Chapter 137 Chapter 138 Recipe
In the evening, after a satisfying meal, Ji Ma leisurely rode in a horse-drawn carriage back to Xin Ji’s alchemy workshop.
In the workshop, the apprentices were mixed with joy and sorrow. A few excited ones were sharing their experiences of unexpected windfalls, surrounded by a circle of fellow apprentices.
“I found a bag of coins by the roadside, containing three silver coins,” one apprentice said, laying the coins out on the table. “And five copper coins.”
The crowd politely responded, “Oh.”
A limping apprentice excitedly said, “I was stepped on by a plump lady. To settle the matter, she gave me a hush money of four gold coins!”
The others immediately showed interest and asked:
“Who was it?”
“She must be heavy.”
“I took the money, so I can’t disclose that.”
A derisive voice rang out, “It’s just that much money. What’s there to be proud of?”
Everyone turned to the third apprentice, who was uninjured but looked haggard.
Someone asked, “How much did you get?”
The third apprentice laid out ten gold coins on the table, instantly capturing everyone’s attention. They crowded around, chattering, “Can you tell us how you got the money?”
“You’re amazing!”
“Can you teach me how to make potions, Master?”
Faced with the compliments and praise from the crowd, the third apprentice not only didn’t feel happy but instead sniffed, tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I… I walked around the street three times and found nothing, so I went home to rest…”
He choked out, “As soon as I opened the door, I saw the man I killed holding my fiancée.”
The surrounding boys immediately fell silent, together mourning for him.
Ji Ma interjected, her pure face showing a “virgin” kind of naivete:
“That’s okay, maybe they were just hugging each other. I see many people on the street just hugging.”
“She even said he was great, much better than mine.”
“This means she likes being hugged tightly.”
The third apprentice suddenly cried out loud, burying his face in his arms on the table, “They were naked! This gold coin is a breach of contract penalty! She got into that scoundrel’s carriage right in front of me and left!”
Everyone comforted him, “Be strong.”
“At least it’s better than cheating after marriage.”
“At least you’re not raising someone else’s child.”
Ji Ma listened to the apprentice’s cries, feeling satisfied as she returned to her seat.
Xin Ji, with his black hair, adjusted his monocle. Seeing that only three apprentices succeeded, and they all encountered such misfortune, couldn’t help but sigh.
This was truly the worst class—they couldn’t even bear to speak of it. When the noble girl apprentices returned from the academy, he wondered how they would laugh at themselves.
For a moment, Xin Ji felt terrible. He anxiously looked toward the noble girl’s seat, still no sign of them.
“Xiao Qiao,” he asked Ji Ma, “Have you seen them? I remember you all went out together.”
“They boarded a noble’s carriage,” Ji Ma replied, resting her finger on her face, recalling, “I think it was called… Is, a strange man wearing a gold mask.”
Xin Ji suddenly felt as if a bucket of ice water was poured over him.
The word “Is” seemed to have some magical power; as soon as it reached the ears of the boys comforting the apprentice, it caught their attention. They immediately abandoned the weeping apprentice and rushed over, surprised:
“You saw Young Master Is?”
“They hit the jackpot.”
Ji Ma pretended to be clueless and asked, “Who is Is?”
“His family owns nearly half of Marin City,” the boys eagerly educated Ji Ma. “He’s almost like the electoral prince of Marin City.”
“Overseas, his family has four fleets and a whole mercenary army.”
“Even the current emperor doesn’t pursue his family’s previous lead in purchasing Marin City.”
Wealthy and with an army, he was a formidable local power. But there seemed to be no strong extraordinary beings among them; at least none were as famous for their wealth, status, and troops.
Ji Ma summarized and continued, “So, is Marin City still independent now?”
The room fell silent.
Ji Ma immediately realized she had touched on a “politically sensitive topic.” She quickly put on a face of innocent ignorance, saying, “I seem to have stumbled into an unpleasant topic.”
“Nothing wrong,” Teacher Xin Ji said. “Three years ago, His Majesty the Emperor denied the independence treaty signed by the previous emperor, sent troops to attack Marin City, and ambushed the returning armies of the West Territories, winning a great victory. After besieging the city for three months, constantly warning, the more fanatical independent factions in Marin City finally came to their senses and surrendered.”
An apprentice suddenly stood up and exclaimed, “He’s a flip-flopping tyrant, only after Marin City’s money!”
“You can ask my buddy for a refund on tuition,” Xin Ji said. “See that imperial flag hanging at my door?”
The apprentice stormed out angrily.
Someone muttered, “His father died in that battle three years ago.”
“Only by uniting all territories of the empire can we survive in this dark age,” Xin Ji said. “This is the greatest lesson humanity has learned in hundreds of years. Let’s not discuss unpleasant politics now; let’s congratulate them. Young Master Is is known for his generosity, especially towards young ladies.”
