Chapter 86

Chapter 086 - But I'm the Teacher!

Elsewhere.

Earlier.

The sunlight poured down onto the Gobi Desert without any obstruction, baking the sand and stones until they were scorching hot.

Qiao Yue had been outside the cabin for quite some time.

To be precise, she had been basking in the sun for an entire morning.

Thanks to the "Photosynthesis" ability of the Flower Charm Demon, the sunlight falling on her bare skin was gradually converted into life energy.

At first, she had been wearing a light top, but the fabric blocked most of the sunlight, making the process inefficient.

After hesitating for a moment, she chose to remove her clothes, allowing the sunlight to reach as much of her skin as possible.

After all, within a radius of several kilometers, there wasn't a single living soul besides her.

There was absolutely no chance of being spied on.

Even so, the lingering sense of shame from being exposed outdoors clung to her, keeping her inexplicably on edge.

There was always a contradictory, strange feeling.

She couldn't help but mutter about the culprit who had forced her to do this.

It wasn't until the midday chime sounded that Qiao Yue finally let out a relieved sigh.

She glanced down at herself.

After being exposed to the scorching sun all morning, her skin hadn't tanned in the slightest. Instead, nourished by photosynthesis, it had become even fairer, smoother, and more radiant.

She moved her arms slightly and could feel the abundant life energy surging through her body like a warm current.

The sun was truly wonderful.

With that, she strode back into the wooden cabin and casually threw on a women's shirt, loosely covering her upper body.

Her straight, slender legs gleamed almost blindingly white in the afternoon light.

As she approached the supply box, the words Yan Cang had said that morning involuntarily surfaced in her mind:

"Sister Qiao, when you open the chest at noon, you have to devoutly call out my name!"

"This kid..."

The corners of Qiao Yue's mouth curled up slightly.

She still remembered three years ago, when she had just started working and was directly assigned by the school to take charge of a class.

Then she received a special student file and was designated as the responsible person for him.

At the time, her heart was filled with anxiety.

It wasn't until she saw the student named Yan Cang in person—his face fair and tender, half a head shorter than her, with a youthful, harmless look.

He looked more like a middle school student than a high schooler.

And indeed, that was the case age-wise.

Unlike her own experience of skipping grades, Yan Cang had simply been enrolled in school early.

Seeing his still somewhat immature appearance, Qiao Yue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief back then.

She figured she'd just treat him like a younger brother who needed looking after.

Time flew by, and three years later, the child had grown into a handsome, upright young man.

Looking back on this experience now, she felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

But she never expected that just a few days after parting ways, the child who once needed her to worry about his studies and daily life would become someone capable of reaching such heights.

"Does this count as... a successful raising project?"

The thought crossed Qiao Yue's mind, almost making her laugh.

After suppressing her smile, her gaze returned to the supply box.

"Devoutly call out his name? Does he want me to give up my title as teacher to him?"

"That might as well be calling him Lord or Master instead. I can tease him with that later."

Qiao Yue murmured softly to herself.

Then she reached out and touched the chest.

The next moment,

a dazzling golden light burst forth!

Brilliant golden radiance erupted from the chest, illuminating the entire wooden cabin in resplendent glory.

Qiao Yue's pupils slightly contracted.

She hadn't even managed to repay the previous golden chest, and now another one had appeared...

How could she, as a teacher, ever repay this, Yan Cang?

She thought to herself.

Then, taking a deep breath, she reached out and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a light cyan-green garment.

The fabric was thin and translucent, cool to the touch, carrying a faint, elusive scent of grass and wood.

Qiao Yue picked it up, and appraisal information immediately appeared.

The more she looked, the brighter her eyes grew.

"It can accelerate photosynthesis, has an automatic cleaning function... and can even conjure vines for attack and defense?"

This was practically equipment tailor-made for her.

That morning, she had been thinking how nice it would be to have clothes that didn't hinder photosynthesis.

