Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

Ning Xuan’s face was grim, and she remained silent. Ying Yaoshi went into the bathroom to shower and change.

During the trip, Leng Yue had kept him updated with detailed reports on Ning Xuan’s every mood swing. Between Leng Yue, Yan Fuzhen, and the others he’d assigned to her, Ying Yaoshi had a solid grasp of Ning Xuan’s temperament.

Because High-level Female Spirit Controllers were so rare, and with the Controller Protection Association enabling them, most Controllers in the Federation treated their Contractors horribly. Many of the officers under Ying Yaoshi’s command had been matched with a Controller, but few were willing to take leave to return home and wait on them.

And that was the case for high-ranking officers. As for Contractors of ordinary social status, it wasn’t uncommon for them to be beaten to death or crippled.

Compared to other Controllers, Ning Xuan would never harm a Contractor without reason, just for her own amusement. Even when she got angry and struck someone, she showed restraint.

However, most Controllers treated their Contractors differently based on personal ability and social status. Contractors with higher social standing could bring more benefits to their Controller, who in turn would be more tolerant of them. In contrast, those with poor abilities and an average social position were treated much more harshly.

Ning Xuan, however, was different. Her attitude toward the people around her had nothing to do with their personal abilities or social status; it was based purely on her own personal likes and dislikes.

Ying Yaoshi finished his shower quickly and changed into a loose bathrobe. He looked at his reflection in the mirror—at his own sharp, defined features—and felt a wave of anxiety.

Although he was many years older than Ning Xuan, he had spent his life on the battlefield and had no experience with women. He felt his heart pounding. He wasn’t afraid of her losing her temper; he was afraid she would ignore him completely.

Ying Yaoshi stepped out of the bathroom but didn’t see Ning Xuan in the living room. "Xuanyuan..."

Anxiously, Ying Yaoshi searched for her. He moved so quickly in his nervousness that the loosely fastened silk tie of his bathrobe came undone. He followed her faint scent past the entryway and found her leaning against the doorway of the fitness room, surveying the equipment inside.

This was where he usually worked out. It was filled with all sorts of fitness equipment, and a multi-functional climbing rack stood in the very center.

"Xuanyuan, what are you doing here?" Just as Ying Yaoshi started to walk toward her, a Vine Whip came cracking through the air, aimed straight for his head.

Ying Yaoshi’s body reacted faster than his mind. He subconsciously caught the Vine Whip in one hand.

Ning Xuan hadn’t expected him to catch the whip. She yanked back with all her might, but the Vine Whip didn’t budge. Her face flushed, a mixture of exertion and fury.

Seeing that she couldn’t pull it free, she threw the whip aside in frustration, dropped onto a nearby sofa, and demanded icily, "Ying Yaoshi, you dare fight back?"

"No, I didn’t mean to. It was a reflex," Ying Yaoshi said, kneeling on one knee before her. He held the Vine Whip up with both hands, offering it back to her. "Xuanyuan... um... I have an important meeting later. Could you... not hit my face?"

With one kneeling and the other sitting, they were very close. Ning Xuan’s scent silently invaded Ying Yaoshi’s senses. As he smelled her fragrance and felt the energy radiating from her body, his Adam’s apple bobbed. Suddenly, he felt a ravenous hunger. Every cell in his body seemed to boil as his heart hammered and his blood surged.

Ying Yaoshi’s ravenous, wolf-like gaze thoroughly infuriated Ning Xuan. She lifted her leg and kicked him hard in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Then, she retrieved an Imprisonment Ring from her Space Button and fastened it around his neck with a sharp CLICK.

Imprisonment Rings also had Levels. This one was a top-tier ring, capable of suppressing an SSS-level Spirit Controller. However, even the highest Level of ring couldn’t completely suppress a Spirit Controller of that caliber.

With the Imprisonment Ring clasped around his neck, the energy flowing through his veins immediately grew sluggish.

"Fine... I won’t hit your face." Ning Xuan snapped her fingers.

A vine snaked around Ying Yaoshi’s ankle, then shot up to a ceiling beam, hoisting him upside down.

CRACK! The sound of the Vine Whip splitting the air exploded next to his ear. Ying Yaoshi’s back went taut, like a fully drawn bowstring. He couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt as the thorny whip bit into his flesh.

A searing pain spread from the point of impact, and a wave of heat surged through his body.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! With a flick of her wrist, Ning Xuan let the whip fall in a quickening rhythm. The Vine Whip was part of a Ghost-faced Red Vine, and she wielded it as if it were an extension of her own arm, her strikes both vicious and precise.

Ying Yaoshi’s bathrobe had long since been shredded to pieces by the lashing. As he hung upside down, blood rushed to his head, the mounting pressure making him dizzy. Amidst the dizziness and spreading pain, a crimson flush began to color his skin where the whip marks were densest.

’He’d been wounded and had bled countless times; a few whip marks were nothing. He’d assumed a few lashes from Ning Xuan would be trivial, but he never, ever expected it to feel... like this.’

’He had learned about Ning Xuan’s preferences from Yan Fuzhen. He knew her word was law and she didn’t tolerate being contradicted. When he’d summoned her here, he’d already resolved to be respectful in her presence.’

A drop of blood fell, splashing against the floor like a blooming, crimson flower.

Seeing Ying Yaoshi covered in bloody welts, Ning Xuan finally felt some of her anger subside. She released him, letting him drop to the floor.

Ning Xuan saw him lying motionless on the cold floor in his tattered bathrobe. She grabbed one of his military jackets from a nearby coat rack and tossed it onto his body.

"Marshal Ying," she began, "you said you wanted to be a part of my life, that you wanted to be with me. I came here because you asked me to. Therefore, you should know that you have to abide by my rules." Seeing Ying Yaoshi lying there so still, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Still, Ning Xuan didn’t regret her actions. ’The last time we met, he had the upper hand. This time, I have to learn my lesson and crush that arrogance of his.’

’Otherwise, there’s no point in us even trying to be together.’

Ying Yaoshi grabbed the jacket she had thrown him. With a WHOOSH, he vanished.

Ning Xuan frowned. ’What kind of reaction is that?’

’Is he angry? Annoyed?’

Ning Xuan couldn’t understand his reaction at all.

Just as she was puzzling over it, Ying Yaoshi reappeared. He had changed into a black military uniform and was wearing the jacket she had just thrown to him over it. On the cuff, embroidered in gold thread, was a small, horned serpent.