Li Fei had only meant it as a casual joke — but Qin Zhihua quietly pinched the hem of her sleeve and swept a glance, deliberate and unhurried, across the main hall.
Bai Mengtian wasn't here...
Qin Zhihua exhaled a small breath of relief — and then, among the mercenaries coming and going around them, spotted a stone-faced young woman walking toward them with zero expression on her face.
She had been quietly following Li Fei's news for days now. One look was all she needed to recognize the girl: short hair, sky-cold cyan eyes — this was Grace, the Magic Academy's rising star, whose name had been on everyone's lips these past two days.
"Ah, I haven't introduced you yet — this is Grace, my classmate."\
Li Fei smiled and waved Grace over.
What a beautiful child.
Beneath fine, soft bangs were eyes of pale, faintly cool cyan. A slender, elegant figure — the kind of beauty that even Qin Zhihua couldn't help but silently admire.
But what truly caught the eye was the silver brooch gleaming at Grace's chest — identical, without a single difference, to Li Fei's.
Qin Zhihua's gaze landed on that brooch. For just a moment, something flickered and stilled behind her eyes — then she recovered her composure with practiced grace and offered a polite greeting: "Hello, Miss Grace."
"Qin Zhihua. My fiancée."\
Li Fei let the words hang in the air just long enough to feel Qin Zhihua's breath catch — then broke into a sly, satisfied grin. "Just kidding."
Taking advantage of the moment while Qin Zhihua's heart was still riding the wave, Li Fei pressed her advantage smoothly:
"Zhihua-jie, are you planning to head to Viranean for herb-gathering? What do you think — could I be of use?"
Then, her Fortune Points dropped sharply by a hundred, and Li Fei murmured the incantation:
"Topographica conscientia."
Terrain Awareness (Lv1)
Spell Effect: Reduces movement penalties caused by adverse terrain such as marshes, deserts, and snowfields.
Duration: 60 minutes
Cooldown: None
Mana Cost: 9
EXP to Next Level: 0/100
An earthen-yellow halo of mana rippled outward from Li Fei's fingertips, spreading across Qin Zhihua's body.
It had to be said — Terrain Awareness was a remarkably excellent spell. Aside from its mana cost sitting slightly high for a first-tier spell, its extraordinarily long duration, nonexistent cooldown, and deceptively practical buff effect had made it one of the most sought-after spells in circulation. Of course, Nature-alignment mages varied widely in their aptitudes, and not everyone could master it.
Worth mentioning: the textbook distributed by the Magic Academy contained a record of a war between Knight's Ridge and Loxibrook over a century ago, in which a well-equipped, tactically balanced Life-alignment army had used superior numbers to wage a grinding campaign against the elves around the Nightmare Marshes.
After the war, the elves had searched the body of a human commander and found a notebook. The final page read:
Every step through the mud was agony. We finally caught up to those cunning elves when we were half-dead with exhaustion — and damn it all! Why do the pointy-ears look completely fresh?!
After that engagement, nearly every Nature-alignment Transcendent made an attempt to learn Terrain Awareness — but Spell Crystals were no panacea. A significant number of mages went to their graves never having managed to master it.
Unlike a certain Li somebody, who happened to possess the foundations of a five-element legendary mage!
Clearly, even on the spell's own merits alone, Li Fei would have bought the corresponding Knowledge Book sooner or later. And the opportunity to cling to a powerful ally and get a look at Viranean along the way was simply a bonus on top.
After all, word of the "Path of Conquest" opening had been spreading like wildfire through Loxibrook. This teleportation corridor linked Loxibrook to an island called Viranean — an island teeming with undeveloped resources. The city had been buzzing with activity ever since, every major faction stirring, each one hungry for a slice of the pie.
But what Li Fei cared about most was something else entirely: the Transcendent creatures that were native to Viranean.