She never expected her wish to come true so soon.

And it far exceeded her expectations.

But then, a thought that made her cheeks flush crossed her mind:

How did Yan Cang know she needed such clothes?

Could it be... he had seen her naked this morning?

Though they were far apart, with her student's current abilities, distance was probably no longer an obstacle.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

But on second thought, she felt something was off.

What Yan Cang had sent might just be the golden chest, not specifically this garment.

Moreover, the possibility that he had learned about her situation through the Fate Net's attribute panel was much more likely.

With that thought, Qiao Yue breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But her heart still raced a little.

Unable to resist, she opened the Fate Net and tentatively sent Yan Cang a private message:

[I've received the clothes, but I feel like I owe you even more now. How about we just make the Life Fruit transactions free from now on?]

Soon, she saw his reply.

[Yan Cang: No need to change that. With Fate Points, you can buy saplings from the Trading House and try cultivating other varieties of fruit!]

His words didn't deny sending the clothes.

That confirmed it.

In other words, Yan Cang indeed knew what she needed.

Whether it was through the attribute panel or... both were possible.

But either way, it seemed to make no difference.

After all, according to the Fate Net Forum, only Fate Coins could guarantee opening a golden chest.

And one Fate Coin was worth 100,000,000 Fate Points.

Two coins meant 200,000,000.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't repay that.

A lazy thought crossed her mind: "Might as well just offer myself to him..."

"But I'm his teacher!"

Her thoughts drifting, Qiao Yue focused on the content of his reply.

"Keep the Fate Points to cultivate other fruits?"

The real point was that they'd taste better, right?!

She almost instantly read between the lines and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

This kid, still as gluttonous as ever.

Back then, whenever she noticed he was in a bad mood, she would take him out for a good meal, and he'd go back to his carefree, happy-go-lucky self.

How wonderful, just like before.

Will it still be the same in the future?

A vague sense of loss welled up in her heart for no reason.

Qiao Yue gently shook her head, her gaze falling on the clothes she had just taken out of the treasure chest.

Immediately, she put them on.

The light green fabric clung to her skin, so soft it was almost imperceptible.

Around her waist, she tied a sash of the same color, knotting it in front, perfectly accentuating the slender curve of her waist.

The elegant color of the clothes made her skin look even fairer, giving her an overall appearance that was both light and enchanting.

When the sunlight fell on her, Qiao Yue could clearly feel the light energy being absorbed faster, much more efficient than when she was bare.

But the better the effect, the heavier the sense of indebtedness in her heart.

All she could do was use a joking tone to declare to Yan Cang that from now on, she would be his exclusive fruit farmer.

Then, she recalled the words about "calling out a name devoutly when opening a chest":

It was probably just teasing her.

Just now, while opening the chest, Qiao Yue had also thought of teasing him back.

So, she typed that line in a private message:

[Qiao Yue: Yan Cang, do you prefer being called "Lord" or "Master"? /Smile]

Immediately after, she specifically pointed out that she had already called him that when opening the chest just now.

So you asked for it!

After doing this, Qiao Yue's mood inexplicably lifted a bit.

Then she wondered whether she should take a selfie and send it to Yan Cang, after all, the clothes were a gift from him.

But as soon as this thought arose, Qiao Yue felt a bit strange inside.

He sends clothes, she sends a selfie...

Was this teacher-student relationship deteriorating too quickly?

However, just as she was hesitating, Yan Cang's message popped up first:

[Yan Cang: Sister Qiao! Just tell me straight, did something unexpected happen with the Life Fruit?]

???

Although she had no idea how his train of thought had gotten there, Qiao Yue felt inexplicably annoyed.

She directly ended the topic in a huff:

[Qiao Yue: Don't worry, the Life Fruit is way too important!! Nothing will happen to it. I'll get busy now.]

But in the end, she couldn't help sending the photo over.

[Qiao Yue: Selfie.jpg]

[Image]