Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

It wasn’t that Ning Xuan absolutely had to have Di Youlin as a slave. In fact, she believed she treated everyone around her as equals, regardless of their status.

However, Di Youlin’s situation was unique. His birth mother was notoriously overbearing. She had even committed numerous wrongdoings in her search for a match for him, but the Di Family’s immense power ensured they were all swept under the rug.

Ning Xuan didn’t want to deal with Di Youlin’s parents. At the very least, she was unwilling to have any contact with the infamous Mrs. Wen Yue Baiwen over anything related to Di Youlin.

Therefore, if Di Youlin was determined to stay with her, it could only be as a Half-beastman slave. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have him.

"Master, my status was revealed when the incident happened. Back then, everyone thought I was going to die, so I don’t have the Contract a Half-beastman slave is supposed to have," Di Youlin said, cautiously watching Ning Xuan’s expression.

"Then have your parents write one," Ning Xuan said, her tone firm.

"Master, don’t you like me?" Di Youlin asked, looking at her with a wounded expression.

"I just don’t want trouble. It wasn’t my choice for you to come here in the first place. You’ve done a lot for me during this time, and I’ve treated you well in return. Now your spiritual power is stable, and your Mutated Value is under control. With your family’s influence, you don’t even need to form a spiritual connection with me to get back on the battlefield."

"Besides," Ning Xuan told Di Youlin, "you absorbed a great deal from the spiral nebula in Oasis Fairyland. That substance will continuously improve your genes. You might even be able to achieve a perfect transformation between your human and beast forms without any outside help."

"I can’t, Master! Only by establishing a spiritual connection with you—and having deeper contact—is there any hope of eliminating the underlying threat of my genetic defects. Master—" Before Di Youlin could finish, Yan Fuzhen’s voice rang out from outside the door.

"Family Head, Master Di and his wife are here to visit. They’re already waiting in the living room. Will you see them?" Yan Fuzhen’s voice was laced with annoyance. The Di Family’s formal request for a visit had only just arrived today, and he hadn’t even had a chance to show it to the Family Head before they showed up on her doorstep.

’The proper procedure is to send a formal request, after which the host extends an invitation. But no, they just had to show up directly. Who would be happy to receive uninvited guests?’

"Didn’t I say I was in closed-door Cultivation? Why did you let them in?" Ning Xuan demanded, flinging the door open to face Yan Fuzhen.

"They forced their way in," Yan Fuzhen said carefully. "They said they would wait."

Ning Xuan shot Di Youlin a displeased look. ’Such a troublemaker.’

"Let’s go, Di Youlin. This is a perfect opportunity for you to go see your parents and relay my terms," Ning Xuan said, already sending a message to Yu Mingche as she spoke. "If they don’t agree, you can leave this place with them immediately."

’Ning Xuan figured Master Di’s wife wouldn’t be so easily dismissed. She needed to call for backup.’

’Yu Mingche had also sent a formal request. She had planned to see him tomorrow, but it was better to move it up to today.’

In addition to messaging Yu Mingche, Ning Xuan also sent messages to Ying Yaoshi and the Controller Protection Association.

"I’m going now, Master," Di Youlin said, his voice firm. "I will persuade them. I’ll make them agree."

Not even ten minutes after Di Youlin left, Intelligent Butler 17 spoke in a panic, "Master, the living room’s smart system is under attack! The dome lights are damaged, the fragrance diffuser on the table has been smashed, and the crystal chandelier in the second lighting zone has crashed to the floor, shattering into a million pieces!" Intelligent Butler 17’s hologram flickered before Ning Xuan, trembling from what seemed to be either anger or fear.

Ning Xuan’s fingers were still tapping away on her Light Computer as she replied to some private messages. Hearing the butler’s report, she didn’t even look up. "If they’re broken, they’re broken. We’ll replace everything tomorrow."

"It’s over—AH!" The hologram suddenly distorted into a series of bizarre geometric shapes, and Butler 17’s image broke apart in a chaotic flicker of data.

Ning Xuan hissed softly through her teeth. ’So they hacked my intelligent butler. Fine. They’ve already stormed my home, so I can’t just hide. I might as well go see what all the fuss is about.’

The moment Ning Xuan stepped out of her room, she was met by a man sent by Yan Fuzhen. "Family Head, Housekeeper Yan has temporarily sealed off the living room. He has also reported the incident to the Supervisory Office and the Political Hall. Housekeeper Yan asks that you please stay clear for the time being."

"It’s fine. I’m going to take a look," Ning Xuan said, already walking toward the living room.

When Ning Xuan reached the living room, two groups were in a standoff outside. On one side were the villa’s security guards, who had emerged from the shadows. On the other, clearly, were the people brought by the Di Family.

"Mother, you keep claiming this is for my own good, but why can’t you respect my choice?" Di Youlin demanded furiously of a woman. "Will you only be happy once I’ve mutated into a complete monster?"

The woman was tall, with a sharp, short haircut. She wore a silver-gray, high-collared blouse that accentuated her long neck. Purple trousers encased her straight, long legs, and a red trench coat was draped over her shoulders. A delicate pearl brooch was pinned to her chest, and on her left ring finger sat a jadeite ring. It was of the rare, glassy imperial green variety, shimmering with a cool, deep luster like water drawn from a dark spring.

"I would rather see you become a monster than allow you to debase yourself like this! An orphan girl from a Low-class Star—who does she think she is, daring to make such a demand? I was already willing to overlook the disparity in your family backgrounds. I came here today intending to meet her, and if she had been the least bit acceptable, I would have consented to your contract."

"I never, ever imagined she would be so impudent."

"This is infuriating!" The woman appeared even more enraged than Di Youlin.

"Mother, do you have any idea what you’re saying?" Di Youlin’s fingers trembled, his face a mask of desperation. "I’m the one who needs her! I’m the one who begged her to take me! Why are you still acting so high and mighty?"

"Aren’t you fine now? Your spiritual power is stable," Wen Yuebai said, stepping forward to grab Di Youlin’s hand. "The Federation has so many Controllers. We can take our time and find another one. You’re coming home with me."

"My stability now is all thanks to Ning Xuan!" Di Youlin cried, shaking her hand off, his own lips trembling. "Have you forgotten what I was like before?"

"Have you forgotten what I looked like as a half-human, half-bird monster? Have you forgotten me locked away underground, waiting to die?"

"Oh, that’s right," Di Youlin sneered. "From the moment they locked me underground, you never came to see me even once, did you? Of course you don’t remember."

"According to Federation law, a child with Half-beastman genes is automatically disowned by their parents. So, from the very moment my genes were exposed, I ceased to have any connection to you."