Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Panlong Purple Pattern Refining Furnace

Ning Xuan felt a brief pang of shame for her wavering resolve. She then opened her Light Computer to check the matching information. She had just withdrawn her application, and the Mainframe had already sent back a message confirming the withdrawal was effective. It also recommended she complete the spiritual connection as soon as possible!

Ning Xuan’s breath caught in her throat. She felt flustered, unable to quite put a name to the feeling. Just then, she saw Yan Fuzhen walk in. She froze for a second before asking, "Why are you still here?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she remembered what Ying Yaoshi had said before he left—that he was leaving Yan Fuzhen for her to command.

Yan Fuzhen’s tall, upright figure stood in Ning Xuan’s modest living room, looking rather out of place at first glance. His gaze was gentle yet firm, the very picture of a man with a meticulous and disciplined demeanor.

"Greetings, Miss Ning. I am now your personal housekeeper," Yan Fuzhen said, bowing his head respectfully. His voice was solemn.

Ning Xuan sat on the sofa, a hint of impatience in her eyes. She didn’t like others interfering in her life and had no need for a personal housekeeper like Yan Fuzhen.

"Didn’t he say he wouldn’t interfere with my life? Why leave a watchdog here? Tell your master I don’t need one!" Ning Xuan said nonchalantly, her tone laced with displeasure.

Yan Fuzhen smiled faintly. He understood Ning Xuan’s discomfort, but he had his own duties and mission. He couldn’t abandon his post just because she was unhappy.

"Miss Ning, I beg you, please have some pity on me. If you send me back, the Marshal will definitely throw me onto the most dangerous battlefield. Then he’ll just send even more people over to you, and you’ll be even more annoyed!" Yan Fuzhen pleaded, his tone half-joking and half-serious, yet filled with a genuine sense of entreaty.

Ning Xuan’s brow furrowed. She hadn’t expected someone as prim and proper as Yan Fuzhen, who seemed so disciplined, to talk like this. ’Is he playing the pity card?’

However, if she did send him away, knowing Ying Yaoshi’s domineering style, he might really just send more people over. Ning Xuan sighed and said no more.

"Miss Ning, please take a look at the gifts outside and see if there’s anything you can use. If there is, you can put it in your Mysterious Ring. As for the rest, I can store them for you," Yan Fuzhen said, gesturing to the Attendants waiting outside with presents and handing her a gift list.

Ning Xuan took the list and glanced over it. Near the bottom of the second page, she spotted a Panlong Purple Pattern Refining Furnace. On the third page, there were rare medicinal ingredients like Thousand-year-old Phoenix Blood Wood, Ten Thousand Gorges Deep Pink Coral, and Hidden Dragon Spring Black Pearl.

When Ning Xuan had been looking to buy an Alchemy Furnace, she had researched them and remembered this particular Panlong Purple Pattern Refining Furnace. It was the masterpiece of the late Artifact Refining Master, Master Quan. It was said to have been forged with the extremely rare Purple Copper Spirit Stone, an ore with exceptional stability and malleability. It could lock in energy to prevent overflow, enhance the quality of medicines, and refine even higher-grade Spiritual Medicine.

If she’d had this Alchemy Furnace when she was refining the Body Refining Potion, she wouldn’t have been so terrified of it exploding and wasting the ingredients she had worked so hard to collect.

Yan Fuzhen’s ability to read people was top-notch. In the short time Ning Xuan was lost in thought while looking at the list, he had already brought over the few items she had paid special attention to.

Lifelike Dragons were carved around the Panlong Purple Pattern Refining Furnace, their Dragon Scales so detailed they looked as if they were about to take flight. Inside the furnace, purple patterns shimmered with a mysterious light.

The Thousand-year-old Phoenix Blood Wood was a segment about the length of a forearm. It was a rich, ruddy color, as brilliant as a sunset, and emitted a faint fragrance. Legend had it that this wood could only be found where a Phoenix had undergone Nirvana, having absorbed the Phoenix’s blood essence and containing a powerful Life Force.

The Ten Thousand Gorges Deep Pink Coral was crystal clear and dazzling. It was said to grow in a pink paradise at the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Valleys Abyss’s seabed, taking on its beautiful form only after being tempered by countless ages.

Ning Xuan stared at the items before her, unable to look away. Leaving everything else aside, the Panlong Purple Pattern Refining Furnace alone was something she found hard to resist.

"Lord Contract Master!" Chen Nan called out, his expression downcast. "The school said that Principal Qi has contacted a Starship. It’s departing for Central Star at noon. They’re asking if you’ll be going with them." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Of course I’m going. Uh, Housekeeper Yan, you can stay and watch the house. I have to go out for a competition!" The perfect excuse to get rid of Housekeeper Yan instantly came to Ning Xuan’s mind.

’I’m still a student. What would it look like, bringing a housekeeper of his caliber with me?’

She felt an urgent need to leave right away, as if any delay would lead to trouble. Not to mention, Lin Mo knew where she lived. If he saw that message, would he come and pester her too? ’I just need to hide from him long enough for the Mainframe’s review period to pass. That should be fine.’

"Miss Ning, there is a Starship right outside. I can take you to Central Star. Furthermore, you have properties all over Central Star. If you’re going there for a competition, I can lead the Attendants to prepare your accommodations!" Yan Fuzhen said eagerly, pointing to a stack of property deeds. ’Trying to shake me? Impossible!’

"I’m going to participate in an Alchemist competition. You can take your people and prepare the house ahead of time. I’ll stay there when I have the chance. Get Chen Nan’s contact information. When it’s ready, contact him. From now on, contact him first for anything. I hope you will not appear before me so casually! Otherwise, in one month, I can file another application to terminate the contract!" Ning Xuan’s face darkened as she delivered the threat.

Yan Fuzhen’s expression froze at her words. He couldn’t help but complain to himself, ’She’s clearly a sweet-looking young lady, so why is she so difficult to handle? If I can’t appear in the open, I’ll have to put in a lot of effort behind the scenes to make sure nothing goes wrong. But a young, beautiful B-level Controller with no background arriving at the Central Star Military Academy... how much trouble will that attract? She’ll be surrounded by wolves, and it’ll be impossible to guard against everything. Just thinking about it gives me a headache!’

Yan Fuzhen turned and gave Chen Nan a critical glance. ’This one’s far too weak to be of any use.’ Nevertheless, he obediently added Chen Nan’s contact information. General Ying had made a personal trip just to get Ning Xuan to withdraw her termination request. If he were the reason the Marshal got rejected a second time... Yan Fuzhen didn’t even want to imagine the kind of death that awaited him.

After sending Yan Fuzhen away, Ning Xuan immediately packed her things and took Chen Nan to meet Principal Qi at the school. This time, Principal Qi had also brought several upperclassmen who had passed the training assessment. They were in the middle of an excited discussion. "Did you guys see that? A military Starship actually appeared over Xingluo Bay! It’s as tall as a five or six-story building! So cool! I wonder which family has a relative who made it big and came to pick someone up. I’m so jealous!"

"A military Starship doesn’t necessarily mean they’re picking someone up. Maybe it’s just passing through!"

"Or maybe it’s here on official business!" someone else added.