Chapter 148: Chapter 148: The Next Victim Confirmed
 

Juniors in their third year at Lotus University face a rather intense curriculum.

In the first semester of their junior year, they complete the full year’s courses and then immediately start preparing their graduation thesis in the next semester.

By senior year, due to the collaboration with the Immortal Sect, Lotus University students have the opportunity to study within the Sect. Of course, not everyone gets this chance, but for those who don’t enter the Immortal Sect, arrangements are made for them to work in local enterprises within Liang Kingdom.

In a word, Shen Menghan was pretty strapped for time.

She could only take time out to meet with Jiang Cheng today as a favor for Yue Linger.

Regarding the Qi Blood Pill, Shen Menghan didn’t want to give Jiang Cheng a vague answer or unrealistic hope, like a flakey person would.

So she was quite straightforward when she said to Jiang Cheng,

“Jiang, although I’m not from the Spiritual Planting Department but the Alchemy Department, our institute is the Alchemy and Spiritual Planting Institute. Knowledge of spiritual plants is also compulsory for us alchemy students. I can say with responsibility that your idea to increase the yield of the Blood Orange Fruit is not nearly impossible; it is simply impossible.”

After listening attentively, Jiang Cheng said, “But senior, as far as I know, thanks to the many years of cultivation by Spiritual Plant Masters, the Blood Orange Fruit has greatly increased its yield compared to its original generation. Why do you say it’s impossible?”

“That’s exactly because it has been cultivated by generations of Spiritual Plant Masters that it has nearly reached its potential for yield improvement. In fact, not just the Blood Orange Fruit, but all common spirit plants are hardly able to increase in yield anymore. I have something else to take care of, so I’ll be leaving first, sorry.”

Seeing that Jiang Cheng was unaware of even the most basic spiritual planting knowledge,

Shen Menghan quickly lost her patience with him.

She offered a forced apologetic smile to Yue Linger, saying, “I’m really too busy, sorry,” before standing up and leaving.

Yue Linger, pulling Cheng Bingxin along, stood up to see Shen Menghan off, then asked Cheng Bingxin to keep the senior company for a bit longer.

Then she herself turned back to the store, sat down next to Jiang Cheng,

“Jiang Cheng, what on earth are you up to?”

Yue Linger asked with concern.

She trusted Jiang Cheng quite a bit, unlike Shen Menghan’s skepticism.

However, Yue Linger was equally familiar with Jiang Cheng’s ability to stir up trouble.

“I’m planning to increase the production of the Blood Orange Fruit,” Jiang Cheng stated plainly about his intent.

“Do you have an idea how?”

“Not yet.”

Yue Linger let out a sigh of relief and said, “If you need help, just let me know.”

“Sure.”

“There’s one more thing,”

Jiang Cheng, good at listening, said, “Hmm, tell me.”

Yue Linger scooted closer to him, drawing her chair towards Jiang Cheng.

The fresh fragrance of the nineteen-year-old girl, like a lotus after rain, filled Jiang Cheng’s senses instantly.

“The new term is about to start, make sure you get along well with your roommates. Stop saying all that weird stuff.”

“Of course,” Jiang Cheng replied.

He was always confident in his emotional intelligence.

Seeing Jiang Cheng’s self-assured demeanor made Yue Linger even more worried.

But her concern was not for Jiang Cheng, but for his three roommates.

I ask you all to bear with him a little.

And then, good luck to you.

The apartment Jiang Cheng rented at Jade Lake Ming’an was not very big.

It only seemed spacious because a certain snake took over the balcony all day long, leaving Jiang Cheng as the sole user of the shared spaces such as the kitchen, living room, and bathroom.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng was sitting cross-legged on the couch, holding a picture and studying it carefully.

On the picture was the very thing Jiang Cheng needed: the “Blood Orange Fruit.”

But it was not just the Blood Orange Fruit; it was a “Blood Orange Tree.”

The Blood Orange Fruit might sound like a type of orange, but it’s not. Its shape is more similar to a hawthorn, a spherical fruit slightly larger than a human thumb.

