Qu Tong had not been surfing the internet for several days and was unaware of the online turmoil.
But on the fifth day entering the forest, Qu Tong received a video call from Xu An of the First Military Academy.
Xu An was the son of Qu Jianming's deceased comrade-in-arms, only two years older than Qu Tong himself, and had come to live with the Qu Family at the age of 7. The two had a rather good relationship.
Qu Tong's father was a border guard warrior, and his mother was an outstanding cultivator who later became a medical staff member following her husband.
Both died on the battlefield three years ago. In fact, the compensation given by the Empire to soldiers was quite generous. If not squandered, it was enough to ensure Qu Tong a worry-free life for the latter half of his years.
But after the death of his parents, his brother suffered a spirit sea trauma in an accident while out, causing his physique to deteriorate. The kind-hearted former host of his body spent all the compensation on his brother's medical treatment.
This act directly aroused the displeasure of the main branch of the Qu Family, who coveted the funds. At that time, both Qu Tong and Xu An were still minors. Qu Jianwen sent both of them to a remote planet as their guardian.
Two years ago, Xu An barely managed to be accepted into the Empire's First Military Academy.
Having just taken a break, Qu Tong immediately clicked to accept the call.
"Brother."
Qu Tong naturally called out.
After all, he was the only person who had been kind to the original host.
On the other end, Xu An paused upon seeing the background behind Qu Tong and asked, "Sister, where are you?"
"Star 1757," Qu Tong replied.
"Why did you run off into the forest? Hurry back home. What if you encounter a star beast?" Xu An was very concerned about Qu Tong.
After all, his sister had an F-rank physique with almost no spiritual power. She wouldn't stand a chance even against slightly more ferocious wild beasts.
"It's fine, I'm just wandering around the outskirts; there's no danger," Qu Tong casually fibbed.
Xu An, hearing this, was reassured and did not doubt the truthfulness of Qu Tong's words.
Because the Qu Tong of the past had always been well-behaved and sensible.
Only then did Xu An bring up the serious matter, "Sister, wasn't it Qu Wanwan who was supposed to enter into a royal marriage? How did it become you?"
He had just completed a week of intensive training and saw that the Interstellar Network was abuzz with the news officially announced by the Royal Family about Prince Yuting's marriage.
Xu An had always been aware of the marriage between Prince Yuting and the Qu Family, but he never expected that it would be his own sister who would become the bride.
That's why he called Qu Tong as soon as he heard the news.
Qu Tong was stunned for a moment, not expecting Xu An to know as well.
Then she remembered that marriage matters concerning the Royal Family are normally widely publicized, and she didn't find it strange anymore.
"Qu Wanwan didn't want to," Qu Tong replied succinctly.
"But that doesn't mean you can just replace her. You haven't even met Prince Yuting, and besides, he still..."
Xu An didn't finish his sentence, but Qu Tong understood.
"Did Uncle force you? Why didn't you call me?" Before Qu Tong could reply, Xu An asked again, his voice tinged with anger.
"No, I agreed to it myself. I think it's quite good, brother. You don't have to worry," Qu Tong replied.
It wasn't that Qu Tong was deliberately protecting the people of the Qu Family. She just didn't want Xu An to step foot again into the den of wolves that was the Qu Family for fear of giving them leverage against her.
Xu An observed Qu Tong's expression closely, making sure his sister wasn't saddened by the matter and actually seemed quite satisfied with the engagement before suppressing his emotions and simply saying,
"As long as you're okay."
Afterwards, Xu An inquired about Qu Tong's plans for the future, and was both surprised and somewhat worried to learn that Qu Tong would report to the First Military Academy later in the year.
Once the call ended, Xu An looked at his account balance, which was less than ten thousand Star Coins, his reward from the recent training.
Lately, he had definitely felt his spirit sea becoming unusually unstable; a mental outburst seemed imminent within a few days.
After fainting during the last training session, his instructor had advised him not to drink those cheap Spirit Power Stabilizing Potions anymore. Suppression was only temporary and would likely cause his mental outbursts to happen more frequently.
Of course, he knew that cheap was not synonymous with good quality, but the low-tier Spirit Power Stabilizing Potions from the Alchemist Association cost 50,000 each, a price he couldn't afford.
Lying on the bed, he opened Qu Tong's account and transferred 5,000 Star Coins.
Just then, his roommate walked in and asked casually, "Liu Hang is treating us to dinner tomorrow, are you going?"
"I won't be going."
Liu Hang was a teammate in the recent joint training and from a different class, rumored to come from a well-off family.
"The gathering is set at Shuiyang Restaurant, I don't really want to go either," He Zhou said with some embarrassment.
Shuiyang Restaurant was surrounded by high-expense venues, and He Zhou's family wasn't well off, his father having long-term medical expenses due to ill health, and like Xu An, he was short of money.
He Zhou opened a bottle of low-grade Nutrient Solution and drank it, noticing the chaotic spiritual power in the air he expressed his concern, "Your spiritual power is in very bad shape, you must be on the verge of a Mental Outburst."
"Mmhmm."
"Last time the instructor warned you to be mindful of this Mental Outburst, have you prepared your Spirit Power Stabilizing Potion?"
Xu An remained silent and did not answer.
He Zhou guessed the answer.
After being roommates for two years, they knew quite a bit about each other.
"The mission this time was indeed a bit heavy, my Mental Outburst is probably also in these two days, the school has built several calm rooms, why don't you apply for a spot too, and come with me."
The calm rooms were specifically constructed by the school, enclosed spaces for students to vent and consume their rampant spiritual power during an outburst, of course, they were also meant to prevent them from causing casualties and property damage when they could not control their Mental Outburst.
They were generally used by those with S-rank physique and students for whom Spirit Power Stabilizing Potions were less effective.
Other students could use it as well, and the school had taken into account groups like Xu An and He Zhou.
"Okay," Xu An agreed.
It was the only way.
Qu Tong received the transfer from Xu An, and without being overly courteous, promptly expressed her thanks.
Although it wasn't ideal, she was indeed short of money at the moment.
Just a moment ago, she was wondering where to get the last few medicinal ingredients she needed.
She had picked the usable herbs in the forest clean, yet she was still missing several.
Even with a powerful Special Ability, one couldn't conjure things out of thin air.
With the money from Xu An, she could now place an order directly on the Interstellar network, the ready-to-use medicinal materials were a bit expensive, with a single Moonlight Grass costing 3,500 Star Coins.
Qu Tong could only afford to choose cheaper saplings and seeds to buy.
Once she had concocted the potion, she would send a bottle to Xu An first.
If the success rate was high, she might send an extra one or two bottles.
The rest would be dealt with later.
After placing orders for everything she needed, Qu Tong got ready to head back home.
Beyond the first day, Qu Tong hadn't livestreamed anymore.
She had spent the last few days researching potions, after all, one potion could sell for a high price of 50,000 and a mid-level Spirit Power Stabilizing Potion even for 200,000.
So, naturally, earning big money came first.
Moreover, her Special Ability was limited and couldn't be used solely for accelerating the growth of fruits.
Cultivating fruits and vegetables in the Interstellar was a difficult task, not something farmers could simply grow at will, it required not only capital but also technology, and the cultivation major was a popular field in the Interstellar.
One would have to hire someone to put on a show.
If one were to cultivate on a large scale, it would require time, logistics, and protection to consider, she would plan further when she had free time.
Compared to that, concocting potions was rather convenient.