Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

When Yu Mingche had just received Ning Xuan’s summons to the Controller Protection Association, Feng Linran had been so furious he’d nearly stormed her door. Yu Mingche hadn’t dared bring him along for this visit.

"It doesn’t hurt," Yu Mingche forced out, the words a clear lie.

Although Yu Mingche’s Spiritual Power Level was quite high, his Talent Skill was focused on the Spiritual Domain, leaving his physical constitution rather weak. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Ning Xuan watched the muscles in his back spasm from the pain, and her heart softened. Yu Mingche’s skin was fair and delicate, which made the swollen, open welts from the whipping look particularly gruesome.

"Your Companion Spirit has been away from your body for so long. Hasn’t that affected you? Don’t you need some time to recuperate?" Ning Xuan asked with concern.

"It has had some effect, but it’s manageable. My daily activities aren’t a problem." Sweat beaded on Yu Mingche’s forehead from the pain, and his breathing was slightly unsteady as he spoke.

"Doing this... isn’t your main body in danger?" Yu Mingche had attached his Divine Soul Consciousness to the body of his Companion Spirit, which was, to some degree, equivalent to one’s soul leaving the body. ’For the soul to be gone for half a year... even experts at the Transcendence Realm in my old world wouldn’t dare try something like that lightly.’

"I placed my main body in a secure location. As long as my main body is safe, my Companion Spirit is safe. Rest assured, Contractor. I plan everything before I act; there will be no mistakes. In fact, on this trip to the New Star Body, my Companion Spirit absorbed a great deal of the spiral nebula thanks to being near you, Contractor. I actually reaped quite a few benefits," Yu Mingche said with a smile.

"Oh. Well, that’s good." Ning Xuan nodded and continued applying the medicine to his back.

"Family Head, someone is at the door requesting a visit. He says he is Lord Yu’s steward," an Attendant sent by Yan Fuzhen came to report.

"Contractor, I was hoping to stay here, so I had some of my personal belongings sent over," Yu Mingche said, his expression frank.

"Bring him here," Ning Xuan said to the Attendant outside.

"Yes."

A few minutes later, Feng Linran entered with six handsome young men. They came to pay their respects to Yu Mingche and bowed deferentially to Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan watched as Feng Linran directed the men he’d brought to surround Yu Mingche. They bandaged his wounds, applied more medicine, and helped him change. In no time, his injuries were dressed, and he was in a fresh set of clothes.

"Miss Ning, may I ask where the Lord General will be staying?" Feng Linran asked, his tone polite and respectful.

"He just arrived, so nothing has been arranged yet. Lord General, where would you like to stay?" Ning Xuan held a favorable impression of Yu Mingche, both for coming to her after his punishment and for helping her out of a tight spot, so she had been in a good mood.

But the moment Feng Linran arrived, his every move—despite his respectful attitude—was clearly aimed at keeping her and Yu Mingche separate, as if he were guarding against her. This instantly soured Ning Xuan’s mood.

Hearing the shift in Ning Xuan’s tone, Yu Mingche thought, ’This is bad. Feng Linran is worried about me and feels I’ve been wronged. No matter how well he tries to hide it, someone as perceptive as Ning Xuan is bound to notice. Great. If she’s unhappy, all my plans will have been for nothing.’

Yu Mingche rose and took Ning Xuan’s hand. "Contractor, I want to stay as close to you as possible."

"Although the Lord General is on leave, he occasionally has official business to attend to. People from the general office will be sent over, so he will require a larger courtyard." Feng Linran, not knowing Ning Xuan well, failed to detect the sarcastic edge in her voice. He mistook her attitude for pleasant and made his request quite naturally.

"Also, Miss Ning, with our Lord General staying here, your security system will need to be upgraded. And..." Before Feng Linran could say more, Yu Mingche kicked him, cutting him off.

Feng Linran looked at Yu Mingche, confused. "Linran, take them and go back. If there’s any important business, I’ll return to handle it," Yu Mingche told him.

"How can I do that? If we all leave, who will take care of you?" Feng Linran refused.

’Ning Xuan doesn’t look like the type to take care of anyone.’

"Don’t make me repeat myself. Get out. Now." Yu Mingche was genuinely angry.

"Yes, sir." Feng Linran’s face paled, and he led the men away.

Ning Xuan watched from the side, saying nothing. Only after Feng Linran had led the men away did she give Yu Mingche a light push. "Everything he just said was for your own good. You can see how loyal he is to you. Aren’t you afraid you’ll break your subordinate’s heart by treating him like that?"

"I never planned on bringing them here. He brought them on his own initiative, which was already a breach of discipline. On top of that, their actions just now displeased you, Contractor, so of course they couldn’t stay. Now that I’m by your side, it’s only natural that I follow your arrangements," Yu Mingche explained.

’If every one of Ning Xuan’s Contractors could bring their own retinue to live here, the dynamics would become incredibly complicated.’

’Yu Mingche knew Yan Fuzhen was one of Ying Yaoshi’s men and that Yan Fuzhen had trained all the staff in this villa, both in the open and in the shadows. Initially, he had considered letting Feng Linran get involved. After all, Feng Linran’s competence was beyond question, and he wasn’t someone who failed to understand social cues or interpersonal dynamics. But because Yu Mingche had undergone the gestational sac implantation surgery, Feng Linran harbored a deep-seated resentment toward Ning Xuan. This resentment made his respectful demeanor entirely superficial—something that would never escape Ning Xuan’s notice.’

"Family Head, Miss Tang Xue is here to see you. She is waiting in the drawing room," an Attendant reported, knocking on the door.

Ning Xuan and Yu Mingche were in a lounge just off the drawing room, very close by.

"This medicine will help your injuries heal quickly and also treat your internal damage. Its only side effect is that it will make you very, very sleepy. Here, drink up. After you take this, I’ll go out front to see what’s happening. You just rest here quietly." Ning Xuan retrieved a bottle of swirling, multicolored medicine from her Space Button and handed it to Yu Mingche.

Yu Mingche stared at the kaleidoscopic colors swirling restlessly inside the vial. Even though he knew Ning Xuan was a master of alchemy, he still felt a deep sense of revulsion. ’The purer the color of a medicine, the better. This stuff looks like poison.’

"My injuries are really fine. Do I have to drink this?" Yu Mingche asked, shrinking back with a nervous smile.

"You have to drink it. Are you going to drink it yourself, or do you want me to feed it to you?" Seeing his reluctance, Ning Xuan grew a little annoyed, feeling that he was doubting her good intentions.

"I’ll drink it myself." Bracing himself, Yu Mingche downed the medicine in a single gulp. He had been prepared for a vile taste and a painful sensation, but the medicine was completely flavorless. The moment he swallowed it, a warm current surged through him.

Yu Mingche felt as if his body were soaking in a warm bath, feeling light and refreshed. The pain in his back subsided, and he could sense that the parts of his meridians that had previously felt sluggish and blocked were now flowing freely.