Loxibrook was an ancient, weathered city. After a thousand years of development and management, everything within its borders — aside from one wolf den left as a training ground for beginners — was claimed territory. Slaughtering Transcendent creatures within city limits was a guaranteed way to have the constabulary knocking on your door. No matter how powerful her backing, Li Fei wasn't about to do something so brainless.
But the natives of Viranean? Even if Li Fei skinned them and made their hides into boots, it would be morally questionable yet entirely legal.
"All right."\
As always, Qin Zhihua agreed to Li Fei's request without a moment's hesitation — but then a small frown creased her brow. "There may be some danger involved..."\
The teleportation corridor had been constructed by Bai Mengtian, and Viranean was considered Loxibrook's territory.
But the City Hall's manpower alone was clearly insufficient to absorb and develop such an enormous expanse of land quickly. So the City Lord would divide Viranean into zones, claim the richest portions for herself, and subcontract the rest to organizations like the Mercenary Guild and the Thieves' Guild, as well as the major noble houses — letting them invest their own labor and resources into development, while City Hall simply held the scales and waited to collect its share of the profits and taxes.
Qin's Apothecary had seized the opportunity to strike a deal with the Mercenary Guild: the apothecary would send personnel into the Guild's contracted zones to harvest wild medicinal herbs, with the proceeds split according to a pre-negotiated ratio.
Before any herb-gathering began, the Mercenary Guild would conduct a sweep of the area, eliminating or capturing the more dangerous Transcendent creatures. The risk level was relatively low — but there were still plenty of residual wild monsters lurking about, which constituted a non-trivial threat.
Qin Zhihua took Li Fei's arm and walked her through every detail of the mission from start to finish.
"Ha! If Zhihua-jie can go, do you think I'm the kind of person who's afraid of a little danger?"
Li Fei thumped her own chest. "Don't worry — I'll protect you."
— Please. If she was going herself, and Madam Zhihua had described the risk as only 'potentially dangerous,' then by any rational analysis, the risk was essentially negligible, right?
And with the Mercenary Guild having already done a sweep, and the young mistress of the Qin family certainly bringing a whole troop of muscle along, how could there possibly be any danger?
"Then I'll defer to you..."\
Qin Zhihua's heart was warm and sweet. In a tone that was half-question, half-offer, she said: "The trip will be three to five days. The compensation is... ten gold coins per day. How does that sound?"
The amount wasn't even enough to order a bottle of wine, but since this was, in some sense, a business arrangement, Qin Zhihua didn't want to rashly throw the conventions out the window. She reined in the impulse to quote something far higher — and settled on a figure roughly ten times the going rate.
"Thank you, boss~"\
Li Fei blinked sweetly and tugged at Qin Zhihua's sleeve. "And, um — could my classmate come along too?"
"Of course. More hands means more security. Same rate as you."
Qin Zhihua didn't hesitate this time, and even offered Grace a friendly smile.
Grace bit her lower lip, her expression rigid.
She had taken a few solo missions before and knew perfectly well — this was a commission so good it bordered on the absurd. Low risk, pay that was laughably generous, an employer she already knew with an apparently pleasant temperament... and the mission site was Viranean, of all places. An unexplored territory like that was exactly the kind of place where rare materials practically fell into your lap.
And yet she felt a creeping, murky sense of irritation she couldn't quite name.
"What's wrong, Grace?"
Li Fei waved a hand in front of her face.
She recognized that expression perfectly. She'd seen it on certain older sisters at the establishment — the ones who'd gotten married but were still working for various reasons, whose wives would come to pick them up at the end of a shift. That was almost exactly the face they wore.
Come to think of it, there was also that look Lady Gneia sometimes got when she brought a female guest back to her private room and instructed Li Fei to "take good care of her."
But not a trace of mockery showed on Li Fei's face — only deep, genuine concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No — I'm fine."
Grace snapped back to the present, something unspoken hovering on her lips.
"Good. Then it's settled — we head out together tomorrow!"
