Chapter 516: Teacher: Where's My Little Quan Quan?

Bu Quan had been in a state of hesitation for quite some time.

This was within the city walls of Snow Bird Harbor.

A central area near the city government palace.

This small alchemy workshop was also the place Bu Quan had loved most before joining the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

On the table, a spherical beaker contained a potion being heated. Pink bubbles continuously rose from the yellow-green liquid.

Bu Quan's pupils dilated slightly as her mind drifted.

Yet her movements remained utterly precise, each step in the potion's preparation executed with flawless accuracy.

Even while multitasking, Bu Quan's profound alchemy expertise allowed this experiment to refine the formula to proceed smoothly and methodically.

“Should I write that letter after all, asking my mentor for help?” Bu Quan felt deeply embarrassed.

She knew full well that her entire journey thus far owed much to her mentor's guidance and support.

Her mentor's care and attention far exceeded that given to others, to the point of arousing jealousy.

Despite her mentor's profound devotion, Bu Quan had insisted on journeying to Snow Bird Harbor to avenge her nanny. Yet her mentor hadn't stopped her. Instead, she had mobilized her connections to protect Bu Quan.

All along, Bu Quan had harbored a deep sense of guilt toward her mentor.

After joining the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, this guilt only deepened. Bu Quan understood clearly that her mentor had always been cultivating her, grooming her to be the heir to the magician tower.

Yet Bu Quan had cast aside those expectations for her own sake, driven by curiosity about a different way of life.

Truthfully, Bu Quan felt the pressure too.

The moment she chose to join the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, she knew she could hardly face her mentor. She desperately wanted to explain yet found no way to do so. She refused to deceive her mentor.

Thus, she never reported her current choices or living situation to her mentor.

Fearing confrontation, she adopted an evasive mindset, hoping to send Magician Zhong Bei back to the Alchemy Guild as a way to inform her teacher.

After rejecting Magician Zhong Bei, she waited for her mentor's letter of reproach.

Instead, she received Magician Da Bei and his son, Magician Zhong Bei.

Bu Quan rejected Magician Da Bei once more, resuming her wait for her mentor's rebuke.

But the letter never came. Instead, she received a request from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

It was a request for her to write a letter herself, asking her teacher for assistance!

This matter presented a massive psychological barrier for Bu Quan.

“I already feel terribly guilty toward my teacher.”

“Now, to ask her to intervene... How shameless of me!”

“But... the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' situation is truly dire.”

"Especially Long Fu, the commander, he was ambushed by three gold level mercenaries. Thankfully, his strength is formidable; he killed all three."

"He truly lives up to the reputation of the man I chose."

Thinking of the dragonman youngster, Bu Quan's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth curved upward involuntarily, revealing the sweet smile of a woman in love.

Little did she know that the one who achieved this astonishing feat wasn't her beloved, but Zong Ge.

“The commander cares deeply for me, so he specially wrote to warn me.”

“If I hadn't gone to invite the teacher, I might have fallen into grave danger.”

“Perhaps...”

As she pondered, Bu Quan's thoughts began to wander.

"Perhaps the enemy attacked. They assaulted fiercely, ruthlessly and mercilessly, overrunning this place. Even the magician tower was destroyed by them

“I fought desperately, but four opponents were too much.”

"At the most critical moment, the commander descended from the heavens, a hero rescuing his damsel in distress! With just three moves, he knocked the enemy to the ground."

"He held me in his arms, his face filled with tenderness as he whispered, 'I'm sorry, Bu Quan, I came too late. Where are you hurt?'"

At this thought, two patches of red spread across Bu Quan's cheeks.

She shook her head, her thoughts continuing to wander.

“No, it was because I knew these potions held immense value for the mercenary corps.”

“I could have retreated, but to protect them, I had to stay and fight the enemy.”

"I battled them to the bitter end and successfully safeguarded the potions. But in doing so, I paid a heavy price."

"I was dying, beyond saving. As I lay dying, the commander arrived and swiftly cut down the remaining foes."

“He held me in his arms, heedless of my blood-soaked body, wailing with grief and regret, blaming himself for not returning sooner.”

“He cried out my name, refusing to let me slip into unconsciousness and death.”