The apprentices buzzed with chatter.
“The academy’s students are amazing.”
“I think she might have used an even better recipe.”
“I wonder if she can teach me.”
The way the boys admired her made it seem like they wished they could wear skirts, put on stockings, and climb into Young Master Is’s carriage.
Xin Ji couldn’t help but sigh again, feeling utterly defeated. The apprentices had lost all enthusiasm for learning.
He looked at the solitary Ji Ma; she was beautiful but hadn’t boarded Young Master Is’s carriage, her hands empty, indicating she must have failed. Although failure in innovation was normal, she was the student who listened to his lessons the most. Compared to the experiences of the noble girl apprentices, it highlighted his teaching failure even more.
“Xiao Qiao,” Xin Ji said, “It doesn’t matter if you fail once; focus on studying steadily. Don’t always daydream about innovating; one day you too will succeed.”
“Teacher, you make sense,” Ji Ma replied, “But I didn’t fail.”
“Did you not fail?”
“The carriage of Is almost ran into me on the sidewalk, and for compensation, he gave me a corsage,” Ji Ma said, pulling out a heavy box from her dimensional space bag. “I exchanged it for thirteen hundred gold coins.”
She opened the box, revealing shiny new gold coins, instantly brightening the entire room. The magic of the coins firmly attracted the attention of all the boys.
“Wow, so much money.”
Someone said with a hint of schadenfreude, “Even that guy Is has his failures.”
“Did you refuse Young Master Is?”
“Yes.”
The boys’ eyes lit up immediately.
Someone praised, “Xiao Qiao, women like you who aren’t materialistic are rare nowadays.”
“Many women would jump at the chance to strip naked and hop into his bed upon meeting Is.”
“You can tell at a glance that Xiao Qiao is a pure girl seeking love.”
Ji Ma smirked, secretly mocking the boys.
Their flattery was merely a reflection of delight in seeing a more competitive male face setbacks.
She said, “Yes, I pursue love more; anyway, I have money and don’t need to consider material conditions.”
This statement earned her continuous compliments from the boys, many eyes lighting up as they turned to Ji Ma.
Someone asked bluntly, “Xiao Qiao, did you come to Marin City hoping to encounter a romance here?”
The boys who had just criticized others for being materialistic shifted their gaze between Ji Ma’s face and her gold.
In the eyes of the apprentices, Ji Ma immediately leveled up to a petite fortune lady; just owning a dimensional space bag hinted that she either came from a wealthy or noble family.
Ji Ma smiled gently, “I already have a fiancé; he has killed a dragon.”
This statement dimmed many eyes, extinguishing the ambitions of several young men wanting to shortcut their way to success.
Toolman George was indeed quite useful.
“Can you teach us recipes?”
“Yes, yes, your potion looks very useful.”
How is that possible? A few compliments and they think they can extract a recipe; go away.
Ji Ma displayed a “grateful” expression and turned to Teacher Xin Ji:
“I was able to make the Wealth Potion thanks to your guidance, Teacher Xin Ji. When we first met, you gave me the book ‘Potionology,’ which inspired me greatly.”
Afterward, Ji Ma took out a bulging bag of coins and handed it to Teacher Xin Ji, saying, “I don’t know what gift you would like, but I’ve heard that gold coins are the best gift in Marin City. I hope this amount can express my gratitude to you.”
Xin Ji was taken aback for a moment, feeling warmth in his heart. It gave him a sense of pride.
He laughed happily a few times, accepted the bag of coins, and said, “You are the most talented student I have ever seen. Many spend their whole lives studying book knowledge and achieve little. By the way, when will they be back?”
Xin Ji couldn’t wait to show the noble girl apprentices that his student was better than the academy’s top students.
“They got on the carriage around noon,” Ji Ma said. “At that time, Is was accompanying me to the pawn shop, so he probably doesn’t want to return.”
Xiao Qiao was defending me.
Xin Ji was in a great mood, saying, “Then we won’t wait for them. Now, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
“Teacher,” Ji Ma seized the opportunity to ask, “I have no questions about the Wealth Pouch; I just want to learn more recipes.”
“I understand. Learning together with everyone would slow your progress,” Xin Ji said. “Follow me; I have a few books that should be very useful for you.”
Ji Ma’s smile widened as she said, “Thank you.”
Her goal was to acquire everything Xin Ji had learned in his lifetime and obtain various potion recipes. In many cases, masters would not teach all their lifelong knowledge to apprentices; most recipes had to be acquired through the apprentices’ youth and slowly brewed until they lost much of their value before being passed on to them.
Perhaps the requirement for a witch’s upgrade was to learn many potions. Even if not, learning many potions could indirectly enhance one’s own power.
In Xin Ji’s private alchemy room.
