Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

Yun Han dragged Qiao Yu and Qin Chuan straight from the main hall to the outside of the villa. Seeing that neither Di Youlin nor Yan Fuzhen intended to follow, Yun Han finally sighed in relief. "Qiao Yu, Qin Chuan, who told you to come here?" he demanded sharply.

Qiao Yu’s eyes were still swollen from crying. Hearing Yun Han’s sharp question, his eyes darted around for a moment before he hung his head.

"I remember telling Qin An that you were to stay put at the base during this time. You were not to wander around, and especially not to meddle in my business. Didn’t he tell you?" When Qiao Yu didn’t make a sound, Yun Han couldn’t help but kick him.

Qiao Yu stumbled from the kick and didn’t dare to stay silent any longer. He looked up and replied, his voice full of grievance, "Marshal Yun, we came to the Central Star Military Department on behalf of the corps to accept commendations and interviews. We came looking for you today hoping you could attend the award ceremony. After all, your role in this battle was crucial."

"You two can go; I won’t be attending. Don’t come here again. If there’s an issue, send a message. I’ll pick up or call back if I have time. Also, from now on, be more respectful when you see Ning Xuan." Yun Han was anxious to send Qiao Yu and the others away.

"No, Marshal Yun! You’re being humiliated here. We can’t just abandon you. We have a hundred thousand brothers-in-arms, plus the military merits from this mission. You don’t need to be afraid of her," Qiao Yu said defiantly.

"If Ning Xuan hadn’t given me two cases of the Alienation Value Clearing Potions she made, it’s hard to say how many people would be left in the Heavenly Might Corps right now. You accept her favor one moment and threaten her with an army of a hundred thousand the next. You’ve got some real nerve," Yun Han said angrily.

"The potions you brought back then were made by Ning Xuan?" Qiao Yu asked, puzzled.

"Not only did she give me potions, but half of the potions supplied to the battlefield this time were also made by her." Yun Han frowned. He was extremely dissatisfied with the Heavenly Might Corps’ current intelligence-gathering abilities. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Marshal Yun, we are indebted to Ning Xuan, and so is the Heavenly Might Corps. We can repay that debt, but you are the Marshal of the Heavenly Might Corps. She shouldn’t be allowed to humiliate you like this..."

"I don’t have to be the Marshal," Yun Han said coldly.

"How could you say that? You founded the corps with your own two hands. Without you, it will inevitably collapse. Could you bear to watch that happen?" Qiao Yu blurted out.

"Qin Chuan, suspend Qiao Yu from his position as Director of the Military Law Department. You will take his place. Qiao Yu has disobeyed a superior’s order and remains insubordinate despite repeated warnings. The punishment is fifty lashes from the punishment whip. All mid- to high-level generals of the Heavenly Might Corps are to witness the punishment to serve as a warning." With that, Yun Han glanced at the two of them and turned back toward the villa.

Qin Chuan and Qiao Yu both gave a military salute as he left.

Qiao Yu sighed in resignation. "Old Qin... ah, no, Director Qin, let’s go."

"Brother Qiao, Mr. Qiao, please don’t call me that. I’m... just a temporary replacement. The director’s position will be yours again sooner or later," the big, burly Qin Chuan said, his face flushing red.

When Yun Han returned to the main hall, Ning Xuan had already gone to the Cultivation Room to cultivate. He found Nine-tailed and Lan Xin waiting for him.

The two Half-beastman youths—one lively, the other silent—were both stunningly beautiful. Nine-tailed smiled and said, "Brother Yun Han, Master ordered us to help you bathe." Yun Han’s face flushed in an instant at his words.

’Ning Xuan had designs on my body even before I left for the battlefield,’ Yun Han thought. ’She only delayed this long to accommodate me.’

Yun Han nodded and followed Nine-tailed and Lan Xin to a recently built hot spring room on the east side of the main hall. Pushing open the carved wooden door revealed a wave of warm, moist air. The room was elegantly decorated with several landscape paintings on the walls and a few pots of lush green plants in the corners, giving it an exceptionally peaceful feel.

The hot spring was situated in the center of the room. The water was so clear you could see the bottom. Flowers of various colors floated on the surface, their petals swaying gently with the ripples and emitting a faint fragrance. The pool was surrounded by smooth pebbles, which felt slightly cool underfoot.

Nine-tailed and Lan Xin took out a case from a Space Button. It contained all sorts of tools for a thorough, deep cleansing of the body. Yun Han was already familiar with the procedure, having learned it at the Training Institute. To ensure he was in the best possible condition, Yun Han didn’t refuse their assistance.

Yun Han took off his clothes and slowly stepped into the hot spring. The warm water enveloped his body. Specially blended essential oils had been added to the water, releasing a cloyingly sweet fragrance.

The cleansing took a considerable amount of time. When Nine-tailed and Lan Xin finally delivered a warm and fragrant Yun Han, wrapped in a blanket, to Ning Xuan’s courtyard, Ning Xuan had coincidentally just finished her cultivation regimen and was returning.

What followed was, for Ning Xuan, a most rapturous night. Using the various rules Yun Han had broken recently as a pretext, Ning Xuan showed him no mercy. That night, Yun Han suffered terribly.

「Another month passed.」

The crisis on the Insect Hole Battlefield had finally come to an end. News came from the Military Department: the selection for the Federation University’s joint graduation exam was about to begin.

Before the exam began, the military posted the requirements and acceptance criteria, as well as a briefing on the conditions on the New Star Body, urging everyone to consider carefully before signing up.

First, Space Buttons, which were ubiquitous throughout the Federation, were unusable on the New Star Body. In fact, neither Space Buttons nor Mysterious Rings would work there. This meant candidates could not bring ample supplies of food, potions, and other necessities.

Second, all sorts of technology currently used in the Federation—robots, Light Computers, High Energy Cannons, Energy Cabins, and so on, which cover every aspect of life from communication and weaponry to medicine—were all unusable on the New Star Body.

Third, the environment on the New Star Body was complex, volatile, and extremely dangerous. Once one set foot on the New Star Body, they could not leave until the day the Jump Ship returned.

The fixed time and location of the Jump Ship’s arrival would be announced to all participants.

Because most Female Controllers under the age of 25 did not have high Comprehensive Combat Power, for their protection, each Controller was permitted to bring two Contractors or slaves to participate in the exam. However, these companions must also be no older than 25.

Ning Xuan couldn’t help but smile when she read this rule. ’Looks like Grand Marshal Ying is obedient after all.’ She had Yun Han and Di Youlin, both of whom met the age requirement. When the time came to go to the New Star Body, all she had to do was bring them along. What would she have to fear?

However, the rule against using spatial storage devices made Ning Xuan frown. She was so used to her Space Button. She subconsciously touched the Space Button on her wrist, which contained many of her necessities—from weapons to potions, from food to clothing, and even a few of her favorite ancient books.

Ning Xuan’s fingers drummed unconsciously on the tabletop.