"My face was deathly pale as I mustered every ounce of strength to reach out and touch the commander's cheek, feeling the tears streaming down his face."

"I told him, 'Lord Long Fu, I protected these potions. I did what Sister Yao Ma instructed me to do.'"

"'No, Bu Quan. You're so foolish, you're so truly foolish. In my heart, you matter more than these potions. A hundred times more, a thousand times more, ten thousand times more!' Lord Long Fu cried out."

“He glared fiercely at Magician Yao Ma beside him, then clasped my hand tightly: ‘Promise me, Bu Quan, don't leave me. Hold on, don't fall asleep, okay?’”

“But I couldn't hold on. I died.”

"From that day on, Lord Long Fu had eyes only for me. No matter how beautiful or talented those around him were, no matter how desperately Magician Yao Ma pursued him, he remained unmoved."

"In the end, as Magician Yao Ma lay dying, she sighed with profound regret: 'In my entire life, I lost to only one woman. That woman was Bu Quan. That woman was Bu Quan. Though she lost her life, she won Lord Long Fu’s heart. How I wish I could have taken her place, but now it’s too late...’"

At this thought, Bu Quan’s eyes reddened. She sank into her own reverie, enveloped by the sorrow and emotion spreading through her heart.

After a long while, her cheeks flushed crimson with heat before the strange crackling sound of the potion mixing snapped her back to reality.

Her thoughts halted abruptly as she stared blankly at the finished potion in her hands.

Her alchemy skill was profound, her talent exceptional. Even while deeply distracted, she had successfully crafted a silver level potion.

Bu Quan's emotions remained unsettled. She felt no joy at the potion's success; her mind was filled only with the dragonman youngster's image.

“I care little for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, but if Commander Long Fu grieves for me, I too will grieve!”

"Teacher... I have failed you. But this time, I must ask for your help."

“Because I refuse to see Lord Long Fu suffer for me, to remain unmarried for life, to carry regret forever.”

“True lovers should be united forever. I cannot let the world's greatest tragedy unfold!”

With this resolve, Bu Quan steeled herself. Gritting her teeth, she summoned her courage and, filled with love, began writing the letter.

After finishing the plea for help, Bu Quan immediately utilized the Alchemy Guild's channels to send the letter back by express delivery.

The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps relied on messengers using teleportation formations to deliver communications.

Bu Quan didn't need that.

She was a member of the Alchemy Guild, a major organization within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom that commanded considerable resources and connections.

The Alchemy Guild operated numerous teleportation formations specifically for transmitting confidential messages. These formations, incapable of transporting living beings, had obtained royal permission and passed a series of stringent inspections, enabling direct transmission from Snow Bird Harbor to the Ice Sculpture capital.

Alchemy Guild Headquarters.

Snow Honey Tower.

The tower master was none other than Bu Quan's teacher, Shuang Lian.

She pushed open the heavy door of the alchemy chamber, emerging with heavy dark circles under her eyes and a vacant expression.

The large-scale alchemy experiment that had lasted several months had ended in failure.

Shuang Lian was in a terrible mood.

Her apprentices gathered around her. Some tried to support her, but she shook off their hands. Others offered damp towels and prepared meals, but she refused those too.

“Teacher, you haven't eaten, drunk, or slept for months while researching alchemy. You need to rest.”

“Yes, we've prepared a feast for you, the result of a week's careful preparation.”

“I've compiled the mage tower's revenue reports and documented all the events unfolding across the kingdom during your alchemy seclusion. I stand ready to brief you at any moment.”

Yet none of this held Shuang Lian's interest.

She demanded, “Where is Little Quan Quan?”

Not spotting the face she sought among the crowd, her disappointment deepened. “Ah... I remember now. Little Quan Quan has already left me.”

“How is she doing?”

“Where are her letters?”

“Let me see them now! I need to read her letters to soothe my wounded heart.”

The other disciples and students looked downcast. One stepped forward: "Junior Bu Quan's letters have all been collected and stored in the mailroom on the third floor. Teacher, I'll fetch them for you immediately."

Shuang Lian nodded. “I'll go to the study. Hurry and bring the letters here.”

After Shuang Lian left the floor, the disciples and apprentices murmured discontentedly.

One pouted, “How long has Bu Quan been gone? Teacher still can't forget her.”

