Wu Xiaoqing was the very picture of a beauty, and the mature big-sister type at that.
With a Curse Toad, she could heal and had plenty to show off—an absolutely perfect big sister, if only she could rein in her foul mouth online.
Zhou Lu remembered that this senior student's most outrageous feat had been arguing with someone on a forum for six months. No matter what the other person replied, she immediately responded with: "You're right, but your mom is dead."
The matter only ended when the administrator muted both of them.
Seeing Wu Xiaoqing's ID, Zhou Lu suddenly remembered that before entering the secret realm, he could probably stock up at her laboratory.
Though Enlarged Delicious Mushrooms were a little questionable as food, they were absolutely perfect substitutes for combat or fleeing for one's life.
Of course, because mushrooms were inherently at a disadvantage in terms of attributes, even though Enlarged Delicious Mushrooms were Tier 2 Spirit Beasts, their actual combat strength was at most enough to trade blows with Tier 1 Spirit Beasts.
But when a crisis struck, often those few seconds made all the difference.
With that in mind, Zhou Lu decisively changed direction and headed for Wu Xiaoqing's laboratory.
When he opened the laboratory door, Wu Xiaoqing was taking off her stockings.
Her long legs looked especially fair against the translucent black silk.
"..."
"Little Lu? Why are you here?" Wu Xiaoqing asked in surprise when she saw Zhou Lu.
Zhou Lu silently closed the laboratory door. "What are you doing, Sister Xiaoqing?"
Wu Xiaoqing glanced at the stocking she had pulled halfway off. Without any embarrassment, she said, "Collecting a new Fungus Strain."
"Huh?"
"Just thinking about it pisses me off." The moment it came up, Wu Xiaoqing was filled with indignation. "Who knew which bastard reported me? The edible mushroom I worked so hard to register got rejected by the Association. They said it was a weapon, not food."
The culprit rubbed his nose and hurriedly patched things over. "Didn't Teacher Xiao Xi say this research was valuable? She even gave you lots of Fairy Coins..."
"Valuable, sure it's valuable." Wu Xiaoqing could not help feeling proud when that was mentioned. "Yesterday, Xu Yilong from the Pioneer Army even came looking for me. He said he wanted to establish a long-term partnership and have me continuously supply Enlarged Delicious Mushrooms to the Pioneer Army."
Xu Yilong...
Zhou Lu immediately remembered the system's mission.
He wondered whether Xu Yilong had noticed his performance in the exam.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Zhou Lu was genuinely happy for Wu Xiaoqing.
Clearly, Zhou Lu was not the only one who had discovered the value of Enlarged Delicious Mushrooms.
Used in an exam, they were a balance-breaking presence. But used in secret realm exploration, they were life-saving artifacts.
Their only drawback was probably that, as Tier 2 Spirit Beasts, cultivating them required a certain threshold.
But since they were mushrooms, no matter how high the threshold was, it could not be that high.
It could be said that with this research alone, Wu Xiaoqing could firmly establish herself in the cultivation department.
"What's good about it?" Wu Xiaoqing rolled her eyes. "I'm in the food department! Damn it! Can't I make mushrooms people can actually eat?"
As she spoke, Wu Xiaoqing puffed out her cheeks in anger, rolled the stocking in her hand into a ball, and stuffed it into a beaker beside her.
"So what are you doing this time?" Zhou Lu knew scientists always did strange things, but stuffing her own stockings into a beaker for extraction seemed a little too strange.
As she stirred, Wu Xiaoqing said, "I saw lots of people say a beautiful girl's feet have a special charm. I'm seeing whether I can extract a corresponding Fungus Strain and cultivate it."
Zhou Lu was speechless. "Is it possible those people were just making a meme?"
"Huh? A meme? Then why did people ask me for stockings?"
"They're perverts! Block them! Call the police!"
Wu Xiaoqing shot Zhou Lu a meaningful look. "Then what are you doing right now?"
What was he doing?
Following Wu Xiaoqing's gaze, Zhou Lu looked down.
Huohuo was seriously feeling up the stocking on Wu Xiaoqing's other leg. Every now and then, it even tugged at it, trying to pull the stocking off.
"Holy shit! What are you doing, Huohuo?" Zhou Lu nearly coughed up blood.
Huohuo was startled by Zhou Lu's voice, and its leaves trembled several times.
