CH 71

Chapter 71: Xiao Qingyang's Trust

Xiao Qingyang and his two roommates had a good understanding among themselves. After having eaten Gu Xiaotian's cooking for a while, Lin Weiran, who used to know little about ingredients, also recognized a few of them.

The forest truly lived up to its reputation as nature's gift, with abundant resources that made one wish to take the entire forest away.

"Xiaotian, there are mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms here," Xiao Qingyang excitedly said to Gu Xiaotian.

Perhaps it had rained recently, as the mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms grew plump and looked very delicious.

Upon hearing the sound, Gu Xiaotian walked over to Xiao Qingyang's side. After seeing what he was doing, he immediately pulled Xiao Qingyang back in alarm and said, "These cannot be eaten; they are poisonous."

Xiao Qingyang looked at the dusty mushrooms in his hand and knew that he had misunderstood. He explained, "Only brightly colored mushrooms are poisonous, well, most of them. Mushrooms like these, with a dull appearance, are not poisonous and taste especially good."

Gu Xiaotian looked at the mushrooms in doubt. They were indeed dusty, completely different from the vibrant and beautiful mushrooms he had seen before.

To be honest, if these dusty mushrooms were placed next to those colorful ones, no one would touch these dull-looking mushrooms.

Seeing Gu Xiaotian still having doubts, Xiao Qingyang explained to him. However, he was not a professional, so his explanation was somewhat limited. He knew that most people determine if a mushroom was poisonous based on whether it looked bright and appealing. But this was actually a misconception; some unappealing mushrooms were also poisonous, while some attractive ones may be non-toxic.

Xiao Qingyang was not an expert, so he didn't recognize all types of mushrooms. However, he could distinguish this particular kind in his hand, which happened to be the most common non-toxic mushroom.

With Xiao Qingyang's confident assurance, Gu Xiaotian trusted his roommate and put aside his concerns. Together, they continued to gather mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms.

In addition to mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms, Xiao Qingyang and Gu Xiaotian also found several types of edible wild vegetables, making it a bountiful harvest.

With their newfound ingredients, the two of them happily returned to their resting place along with Lin Weiran. Zheng Kainan also came back with firewood, while the others continued patrolling the vicinity to ensure the safety of their teammates.

"What are these? Can we really eat them?" Gao Lingqi curiously looked at the mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and wild vegetables piled on the ground, and asked.

Can we really eat these things that resemble grass?

For someone who had grown up drinking nutritional supplements and had hardly eaten natural food, let alone seen natural ingredients, it was perfectly normal to have such doubts.

"These are mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and various wild vegetables. Whether they are delicious or not, you will know once Xiaotian cooks them," Xiao Qingyang didn't directly answer Gao Lingqi's second question but instead left him curious and anticipatory.

The unknown brings greater surprises, and Xiao Qingyang believed that Xiaotian's culinary skills would definitely amaze everyone.

Although Xiao Qingyang could also cook some dishes, his culinary skills were incomparable to those of the butler and Gu Xiaotian. Being a food lover himself, he saw no reason to torture his own stomach when there were more skilled individuals around.

So Xiao Qingyang only shared a few recipes he knew with Gu Xiaotian, leaving the rest to be his stage.

While Gu Xiaotian was busy cooking, the others mostly gathered around to watch.

Xiao Qingyang opened his device and found that there was indeed no signal.

They would have to stay here for a month, and just as their new shop had recently resumed operations, they had to let everyone down. Xiao Qingyang wondered if the customers would realize this and actually report him as a missing person.

Thinking about the carefree customers in the shop, Xiao Qingyang couldn't help but chuckle.

They still hadn't fully paid off the medicine from the last half-month, and now they would be in debt for another month. He had no idea when he would be able to make up for it. He hoped the customers would be understanding, though deep inside, Xiao Qingyang felt helpless.

There was still some time before the meal, so since he had nothing else to do, Xiao Qingyang decided to use this time to make more potions.

They might encounter some dangers during this month, so it would be good to have more potions for self-defense. Even if these potions weren't needed, it would be easier for him to repay his debts once the training was over.

Thus, Xiao Qingyang found a relatively large open space and took out his set of potion-making equipment from the spatial ring. He also brought out some spiritual plants.

With everything ready, Xiao Qingyang wholeheartedly began the process of making potions, not concerned at all that the entire process would be watched by others.

Potion masters in this world disliked being watched while making potions, but Xiao Qingyang didn't have such qualms. As long as no one disturbed him, they could watch as much as they wanted.

Gao Lingqi and the others had originally gathered around Gu Xiaotian, watching him magically transform those grass-like ingredients into delicious dishes. However, when they turned their heads, they saw Xiao Qingyang nonchalantly starting to make potions nearby, completely disregarding anyone else's presence.

