Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Gained a New Title — Land-Grabbing Magic!
Seeing Han Tian and the others wearing that miserable, desperate “I want to refuse but I don’t dare” expression, Qian Qi sighed in disappointment.
“Do these people not understand that fortune comes with risk? What if I’m a hidden genius?”
She shook her head like a disappointed parent. “High risk, high reward. If they were just a little braver, they’d know they grabbed onto a massive thigh!”
A blue panel drifted into view and glanced down at her legs.
[I don’t see anything massive.]
Qian Qi swatted the panel away and turned back to Han Tian, gentle as ever. “By the way, Han Tian. Since you’re done using your experimental plot, can you lend it to me for a month?”
Han Tian had no idea what she planned to do with it. He just wanted the conversation to end. “Sure,” he said instantly. “Two months is fine too.”
Qian Qi’s eyes lit up. She’d picked the right target—Han Tian looked thin and harmless, the kind of person who was easy to—no. The kind of person who was kind and generous.
On her lightbrain, she quietly crossed his name off her list. Then, with a “friendly” smile, she drifted toward the next classmate.
“Hi~ Classmate, I heard you haven’t been farming much lately~?”
The next classmate: …
Do not come over here.
That day became a nightmare for Magic Plant 101.
Because Qian Qi—the lunatic—had “borrowed” their precious experimental plots.
Sure, they didn’t need them right now. That didn’t stop them from hating her guts.
Land didn’t have to be useful to be sacred.
Meanwhile, Qian Qi had no idea she’d earned a brand-new nickname. After successfully “borrowing” seven experimental plots, the class bell rang. Still feeling unsatisfied, she licked her lips and sat in the front row.
Seven plots was enough for now. Next, she needed to quietly raise her magic plants.
Qian Qi wasn’t ambitious. She just wanted money. After graduation, she’d apply for magic plant cultivation rights, buy land, open a factory, and mass-produce strong hemostatic magic potion until she became filthy rich—then retire into a life as sweet as honey.
“One three-scale orchid matures in seven days. Most other magic plants take fifteen days at most.” She muttered as she did the math. “That’s about 2 kg of hemostatic magic potion. Ten grams per bag, 998 per bag… that’s almost 200,000. If I rent ten mu…”
She couldn’t help it. A low, creeper laugh slipped out. Her bright retirement was practically waving at her from the horizon.
Up on the podium, the teacher—already baffled that Qian Qi, queen of skipping class, had suddenly shown up—happened to glance over.
And saw her smiling in the dark like she was plotting arson.
The teacher shivered and looked away fast.
Whatever that troublemaker was thinking, it couldn’t be anything good.
…
After class, Qian Qi looked around for her adorable lunch buddy, only to find Chen Miao Miao had bolted early. Qian Qi sighed.
So much for mooching a meal.
She bought two huge steamed buns and charged back up Back Mountain, ready to chase her dreams.
Using Analysis Technique, she pulled information from three seeds. She planted them by the book, then recorded a planting report on her lightbrain.
“Killer alien plants,” she murmured, almost impressed. “Honestly kind of magical.”
Report done, she looked toward the seniors’ plots. Their magic plants were towering monsters—two meters tall, some even three. Wide, rough leaves. Thick, jagged thorns. Mouth-like structures lined with shark teeth. The longer she stared, the more she marveled at how ridiculous this world was.
“In the magic creature instances,” she thought, “there have to be even crazier species.”
Too bad. In her last life and this one, she wanted the same thing: peace, money, and a long retirement. Entering instances was for people who enjoyed pain.
Let the awakened handle saving the world.
She’d supply affordable hemostatic magic potion and live her best life.
She dragged over a small stool, sat down in the blazing noon sun, and flipped open her textbook. Even the huge magic plants in the distance looked a little droopy under the heat. Qian Qi, however, studied with cheerful focus, occasionally taking a bite of bun.
At 2:45 p.m., she closed her book and headed to Li Shu Yun’s plot to give the fire qilin lotus its second watering.
Li Shu Yun was there.
The moment she spotted Qian Qi, her body tensed, and she regretted choosing this time slot.
“Senior Li~” Qian Qi sang, entirely too pleased. “Here to record a magic plant growth report?”
“Mm.” Li Shu Yun’s voice was stiff. “And you, Junior Qian?”
“I’m here to water the fire qilin lotus.”
Qian Qi opened the urea bag and began mixing solution by ratio, hands steady and practiced. Li Shu Yun watched, confusion creeping in. She’d heard Qian Qi was a terrible student who knew nothing about planting, but this didn’t look clueless.
Li Shu Yun hesitated, then couldn’t help saying, “Junior Qian… the first step for planting fire qilin lotus should be mixing 2 kg of nitrogen-potassium compound fertilizer to boost the soil…”
Qian Qi looked up.
Li Shu Yun instantly bit her tongue, mentally cursing herself. Why did she always have to be helpful? What if Qian Qi thought she was mocking her?
But Qian Qi simply smiled. “I know. I just want to try another method.”
Another method?
The textbook approach had been hammered out by magic plant researchers over years of work—supposedly the most likely route to growing fire qilin fruit.
Qian Qi was a freshman. Worse, she was a bottom-ranked slacker. How could she possibly have discovered something better?
Li Shu Yun wanted to warn her not to waste time… but Qian Qi looked absurdly confident. In the end, Li Shu Yun said nothing.
Better not meddle. It was rare for this junior to show any motivation at all.
Also, she really didn’t want to get hit for talking too much.
After Li Shu Yun left, Qian Qi roamed Back Mountain. Textbooks were fine, but she learned better with real examples—especially the magic plants used in the strong hemostatic potion formula.
A lot of students happened to be growing those exact plants. It made field study easy. She stayed busy all afternoon, went down to eat, then returned to fuss over her newly acquired plots.
At 10:45 p.m., she watered the fire qilin lotus a third time, recorded the soil values, and finally headed down under starlight.
…
Early the next morning, Chen Miao Miao tried to sneak out of bed in the dark.
Qian Qi’s eyes snapped open. She turned her head and grinned. “Classmate Miao Miao, you’re up so early. Why didn’t you call me to eat together?”
Chen Miao Miao: !!!
She startled so hard her forehead slammed into the upper bunk’s metal rail. Pain crumpled her face.
Damn it. Was Qian Qi seriously watching her on purpose?
She wanted to kill her. Truly.
But Qian Qi’s half-smile made Chen Miao Miao’s courage shrivel. She clenched her teeth and forced out a fake-bright voice, “No. I was just about to call you.”
Qian Qi: [Please be brave. I’m really not scary. Hee hee.]