“This book, this one, and this one, are all ones I’ve personally made and verified.”
A few yellowed books were placed in front of Ji Ma, who opened one to find it filled with unmelodic nursery rhymes.
Xin Ji said, “To prevent thieves, I recorded the recipes using nursery rhymes. You can ask me about any recipe you’re interested in.”
Ji Ma understood very well that this was mainly to prevent apprentices from stealing. This measure was originally meant to keep knowledge firmly in one’s own hands.
“In that case, this is quite a hassle for you, Teacher Xin Ji,” Ji Ma winked at Xin Ji, shooting out an arrow of charm. “Why not translate it well for me, and I’ll read it at home? If there’s anything I don’t understand, I’ll come find you.”
Xin Ji already somewhat favored Ji Ma, instantly perceiving her as a kind, thoughtful girl.
“That makes sense.” As he spoke, he became vigilant again. “Make sure you don’t lose the paper and don’t tell others.”
“Of course.”
Ji Ma agreed, but she found such behavior of hoarding knowledge unpleasant.
It was precisely because so many people hid knowledge that many invaluable secrets have disappeared over the course of history.
Like martial arts sects, the more they developed, the weaker the martial arts of the later generations became; it wasn’t that every expert didn’t keep the secrets to themselves after acquiring them; instead, they hid them in swords and blades, making them mysterious.
Ji Ma decided to find an opportunity for mass printing. Of course, the book’s price couldn’t be set too high. However, as a selfless and noble knowledge sharer, she deserved some compensation.
Let’s set the price at one hundred gold coins a book, named “Thirty Years of Alchemy Master: A Lifetime of Beloved Recipes.”
The preface would state that mastering this book would ensure one’s dominance in the alchemy world. Before releasing the book, she’d gather a few experts for marketing—they would definitely become a big hit.
Ji Ma flipped through the book, raised her head, and asked, “Teacher, is there any more?”
Xin Ji hesitated, “There’s some more; I originally planned to keep it for my son.”
Ji Ma subtly pointed her pinky at Xin Ji, a symbol of arrogance, and said:
“You know, the Aldao Academy of Magic has a lot of profound knowledge. If she takes it seriously and practices a bit, even with my talent and your excellent teaching, I may not have a secure chance against her. That would be a great embarrassment for you.”
Xin Ji no longer hesitated; he immediately pulled out a stack of yellowed edged papers, “Inside are some magical rituals that I had originally planned to give to my son. You’re right…”
“I’ve thought it through. To gain recognition from those academy types, we need to teach talented students like you. My son probably can’t measure up.”
“If you have questions, come ask me, especially about the rituals; they’re dangerous and must be completed under my guidance.”
“Thank you!” Ji Ma smiled, taking the papers.
The book price was raised to two hundred gold coins each; after all, knowledge was priceless. Setting a clear price while being ethical felt good.
Ji Ma held the books and joyfully left the workshop.
Now that she had the secrets in hand, from tomorrow on, she wouldn’t need to continuously provoke the noble girl apprentice’s arrogant aura; she had lost her utilitarian value.
Ji Ma rode her travel horse, leisurely heading home.
Back home, the cat maid hadn’t starved; having listened to her, she was well-fed. Ji Ma put the collar on the cat maid, who smiled happily.
Ji Ma studied the parts of the secret recipe translated by Xin Ji until nightfall, then went to bed.
Having not eaten for a long time, she lay in bed unable to sleep, primal desires stirring within her, driving her to do something to release her energy before she could fall asleep.
Ji Ma lightly bit her lip; she was naked, wearing only a pair of black thigh-high socks, her legs brushing against each other involuntarily, already fond of the smooth feeling. The sound of fabric rustling came from beneath the thin blanket.
After a while, Ji Ma sat up, a thin sheen of sweat forming on her forehead.
“No good, I can’t sleep at all; I’m reaching my limit.”
She opened her personal system, checking a notepad that only contained one line: “Time left to leave George: 32 days.”
She changed it to 33 days, thinking she could endure being hungry for a few more days.
As for the restless desires within her…
Ji Ma opened a box on her bed, pulling out a stick-like object that she had bought as a gift for Lian Xi, picking it up and remembering how she seemed to have squirted too much during that outdoor romp.
It wouldn’t be good to make the bed wet.
But getting out of bed would be troublesome; the right atmosphere wasn’t there. She certainly didn’t want to do that kind of thing in a bare bathroom, which would have no feeling.
She put the item back and closed the box.
Going to find George would be better; the understanding gentleman was a useful money-making tool, and she couldn’t casually give him up. She merely wanted to gather some intel while also solving her hunger problem.
Ji Ma closed her eyes, thinking of George’s face, and couldn’t help but think of the holy sword he had thrust towards her.
Before long, she fell asleep, entering a dream.