Apart from Gu Xiaotian, who was still busy, everyone, including Lin Weiran, stared in astonishment with widened eyes and open mouths.

He was undoubtedly the boldest potion master they had ever seen.

"What... What is he doing?" Liu Jialiang asked uncertainly.

"He... He should be making potions, right?" Liu Jiaming replied uncertainly as well.

Gao Lingqi began to doubt his own eyes and pointed at Xiao Qingyang, saying, "He... Is he making potions right in front of everyone?"

Didn't potion masters dislike making potions in front of others? Why was this person not following the norm? Moreover, wasn't he just a freshman this year?

Everyone seemed to realize the last point, and their gaze towards Xiao Qingyang became even more subtle, filled with astonishment mixed with admiration.

When a student specializing in potion studies was able to produce a true potion, they become a true potion master.

However, it was rare to come across such a potion master in their freshman year. Every student who became a potion master in their freshman year possesses exceptional talent and potential, and their future achievements were bound to be remarkable.

Moreover, they had only just started the semester.

It had only been a month since the start of the semester, and Xiao Qingyang was already able to make potions. His potential and talent must be astonishing, and his future achievements would undoubtedly surpass those of a Potion Grandmaster.

And such a genius was actually in the same team as them.

Suddenly, apart from Lin Weiran and Gu Xiaotian, the gaze of the others towards Xiao Qingyang became fiery.

The residents of Dorm 619 knew about Xiao Qingyang's ability to make potions, so they weren't particularly surprised. They were amazed, however, by the fact that Xiao Qingyang was making potions right in front of them without any defense or precautions. It showed how much he trusted them.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Those who could become friends with Xu Kaiyang and Lin Weiran surely have decent character.

After realizing Xiao Qingyang's trust in them, everyone felt both touched and excited. They sat up straight, guarding the surroundings carefully, ensuring that he could focus on making potions without any distractions.

Xiao Qingyang was unaware of what his teammates were doing behind him, and he didn't spend too much time making potions. After all, Xiaotian wouldn't take too long to cook, and he couldn't keep everyone waiting for him.

After producing three vials of potions, Xiao Qingyang stopped and packed everything up. As he turned around to prepare for the meal, he saw all his teammates staring at him intently, their faces unable to hide their astonishment.

Even Gu Xiaotian, who had been cooking, had the same expression.

"W-What's wrong?" Xiao Qingyang was startled by everyone's reaction, nervous and stuttering as he asked.

"It's nothing. It's time for lunch," Lin Weiran collected his shocked emotions and tried to calm himself down. However, what he had just witnessed had a great impact on him.

He knew that Xiao Qingyang could brew potions, but he never expected the other person's speed in potion-making to be so fast. Most importantly, there hadn't been a single failure. All of them were successful.

Even though they were not alchemists and couldn't claim to fully understand alchemy, they knew that such a success rate and speed were extremely rare among alchemists (pharmacists).

And they were lucky enough to have a genius alchemist as their teammate... truly fortunate.

Xiao Qingyang didn't know the reason for everyone's shock, but since there was nothing wrong, he wouldn't delve into it.

So, he had no idea that the reason everyone was collectively surprised was because he had always been thinking about owing his customers potions for over a month. When he was brewing, he didn't consciously control the speed, which led to the astonished state of his teammates.

"Qingyang, I didn't expect you to be able to brew potions already. It's amazing. You just started your first year, right? How come you're so outstanding compared to other first-year students?" Liu Jialiang exaggeratedly exclaimed with envy.

Although they were not in the same major, it didn't affect Liu Jialiang's admiration for Xiao Qingyang.

"Oh no, I can only brew two types of potions. I'm not that amazing," Xiao Qingyang modestly replied.

But what he said was true. So far, he could only brew two types of potions.

"Being able to brew two types is already impressive, you know?" Liu Jialiang continued praising.

Liu Jialiang himself was the cheerful and lively type, and now he almost idolized Xiao Qingyang.

Xiao Qingyang felt a little embarrassed by his excessive praise. A slight blush appeared on his face, and if the other person continued to praise him like this, he felt like his entire face would be flushed.

Fortunately, Lin Weiran intervened in time and said to everyone, "Xiaotian has prepared lunch. You're in for a treat today. He's really spoiling you all."

As expected, everyone's attention shifted, especially Xiao Qingyang's. As a seasoned foodie, his feelings toward delicious food were much deeper than his feelings toward potions.

Looking at the four dishes and a soup on the table, Xiao Qingyang couldn't help but want to pounce on Gu Xiaotian and give him a kiss. "Xiaotian, you're amazing."