Master of Ten Thousand Foxes

Squeak...

The heavy hall doors were pushed open, and the master’s figure disappeared inside.

"Awooo!"

The master went to work, and Little Flower Arm continued its job, picking up the little shovel to keep checking each Purple Bellflower.

...

Bang!

The office door of the Immortal Grass Experimental Class closed.

The students immediately started buzzing, whispering and chatting.

"Didn’t they say the internship was over? Why are we called back again?"

"I heard today is the project’s big showdown, maybe they need us to help a bit."

"Oh."

"Is there a celebration dinner after this big showdown?"

"For such a high-end project, the celebration dinner shouldn’t be low-standard, right?"

"Golden Emperor Hotel? Hehehehe."

Fang Yuan sat alone in the corner, holding her phone, sending a message to Zhang Jian.

[I’m so annoyed, I’m in this Immortal Grass Experimental Class and I know no one!]

Zhang Jian replied instantly.

[Where did Bai Mo go? What about Wu Qingyun?]

[I don’t know, both of them were just called away.]

...

Bai Mo was just in the next office, sitting in front of Chen Wenquan’s computer.

This office was larger, more spacious, and the atmosphere more serious.

Behind more than a dozen desks, over a dozen experts were all looking serious, bent over monitoring software.

"So far, everything in the alchemy process is normal."

Bai Mo sat in the office chair, holding the mouse, also looking at the monitoring software.

This software was connected to the mechanical Alchemy Furnace, outputting furnace temperature, medicine scent, the direction of medicinal airflow, among many other signals, displaying matrix outputs and changing wave graphs.

Old Chen sat beside Bai Mo, visibly tense.

"...You don’t need to understand this software entirely.

"Just keep an eye on the mathematical signals.

"These matrices, these wave charts, you’ve verified them before, you’re familiar right?

"The draft paper and pen are placed here."

Bai Mo nodded, reassuring Old Chen.

Yet, a small question lingered in his mind...

"For Zhang’s Professor’s Fire Consciousness Soup, something so significant, they want me to keep an eye on it?

"Well, it’s not impossible.

"Since it involves the Alchemist’s Fire, a bit more oversight is reassuring.

"But, how does this expert team feel okay with involving a first-year student like me?

"They sure are bold?"

Little Flower Arm squatted on Bai Mo’s shoulder, tail curled, head stretched out, watching the computer screen with its master... though it couldn’t understand.

This was its first time in the present world.

Looking at the computer screen, then raising its head, looking here and there, looking at the dozen experts in the office... noticing that these experts didn’t have much hair.

Unlike it, covered entirely with fiery red hair!

Nor like its master, blessed with a head of shiny black hair!

Bai Mo sat at the computer desk, getting into a comfortable position, and cradled Little Flower Arm in his lap.

Divine Sense, like invisible tendrils, reached through the walls, in the adjacent room, finding the technological Alchemy Furnace.

The Alchemy Furnace used electromagnetic heating, precisely controlling the temperature, with about a dozen indicator lights, some steady, some blinking, buzzing with a "whirring" sound.

A bit further away, within two large cabinets, shelf by shelf, various herbs were orderly arranged, occasionally picked up by the mechanical arm, thrown into the Alchemy Furnace.

Further away, Professor Zhang sat behind the control station, dressed in dust-free clothing, fully concentrating, operating the control panel.

He wore an earphone, ready to listen to experts’ voices from all directions.

Behind his dustproof mask, his face was gloomy, his skin oily, filled with fatigue... after all these days, he often stayed up late learning, plus managing the project, he was already exhausted.

His eyes were full of bloodshot!

But in the dark pupils, a resolute glint sparkled, a persistent resolute glint moving forward!

Bai Mo’s Divine Sense then transformed into countless tiny tendrils, creeping up Professor Zhang’s body, checking discreetly, checking if there were any hidden dangers left by Ancient Immortals.

...

"Hmm... nothing apparent for now.

"Just the internal organs aren’t in good shape, especially the liver, a bit stiff.

"He’s probably extremely tired."

In the large office,

Bai Mo was staring at the computer, petting the disciple, musing silently.

Suddenly saw the door open.

It was Committee Member Gu Lin, helping Chairman Chen Shu walk in.

"Chairman, be careful."

Chairman Chen Shu... overused his Divine Sense?

Bai Mo pondered briefly, figuring it out.

Likely that before the process began, the chairman helped Professor Zhang check his body?

Thus, exhausting his Divine Sense?

