Professor Qian Ping

Lu Li arrived at the apartment door and knocked.

"Jessica, it's me."

Inside came the patter of bare feet pounding across the floor. A moment later, the front door swung open with a bang, and Jessica came rushing out.

She was wearing one of Lu Li's T-shirts, her long, smooth legs bare.

She leaped straight into Lu Li's arms and planted several excited kisses on his face.

"You're finally back~"

"Sorry. I've been a little busy lately..."

With one hand occupied by what he was carrying, Lu Li lifted her with his free arm and walked inside.

The apartment was spotless and orderly, enough to put anyone in a good mood.

Lu Li smiled and asked, "Were you bored home alone? What have you been up to?"

"Not bored. I've been studying firearms and Xia Language... But you've changed so much~"

Jessica was amazed by Lu Li's strength!

She was 1.6 meters tall and weighed 45 kilograms, yet this mild-mannered young man had lifted her with one arm!

The girl squeezed Lu Li's bicep and giggled. "You're so strong~"

"I've been working out~"

Lu Li set her down and ruffled her hair.

Jessica's face blossomed with a radiant smile. She was overjoyed. In a hurry, she fetched him a pair of slippers, then started fiddling with the coffee machine.

Lu Li changed into the slippers and sat on the sofa. He took out the new phone he'd bought, which he hadn't used much yet.

His main goal this time was to reproduce the Calming Incense.

The incense used many aromatic plants and animals from Xia Country, and its processing methods followed traditional Xia techniques. He would have to leave the work to a professional organization back home.

Lu Li had no connections in that field, and handling it himself would take who knew how much effort.

But his father, Lu Hongbing, did!

Lu Li unlocked his phone and searched for "Professor Qian Ping" in the browser. Several pages of news articles about him appeared at once.

He was the Xia Country scholar who had taken part in Harvard University's research into the "discovery of the body's meridians."

The findings had caused a huge sensation internationally!

Whether meridians existed had long been a subject of fierce debate. Now they had been proven real, as if an entirely new organ in the human body had been discovered.

But what was even more astonishing was this: how had the people of Xia Country known about them thousands of years ago?

Thanks to this discovery, Professor Qian had returned home laden with international acclaim.

As it happened, he was also an old friend of Lu Hongbing's!

The Calming Incense was crucial and not to be taken lightly, so Lu Li planned to draw on his late father's connections.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lu Li dragged out the suitcase holding his father's urn.

It also contained his father's belongings, including his phone.

He took out the old smartphone and turned it on. Sure enough, Qian Ping's number was still in the contacts.

I hope he hasn't changed his number...

Lu Li dialed it from his own phone. To his surprise, it went through, and a recorded message played:

[Chinese Medicine Academy. A comprehensive national institution integrating research, medical care, and education in traditional Chinese medicine...]

Lu Li's heart stirred. That's right! Professor Qian works at the Chinese Medicine Academy! Looks like I've got the right number!

A few seconds later, the call connected, and a steady voice came through:

[Hello, this is Qian Ping. Who is this?]

There was a hint of puzzlement in his voice. It was a private number, not one ordinary people would know.

Lu Li quickly replied, "Hello, Professor Qian. I'm Lu Li, Lu Hongbing's son."

The other end went quiet for a moment before Qian Ping suddenly remembered.

[Oh... Lu Li... It's been a long time. How's your father?]

The two families really had been old friends, but after his father's fortunes declined, they had lost touch.

So many years had passed that the relationship had long since grown distant. Lu Li went straight to the point.

"My father often spoke of you, so I hope you'll forgive me for bothering you. I came across an incense stick made using an ancient method, and I'd like to try reproducing it. Could you help me find a professional institution to analyze its ingredients? I'm willing to pay $150,000 for the work."

[$150,000!]

Their relationship had grown distant, and when Qian Ping heard Lu Li was asking for a favor, he had initially felt some reluctance.

But when he heard that final figure—$150,000—his interest suddenly stirred!

That was equivalent to a million yuan. It was no small sum.

And Lu Li could offer it so casually... The Lu family must be doing quite well!

Once you had value, people regarded you differently. Qian Ping's tone softened a little.

[Lu Li, my mobile number is also my WeChat number. Add me and send me a picture of the incense.]

"Of course. I'll send it right away."

Lu Li quickly tapped through his phone and sent over the photo.

Incense made with ancient methods had been recorded as far back as the Spring and Autumn period. Both its ingredients and processing methods fell, strictly speaking, under the branch of traditional Chinese medicine.

As an expert in the field, Qian Ping spoke with confidence after looking at the photo.

[Ancient-style incense, huh? It's all powdered medicinal ingredients, so this should be simple. Send it to the research institute, and we'll have an accurate analysis in no time.]

"Then I'll be counting on you, Professor Qian. About the payment..."

[It's a small matter. It won't cost anywhere near $150,000.]

"Please, it's only right to pay for the help of an expert of your caliber. Besides, I'll need to produce it on a large scale later, so I need extremely precise measurements. I'll have to trouble you to give it your full attention."

[That won't be a problem... You can transfer the money to this Star Alliance Country account, then.]

After a brief exchange of courtesies, they settled the matter with ease.

Qian Ping wanted to chat a little longer and ask how Lu Li and his father were doing.

But Lu Li didn't want to say too much, so he said, "Professor Qian, I've been extremely busy lately. If you get a call about the matter, it may be my... assistant answering."

As he spoke, Jessica came over with a cup of coffee, smiling.

Qian Ping immediately replied, [All right, I understand. Once the item arrives, it'll take only a few days to analyze.]

"Then I won't keep you. The money will be in your account within an hour. Goodbye."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After hanging up, Lu Li let out a long breath.

Things had gone more smoothly than he'd expected. Now all that was left was to wait.

As for someone discovering how miraculous the Calming Incense was, Lu Li wasn't worried in the least.

For ordinary people, the incense merely had an excellent calming and soothing effect.

But that was the selling point of every incense product on the market. No matter how much you burned, or even if you swallowed it, it wouldn't do anything special.

Lu Li took a sip of coffee and reminded Jessica, "If anyone calls in the next couple of days, answer it for me."

"Oh, okay~"

Jessica plopped down on Lu Li's lap and looped her arms around his neck.

"You're finally back. Let's go to an amusement park! I've never been to one~"

Lu Li thought it over. She must have been cooped up at home and going stir-crazy. He had to head out anyway, so they might as well go relax together.

"Sure. Let's go."

"Yay~"

Jessica happily ran to the wardrobe to change.

She'd bought a lot of clothes on their last outing, and now she held up one outfit after another, asking Lu Li what he thought.

After finally settling on one, she got down on her knees, backside in the air, searching for her shoes.

At that moment, the girl wore only a man's T-shirt, leaving her budding figure fully on display.

They were standing close together, and Lu Li looked over without thinking.

He'd spent many days in Meditative Entry, and under normal circumstances his gaze no longer carried anything unusual.

But when something caught his interest, Mind Power still leaked out unconsciously.

Jessica felt as though someone had touched her, and with a startled "Ah!" she clapped a hand over her backside and jumped up.

She thought Lu Li had done it, and pouted. "You pervert~"

Lu Li was entirely innocent, but a flash of insight suddenly struck him. He remembered what Wan Qing had said on the night they parted:

"Control of Mind Power down to the finest detail... So that's it..."

Now that he understood what had happened, Lu Li felt awkward. His gaze must have caused her a lot of trouble over the past few days.

Then he looked at Jessica, her cheeks flushed, and explained, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Jessica wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, she hugged his arm and giggled. "It's fine. Let's go~"