Chapter 6 - Important Lesson (1)

Guo Yang entered the cafeteria and looked around. It was empty, save for the muffled sounds of fighting in the classrooms nearby. The quiet was pleasant. He rubbed his hands together and scanned the food, grabbing a tray and piling it high with various types of magical beast meat. Unlike his siblings, he could survive on a meat-only diet. Naturally, he always protested when forced to eat vegetables. Snakes weren't vegetarians—at least, he wasn't.

His gaze drifted toward the door as students entered, all third years. Like his own class, only a few had dragon crests. Among them, only one caught his attention: a girl with long red hair, brimming with pure fire attributes. He shrugged, uninterested. Students from different years were forbidden from fighting each other, so she wouldn’t be an opponent. He returned to his meal, ignoring the commotion around him.

One of the boys noticed Guo Yang staring at the girl and, irritated, shouted at him. Guo Yang pulled out a vial of poisonous herbs and took a whiff, completely ignoring the boy. Enraged by the lack of response, the boy shouted louder.

Guo Yang turned, yawning, and smelled the vial again. The ground cracked under the boy's feet as he stormed toward Guo Yang.

"Did you not hear me?" the boy roared.

"I heard you," Guo Yang replied, grinning. "I just didn’t care. This vial is far more interesting than you. You clearly don’t appreciate art. What's so fascinating about a screaming boy?"

"Give me that! What the hell are you even smelling, you lowly first year? I bet it’s not even that expensive," the boy snapped, snatching the vial from Guo Yang’s hand.

Guo Yang’s grin widened. "Oh, did I forget to mention that the mist from the vial is... hazardous to inhale? Oops. Must have slipped my mind."

The boy froze, the vial still in his hand, as Guo Yang casually took it back and sealed it away. "White porcupine powder," he explained calmly. "It’s made from a particularly poisonous herb that grows near porcupine magical beasts’ nests. My grandfather added it to the herb garden I tend to. It’s not lethal, but it’s a potent paralytic when inhaled or touched. I carry it around to admire its scent. It has a pleasant fragrance, don’t you think? Too bad its range is short and... hazardous to others. But you can only blame yourself for snatching it."

"Robert!" a nearby boy shouted, rushing to the paralyzed student's side.

"Ah, a foreigner," Guo Yang mused, watching the scene unfold. "It seems Robert wasn’t aware of how the Guo Clan handles business. What a shame."

"Cure him!" the boy demanded.

Guo Yang raised an eyebrow. "Is that any way to ask for a favor? Robert did this to himself. I gained nothing from it. He yelled at me, insulted me, and took my vial. He doesn’t deserve to be cured. But don’t worry—he won’t die. You can buy the cure at the Alchemist Association. It’s only twenty thousand demon spirit coins."

"Twenty thousand?" the boy gasped, his shock mirrored by the other students.

"Well, what did you expect?" Guo Yang chuckled. "I didn’t brew the antidote myself. I merely harvested the herb. I don’t know the first thing about making cures. But I’ve heard wind attribute practitioners can clear the poison from his body, though the process is... messy. You might want to hurry—his heart will seize up in about thirty minutes."

"There must be another way to cure him!" the boy pleaded, panic setting in as the other students leaned forward, eager to see how things would unfold.

"Of course, there is," Guo Yang replied smoothly. "I can extract the poison myself. But nothing comes for free, especially when it’s not my fault."

"Is that... Guo Yang?" Guo Mei asked incredulously as the first years finally entered the cafeteria. The second years were still busy fighting elsewhere. "Guo Yang, what are you doing?"

"Stay out of it," Guo Yang snapped. "I’m making a transaction. Now, Robert’s friend, I wouldn’t waste time considering your options—you don’t have any. You’re down to twenty-six minutes. And look, Robert’s breathing is getting faster. He’s panicking."

"He should be class president," one of the noble girls muttered, and the other students nodded in agreement. His cunning and talent were undeniable.

"Twenty-three minutes now," Guo Yang continued, unfazed by the growing tension. "Are you really Robert's friend? I mean, I’d have said four words by now: 'What do you want?' You, on the other hand, are just standing there, wasting time. Some friend you are."

"What... do you want?" the boy finally asked, his voice heavy with defeat. The other students urged him on, eager to hear Guo Yang’s demands.

"Ah, those are sweet words," Guo Yang said, clasping his hands together. "As for what I want, let me ask you a question in return: What do you think someone like me needs?"

Several students coughed, shocked by his audacity. Guo Yang wasn’t just stalling—he was backing the boy into a corner, forcing him to make a costly offer.

"I have... a jar of demon crystals," the boy stammered. "They can enhance cultivation for darkness attribute practitioners."

"What’s your name?" Guo Yang asked.

"Tristan."

"Ah, Tristan," Guo Yang mused. "Well, unfortunately, I don’t have the darkness attribute. Sorry. You’ve got about... sixteen minutes now, and I’ll need a few moments to remove the poison. Better hurry."

Tristan clenched his fists, his desperation growing. "I have... a bottle of monkey wine. The gourd it’s stored in is a magical treasure. It has three chambers, and I’ve only filled one with the wine. The gourd itself has an incredible ability—it can store a limitless amount of liquid. The wine increases physical strength and toughens the body. It’s highly sought after by wine connoisseurs. Each barrel of monkey wine is worth three thousand demon spirit coins. There are seven barrels’ worth inside."