“Ah—” Chen Miaomiao was so frightened that she stepped back, almost falling to the ground.

“Miaomiao, you’ve caused me so much trouble!” Qian Qi approached her, her expression gradually turning sinister. “Because of your wrong answer, I almost died!”

“I didn’t know you were going to steal the Fire Qilin Fruit!” Chen Miaomiao screamed, refusing to take responsibility for Qian Qi’s injuries. She knew that with Qian Qi’s personality, this matter would never end!

She might even be beaten to death!

Qian Qi narrowed her eyes and sneered, “I don’t recall saying I stole the Fire Qilin Fruit, did I?”

Chen Miaomiao: !!!

Oh no, she had slipped up!

“No, I—you said you stole a fruit, and I thought of the question you asked yesterday, so I just connected the two subconsciously!” Chen Miaomiao flusteredly explained. “Yes, that’s it, so I guessed you stole the Fire Qilin Fruit!”

“Is that so…” Qian Qi’s expression softened gradually, as if the menacing look from earlier had never existed. She said gently, “Miaomiao is so smart. You definitely didn’t mean to give me the wrong answer on purpose.”

“Of course not!” Chen Miaomiao patted her racing heart. She had really been scared to death by Qian Qi just now. She truly thought Qian Qi wanted to take revenge on her!

“Don’t overthink it. Alright, I need to go out for a bit.” After saying this, Chen Miaomiao hurriedly put on her coat and left the dorm.

Qian Qi hung her clothes on the clothesline, wiped her wet hands on her body, and walked over to the windowsill.

While recalling the memories of the original owner, she had already noticed that there was something off about this Chen Miaomiao.

The Chen Miaomiao from before would never dare to act so boldly in front of her. She used to keep her head down, and even making eye contact would make her tremble for a while.

But now, she actually dared to shout at her…

Clearly, someone was backing her.

Watching Chen Miaomiao hurriedly running away downstairs through the window, Qian Qi narrowed her eyes dangerously.

Who was it that was supporting Chen Miaomiao behind the scenes?

And why did the original owner steal the Fire Qilin Fruit?

[Are you feeling puzzled? Are you itching to know the answer? For just 97 yuan, you can unravel all the mysteries~]

A system panel suddenly unfolded in front of Qian Qi.

Qian Qi: …

Qian Qi: ???

“I only have 97 yuan on me, and it’s borrowed at that. You really want to strip me clean?” Qian Qi was shocked.

[Shouldn’t you be more concerned about how amazing this system is?]

“Ah, right!” Qian Qi seemed to have a sudden realization and immediately flattered, rubbing her hands together. “System-sama, you’re so incredible~ From the moment you appeared, I could tell how noble and extraordinary you are. No golden finger could possibly compare to you. You must be the most powerful system in all realms!”

[Hmph, you flatter me.]

“So, could this one be free~”

[Get lost. No bargaining.]

“Tch.” Qian Qi instantly changed her expression. “I can figure it out myself.”

Right now, those 97 yuan were her lifeline. There was no way she was handing them over to the system.

Besides, unraveling the mystery wasn’t urgent. She was dirt poor right now and still needed Miao Miao to help her out~

“Let’s check out my skills first.”

She pulled out the Fire Qilin Fruit from her pocket and scanned it with her “Analysis Technique.”

[Name: Fire Qilin Fruit

Belongs to: Fire Qilin Lotus

Grade: E

Effect: Slightly enhances the flame power of Flame Hounds. No other special effects.

Market price: 20,000 yuan per fruit]

“Twenty thousand?” Qian Qi’s eyes widened. Wasn’t it said that magical plants were useless and worthless? Why was this Fire Qilin Fruit so expensive?

And what about this Flame Hound…

Qian Qi opened her light brain and searched, quickly finding the answer.

Flame Hounds were a very common E-grade magical beast. Because low-level canine magical beasts were easier to contract and had lower backlash, they were the first choice for most novice beast tamers.

And the Fire Qilin Fruit happened to enhance the strength of Flame Hounds.

This was also why the Magical Plant Research Institute hadn’t been shut down. Although magical plants were of no benefit to humans, they did have some benefits for magical beasts. Even though the number of known magical plants beneficial to magical beasts was small, it didn’t stop them from bringing tangible profits.

So, the Fire Qilin Fruit was just a special case.

“Hmm, growing magical plants requires a planting license.”

Qian Qi acknowledged this. After all, magical plants were indeed dangerous. If everyone could grow them, who knows how many people would be harmed.

However, students in the magical plant department of Awakener University did have the privilege of growing them on campus.