Old Chen stepped forward already, assisting the chairman with a chair.

Behind the chairman, Wu Qingyun and Su Yaoyao also followed in.

And finally, the one who came in was Zhang Shan!

He didn’t seem nervous at all, pushing a cart of champagne, actually looking quite cheerful.

Upon seeing Bai Mo, he quietly leaned over, moving closer, and had a stare-off with the Little Flower Arm in Bai Mo’s arms.

He bent down to take a look at the computer screen.

"How’s it going? Everything going smoothly?"

Bai Mo nodded.

"So far, so smooth."

Then Su Yaoyao was seen dragging over a chair.

Zhang Shan felt a bit embarrassed, "Oh, Sister Yaoyao, how could I let you move a chair for me..."

But Su Yaoyao pushed him aside.

"Get back to your own tasks, I’ll stay here and keep watch with Expert Bai Mo."

And so, under Zhang Shan’s resentful gaze, Su Yaoyao sat next to Bai Mo, squeezing her shoulder closer.

It was getting cold, but she was still wearing a red long dress, just adding a white silk cardigan, which made her look even more elegant and intellectual.

Her fluffy curls rested on Bai Mo’s shoulder, and the faint, warm fragrance from her body wafted into Bai Mo’s nose.

"Smells pretty nice."

Bai Mo thought to himself.

It wasn’t the scent of industrial perfume, but natural body fragrance.

She opened her red lips slightly.

"Everything okay?"

Bai Mo nodded.

"Still smooth."

...

At the end of the hallway, in the meeting room, the students had no tasks, gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing.

"I heard that Huang Sitong was showing off in their School of Pharmacy class but got embarrassed by classmates."

"Hehehe."

"Fang Yuan, you went to the same high school as Bai Mo, right?

"What was he like back in high school?"

... The joyful voices were all sealed behind the wooden door of the meeting room.

Outside in the hallway, it was silent.

The various rooms on both sides of the hallway were even quieter.

Only in the Alchemy Operation Room, the "buzzing" sound of the Alchemy Furnace continued.

Professor Zhang’s waist was even more bent, his whole person more exhausted.

But the pupils in his eyes remained so bright!

Sitting behind the operation console, as if he had practiced it hundreds of times, staring at the panel, controlling the machines, carrying out each operation.

...

In the large office.

The Little Flower Arm lay in the master’s arms, being stroked on the neck, closing its eyes, humming comfortably.

Su Yaoyao leaned on Bai Mo’s shoulder, although she couldn’t understand, she still stared intently at the screen.

She lowered her voice, slightly trembling.

"Is everything still okay?"

Bai Mo turned his head, seeing her pale face and wide eyes.

Even like this, Su Yaoyao was quite good-looking.

But it felt somewhat abnormal.

"Everything is fine.

"Sister Yaoyao, are you nervous too?"

This doesn’t really concern her, so why so nervous?

Su Yaoyao didn’t explain.

She just nodded, voice trembling, softly whispering a sentence.

"Yes, I’m nervous too."

Her sharp shoulder leaned closer to Bai Mo’s shoulder, as if this way, she could have a bit more support, a bit less worry.

Not far away, Li Fangming, having stared at the screen for too long, stretched lazily, catching a glimpse of Bai Mo’s direction from the corner of his eye, instantly exhibiting a peculiar expression, his face slightly twisted... Clearly, he was also very professional, clearly he was the expert leading the math part of the whole project, so why was the beauty leaning toward Bai Mo?

Indeed, is this just a looks-driven world?

...

Time passed, second by second, finally, in the operation room, all the indicator lights on the surface of the mechanical Alchemy Furnace turned green!

The valve of the Alchemy Furnace opened, releasing high-temperature steam with a "whoosh"!

Behind the operation console, Professor Zhang stood up!

In the large office, on all the computer screens, all the monitoring software popped up windows displaying the green words "Alchemy Successful"!

Li Fangming, Professor Niu, Professor Meng, and a dozen other academic experts all cracked smiles.

"Hahaha, it worked!"

"It worked!"

Zhang Shan was momentarily stunned, then grabbed a bottle of champagne from the cart and opened it with a "pop," spraying foam all over the ground.

"Hahaha, pop the champagne!"

But he suddenly realized that something seemed off about the atmosphere.

He saw Chairman Chen Shu, Wu Qingyun, Committee Member Gu Lin, Bai Mo, and Su Yaoyao all still with serious expressions.

"Huh? Not done yet?

"Did I pop the champagne too early?"