After the minor interruption, Shen Xueyun resumed her potion brewing, and Xing Luo returned to her seat.

They’d silently tested each other, like an unspoken truce. Now, it was halftime. Unsure of the other’s true moves, both lowered their flags for now.

Xing Luo was still fuming, replaying Shen Xueyun’s earlier head pat. She couldn’t tell if it was intentional. But as she rested her chin on the table, staring at the girl, her attention drifted to Shen Xueyun’s potion-making motions.

Shen Xueyun was focused and captivating, her movements fluid as water.

Watching bottle after bottle of potions take shape, Xing Luo suddenly recalled… the one she and Lyn had drunk earlier.

Maybe she could learn this too?

"Sister Kaoru."

"Can I learn this from you?"

After Shen Xueyun finished a batch, Xing Luo blurted out the question.

She blinked her starry eyes, full of hope, gazing at Shen Xueyun.

Shen Xueyun hadn’t expected this. "Why the sudden interest, Xing Luo?" she asked curiously.

"It looks fun."

"And if Master has to train like this often, I’ll get lonely alone."

Xing Luo’s words struck a chord. Shen Xueyun had learned solitude young, but since meeting Lyn, she’d grown uneasy with it again. Her only escape was immersion in tasks—like potion brewing—to quiet her restless thoughts.

"It’s possible," Shen Xueyun said gently, "but it demands time, effort, and carries risks. It’s not just play."

Her private lab had sparked envy. Many students thought, "If a weirdo like her can do it, so can I." Classic overconfidence. They’d watch once, claim mastery, then fumble badly—sparking accidents. After the school’s healing potions sold out for weeks, those hot-headed "geniuses" stopped boasting.

Shen Xueyun had seen it often. She didn’t want to crush Xing Luo’s curiosity—just ensure it wasn’t a whim.

"Mm, I know," Xing Luo nodded fast, as if she’d pondered deeply.

"If you’re serious," Shen Xueyun hesitated, then pulled a thick book from beneath her robes, "start with this."

She’d expected Xing Luo to flinch at the tome. Instead, the girl’s eyes sparkled with interest.

"Memorize the basic potion properties here. Then, follow my notes to try brewing beginner potions." She handed over a notebook.

It held her own records of simple recipes and steps.

"Once you’ve covered this, I’ll teach you proper techniques and practice."

"Ask me anything you don’t understand," Shen Xueyun added softly.

"Mm-hmm!" Xing Luo nodded eagerly, flipping open the recipe book.

"Strength-boosting potion."

"Speed-boosting potion… Ugh, useless stuff."

Xing Luo had only one goal for learning potions.

Before she could skim further, a sharp headache hit. She rubbed her temples, freezing as she stared at the notes.

The pain wasn’t from struggling with the text. Scanning the recipes, she felt an eerie familiarity.

Studying the brewing steps, images flashed in her mind—as if she’d made these potions before.

But how? She’d never learned this.

Straining to remember, she found only blankness.

"So much forgotten," she whispered.

After the contract, she hadn’t lied to Lyn. Waking from darkness, her memories were patchy. Pushing further only hurt, so she gave up and flipped to the page she craved.

"Basic Aphrodisiac Potion.

For beast breeding.

Boosts magic with mild benefits.

Can be used on humans—dose carefully, or consequences may be severe."

The format matched other entries: a brief description, then Shen Xueyun’s personal research notes.

This was early work—her theories and handwriting still naive.

"Basic Aphrodisiac Potion Recipe:

Troll hair + dawn dew + lovebloom stamen…"

"Summary: Core ingredients are potent aphrodisiacs. Catalysts like rosemary powder enhance effects. Technique…"

The notebook brimmed with Shen Xueyun’s trial logs.

The recipe was stable. Swapping low-tier troll hair for stronger aphrodisiacs could greatly boost potency. But high-tier materials required adjusted catalysts—they might not synergize perfectly.

In short, this basic formula had huge room for improvement.

Xing Luo devoured Shen Xueyun’s upgrade ideas, then grabbed the nearby material compendium.

It categorized common ingredients by property.

"Aphrodisiac, aphrodisiac~" she muttered under her breath.

"Found it!" Her ahoge perked up as she spotted the page.

To enchant Master, she needed the strongest material.

Scanning the lines, her small body trembled. Starlight seemed to spill from her eyes.

"Dragon saliva!!"

Her own spit was listed!

Dragon saliva ranked among top aphrodisiacs—alongside unicorn tears, mutated giant sacs, elf blossom dew…

The entry noted: dragon saliva required alchemical processing to activate its effects.

Xing Luo gasped. No wonder Lyn showed no reaction when she sat on him or shared meals—he’d ingested her unprocessed saliva.

She closed the book quietly, her gaze locking onto Shen Xueyun again.

(⃔ *`꒳´ * )⃕↝