Chapter 120

Chapter 121: What Level Are You To Compete With Me?

That night, Si Kong Wang ate very “restrained,” stopping at only eighteen dumplings, then, under the watch of Qian Qi and the same boy, he ran ten laps around the Orphanage. Sitting on the ground and panting hard, he glanced at Qian Qi, who wasn’t even flushed, and asked: “Why am I the only one running while you aren’t?” He knew his weight was over the line, but Qian Qi’s number didn’t look perfectly healthy either.

“You don’t get it,” the boy said with a little laugh: “She’s lenient with herself and strict with others. You could also say she uses herself to police other people.” Qian Qi thought: […] [Learn a few fancy phrases and now you’re showing off?] She squinted at him and said: “Keep yapping and I’ll sign you up for after-school tutoring. Eight classes.” The boy zipped his lips in a hurry and made a sewing motion.

Watching the two of them fool around, Si Kong Wang couldn’t help smiling. He envied the Orphanage’s feeling. The dean and the teachers were gentle and kind, and every child smiled with simple joy, like nothing in the world could wipe those smiles away. To keep those smiles, Qian Qi must have paid a lot. He glanced at her again, a little dazed, and wondered: [But can she save herself?]

The next morning, Qian Qi woke early and appraised the last three C grade Magiplant leaves in the safe. Sadly, none of them were the Magi God Herb. She handed the safe back to Si Kong Wang and said with a helpless shake of her head: “Sorry. These aren’t it.” He took the box with a trace of disappointment, then steadied himself and said: “When the next batch of Magiplants comes in, I’ll bring them to you.”

After sending him off, Qian Qi pulled an envelope from under her bed, entered the Garden Dungeon, and dug a whole box of Hemostatic Potion out of the little cabin there. The Garden Dungeon’s plains were wide and its soil was rich. The school’s barren Back Mountain couldn’t compare. Here, she could plant as many Magiplants as she wanted. Magibeasts in this place respawned every two days, so there was a steady supply of Magibeast flesh and blood. Each time she harvested, she could fill a box with Hemostatic Potion.

Xiang Wen Yun had said that, besides the boy from earlier, Little Min, Little An, and three more kids had already turned seven. The nearby primary school charged seven thousand a year per student, including books, dorm, and meals, which was almost like free public education. Six students at seven thousand each meant forty two thousand. Qian Qi would need to earn that first.

She stuffed the envelope and the Hemostatic Potion into her backpack and walked to the E grade Dungeon next door, the same place she had sold potions before. She set up her shabby little stall and got to work. By mid summer break, the Magiplant Research Institute had started releasing their own Hemostatic Potion. To Qian Qi’s surprise, they had even developed the Defense Fruit on their own, but because the planting method was wrong, the fruit’s effect lasted at most one minute. Without her skill Godhand to boost the Magiplants’ magic, the institute’s Hemostatic Potion had weaker yield and power, so its official price was only a little cheaper than Qian Qi’s. Then the scalpers bought it and marked it up. Compared with those high resale prices, Qian Qi’s potion was both cheaper and better. For several days in a row, her Hemostatic Potion sold out fast. People even staked out the Dungeon gate every day, waiting for her to arrive.

Qian Qi made a tidy sum, but the nearby resellers were miserable. The institute sold its potion nationwide in limited batches, so you had to fight to buy any. Scalpers finally snagged some and planned to resell high for a big cut. Then Qian Qi’s good and affordable potion hit the market, and suddenly no one wanted to pay a markup for the weaker version. The resellers grew jealous and tried to dig up her supply, but every time they probed, she slipped away like a loach.

With their profits cut off, a few of them decided to drive her out and snatch her stock. One reseller planted himself at her stall, looking down on her with hidden spite and saying: “Hey, kid, your Hemostatic Potion isn’t the institute’s, is it? There’s no patent mark from the Magiplant Research Institute. Did it come from some shady channel?” Qian Qi tipped up the brim of her big straw hat and cocked her head. Looked like her little business had blocked someone’s money path.

Another chimed in just loud enough for buyers to hear: “Not just shady. I bet it has side effects. The institute is official, their quality is guaranteed. Who knows if this stuff will hurt you long term?” A third added: “Right! I’m guessing this guy works at the institute and sneaked out discarded rejects with side effects to make money! Everyone, don’t buy it. Official is safer!” Yet another piled on: “Exactly. A product like this with no labels could even be addictive. Be careful!”

Their voices were pitched perfectly to reach the Awakeners who were about to buy, and those Awakeners started to hesitate. Official things always felt more trustworthy. The institute’s potion had clean packaging and a patent mark. If you had a bad reaction, you could complain to the institute. Qian Qi’s packaging was just a clear plastic bag with nothing on it. It was easy to suspect she had swiped the institute’s rejected, risky goods.

Qian Qi watched them without a word. Seeing her silent, the resellers felt sure they had guessed right and got bolder in front of her little stall. “Kid, before the Awakeners come after you, hurry up and get out of here,” one said. Another reached out and added: “Leave the potions. We can’t allow harmful medicine to hit the market. Don’t worry, we’ll destroy it for you.”

They had decided to chase her off and take her goods. When their righteous shouts had drawn a thick crowd, Qian Qi finally reached into her backpack, took out the envelope, and slid out a sheet of paper, not too thick and not too thin. With a bright, gentle smile, she flicked the paper and said: “Look. What’s this?” The lead loudmouth gave a careless glance, then his face froze. He bent down for a proper look and saw it was an exclusive sales authorization certificate issued by the Magiplant Research Institute.

Qian Qi flashed her little teeth in a grin that turned sharp in a second. She slammed her fist into the ground, and a deep pit opened at once, as she said: “If you’re not buying, get lost. Otherwise I’ll kill you.” The scalpers stared: […] [What the heck, she’s a power type Awakener!]

Spooked by her expression and the crater, they slunk away. Qian Qi narrowed her eyes and let a cold gaze sweep across the other resellers. She had given the Hemostatic Potion to the institute because she wanted it sold cheap to help everyone. These resellers had taken advantage of the limited stock to resell at high prices. That hit her bottom line hard. [How could they do something this low?] she thought. [Only I get to earn the middleman cut!] She snorted to herself and thought: [What level are you to compete with me?]