Chapter 352: Lan Xin Presents the Spoils of War
Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Lan Xin Presents the Spoils of War
It only took Ning Xuan half an hour to heal Lan Xin’s injuries. This wasn’t because Lan Xin’s were minor and Di Youlin’s were severe; rather, cleansing a Spiritual Sea was simply a time-consuming and laborious process. Moreover, the contamination in Di Youlin’s Spiritual Sea had been accumulating for quite some time.
While unconscious, Lan Xin had retracted his scales, wings, and snake tail. When he awoke, he glanced around and quickly recognized his surroundings as the backyard treatment room.
He quickly recalled the events leading up to his blackout. He had lost control in front of his Master, his snake tail and wings manifesting against his will. His Master had stuck him with a needle, causing him to pass out. Now that he was awake, the uncontrollable Mutant Beast Genes within him had been completely purged.
’I seem to have lost my composure in front of my Master,’ Lan Xin thought, vexed.
With a SQUEAK, the door opened, and Ning Xuan walked in.
Lan Xin immediately scrambled barefoot from the bed and hurried before Ning Xuan, beginning to prostrate himself on the floor. "This slave, Lan Xin..."
"No need to kneel. Get up." Ning Xuan gestured, stopping his prostration. Lan Xin immediately obeyed, rising respectfully before pulling a Space Button from his clothes.
"Master, the wages and stipends received in this slave’s Star Network account have been transferred to yours. These are the spoils of war this slave has accumulated on the battlefield. Please accept them." Lan Xin presented the Space Button to Ning Xuan, holding it in both hands.
"Can’t all spoils be exchanged for Star Gold? Are these you’ve saved special in some way?" Ning Xuan didn’t take the Space Button. Instead, she just looked at Lan Xin, waiting for his explanation.
"Lord Contract Master, this Beast Core comes from an SS-level Star Beast—a Thunder Wing Dragon. The creature could manipulate thunder and was incredibly powerful. It took this slave a great deal of effort to finally slay it. I thought that since Thunder Element Star Beasts are rare, and this Beast Core is quite beautiful, I would bring it back as an offering for you." As he spoke, Lan Xin produced a Beast Core from his spatial storage, its surface rippling with golden energy, and offered it to Ning Xuan with a bow.
The Beast Core was crystalline and translucent, shining more brilliantly than the finest jewel. Contained within was a raging Thunder Energy.
As Ning Xuan reached out to touch the Thunder Wing Dragon’s Beast Core, there was a ZAP! The core erupted with a flash of purple lightning that struck her hand in an instant.
The sudden event startled Lan Xin, who immediately dropped to his knees to beg for forgiveness. "Master, please forgive me! The Beast Core has never discharged like that before. It was this slave’s negligence that caused you harm. This slave deserves to be punished."
Lan Xin knew such a small spark wouldn’t truly harm Ning Xuan, but causing his Master even a moment of alarm was a transgression. He was filled with self-reproach.
"It has nothing to do with you. The energy in my body induced the discharge. This Beast Core is very useful to me. You did well," Ning Xuan said, holding the core and looking at Lan Xin with admiration.
"Thank you for your praise, Master." Lan Xin was delighted and continued to present his spoils of war to Ning Xuan.
Next, Lan Xin brought out a pile of rare minerals: Bright Moon Stones, which automatically emitted a soft halo in the dark; Fire Pattern Stones, with naturally occurring flame-like markings on their surface; and an irregularly shaped object, transparent as crystal, with flecks of silver light sealed within.
"Master, this appeared after a spatial rift exploded. It was mixed in with a pile of meteoric iron, and I don’t know what it is." Lan Xin picked up the irregular, crystal-like object with some hesitation. After the surprise discharge from the Beast Core, he felt uneasy looking at this unidentified item.
"Master, perhaps we should let President Yu and the others take a look at this. It could be trouble if it turns out to be dangerous." Lan Xin started to put the object away.
Ning Xuan’s brow furrowed. "Bring it here. Let me see."
Lan Xin didn’t dare disobey Ning Xuan’s command. Although the object’s origin was unknown, he had already inspected it multiple times and found nothing dangerous. If he hadn’t been certain it was safe, how could he have dared to present it to Ning Xuan in the first place?
After taking the irregular, crystal-like object, Ning Xuan quickly searched the Star Network for information. She scanned more than a dozen images but found nothing useful.
She stored the object of unknown purpose in her Space Button to study later and turned her attention back to the spoils Lan Xin was presenting.
Most of the remaining items were materials harvested from Star Beasts. Having been by Ning Xuan’s side for a long time, Lan Xin knew her habits. He always extracted the most valuable parts of a Star Beast first, dealing with the less valuable remains separately.
As a result, Ning Xuan received a trove of valuable items all at once: High-level Beast Cores, Beast Bones, Beast Skins, and a wide variety of strange and rare minerals.
"Everything you’ve brought back is very useful. You did an excellent job," Ning Xuan praised Lan Xin generously.
"It is merely what this slave ought to do." Receiving Ning Xuan’s praise left Lan Xin feeling deeply content. ’Everyone else around Ning Xuan has their own substantial wealth,’ he thought. ’But me? I’m from a line of Half-beastman slaves. I have nothing to my name.’
’Taking me in was a real loss for her. From now on, I have to work hard and earn money to properly compensate her.’
Ning Xuan, oblivious to Lan Xin’s inner thoughts, saw his watery eyes fixed on her and assumed he was hoping for some kind of reward.
A vine extended from Ning Xuan, pulling Lan Xin into her embrace. She covered his eyes with one hand and kissed him. Lan Xin was strikingly handsome. His eyes, a clear, deep blue, were filled with twinkling starlight and utterly captivating. His lips were soft and supple. Taking a gentle bite was like tasting pudding—delicate and smooth.
As Ning Xuan savored the sensation, her aura and pheromones passed into Lan Xin’s body through their kiss.
Ning Xuan’s kiss instantly made Lan Xin flush beet-red. He knew her preferences, so he struggled weakly a couple of times, only for her to hold him even tighter.
An invisible channel formed between their Spiritual Seas, connecting them. This was the spiritual power link.
Lan Xin felt a sense of calm from Ning Xuan. Her spiritual power flowed through the link and into his Sea of Consciousness, which was filled with a black fog. The moment her spiritual power entered, the black fog was instantly purified.
By the time Ning Xuan released him, Lan Xin’s face and neck were flushed red, and his legs felt weak as he tried to walk.
This time, the treatment not only purged the uncontrollable Mutant Beast Genes from Lan Xin’s body, but his Master had also cleansed his Sea of Consciousness. After this session, the violent impulses that had constantly plagued his mind were gone, and his spiritual power had settled.
On the same day Lan Xin returned, Chen Nan also rushed back from the second battlefield. Now, with the exception of Ying Yaoshi, all of Ning Xuan’s other Contractors and Contracted Slaves had come home.
Ning Xuan asked Yu Mingche to organize a family banquet at the villa that evening for a lively reunion.