Another sighed resentfully, “I underestimated her. I never thought even after she left, Teacher would still care most about her!”

"Teacher clearly misses her so much, yet she's been staying alone in Snow Bird Harbor all this time, only writing back every once in a while. Why is Teacher so kind to someone like that?"

Others gloated: "Heh, Bu Quan's definitely going to get scolded this time. Teacher will surely lose her temper later; there's trouble at the Alchemy Guild. Bu Quan has joined that Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps."

"When the Teacher gets angry, someone's bound to suffer. Ah! Are there any field assignments at the mage tower? I want to go out."

“Me too, me too!”

"I'd rather stay and see how this plays out. If Bu Quan gets ordered back, that scene will be priceless!"

Shuang Lian returned to her study.

From a desk drawer, she retrieved a compact cosmetic mirror.

An alchemy artifact - the Facial Cleansing Nourishing Mirror.

She gazed into the mirror. Instantly, her face underwent thorough cleansing, followed by the application of nourishing cream and meticulous care.

Though still utterly exhausted, her complexion brightened considerably, restoring her appearance to that of the middle-aged beauty who resembled a snow spirit.

“Little Quan Quan...” Shuang Lian traced her fingers along the mirror's frame, her expression filled with longing.

This very mirror had been a small birthday gift from Bu Quan.

“Teacher, these are all the letters from Junior Bu Quan.” The student delivered the mail to the study.

Shuang Lian nodded slightly. “Place them on the desk. You may leave now.”

The apprentice had barely reached the doorway when Shuang Lian called her back. "Wait. Are these truly all the letters? Surely not? After such a long time, Bu Quan has only written these few letters to me?"

The apprentice felt uneasy, hesitating to tell the truth outright. She evaded, "Teacher, these truly are all of them. The one at the very bottom was delivered just today."

Shuang Lian's brow furrowed slightly, her heart skipping a beat as a sense of foreboding rose within her.

“This isn't normal. Could something have happened to my beloved apprentice?”

She dismissed the apprentice, swiftly tore open the letter, and examined it closely.

The earlier letters contained routine matters.

Bu Quan reported on her daily life, asking questions and discussing alchemy issues.

But the last few letters revealed a drastic change.

"The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?"

“Their leader, Long Fu, actually indirectly avenged Little Quan Quan.”

“To slay a gold level opponent as a silver level... this dragonman is no ordinary being.”

At first, Shuang Lian had held quite a bit of admiration for the dragonman youngster.

But then...

"What?!" Shuang Lian's eyes widened, nearly screaming.

"Little Quan Quan actually joined the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps? At the invitation of Long Fu?"

“Foolish! Utterly foolish!”

“How could Little Quan Quan join a mercenary group? And just a small, silver level one at that?” And an outsider at that?"

"What invitation from the commander? It's clearly deception and trickery! Yes, that damned dragonman scoundrel must have used smooth talk and flattery to deceive my Little Quan Quan."

“My poor Little Quan Quan, so inexperienced in the ways of the world, has fallen victim to such deception and strayed onto the wrong path in life!”

"Damn it! If that dragonman shows his face before me, I'll tear him limb from limb right now!

"This is outrageous! What was the Alchemy Guild thinking? Didn't I arrange for someone to guard Little Quan Quan around the clock?"

"Who was responsible for this? How could they stand by and watch Little Quan Quan get deceived and board a scammer's ship?"

The middle-aged beauty grew angrier the more she thought about it.

"Let me recall... I remember the person assigned was named something like ‘Bei’. He's also the son of some elder in the guild, supposedly very reliable."

“Is that all it takes to be reliable?”

Shuang Lian crumpled the letter in her hand so fiercely it lost its shape, yet the supervisor's name eluded her memory.

Just then, the tower spirit of the mage tower spoke: “Tower Master, I hear you've concluded your alchemy experiments.  Three important visitors seek your audience. They are Master Cai Jing, Elder Da Bei, and Magician Zhong Bei.”

“Zhong Bei?” Shuang Lian froze, then flashed with fury. "Him! Yes, that one, Zhong Bei."

“Fine. Very fine. I haven’t even sought trouble with him, and he comes looking for me!”

“What? He brought his father and another henchman too?”

“Is this a threat?”