Chapter 49: Night Market Revelations and the Alchemist’s Device

No sooner had they stepped out of the dean’s office than Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen let out a synchronized sigh. “Ah, it’s finally over. I’m starving to death!”

Mu Wanqing’s eyes widened incredulously, as she pointed at their identical gestures of clutching their waists and rubbing their bellies.

“Yue Yue, you two… you truly are a couple; even your hunger pangs are perfectly synchronized!”

Su Liyue, so ravenous her chest felt pressed against her back, was too weary to offer any explanations. “Qingqing, look at the time. Aren’t you hungry?”

Mu Wanqing rubbed her stomach. “I am… but there’s definitely nothing left at the cafeteria at this hour.”

Su Liyue grabbed her best friend’s hand. “Come on! My treat tonight, let’s go to the night market!”

“Eh? The night market? Then… what about your Xingchen?”

Su Liyue replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, her other hand already naturally delving into Ye Xingchen’s pants pocket, searching. “Of course he’s coming along!”

“He’s our protector, after all. Could you really bear to see him starve?”

Mu Wanqing’s ear tips instantly flushed crimson as she watched her best friend’s audacious move. “Yue Yue! What, what are you doing?!”

Su Liyue’s expression was utterly innocent, yet her hand continued its search without pause. “Looking for my wallet, what else?”

To Mu Wanqing, this brazen act was nothing short of blatant flirting.

“Strange… I distinctly remember putting my wallet right here?”

Mu Wanqing’s voice trembled with embarrassment. “Wait… Yue Yue, do you usually keep your wallet with Xingchen?”

Su Liyue continued rummaging, complaining as she did so. “Of course!”

“I don’t know who designed these anti-human school uniforms; the skirt pockets are so shallow that a wallet would fall out after just two steps…”

As she spoke, her hand continued to rummage in Ye Xingchen’s pocket, while he, in turn, cooperatively searched his own jacket pockets for the wallet, their synchronized movements suggesting a tacit understanding as if they had rehearsed this countless times.

Finally, through their combined efforts, her cute pink wallet was retrieved from his other pocket.

Mu Wanqing stared at the bulging wallet in her best friend’s hand, a sudden realization dawning upon her.

“So you two often… take each other’s things like this?”

Su Liyue naturally linked arms with both of them. “Exactly. He carries my wallet, I carry his textbooks. It’s so convenient~”

Watching their utterly natural expressions, Mu Wanqing’s cheeks flushed an even deeper red.

“Don’t you two… honestly feel this is rather… intimate?”

Su Liyue blinked, “Intimate?” A sudden realization struck her, and she quickly released Ye Xingchen’s hand.

“Ahaha… well, about that…” She gave two dry laughs.

‘Darn it! Her habitual actions had given them away!’

Ye Xingchen also caught on, letting out a tactical cough.

“Um… it’s perfectly normal for classmates to help each other out,” he said, subtly slipping the wallet back into his pocket.

Mu Wanqing eyed them suspiciously. “But Yue Yue, what you were just searching for was…”

Su Liyue abruptly pointed towards the brightly lit street ahead, awkwardly changing the subject. “Look! The night market! I heard there’s an Elf candy stall today!”

Indeed, a sweet fragrance wafted from afar, and colorful magic lanterns illuminated the entire street, making it seem dreamlike.

The hawkers’ cries rose and fell in a lively chorus.

“Freshly baked flame pies!”

“Moonlight Forest’s special candied berries!”

“Glowing magic cotton candy~”

Qizai excitedly leaped out of her scabbard, the bells on her sword tassel jingling merrily. “Master! I want that color-changing lollipop!”

Phoenix Jiuwu also flapped her wings, drawing a large candy pattern in the air with her tail flames.

As expected, Mu Wanqing’s attention was successfully diverted.

“Wow! That Rainbow Swirl Candy looks amazing!”

The trio melted into the bustling crowd, unnoticed by anyone.

In the shadows of a street corner, a cloaked figure watched them.

***

Su Liyue asked casually, munching on a skewer of grilled meat handed to her by Ye Xingchen. “Qingqing, tomorrow we have our practical combat class in the back mountains. Have you decided on your main specialization yet?”

A smudge of sauce from the skewer clung to her lips, which Ye Xingchen deftly wiped away with his thumb, his movements remarkably practiced.

Mu Wanqing watched their intimate interaction, a flicker of envy in her eyes.

“I plan to follow your advice and specialize in the healing system, with water magic as a minor. After all, healers need self-defense capabilities too… But Yue Yue, aren’t you two afraid of being seen by classmates doing this?”

Su Liyue blinked blankly. “Seen doing what?” It wasn’t until she noticed her best friend staring at Ye Xingchen’s still-extended hand that her ear tips belatedly flushed crimson.

“Ahem… well, I plan to master all four systems. As for Xingchen…”

Ye Xingchen calmly took over the conversation. “Aside from alchemy, everything else is a waste of time.” He casually bought another skewer of grilled mushrooms and fed it to Su Liyue.

“Recently, I’ve been researching how to integrate magic arrays into alchemical products. If I succeed…”

Mu Wanqing watched them sharing a single skewer, silently swallowing her intended jab about them being ‘alchemy maniacs.’

She suddenly noticed a strange metal device hanging from Ye Xingchen’s waist, which hadn’t been there before. “Is that some new invention?”

Ye Xingchen smiled mysteriously. “Oh, that? You’ll find out during the ranking competition.” His fingers lightly stroked the coldly gleaming metal tube.

Under the glow of the night market lights, the magical patterns on the device’s surface shimmered faintly.

If someone from Earth were to see it, they would surely gasp in surprise; it was clearly the prototype of a revolver, with miniature magic arrays inlaid in its cylinder and fire magic array runes etched onto its barrel.

Su Liyue suddenly tugged at both their sleeves. “Look!” She pointed to a newly posted notice on a distant bulletin board.

[Special Rules for Tomorrow’s Practical Combat Training]

1. 30 Bronze-tier and 10 Silver-tier magical beasts have been released into the back mountain beast zone.

2. Defeating a magical beast earns corresponding points (Bronze: 10 points / Silver: 50 points).

3. Discovering and collecting rare medicinal herbs grants additional points.

4. The top three teams in points will receive ‘Star Ore’ as a reward.

Ye Xingchen’s pupils contracted. “Star Ore?!”

‘This was precisely the core material he most lacked for refining psionic firearms!’

Qizai suddenly poked her head out of her scabbard. “Master! Should we go to the back mountains in advance and set up… just a *billion* traps?”

Phoenix Jiuwu also excitedly spewed a wisp of chaotic fire, drawing a ‘First Place’ pattern in the air.

Mu Wanqing watched the suddenly spirited duo—two people, one sword, and one bird—and a sudden ominous feeling washed over her. “Um… Yue Yue, you two aren’t thinking of…”

Su Liyue threw an arm around her best friend’s neck, flashing a mischievous, impish smile. “Qingqing~ How would you like to experience… earning points while lying down?”

The night wind swept through the street, and in the shadows of the corner, the cloaked figure quietly recorded something.

The crystal ball in their hand reflected the ‘alchemical product’ at Ye Xingchen’s waist, and a line of small text flashed across its surface.

[Target confirmed. Suspected reappearance of an ancient alchemical product…]