two bottles of potion. The raw materials cost 90,000, and the two bottles sold for 200,000. After the commission, she pocketed 180,000, a net profit of 90,000.

However, she hit a snag when preparing the Elderwood. She fiddled with the wood, which was as hard as stone, and fell into deep thought. She suspected the merchant had sent the wrong item. Could this metal-like substance really be refined into a liquid potion?

A quick search online confirmed it was indeed Elderwood, which grew in the mining areas on the edge of the Miasma Lands and was a special plant with metallic properties.

Ning Xuan searched through the materials Dean Wang had provided and quickly found the refinement method. The process was entirely different from the Blue Flame Grass.

Blue Flame Grass required juicing and filtering, whereas Elderwood had to be placed in an alchemical furnace, soaked in water, and simmered for three days and three nights. Once the wood softened, the water was discarded, and the wood was directly roasted over a flame. During the roasting process, one had to use psychic power to harmonize the special energy within the material. This step required precise psychic control; those with poor control would find that the Elderwood never changed at all.

During this process, the user's psychic power was subjected to the searing heat of the fire, and few could endure it. That was why Elderwood potion was so rare.

Ning Xuan persisted for five hours. Her Ghost Vine filaments were nearly smoking, and after consuming three pieces of Elderwood, she finally extracted one-third of a bottle of the potion.

Gazing at the iridescent, shimmering liquid in the bottle, Ning Xuan was surprised that such pitch-black wood could produce such a beautiful potion.