Commission

"Yesterday was like the river flowing east

"Gone from me, never to return

"Today throws my heart into turmoil

"With so many worries..."

After dealing with another troublesome errand that required him to go out, Chen Shu bought himself a milk tea on the way back as a reward. Humming as he returned to the dorm, he was in such a good mood that he failed to notice Meng Chunqiu standing on the living-room balcony, gazing into the distance and striking a pose as if about to recite poetry, though no verse came out.

"Draw a blade to cut the water, and the water flows on

"Raise a cup to drown sorrow, and sorrow only grows

"Tomorrow, the clear wind drifts in every direction..."

Meng Chunqiu slowly turned his head, revealing a feminine face. He looked at Chen Shu and asked, "Brother Chen, what was that song you were just singing?"

"Hm? I forgot."

"The lyrics are pretty good!"

"Right? I forget where I heard it, too. I think someone kept humming it on the bus this morning. Now it's stuck in my head."

"Sing it again. I'll search for it!"

"Umm..." Chen Shu stood at his bedroom door and blinked. "La la la la..."

"The words, Brother Chen."

"Forgot them."

With that, Chen Shu scanned his card to unlock his door and went in.

He shut it with a bang.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

Lonely Medicine yo added you as a friend.

Note: Hello, I'm Wang Yang.

Chen Shu agreed and typed—

Chen Shu: Hello, Manager Wang. If you've got any paid work, send it my way.

Wang Yang: No need to be so formal.

Wang Yang: Your profile says you're good at Spell Principles. How far have you studied it? Are you strong in that area?

Chen Shu: /Bring it on

Wang Yang: ...

Wang Yang: Have you studied the Bodyguard Divine Light spell? I happen to have a related job.

Chen Shu: You've come to the right person.

Wang Yang: [Link]

Chen Shu opened it and found a task page.

Task: Optimize Bodyguard Divine Light.

Payment: 6,000 yuan.

Requirements: Optimize this version of the Bodyguard Divine Light spell. Replace as many First-Level Runes as possible with higher-tier Runes, reduce the spell's size, and improve its defensive effect.

Detailed requirements: Omitted.

Attachment: [Download]

This was easy.

Chen Shu clicked to download the file and gave it a quick look. It was a version of Bodyguard Divine Light common among civilians in the Yi Nation. There were different civilian versions, though. This one was relatively new and showed signs of having been modified already. The seller had probably changed a few things at random and passed it off as an updated version.

It was roughly fifty years behind the latest military version.

That made it even easier.

It was just that the price...

Chen Shu: Manager, that's not the going rate, is it? I don't really know.

Wang Yang: You only need to reduce the number of Runes by 10%. Ignore the stuff about improving its defensive effect. That's all nonsense. This business is like that; you'll understand once you're familiar with it.

Chen Shu: All right.

Wang Yang: Can you finish it within a week?

Chen Shu: I'll send it to you today.

Wang Yang: That fast??

Chen Shu: The sooner I finish, the sooner you can give me another job.

Wang Yang: Send it over when you're done. /Wipes sweat

Chen Shu: /Mm-hmm

Chen Shu turned off his phone and turned his computer back on.

This sort of spell was still built from a small number of Second-Level Runes and a large number of First-Level Runes. If he reworked it properly, he could eliminate every First-Level Rune. Unfortunately, the client was paying too little, so he could only hold back and make a few cursory changes.

What a bother.

He scratched his head and got to work.

Manager Wang clearly thought highly of him, and reasonably so. Yujing University's Spell Principles Studies program had a reputation. Its graduates either became impossible to find or turned into big shots, and nobody knew what those impossible-to-find graduates were doing. Chen Shu had reached the Second Tier right as he enrolled. That was not unheard of, but it was far from common, and made him well worth cultivating.

He should return the favor. It was only polite.

Four in the afternoon.

Chen Shu: [File]

Chen Shu: I reduced the Runes count by 16.8%. I also made a small adjustment to the Spiritual Power Transmission Component so it activates faster. That matters a lot for a defensive spell.

Wang Yang: Got it.

Chen Shu waited half an hour for Wang Yang's next message.

Wang Yang: I think you got the short end of the stick.

Chen Shu: Then give me a bigger share.

Wang Yang: /Not a chance

Chen Shu: ...

Wang Yang: At most, I can recommend you to more people. Once you build a reputation, people might start asking for you by name.

Chen Shu: That works.

If he really built up a name for himself, someone might even bring him a newer Regulated Spells to modify. Then, just as with Mr. Cat, he could make money and pick up a valuable spell for free while he was at it.

Knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the balcony door again.

Meng Chunqiu's voice came from outside. "Brother Chen, nothing important. I just wanted to ask whether you've remembered that song yet."

"I'm asleep."

"Then I'll come back later."

The shadow beyond the frosted glass turned and left.

Monday.