Li Fei gave her shoulder a pat and didn't leave her any room to refuse.
"Miss Zhihua, have you found a suitable candidate yet? If not, I can find one for you."
A dazzling rose advanced from across the hall. Leona — daughter of the Mercenary Guild master — arrived with a sweeping stride in her signature red heels.
Wine-red curls cascaded down to her waist, swaying like a sea of roses blooming in the wind. Her bold makeup was a riot of color, like butterflies and bees in full flight; her scarlet dress ran as hot as fresh blood — and yet her skin was ice-cold white, gleaming like mithril, radiating a seductive, elegant danger. It would practically be a crime not to fall for her at first sight.
Leona's presence was so overwhelming that Li Fei felt she ought to appreciate her beauty through the lens of color palette and texture rather than simply staring at those long legs in black stockings with the crude gaze of a commoner.
She lasted about a second before giving up entirely. It wasn't a lack of willpower — black stockings paired with red heels were simply a force beyond human resistance.
"Many thanks for the kind offer, Sister."
Qin Zhihua clearly knew Leona and declined with graceful politeness: "But I've already found the person I had in mind."
"Oh?"
Leona raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess — a lovely Eastern girl, just as beautiful as you. Am I right?"
She turned her face. "We meet again, Miss Li Fei. Your charm is even more captivating than it was that night."
That evening, Leona had received two young women of almost impossible beauty in succession — one who had already reached Sequence 4, the other with Grandmaster potential. They had both left a very deep impression.
"Good afternoon, Sister Leona — you look even lovelier yourself."
Li Fei gathered the hem of her mage's robe and dipped into a charming, playful curtsy.
When she had returned to her original appearance to register a second mercenary identity, regulations had prevented the Guild from issuing her a higher-grade badge. But given that Li Fei — even listed as a "non-combat unit" — had managed to cast Stone Skin as a defensive measure, Leona had personally received her and invited her to the guest lounge for a cup of coffee.
They... know each other?
Li Fei and Leona fell into easy conversation almost immediately, all laughter and warmth. Qin Zhihua stood to the side, watching them, and quietly pinched her sleeve.
As a woman herself, and something of a half-friend to Leona, Qin Zhihua genuinely admired the woman's character and accomplishments. She also knew, all too well, just how lethally magnetic Leona could be.
"Arrive at the Mercenary Guild at noon, and you'll meet your destined one."
Qin Zhihua found herself replaying Li Fei's earlier offhand remark. What if... it turned out to be prophetic? Was it Grace? Or was it Leona?
It seems I'll have to get used to sharing her company...
While Madam Zhihua was busy tormenting herself with anxious uncertainty, Leona — who still had work waiting — waved a breezy farewell and left a trail of flowing scarlet and effortless glamour in her wake.
And Li Fei, with the sharp professional instincts that had been honed to a fine edge, had already noticed the worried furrow in Madam Zhihua's brow.
Li Fei — who spent her days on certain forums typing "heh" and "what about me" and "can I still be your alarm clock?" and gleefully terrorizing various devoted fans — let her eyes roll to one side, and leaned close to Qin Zhihua's ear with a mischievous smile:
"There's a girl in my class who has a crush on me — she'll be coming by later. Can we add her to the group tomorrow?"
Qin Zhihua's smile faltered, dipped, then hauled itself back up with visible effort. Her voice came out with a faint tremor:
"Whatever you say."
Morality: -11 → -12
Charisma: 211 → 221
Then Qin Zhihua's gaze met Li Fei's — those eyes brimming with warm, barely-contained mischief — and she understood.
The line had only been a tease. And her own feelings had been seen through completely.
Qin Zhihua — usually so composed, so quietly self-possessed — felt her composure shatter all at once. Two roses bloomed high on her cheeks.
"There's no one else, you know."
Li Fei tilted her head and closed the distance between them, her smile bright and playful. "Zhihua-jie — just how much do you like me, anyway?"