And the Blood Orange Tree, despite its name, is not a tree either.

The Blood Orange Tree is more akin to plants like small tomato vines from the nightshade family, a type of perennial herb. The plants are small and, when it is time to bear fruit, they produce the Blood Orange Fruit.

The “ten-year Blood Orange Fruit” needed for the Qi Blood Pill doesn’t refer to a fruit that has grown for ten years, but to a Blood Orange Fruit “of a quality that meets the ten-year standard.”

In the early days of the Human Race, before the Immortal Sect took control of the Cultivation World,

At that time, the quality of the spirit plant was almost tied to the number of years it had grown.

But now, after the cultivation and selection by the spiritual plant masters, the relationship between the quality of the spirit plant and its age had greatly diminished.

With the current technology, Blood Orange Fruit that normally takes ten years to mature could essentially grow within just one year.

But for Jiang Cheng, even one year to grow was a bit too slow.

Just a few fruits per plant, and they’re prone to dying too, such low yields were no wonder the Blood Orange Fruit was quite expensive.

So, was there a method that could make the Blood Orange Trees work a bit harder?

Jiang Cheng immediately thought of a certain encouragement talisman.

But the encouragement talisman was meant for motivating animals, and it was limited to fish at that, useless for plants.

Since plants don’t have brains, they’re basically illiterate.

Instantly, the situation became extremely tricky.

Jiang Cheng, looking at the picture of the “Blood Orange Tree” in his hands, fell into deep thought.

How exactly could he help increase the production of the Blood Orange Fruit?

Methods like using some “medicine” or casting a “spell” must have already been tried by the spiritual plant masters.

Jiang Cheng wouldn’t be foolish enough to reuse what others had tried before, it was pointless.

Jiang Cheng on the sofa fell once again into a lack of inspiration for drawing runes.

His gaze wandered around the room and finally settled on Liu Qing.

Liu Qing was also looking at Jiang Cheng because she had caught that very dangerous scent again.

Usually, as soon as Jiang Cheng emitted that smell, it meant he was about to start drawing talismans.

“Look?” Liu Qing pointed at herself and said.

Jiang Cheng nodded and explained, “I want to draw a talisman, but I’m lacking some inspiration.”

Liu Qing thought for a moment, then rose from the sun lounger on the balcony and sat down on the sofa.

“Now?”

“No inspiration.”

Liu Qing shifted her bottom a bit, sitting even closer to Jiang Cheng.

“Now?”

The two were now sitting practically shoulder to shoulder.

“No inspiration… wait a second, you’re too close.”

Jiang Cheng quickly stopped Liu Qing’s dangerous attempt to sit on his lap.

He was looking at Liu Qing for inspiration, not for a beating!

Jiang Cheng silently maintained a safe distance from Liu Qing—about three centimeters apart.

Liu Qing was somewhat baffled by Jiang Cheng’s behavior.

He himself said that seeing her could inspire him, so shouldn’t closer be better? Why was he now not letting her get too close?

With Liu Qing’s interruption, Jiang Cheng actually seemed to have an idea!

The reason Liu Qing could become a Mahayana Realm cultivator at the “young” age of two thousand years, although was inseparable from her own exceptional talent, was even more because—she was self-disciplined!

Aside from eating, there was sleeping, aside from the sun lounger, there was the sofa!

Her self-discipline was maddening!

She must have been the same during her cultivation.

Years of intensive training had forged her lofty cultivation level!

What if the Blood Orange Trees could be a bit more self-disciplined? Could it be done?

It seemed feasible!

Jiang Cheng had an idea, so he quickly jotted down the new talisman he had in mind onto paper.

[Name: Plant Autonomy Talisman (Smart Puppet Talisman·Modified)]

Rank: First Order

Type: Control

Effect: The plant version of the Smart Puppet Talisman, it learns from the self-discipline experiences of other plants, helping the Blood Orange Tree correct its lazy habits.

Cautions: To be experimented.]