Ning Qing went out to collect a delivery. With nothing to do, Zhang Suannai followed her, walking with an even livelier step than hers.

"Don't you have class?"

"I do, but not this afternoon."

"Don't you train?"

"I do, but not this afternoon."

"Don't you cultivate?"

"I do, but not this afternoon."

"I feel like you have nothing to do every day."

Ning Qing thought that if Zhang Suannai carried on like this, sooner or later she would lose her advantage in strength. If she kept courting trouble after that, someone would surely beat her to death.

They arrived at the parcel pickup station.

There were three cardboard boxes. Flowers shipped with their pots and soil were heavy; the shipping fees alone would have paid for a new pot of flowers.

Zhang Suannai easily picked up a box in each hand and said cheerfully to Ning Qing, "See? You didn't even want Grandma coming along. Without me, you'd have to make two trips, and with those little arms and legs of yours, you'd be half-dead by the end!"

Ning Qing pressed her lips together and said nothing.

They had barely brought the boxes back to the dorm when, in an unguarded moment, a longsword appeared in Zhang Suannai's hand. She eagerly offered to open the boxes.

Ning Qing said nothing to that, either.

The three large flowering plants had lost many branches for shipping, but they still bore buds. Some had bloomed during the journey.

"They're pretty!"

Zhang Suannai leaned in to smell a flower, then turned to Ning Qing. "Where are you putting them? On the balcony outside your room?"

"Mm."

"Why only three pots? Get a few more and put some on the living-room balcony, too."

"We'll see."

"All right, all right." Zhang Suannai was fairly used to her manner by now. "Good thing our balconies connect. Round it off, and it's like I planted three pots of flowers, too."

"One and a half."

"What?"

"One and a half pots."

"Oh, right... Hahaha... What months do these bloom? In autumn?"

"Spring, summer, and autumn."

"Just not winter?"

"They bloom in winter in Yuanzhou. They won't in the Jade Capital."

"Not bad!"

Zhang Suannai spun the sword around her hand several times, tracing a beautiful flourish. Then, with a hiss, she slid it cleanly back into its sheath.

Ning Qing carried the flowers onto the balcony and examined them carefully. She trimmed the spots that had not been cut properly, applied antibacterial medicine to the cuts, and watered the plants with diluted soluble fertilizer. Then she left her bedroom, ready to go out again.

Zhang Suannai was still sitting in the living room, her strong, shapely legs crossed. She turned to look at Ning Qing.

"Where are you going now?"

"Out."

"Where to?"

"Outside."

"What for?"

"Something."

"I'm coming too."

"Stop bothering me."

"Ugh, you're so annoying..."

Ning Qing silently opened the door and left.

She was such a bother. Not only was she annoying, she had the nerve to turn it around and call Ning Qing annoying.

That made her even more annoying.

Twenty minutes later, Ning Qing arrived at another logistics company's depot and collected her little motorbike. She unboxed it, checked that it had not been damaged, then rode west. University City was already at the western edge of the Jade Capital, and Ling'an Academy stood on the west side of University City. Past Yujing University, she would leave University City behind.

She had arranged to view a house with an elderly couple who were professors.

This was the house she wanted.

Probably.

The visit went smoothly. The courtyard and the rent met her requirements perfectly. She could move in at the beginning of next month, spend a few days cleaning and furnishing the place, and then live there.

The last day of July.

It was Thursday.

She had another class with the elderly professor.

Ning Qing stood beneath a Chinese Banyan, holding her books against her chest. Wearing a mask, she waited quietly.

Before long, the elderly professor approached at a leisurely pace.

Ning Qing took off her mask and went up to him. As she had with her other teachers, she said, "Hello, Professor Ou. Sorry to bother you. I'm a student in your class. My name is Ning Qing, and there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

The professor turned to her with a smile.

"Go ahead."

"For reasons related to my cultivation, I'll soon need to practice Silence Meditation for a while. During that time, I'll still attend class, but I won't be able to speak, write, or communicate with anyone in any other way. I hope I can have the teachers' support."

"So you're asking me not to call on you?"

"Yes."

"Of course you have my support."

"Thank you."

"May I ask when you'll start?"

"Next week."

"That's fine." The professor nodded, his smile kindly. "But you must tell me when it ends. I'd very much like to talk with you more in class. Young people's ideas often teach me a great deal, too."

"I will."

"Class will start soon. Let's go."

"All right."

Ning Qing and the professor walked toward the teaching building together, one in the bloom of youth, the other with a head of white hair. Their steps fell into rhythm, and on campus, the sight was strangely harmonious.

Before entering the classroom, Ning Qing put her mask back on and avoided speaking to any of her classmates.

Seeing this, the professor could not help wondering—

Could this young woman have said all that because she didn't want to talk to her classmates or teachers in class?

Or was she afraid of being called on to answer a question?