“Liang Yuting,” Qian Qi turned to ask Liang Yuting, “how can I get magical plant seeds?”

“Huh?” Liang Yuting, who was on the bed, was stunned for a moment before replying, “Don’t we get 10 free magical plant seeds every semester?”

Qian Qi had never planted any, so her application quota was still full.

“Can I apply for Fire Qilin Lotus seeds for free too?” Qian Qi’s eyes lit up, and she secretly rubbed her hands in anticipation.

With 10 Fire Qilin Lotus seeds, even if each plant only bore one Fire Qilin Fruit, that would still be 200,000 yuan!

“Definitely not.” Liang Yuting shook her head. “For valuable magical plants like these, you need to pay extra. One Fire Qilin Lotus seed costs 1,000 yuan.”

Although the cost-performance ratio seemed high, the success rate of magical plants was low, and they were somewhat difficult to grow. Even if you planted Fire Qilin Lotus, there was no guarantee it would bear fruit.

If it didn’t bear fruit, both time and money would be wasted.

“Hmm, even though magical plants are hard to grow and have low yields, my second skill, Divine Hand, seems to be able to increase the yield?”

After some thought, Qian Qi decided to find a Fire Qilin Lotus seed to try.

…

Most of the magical plants on the school’s back mountain were marked with their owners’ names. Qian Qi clearly remembered that the owner of the Fire Qilin Lotus was a second-year senior named Li Shuyun.

She found the senior’s dorm and knocked on the door. When she heard someone inside say “Come in,” she opened the door and entered.

“Which one of you is Senior Li Shuyun?”

Hearing her voice, a beautiful girl turned to look but was so startled that her hand trembled, and her eyebrow pencil fell to the ground. “Qian… Qian Qi?”

It seemed her reputation was indeed well-known, even among second-year seniors.

Under Li Shuyun’s terrified gaze, Qian Qi took out the Fire Qilin Fruit and said sincerely, “Sorry, Senior. I was so hungry that I was in a daze and accidentally picked your assignment.”

Li Shuyun’s gaze shifted with difficulty to her roommate, but her roommates were all hiding under their blankets, not daring to move. She could only continue to stare with difficulty at the Fire Qilin Fruit in Qian Qi’s hand. “It’s… it’s fine. If you want it, you can take it.”

This Fire Qilin Fruit wasn’t of high quality and wouldn’t sell for much. Her family wasn’t short on money, and she was only here for the diploma.

“No!”

Qian Qi was not one to accept handouts. She strode over, placed the Fire Qilin Fruit in Li Shuyun’s hand, and tightly grasped it.

She said earnestly, “Senior, part of your Fire Qilin Lotus was damaged by my hoe and probably won’t bear fruit anymore. Let me help you replant it.”

“Th-this isn’t necessary.” Li Shuyun, with her hand held by Qian Qi, trembled even more. “I-I can replant it myself. Besides, Fire Qilin Lotus seeds are expensive, and you probably…”

Li Shuyun paused, remembering that Qian Qi was poor, and she wanted to slap herself.

Afraid that Qian Qi, who had a strong sense of self-esteem might hit her, she quickly added, “Fire Qilin Fruits are very hard to grow. I was just lucky to have grown one in the entire major.”

“Oh my!” Qian Qi exclaimed dramatically. “Only Senior managed to grow one? That’s amazing!”

“Darn it!” She then put on a self-reproaching expression. “Senior worked so hard to grow it, and I ended up damaging it. I’m truly wicked! It seems I must help Senior grow another Fire Qilin Fruit!”

Qian Qi’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Li Shuyun, gently holding her hands in anticipation. “So, Senior, you’ll definitely buy the Fire Qilin Lotus seeds, right?”

Li Shuyun: …

Li Shuyun: ???

So, she wasn’t actually planning to grow Fire Qilin Lotus but wanted to freeload the seeds?!

“How about it?” Qian Qi brought her shameless, rascal face closer to Li Shuyun.

Li Shuyun: …

“Alright…” Li Shuyun leaned her upper body back, forcing out the word.

For her, getting a Fire Qilin Lotus seed wasn’t difficult. As long as Qian Qi didn’t hit her, everything was fine.

Qian Qi left satisfied, leaving behind her light brain number. Before leaving, she reminded, “Senior, don’t forget. I’ll remind you.”

To Li Shuyun, these words sounded like a warning and a threat: I’m watching you. If you don’t get the Fire Qilin Lotus seeds, I won’t let you off.

After the dorm door closed, Li Shuyun felt like crying.

“Why the hell did I plant Fire Qilin Lotus in the first place!”

Li Shuyun: Never been so speechless in my life.