Nearby, Grace — who had barely spoken a word this entire time, radiating the aura of do not approach — watched Li Fei's every move without a word. But that world-weary little face of hers had somehow grown several degrees colder.
She had no habit of biting her straw. And yet at some point, the straw in her cup had been reduced to a dense pattern of bite marks.
Li Fei, of course, was leaving her out on purpose. Whose fault was it that Grace's motives for getting close to her were less than pure? A celestial hound and a regular dog were two entirely different things — and the queen of the establishment intended to have all of them.
"Zhihua-jie... Miss Beatrice came to the apothecary looking for you. It seemed urgent, so I brought her here."
Suddenly, a clear, melodious voice made both Li Fei and Qin Zhihua turn their heads.
Su Ling'er walked into the Mercenary Guild, leading a green-haired, green-eyed elven woman of delicate, otherworldly beauty.
"Boss, I learned Terrain Awareness last night — you won't need to hire an extra person... hm? Have we met somewhere before?"
The elf turned with a puzzled look, her gaze settling on Li Fei's face — a face that could topple kingdoms — and in unison with Su Ling'er, both voices rang out at once:
"Li Fei / Miss Li Fei? What are you doing here?"
"Taking a quest."
Li Fei looked like she was fighting back a laugh, eyes curving into crescent moons, the corner of her mouth doing something complicated. "Good afternoon, Ling'er-jie. Long time no see, Miss Beatrice — those fruits you gave me last time were wonderful."
Grace silently turned around and dropped her crushed tea cup into the trash.
"Arrive at the Mercenary Guild at noon, and you'll meet your destined one."
Madam Zhihua also felt her breath catch. She pinched her sleeve and began her cycle of anxious uncertainty all over again.
...
"Hup — hng."
In the back garden of Qin's Apothecary, Li Fei gripped a hoe, turned over a patch of earth, and with careful hands pressed a single oak seed into the soil.
Qin Zhihua sat beside her, chin resting on her hands, watching — her eyes soft and full of quiet warmth.
The advancement ritual for the Druid class was to plant an oak tree with one's own hands. More specifically: to cultivate an oak seed from a sprout to a height of ten meters. With the help of a potion, the whole process could be completed in about ten days.
Li Fei had originally planned to plant the tree at the residence Lady Gneia had arranged for her — but after some thought, she'd changed her mind.
Yes, once she advanced to Sequence 9 she could theoretically chop the oak down for firewood and it wouldn't matter. But this was still the oak that marked Li Fei's first step onto the Transcendent path — it carried sentimental weight. Better to have it planted somewhere she considered her own.
Since buying a house was currently out of the question, the back garden of Qin's Apothecary would have to do. Which was fine, really — it was going to end up as part of Li somebody's dowry sooner or later anyway.
She patted the soil back into place. Before Li Fei could say a word, a slender, pale hand extended toward her, offering a small vial.
[Andrew's Oak Cultivation Elixir]
Elixir Rating: Full Moon
Effect: When poured over a planted oak seed, the seed will grow to a height exceeding ten meters within three days. Exhibits exceptional vitality.
Seeing the elixir's rating, Li Fei felt a twinge deep in her chest.
A Full Moon-grade elixir typically commanded a fortune — though in context that referred to things like Mana Recovery Potions or Life Recovery Potions, the kind you downed and it kept you alive. This particular elixir, if sold, would fetch a steep discount from that ceiling — but it was still worth a small fortune, the sort of thing only a family so wealthy they were burning money would ever actually use.
Zhihua was genuinely incredible... ah, but the hardest kindness to accept is the kindness of a beautiful woman...
The queen of the establishment — a woman of considerable professional principle — felt a quiet pang of guilt. What kind of sweetness could she possibly offer in return to be worthy of this gift?
"Thank you, Zhihua-jie."
Li Fei, in a rare moment of genuine discomfort, slowly accepted the vial and poured its contents over the freshly turned earth where the seed lay buried.
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