Qu Tong hadn't been online for a few days, unaware of the uproar on the web.
But on the fifth day in the forest, Qu Tong received a video call from Xu An at the First Military Academy.
Xu An was the son of Qu Jianming's late comrade, only two years older than him, and had been living with the Qu Family since he was seven; the two had a pretty good relationship.
Qu Tong's father was a border warrior, and his mother was an excellent cultivator who later became a medical attendant following his father.
They had died on the battlefield three years ago. Actually, the Empire's compensation for warriors wasn't small. If not squandered, it would be more than enough for Qu Tong to live without worry for the rest of his life.
But after their parents died, the brother's Spirit Sea was injured during an outing, his physique deteriorated, and the kind Qu Tong used all the money to treat his brother.
This action directly caused dissatisfaction from the main house of the Qu Family, who coveted the funds. At that time, both Qu Tong and Xu An were minors, so Qu Jianwen, acting as their guardian, sent them to a remote star.
Two years ago, Xu An barely passed the exam to the Empire's First Military Academy.
Qu Tong was just resting, so he answered the call directly.
"Brother."
Qu Tong naturally called out.
After all, he was the only person who had been kind to Qu Tong.
On the other side, Xu An was momentarily stunned by the scene behind Qu Tong and asked, "Sister, where are you?"
"Star 1757."
"Why did you go to the forest? Hurry home, what if you encounter a Star Beast?" Xu An was very concerned about Qu Tong.
After all, she had an F-grade physique, almost no spiritual power, and couldn't handle even slightly more ferocious beasts.
"No worries, I'm just wandering around the outskirts, there's no danger." Qu Tong casually fabricated an explanation.
Xu An, hearing this, finally felt at ease and didn't doubt the authenticity of Qu Tong's words.
Because the Qu Tong of the past had always been obedient and sensible.
Xu An then asked about the main issue: "Sister, wasn't it Qu Wanwan who was supposed to marry into the Royal Family? How did it become you?"
After a week of training, he saw the news spreading wildly online that the Royal Official had announced Prince Yuting's marriage.
He'd known about Prince Yuting's marriage with the Qu Family but never imagined that Prince Yuting's bride would turn out to be his sister.
So upon hearing the news, he immediately called Qu Tong.
Qu Tong was stunned for a moment, not expecting Xu An to know as well.
Then he realized that royal affairs were usually widely publicized, so he wasn't surprised.
"Qu Wanwan didn't want to." Qu Tong answered simply.
"But they can't just make you a substitute, right? You've never even met Prince Yuting, and he..."
The latter half of Xu An's sentence was left unsaid, but Qu Tong understood.
"Did Uncle force you? Why didn't you call me?" Xu An asked angrily, not waiting for Qu Tong to answer.
"No, I agreed to it myself. I think it's fine, brother, don't worry."
It wasn't that Qu Tong was deliberately protecting the Qu Family, but he didn't want Xu An to get involved with the Qu Family and become a leverage against him.
Xu An carefully observed Qu Tong's expression, confirming that his sister wasn't upset by the matter; in fact, she seemed quite satisfied with the engagement, so he suppressed his emotions, simply saying:
"As long as you're okay."
Later Xu An asked about Qu Tong's plans, surprised and a bit worried to hear that she would be enrolling at the First Military Academy later in the year.
After hanging up, Xu An looked at the account with less than ten thousand Star Coins; this was what he had earned from the training session.
Lately, he had been noticing that his Spirit Sea was unusually unstable, and a Mental Outburst might happen in the next few days.
After collapsing during the last training session, his mentor had advised him not to use the cheap Spirit Power Stabilizing Potions anymore; they only provided temporary suppression and would actually make his spiritual power outbursts more frequent.
Of course, he knew that you get what you pay for, but a low-grade Spirit Power Stabilizing Potion from the Alchemist Association cost fifty thousand each, which was something he couldn't afford.
Lying flat on the bed, he opened Qu Tong's account and transferred five thousand Star Coins to her.
His roommate walked in just then, casually asking, "Liu Hang is treating us for dinner tomorrow, are you going?"
"I'm not going."
Liu Hang was a teammate from the training group, from another class, and was said to come from a well-off family.
"The gathering is set at Shuiyang Restaurant; I don't really want to go either," said He Zhou hesitantly.
Shuiyang Restaurant was surrounded by high-end venues, and He Zhou's family conditions weren't great; his father was chronically ill and often hospitalized, requiring expenses, and like Xu An, he was short on money.
He Zhou opened a bottle of low-grade Nutrient Solution and, perceiving the chaotic spiritual power in the air, showed concern, "Your spiritual power isn't in good shape; is a Mental Outburst imminent?"
"Yes."
"The last time, the mentor told you to pay attention to this upcoming outburst. Have you prepared the Spirit Power Stabilizing Potion?"
Xu An remained silent without answering.
He Zhou had a hunch about the answer.
Having been roommates for two years, they understood each other quite well.
"This task was indeed heavy; my mental outburst might be in the next two days as well. The school has built several new Calm Rooms; why don't you apply for a spot and join me?"
Calm Rooms were specially constructed for students to release and expend the rampant spiritual power during outbursts, intended to prevent uncontrollable mental outbursts from causing casualties and property damage.
They were generally used by students with S-rank or higher physique, where Spirit Power Stabilizing Potions were less effective.
Other students could use them too, as the school considered students like Xu An and He Zhou.
"Okay." Xu An agreed.
It seemed like the only way.
Qu Tong received Xu An's transfer and didn't act shy, thanking him straightforwardly.
Although it wasn't ideal this way, she really needed money at the moment.
Just a moment ago, she was wondering where to get the missing herbs.
The usable herbs in the forest were all nearly depleted, but she still lacked a few.
No matter how significant the Special Ability was, it couldn't create something out of nothing.
Now with Xu An's money, she could directly order from the Star Network. The finished herbs were a bit expensive; just a single Moonlight Grass cost 3,500 Star Coins.
Qu Tong could only selectively buy the cheaper seedlings and seeds.
Once she prepared the elixir, she would send Xu An a bottle first.
If the success rate was high, she could send a couple more bottles.
The remaining matters could wait.
After ordering what she needed, Qu Tong prepared to head back.
Except for the first day, she hadn't done any more live broadcasts.
These days she was researching elixirs, as just one elixir could sell for fifty thousand, with intermediate Spirit Power Stabilizing Potions reaching two hundred thousand.
So, of course, she prioritized earning big money.
Furthermore, her Special Ability was limited and couldn't be entirely used to accelerate fruit growth.
In the interstellar, cultivating fruits and vegetables was no easy feat; it required capital and technology, making it a popular major in the universe.
She needed to find someone to play the part.
For large-scale cultivation, time investment was required, along with logistics and protection considerations; she'd plan and prepare when she was free.
In comparison, elixirs were more convenient.