Sensitive Mr. Grong noticed Lin Qi's subtle gaze. He casually straightened up, deliberately pushing out his belly. With this subtle gesture, Mr. Grong was warning Lin Qi: whatever you're guessing doesn't exist. The esteemed Lord Grong was still a virile, iron-blooded man in his prime.
But Mr. Grong's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the little crystal vial in Lin Qi's palm. He knew who the specially appointed guest professor Lin Qi served was. Master Alchemist Ke Cha was a master-level figure the Empire had spent a tremendous price to recruit. The thing Master Ke Cha was most famous for was that ten years ago, at the royal hunting grounds of a Western Continent country, he had saved a king whose internal organs had been severely mauled by a Magic Beast with a single dose of life-restoring potion.
Ten years later, the king, whose liver had been torn to shreds back then, was still alive and well, energetically presiding over the kingdom's affairs, great and small.
With such miraculous skill, perhaps this little vial of potion in Lin Qi's hand really did come from the miraculous Mr. Ke Cha? A wondrous potion extracted from the mysterious medicinal herbs of the East? It certainly sounded tempting.
Mr. Grong rubbed his nose with the polished, silver-inlaid head of his little mountain-vine cane and gave a few noncommittal, sardonic chuckles. "Master Ke Cha is a distinguished man worthy of respect. Lin Qi, you wouldn't use a fake potion and damage the master's reputation, would you?"
Lin Qi looked at Mr. Grong in surprise. He shrugged and gave a strange grin. "Did I say Master Ke Cha made this potion?"
Grong gave a few more noncommittal, sardonic chuckles and gently shook his head. He thought he'd seen through Lin Qi's little trick. This potion had to be Master Ke Cha's work. What sort of good potion could a little hooligan like Lin Qi get through his connections in Berely City? The only place he could get one was Ke Cha's laboratory.
Lin Qi said nothing. He walked over to Grong, took a small piece of black bread from his sleeve, then opened the vial and let a drop of pale pink, viscous potion fall onto the bread. Once the bread had thoroughly absorbed it, Lin Qi whistled and tossed it into the room. It landed right in front of the golden dachshund snoring by the fireplace.
The dachshund, a little over a foot long, slowly raised its eyelids. It looked at the black bread in front of it and sniffed it carefully, hesitating for a while before opening its mouth and swallowing it. Grong waved his cane dismissively. Black bread? His wife doted on the little dachshund, which usually ate oatmeal and white bread. When had it ever eaten such lowly food as black bread?
"Rogue students will always be rogue students!" Grong twisted his mouth and looked at Lin Qi with some distaste. "Still, University City needs students like you."
Grong knew perfectly well that he'd had Lin Qi handle several matters for him, including following his wife's carriage and finding out the true identity of the powerful man she'd recently been flirting with. Lin Qi had helped him with all of it. Of course, these matters had been arranged through Father Balin; the two of them had never been in direct contact.
This was the first time Lin Qi had spoken with Mr. Grong face-to-face. Mr. Grong held Lin Qi in utter contempt, but at the same time, he was deeply wary of him.
As Mr. Grong frowned and pondered these jumbled matters, only three or five breaths passed before the little dachshund, its coat sleek and glossy, suddenly began to tremble violently. Its originally purple-green eyes filled with bloodshot veins and turned bright red. It let out a low growl, and its golden fur stood on end one hair at a time, making its long, slender body look especially sturdy.
And it wasn't only the poor little dog's body that had grown sturdier. One part of it was rapidly swelling at an astonishing speed.
It was the dead of winter, not the season when animals like cats and dogs went into heat. Rather, it was the time when they conserved their strength for the coming year. But after eating that piece of black bread, the little dog had become incredibly energetic. It panted heavily, its vacant, bloodshot eyes fixed on a cushion on the seat where Mr. Grong had just been sitting. Barking wildly, it pounced.
With a tiger's leap, it landed on the seat. The little dachshund's mouth curled into a strange smile. Clutching the cushion—made of silk from the East and long-staple cotton from the Middle East—with all four paws, it began to thrust its body up and down violently.
Mr. Grong's mouth fell open. He, too, had taken certain strange medicines during moments when he was powerless, but none had ever worked so wondrously. In a mere three or five breaths, the little dachshund had become so impulsive, so vigorously fierce?
Mr. Grong's heart began to pound violently. A burning heat stirred in his lower belly, and the pretty face of Miss Gina, the Gissian traveling troupe's lead dancer, suddenly flashed before his eyes, along with her youthful, athletic, beautiful body, like that of a female leopard.
"Oh, what a miraculous potion!" Grong clasped his hands behind his back with studied composure and lowered his voice. "All right, student Lin Qi, what do you think this vial is worth?"
With a pop, the little dachshund had already poked a hole in the cushion, sending white cotton fluff flying everywhere.
The corner of Mr. Grong's mouth twitched. His interest in the potion grew even stronger. Such potency, such might! He was suddenly reminded of his younger days.
"One vial?" Lin Qi looked at Mr. Grong in surprise. "Are you joking? One vial? No, no, no. This miraculous potion is difficult to prepare, and its ingredients are extremely rare. In the mysterious East, only their kings and nobles are entitled to enjoy it. How could such a potion be sold by the vial?"
With a sly grin, Lin Qi smiled at the utterly astonished Mr. Grong. "One gold coin per drop, dear Mr. Grong. This miraculous potion is sold one drop at a time. Look, you have a ready-made example right here. Just look at how full of life your little darling is!"
The poor little dachshund had already torn the cushion to shreds. It impatiently leaped onto a sofa in the corner of the room, grabbed a fresh cushion, and began thrusting violently again. Mr. Grong stared at the shredded cushion, thoughtfully rubbing his chin with his cane. "One gold coin per drop. That ought to be a fair and reasonable price. I must admit it: this miraculous potion is worth that much!"
Mr. Grong puffed out his chest and said solemnly, "There must be about a hundred drops in this vial? Student Lin Qi, if you're willing to hand it over to me for thirty gold coins, then you and your few friends will receive excellent marks in every subject this year!"
Excellent marks in every subject?
Thinking of the Iron Fist Brotherhood's core members, whose grades had always hovered around the passing line, Lin Qi immediately shoved the vial into Mr. Grong's hand.
"Generous Mr. Grong, it's yours!"
Before you continue