Chapter 163: Exotic Plant Garden (Revision)

Because the device was finally made by Ying Duo alone, the things in their hands ended up being scraps, right?

Never mind the rest, at least they can breathe a sigh of relief.

It seems Teacher Gu's assessment of their performance in this evaluation was pretty good.

After finishing his comments, when Gu Siyuan was about to formally start the class, he finally deigned to glance at the Ying Guang Lu in the corner.

He skillfully lifted his chin toward the doorway and said, "I'll say it again: if you keep this attitude, you don't need to come to my class any more."

Yang Yixie was also quick to act, immediately controlling Ying Duo to get up.

Just as everyone thought he would be ruthlessly expelled again, Gu Siyuan unusually said two more sentences, his voice low but clearly reaching Ying Duo's ears.

"If you take first place again in the final assessment, even if you skip every class this semester, I'll give you a perfect score in this course."

So Ying Duo simply walked out, without any lingering.

Hmm......

I guess this is the tacit understanding between geniuses?

Gu Siyuan was very satisfied with his handling, as he no longer had to endure the visual distraction Ying Duo caused in class, and he gave the other a clear goal.

The students below, seeing this, trembled even more.

Q: The teacher's mood is oddly good, yet inexplicably gives people the creeps—what to do?

A: Serve it cold, add a Ying Guang Lu egg.

After being "kicked" out of the classroom by Gu Siyuan, Ying Duo began to wander aimlessly around the campus.

At this hour the campus was unusually quiet; students with classes were in class, and those without were still lying in bed.

In the campus, you could hardly see any living people outside.

Since we're back to the player's free‑exploration time, let's go lurk for Chen Mo Zhi.

Yang Yixie has been constantly thinking about the NPC list he wants to raise favor with, and there's still a guy he hasn't encountered.

He must first locate this NPC, then rush to obtain their profile, and decide how to raise favor.

Yang Yixie thought about how to find this NPC, which inevitably brings up last time's hair crisis.

Back then, Yang Yixie still wanted to find a chance to retaliate, but he was whisked away by Su Jingchuan to the Slum for a mission, so he didn't have time.

After all, if Chen Mo Zhi hadn't poisoned him then, how could Ying Duo have been caught by Professor Luo De'an?

His eye‑catching Ying Guang Lu almost got destroyed because of Chen Mo Zhi's poison!!!

I remember that when we escaped last time, we seemed to have passed by an Exotic Plant Garden?

I originally wanted to go in sometime to scavenge some materials, but poison and exotic plants seem to be linked, so Chen Mo Zhi might also have a chance to respawn in the Exotic Plant Garden, right?

The logic holds, so Yang Yixie immediately took control of Ying Duo and, based on the approximate direction in his memory, rushed toward the Exotic Plant Garden.

After passing through a few quiet paths, a system popup appeared.

【You smell a strange floral scent; something seems to be ahead......】

The familiar system popup, as always full of nonsense, let Yang Yixie know he was on the right path, and soon a tall wall appeared before Ying Duo.

The wall was built from some deep‑gray stone, its surface overgrown with various vines he didn't recognize, making it hard to see inside.

The wall's only entrance was a massive dark‑metal gate, tightly shut, with a conspicuous warning sign beside it, depicting a skull, a red cross, and a line of bold characters:

"Dangerous Area. No entry without permission!"

Ying Duo stepped forward to inspect the gate, and immediately a system popup popped up.

【You followed the strong floral scent here; undoubtedly this is a paradise of plants, but you have not been granted permission to enter.】

To enter the Exotic Plant Garden you need a key or a teacher to bring you in, and Ying Duo clearly has neither.

But is Yang Yixie the kind of person who gives up so easily?

He isn't.

Ying Duo immediately began circling the tall, solid wall of the Exotic Plant Garden, inspecting every section closely, trying to find a wall‑through bug or trigger an event.

Arriving at a slightly sparser foliage area, he could vaguely see the scene textures inside the Exotic Plant Garden.

It was a world whose style was completely different from the orderly Academy outside.

Bizarrely shaped plants grew wildly, multicolored, and they didn't look like anything benevolent.

His gaze swept the garden; Chen Mo Zhi's NPC figure was not particularly conspicuous amid the lush backdrop, but he instantly spotted Meng Kexin in a pink princess dress.

Chen Mo Zhi, with his back to the wall, seemed to be guiding Meng Kexin in mixing some concoction, the table cluttered with various odd vessels and ingredients.

——————————————

Inside the Exotic Plant Garden, the outside clamor is naturally cut off, forming a small world of its own.

The air is filled with a strange fragrance composed of hundreds of exotic plants, tinged with a faint, faintly sweet scent from some highly toxic flora.

Chen Mo Zhi stood before a metal workbench, its surface bearing an assortment of glass vessels, grinding tools, and tightly sealed jars containing powders or liquids of various colors.

He still wore that gloomy demeanor; his dark‑green hair appeared even deeper under the garden's dappled light, and his scarlet eyes fixed intently on a conical bottle in his hand.

Meng Kexin stood at his side, dressed in a delicate light‑pink princess dress, watching Chen Mo Zhi's every move without blinking.

Just last night, Chen Mo Zhi, having returned to school early because his sister was out working, happened to witness Meng Kexin being tangled by her father outside the school gate, almost getting beaten.

Meng Kexin had previously taken the initiative to tell him that her family deliberately sent her to approach him, only to seek a shelter by his side.

At that time, Chen Mo Zhi agreed, partly because Meng Kexin was sufficiently sincere, and also because he was indeed moved by that gift.

The elixir he's been researching recently does indeed require such an ingredient, and Meng Kexin's family has already sourced it.

Yet Chen Mo Zhi's willingness to let Meng Kexin constantly follow him isn't solely out of pity.

Meng Kexin proved her worth to him; she's quiet, never noisy, learns quickly, and the exotic plants she's tasked to tend have never erred.

Until once, Chen Mo Zhi didn't notice that he had mixed up a leaf of an exotic plant, but Meng Kexin pointed out the mistake.

Since then, Chen Mo Zhi officially accepted Meng Kexin trailing behind him as a little sidekick.

As for the so‑called "deal" with her… honestly, he never really cared about it.

He had no interest in the family's inheritance rights, but if only this would let Meng Kexin feel at ease, he didn't mind doing so.