Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

The captain of the Sky Wolf Team was named Lu Jiu. He was one of the team’s three captains, primarily responsible for gathering all sorts of intelligence, effectively serving as Mo Yu’s eyes and ears.

For the past few days, Lu Jiu had been closely monitoring Yun Han’s group. He even sent men to search the entire area where they were carrying out their mission, hoping to find any trace of the helpers backing them, but he came up with nothing.

Because their focus was primarily outside the safe zone, they overlooked the movements of Yun Han’s group inside it.

By the time he realized it, Yun Han and the others had already fled.

Ning Xuan had looted all the treasures from Mo Yu and his subordinates. She then used prepared steel wire rope to bind them tightly before tossing them aside.

When Mo Yu woke up, he discovered that he and his men had been captured by Ning Xuan.

After a moment of fury, Mo Yu immediately calmed down. He mobilized his spiritual power, trying to control the Bloodthirsty Flying Knife his father had custom-made for him, intending to sever the ropes binding him.

The raw material used for the Bloodthirsty Flying Knife was an extremely rare planetary core ore. Meticulously forged by a Refining Master, it possessed Rule Power, making it indestructible and capable of cutting through any material, no matter how sturdy.

When the knife was forged, it was quenched with Mo Yu’s blood and carved with his spiritual power. As a result, Mo Yu could control it with his mind.

However, when Mo Yu sent out his spiritual power to search, he couldn’t find the knife that he always kept on his person.

This time, Mo Yu started to panic. He squirmed into a sitting position and looked at his surrounding subordinates. They were also tied up, with no visible external injuries. Like him, they had probably been knocked unconscious.

After sensing that their vital signs were stable, Mo Yu wished he could kick each and every one of them awake.

But since he couldn’t move, all he could do was shout.

"Zhao Wu! Zhao Wu!" Mo Yu yelled.

After Mo Yu had shouted himself hoarse, Zhao Wu, who was closest to him, finally woke up.

"Young Master, I’m here," Zhao Wu responded instinctively. The next moment, however, he realized he was tied up. Not only him, but the Young Master and everyone else were also bound tightly.

"What’s going on?" Zhao Wu said in a panic.

"Young Master, we fell into a trap. There was something wrong with that smoke," Zhao Wu said immediately, recalling the scene before he passed out.

"You think I don’t know that? Haven’t you all gone through escape training? Hurry up and figure out a way to untie these ropes," Mo Yu said irritably.

The team led by Zhao Wu was his dedicated personal guard. Their combat, reconnaissance, and counter-tracking skills were all top-notch. Moreover, they had undergone special training in escaping from all kinds of predicaments.

"Yes, Young Master. One moment," Zhao Wu replied and immediately got to work.

They had, of course, been trained on how to escape while tied up. Even with something as sturdy as this steel wire rope, they had ways to break free.

To ensure they couldn’t fight back, Ning Xuan had already disarmed them while tying them up, even confiscating the Hidden Weapons concealed in their hair.

But even unarmed, Zhao Wu managed to free his hands after just a bit of effort. When Ning Xuan returned, she happened to see Zhao Wu undoing the steel wire rope from his body, just as he was about to untie Mo Yu.

Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. Before she even had to act, however, the Little Fox had already pounced. Its body suddenly swelled to more than ten times its original size, and it brought a sharp claw down on Zhao Wu’s head with a THWACK.

Zhao Wu, who had just freed himself, rolled his eyes back and collapsed again.

Mo Yu’s heart had been soaring with hope. Then, just as suddenly, his hope was knocked unconscious.

"Who are you? I helped you gather herbs out of kindness, and this is how you repay me?" Seeing Ning Xuan’s sudden appearance, Mo Yu felt a surge of unease. ’This girl probably isn’t the person I’m looking for,’ he thought.

Mo Yu thought about the information he’d gathered. Ning Xuan herself wasn’t very strong; she had to have a powerful Contractor with her. ’But no matter how powerful her backer is, they couldn’t have taken me down so silently,’ he reasoned.

Mo Yu had undergone anti-poison training for various toxins and special training against spiritual attacks. He even carried a Magic Treasure that would automatically counter any spiritual assault. Logically, there was no reason he should have fallen for such a simple trick. He just couldn’t figure it out.

"Help you gather herbs? Young Master Mo, you posted a bounty for a young, female Alchemist. What for? I happen to fit the description perfectly. Why don’t you tell me?" Ning Xuan asked, looking down at the tightly bound Mo Yu.

"As you must know, more and more soldiers in the safe zones are being threatened by abnormal Mutated Degrees and spiritual power rampages, while our reserves of medicine are dwindling. I posted a bounty for a female Alchemist in order to create Alchemy Potions and find a way for our soldiers to survive," Mo Yu said with utmost sincerity.

"As for why female? It’s because we already have enough male Alchemists," Mo Yu added.

It’s a commonly accepted fact that Spiritual Calming Potions created by female Alchemists are more effective than those made by their male counterparts.

"And did you find one?" Ning Xuan asked, playing along. She wanted to stall for time and saw that Mo Yu was just spouting nonsense.

As time went on, it was true that more and more male Spirit Controllers were suffering from spiritual power rampages and abnormal Mutated Degrees. With reserves of medicine dwindling, Alchemists had become highly sought-after talents in every safe zone.

However, female Alchemists were rare to begin with, and even fewer were qualified to participate in the New Star Body development program and the joint graduation exams.

"No, there are too few female Alchemists," Mo Yu said, shaking his head.

"So, Young Master Mo is a selfless public servant, then," Ning Xuan said, nodding thoughtfully.

"Yes," Mo Yu replied with a firm nod.

"Then there was no need for such methods. Instead of posting a bounty, you could have just openly recruited with a clear offer," Ning Xuan suggested.

"You’re right, Miss. Why didn’t I think of that? Miss, why don’t you join our Zone 13 medical team? I can appoint you as the chief commander, fully in charge of all medical operations. If you’re a candidate in the joint graduation exams, I guarantee I’ll use the full power of my Zone to get you into the top ten. You can name any other conditions you want, too. And when we return to the Federation, my Mo Family will reward you generously." It was as if Mo Yu was completely unconcerned that Ning Xuan had plotted against and captured him, offering incredibly favorable terms in his bid to recruit her.

"You’re quite magnanimous, Young Master Mo. However, we’ve already made enemies of each other. I wouldn’t dare work under you now. Wouldn’t that be walking right into a trap?" Ning Xuan replied with a smile, rejecting his offer.