It immediately retracted its vines, then obediently extended its branches and leaves to greet Wu Xiaoqing.
"Don't do such strange things." Zhou Lu helplessly picked Huohuo up.
Huohuo was confused. Eh? Doesn't Master like this thing?
"..." Zhou Lu fell silent for a long moment. "I don't know what you're saying, but I have the feeling you're thinking something extremely rude."
Huohuo's leaves drooped in disappointment.
It thought Master did not like its legs because it was not wearing stockings, so it had planned to steal some and study them...
"Right, did you come here for something today?" Wu Xiaoqing did not take those matters to heart. She had always been a rather carefree woman. "I haven't even congratulated you yet. You got full marks on the preliminary exam and even earned an Exploration Permit."
"Then I should thank Sister Xiaoqing for giving me Fairy Coins," Zhou Lu said gratefully.
"Those things are useless to me anyway."
"Only you could say something like that, Sister Xiaoqing..."
Wu Xiaoqing seemed to remember something. She opened a drawer nearby and took out a paper bag. "Oh, right. This is for you, as a reward for passing your exam~!"
Zhou Lu curiously accepted the bag. Inside were several black clumps.
"What are these?"
"Dream Root Nodule Bacteria." Wu Xiaoqing carefully examined the beaker in her hand.
If not for the stockings in the beaker being so utterly out of place, this would have been a standard research scene from an academy of sciences.
"Dream Root Nodule Bacteria..." Zhou Lu repeated the name.
Wu Xiaoqing set down the beaker in her hand. "Dream Rain Flowers have no natural toxicity, and they might not have any after evolving either. If Plant Spirit Beasts lack the Poison Attribute, they cannot learn poison-type skills and will be at a disadvantage in battle. Dream Root Nodule Bacteria can allow Plant Spirit Beasts that form a symbiotic relationship with it to gain the Poison Attribute, without any other side effects."
"It can directly grant the Poison Attribute?" Zhou Lu asked in surprise. He had never even heard of such a thing.
Attributes were generally innate to Spirit Beasts or awakened through evolution. He had never heard of them being gained this way.
Wu Xiaoqing spread her hands. "It has no other use beyond that. As a Tier 1 Spirit Beast, it's pretty useless, right? I clearly wanted to research a special symbiotic fungus that could increase the yield of root crops like potatoes, but I ended up researching this instead."
Speaking of it, Wu Xiaoqing became somewhat dejected. "Sometimes I really wonder whether I have any talent for research..."
Sister Xiaoqing, how about changing directions? I have a feeling you're not suited to developing food Spirit Beasts...
"Will the root nodule bacteria make the roots ugly?" Zhou Lu suddenly asked as he looked at Huohuo in his arms.
Huohuo, which had been looking at mushrooms, turned its leaves around with concern.
To be honest, Huohuo's roots were pristine white, like works of art. It would be such a pity if root nodule bacteria made them ugly after parasitizing them.
"Don't even get me started!" Wu Xiaoqing said furiously. "They're clearly root nodule bacteria, yet they do not provide the roots with any extra benefits at all! They do not even grow nodules."
Reassured, Huohuo turned back and continued looking at the mushrooms.
"You haven't published these results?" Zhou Lu asked quietly.
Wu Xiaoqing found the question strange. "Why would I publish garbage results?"
This was fucking garbage?
Root nodule bacteria that could grant ordinary Plant Spirit Beasts the Poison Attribute!
One had to know that many Plant Spirit Beasts actually had excellent potential in battle, but because they lacked the Poison Attribute and therefore could not learn skills requiring both grass and poison attributes, they were eliminated in favor of other poison-attribute Plant Spirit Beasts.
Dream Root Nodule Bacteria could absolutely change their fate.
"What about that mushroom from last time?" Zhou Lu remembered the mushroom that had nearly killed Wu Xiaoqing. Its poison took effect at such terrifying speed that it was an explosive existence even in the world of poisons.
"That was garbage research too." As she spoke, Wu Xiaoqing glanced at the mushroom patch behind her. "Come to think of it... why do I feel like my mushrooms have been steadily disappearing?"
Huohuo lay beside the mushroom patch as though basking under the grow lights, occasionally rubbing its vines together like a fly rubbing its little hands.
Two more chapters.
Before you continue