Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

Under a wide, solid wood table, Ning Xuan held Yun Han down on her lap. The table was elegantly designed, its top crafted from a single slab of precious golden silkwood. Natural wood grain was streaked with golden threads, and its edges were carved with intricate patterns, every curve flowing with an artistic grace.

Its four sturdy legs were carved with coiling dragons, and a modesty panel ran between them. Yun Han was currently crouched in the space between this panel and Ning Xuan’s legs.

Yun Han was kneeling over Ning Xuan’s lap. The hand she had on his head pressed down firmly, forcing his cheek against her thigh. This made his breathing ragged. He could clearly smell her perfume and the faint scent of her pheromones, making his heart race. Though the space under the table was large, it now felt exceptionally cramped, as if the very air was growing thin.

Qiao Yu’s voice came from outside, his footsteps approaching and then stopping not far from the table. Yun Han’s nerves were strained to the breaking point, terrified that the sound of his own breathing would give him away. He subconsciously clutched the hem of Ning Xuan’s clothing, his fingertips trembling.

Ning Xuan seemed to sense his tension. The hand that had been pressing down on him eased its pressure, now stroking him gently as if soothing a frightened kitten.

Qiao Yu set two large chests on the floor. He had been observing Ning Xuan’s reaction from the moment he walked in. Seeing her sitting in the seat of honor, looking completely distracted and not even sparing him a glance, the dissatisfaction Qiao Yu had been suppressing boiled over into anger. "Miss Ning, for the debt of saving Marshal Yun’s life, you can ask for anything. The hundred thousand soldiers of our Heavenly Might Corps will do everything in our power to repay you. But please, set our Commander free." His anger couldn’t help but seep into his words.

Although the collar suppressed his power, Yun Han’s hearing was unaffected. Qiao Yu’s furious words struck his ears like a clap of thunder. He squeezed his eyes shut in anguish as he felt Ning Xuan grab a handful of his hair. Yun Han immediately turned his head and, in a placating gesture, extended his tongue to lick her palm. Ning Xuan took the opportunity to slide a finger into his mouth. He instinctively closed his lips around it, his agile tongue licking and soothing the finger that tormented him.

"You’ve come to demand Marshal Yun’s freedom. Does he know about this? Did you even bother to ask if he’s willing?" Ning Xuan slid in a second finger. She pinched Yun Han’s tongue between them and pressed down hard toward the root. The stimulation triggered his gag reflex, and his throat convulsed as he heaved.

"Marshal Yun has a distinguished military record and has served the Federation with great distinction! As a citizen of the Federation, you live under its protection. You never should have taken advantage of the Marshal’s dire situation to kick him while he was down. Now that he’s under your control, he naturally doesn’t dare to speak out, but we, his former subordinates who lived under his protection, cannot turn a blind eye to the humiliation he is suffering," Qiao Yu said, his voice firm and forceful.

"You must be aware of the condition Yun Han was in. He was as good as dead. Didn’t you bother to find out before you came here that the only reason I could save him is because our genetic compatibility is over ninety percent?" Ning Xuan regarded Qiao Yu with a smirk.

"I’ve already established a Spiritual Link Channel with him. A channel formed from a genetic compatibility of over ninety percent cannot be erased or overridden. So tell me, how exactly am I supposed to set him free?" A cold sneer touched Ning Xuan’s lips.

"Even with a Spiritual Link Channel, you could have formed an equal, reciprocal Contract! Or, you and Marshal Yun could perform a Contract ceremony and make him the primary Contractor," Qiao Yu laid out his demands. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Yun Han closed his eyes, trying to calm the panic rising in his heart, but the voices from outside hammered against it.

"Are you here to negotiate with me? Using these gifts you brought?" Ning Xuan asked, her face cold.

Qiao Yu met her gaze resolutely. "Miss Ning, this isn’t a negotiation. I am simply stating an appeal. These gifts are a token of our sincerity, not bargaining chips."

Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Then take your sincerity and go. If you want to discuss terms, have Yun Han do it himself. Or, you could go ask those at the Seven Star Divine Mountain. Let his parents tell you why Yun Han became a Contracted Slave." The moment Ning Xuan spoke the words "Contracted Slave," Qiao Yu erupted in a towering rage.

Agitated, Qiao Yu took a step forward. "I don’t care what the reason is! Marshal Yun should not be subjected to such an insult! When you humiliate the Commander of the Heavenly Might Corps, you humiliate our entire hundred-thousand-strong army! Miss Ning, I trust you’re a smart woman. You wouldn’t want to make an enemy of an army of one hundred thousand, would you?" As he spoke, he unleashed an oppressive wave of SS-level spiritual power, directing it at Ning Xuan.

Qiao Yu was now standing only a few steps from Ning Xuan’s desk. The moment he unleashed his spiritual pressure, Yun Han thought, ’This is bad!’ He immediately released his own spiritual power to suppress Qiao Yu’s, but it was too inhibited by the collar to have any effect. Yun Han squeezed his eyes shut in alarm. But before Qiao Yu’s spiritual power could even reach Ning Xuan, it was crushed by a far greater force.

Forced to his knees by the pressure, Qiao Yu collapsed to the floor, his face a mask of terror. He stared, shocked speechless, as Di Youlin descended slowly from mid-air, wings beating gently.

"Master, shall I kill him?" Di Youlin had an imposing figure and exquisite features, and his every movement carried an innate noble air. He exuded an immense spiritual pressure, his gaze fixed on Qiao Yu as if he were looking at an insignificant ant that had overestimated its own strength.

Yun Han could no longer bear to stay hidden. Ning Xuan didn’t stop him. She gave a soft laugh and asked, "Marshal Yun, what do you think?"

Qiao Yu watched, wide-eyed, as Yun Han crawled out from beneath Ning Xuan’s legs. His face was flushed, and a glistening trail of moisture shone at the corner of his lips. "Don’t kill him, Contractor," Yun Han pleaded. "It’s all this slave’s fault for not explaining things clearly to them. That’s why Qiao Yu dared to be so insolent in your presence. This slave is willing to take full responsibility for his offense. I beg you, please spare him."

Qiao Yu trembled with such rage at the sight that he could barely breathe. He struggled to get up, but found he was pinned by Di Youlin’s power. Instead, he began to crawl toward Ning Xuan, his expression one of such hatred it looked as if he wanted to tear her limb from limb.

Seeing Qiao Yu’s state, Yun Han immediately got up and blocked his path. "Contractor, this slave will take him out now. I guarantee he will never dare appear before you again." With that, Yun Han grabbed Qiao Yu’s arm and began to drag him away.

Di Youlin glanced at Ning Xuan, who gave a dismissive wave. Di Youlin withdrew the spiritual pressure pinning Qiao Yu, let out a cold snort, and moved to stand behind Ning Xuan.

Qiao Yu looked at Yun Han, his eyes filled with utter devastation. His heart shattered into a million pieces. "Marshal Yun," Qiao Yu said, tears streaming down his face, "that Ning Xuan... she’s taken it too far! How could she treat you like that?"