Chapter 7: Being Followed!

That was a deep violet flame, condensed from lightning.

Compared to ordinary fire, lightning fires burned more steadily, with more even heat distribution. 

More importantly— it radiated from the inside out.

“WAoooooo—!”

Amidst a chorus of gasps, the essence of the medicine was extracted, while impurities were incinerated by the lightning fire.

The pill was refined into liquid form.

“You’re an alchemist?!” Ishida stared at me in shock.

I shook my head.

Not an alchemist.

A potion master.

Crack—

The liquid solidified in the lightning, forming pills.

Three golden pills emerged, faint patterns etched upon their surfaces.

I pocketed two and handed one to Ishida.

“Try it. Consider it an apology.”

Ishida took the pill nervously.

Thanks to Cluru’s personal aesthetic choices, I looked very young on the outside now.

It was hard for Ishida to believe that such a small child could be a potion master and even harder to believe the bizarre product I had made…

Was this thing even edible?

“Here.”

In the end, he chose to trust me.

The Fireback Crocodile had been waiting eagerly, drooling all over the floor.

It gulped down the pill in one bite, and to our surprise, a blissful, almost human-like expression appeared on its reptilian face.

Before our eyes, the scars on its skin began to shrink, and internal injuries started to heal at a visible pace.

Simultaneously, golden scales on its body began to glow like sunlight, radiating waves of heat in all directions.

“Hey, hey! It’s not going to explode, is it? What did you feed the Fireback Croc?!”

I simply smiled and said nothing.

Soul Nurturing Pill— a remedy specifically used to mend soul-based internal injuries.

Although the herbs here were of poor quality, and I was limited by materials, I still managed to refine a low-grade Soul Nurturing Pill.

But for treating the Fireback Croc’s injuries— it was more than enough.

“This is…!”

Professor Ishida was stunned as he felt the surge of energy within his body.

“Soul Fusion!”

Ishida merged with the Fireback Croc. 

Its golden scales reformed into a majestic set of armor that wrapped around him, making him look like an ancient warrior reborn!

“I—I’m back at my peak?! No… I’ve surpassed it!”

With one punch, he compressed the air into a shockwave. 

The resulting blast of wind was visible to the naked eye.

So strong!

I was astonished by Professor Ishida’s power— he was on a whole different level compared to before.

……

Meanwhile, outside the school in a narrow alley—

“Boss, I did my research already. There are only two real fighters at Kangcheng No. 2 High, and one of them is badly injured.”

“As long as we stall the other one, we’ll have plenty of time to snatch the Qilin master!”

“The Qilin, man, that’s a priceless spirit!”

The “boss” snuffed out his cigarette excitedly. 

“Heard that girl just started raising it. While she’s still young and impressionable, we give her daily ideological training. Get her to serve us obediently…

Heh… at that point, even the Tiger Head Gang can kiss my ass!”

“Boss, you’re brilliant! When do we move?”

“Now! Go! Charge in! You two buy time, I’ll grab the girl!”

The trio arrived at the school gate.

“Hey! Unauthorized personnel aren’t allowed inside!” 

The security guard stepped forward to block them.

“Out of the way!”

Bang!

The guard was sent flying.

“Someone’s attacking the school!”

Alarms blared.

“There she is!”

Once inside, the three spotted the Qilin just outside the main building.

Without hesitation, they summoned their spirits and launched their attack.

One rode forward atop a giant serpent. 

The other two fused with their demon apes to intercept any pursuers.

They moved with ruthless speed and overwhelming momentum.

“They’re after the Qilin.”

Ishida stood up and moved in front of me.

“Stay behind me. Don’t come out, this isn’t a fight you can handle,” he said.

Before I could respond, Ishida exploded forward in a blur.

“Ishida,” the man across from him sneered, wearing an unmistakable expression of mockery. 

“After getting hurt that bad, instead of hiding somewhere and rotting away, you still dare to stand in front of me?”

“If you want to lay a hand on my student, you’ll have to answer to my fists first!”

“You think you’re still the enforcer you once were? Die, old man—Orb of Destruction!”

The man’s serpent-head swelled. 

A wisp of black mist began to gather at the serpent’s mouth.

The black mist condensed into a dark sphere.

With a hiss, the sphere launched straight at Ishida!

“Hmph— Fireback Croc! Iron Body!”

A streak of silver light flashed across Ishida’s body.

“How can you still use Iron Body?!” the man cried out in shock. 

“You’re injured using a spirit technique now is suicide!”

“Sorry.”

Ishida smacked the black sphere away with one punch. 

In a flash, he was already in front of the enemy.

His fist came crashing down on the serpent’s head.

“My wounds… are already healed!”

Boom—!

The serpent’s skull was smashed deep into the ground with a single blow.

And he wasn’t done.

Ishida followed up with a barrage of heavy punches, each one echoing with thunderous crashes. 

In moments, the serpent’s weak point, the seven-inch spot, was pulverized into mush, as thin as paper.

His fists landed with such force, it was as if they were hitting the summoner himself. 

The man coughed up blood in mouthfuls, writhing in agony.

By the time the Enforcement Officers from the Bureau of Order arrived, the three thugs were barely conscious, beaten to within an inch of their lives.

“One Black-Iron grade master, two Level Eight summoners… and your school actually won?”

The officer cuffed the criminals, still baffled by what had happened.

“It was Professor Ishida!”

“Professor Ishida’s back!”

Cheers erupted across the school grounds.

“Ishida?” 

The officer looked up at the man standing before him. 

“Weren’t you injured?”

“All thanks to this freshman.”

Ishida turned his head toward me.

In his eyes, I saw genuine warmth and gratitude.

Looks like… the bad blood had melted away~

“From today on, I’m your homeroom teacher.”

Ishida stood tall before me, arms folded across his chest like a steel tower.

Majestic. Solid. Safe.

“I’ll be protecting you from now on. And I’ll be responsible for your training. If you don’t take raising the Qilin seriously, I’ll have Ms. Xiao Yuan spank you!”

Oh, great. 

I heal your injuries and this is my reward—getting spanked?!

I pouted so hard my lips could hang a coat.

“Don’t give me that look. And no skipping class either!”

I will skip class— wait, hey, hey, hey!

He grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted me up.

My belly button was showing…

“These guys came for you. You’ve got the Qilin—people like this will keep coming. If you don’t study properly, you’ll end up in someone’s basement, where they’ll brainwash and reeducate you every day until they mold you into what they want. Is that what you want?”

Heh.

You think I don’t know how it feels to live in a body like this for seventeen years?

I’m used to it.

Seeing my dead-fish stare and completely unrepentant attitude, Ishida sighed and let me go.

Under the complicated gazes of the other students, I swaggered out of the herbal garden.

“Did you hear? Professor Ishida’s wounds are healed—thanks to that new junior girl.”

“The same girl who injured him with the Qilin?”

“Yeah, that one!”

“She’s not bad, actually… kinda cute the more you look at her…”

“With Ishida back in peak form, maybe our school can finally apply for field training this year?”

“Definitely.”

“All thanks to our junior.”

……

Yawning, I dragged my exhausted body back toward the dorms.

Without any true energy in my body, I had relied on the Qilin’s power and my immense spiritual sense to refine the medicine.

It had taken a lot out of me.

My whole body ached.

I felt like I’d caught the flu or something…

Hm?!

Just as I passed by a dark alley, I sharply sensed a pair of eyes watching me.

Someone’s following me!