Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Oh, we're in trouble now," Bruce lamented, casting an apologetic glance at Li Qingzhi. "It's all my fault. He'll definitely come back to punish us later, and this time, he won't spare me."

Li Qingzhi was no stranger to punishments since childhood, so he wasn't as nervous as Bruce. However, upon recalling Ludwig's indifferent expression, he suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Oh no, oh no. I promised him last time that I wouldn't fly with anyone else again.

Last time it was copying the school rules for an entire afternoon. I hope it's not three days this time.

At this thought, Li Qingzhi suddenly found himself deeply nostalgic for the disciplinary system of Three Silent Mountains. At worst, when he was punished severely, Ling Shen had merely assigned him to collect morning dew for three consecutive days to feed the cranes. Given that he already had such a habit, it could hardly be considered a punishment at all.

In the subsequent Potions class, the pair of troubled friends, Li Qingzhi and Bruce, both seemed rather dispirited.

However, Teacher Wendy showed considerable interest in the alchemical furnace that Li Qingzhi had brought along, expressing her desire for Li Qingzhi to demonstrate how this Eastern alchemy cauldron was utilized.

"Suppose I were to follow this recipe and place these magical herbs into this furnace," Miss Wendy mused, carefully perusing the scarce pages of an Eastern alchemy guide she had borrowed with great effort. "Would it produce a potion with effects akin to a magical elixir?"

Normally, Li Qingzhi would have been enthusiastic, but at this moment, his mind was already wandering to the student council far away. Even as he followed Miss Wendy's recipe and added potions to the alchemy furnace, he forgot that there were still chocolates inside that he hadn't taken out.

The disoriented black-haired youth, lost in thought, momentarily forgot that his true qi could directly harness the power of the Fire Spirit Root for spellcasting. Instead, he grabbed a fire talisman, and as the talisman burned away, a tiny flame slipped into the furnace's base, swiftly igniting a fierce blaze.

Li Qingzhi fixed his gaze on the furnace bottom as it began to ignite, his eyes gradually losing focus:

It seemed that another punishment from Ludwig was imminent.

Yet, as he pondered, something suddenly occurred to Li Qingzhi.

Indeed, wasn't there always a way out when I was punished by Elder Ling Shen and Senior Brother before?

Oftentimes, simply by presenting Master with his favorite wine and clearing the fallen leaves from Senior Brother's doorstep, their anger would subside, and the initial punishment would be lessened or even waived altogether.

An idea dawned on Li Qingzhi, brightening her spirits: I still have the sweets I wanted to give yesterday!

Perhaps Ludwig would be less angry upon receiving the sweets?

Li Qingzhi's subtle intentions were not difficult to discern. After making mistakes, his warmhearted gestures with a hint of appeasement often led one to wonder if they were a form of subtle bribery.

But if truly asked, the youth would honestly admit to not wanting punishment. Gazing into those sincere and somewhat pitiful eyes, the elders and senior brothers of Three Silent Mountains would inevitably find themselves unable to carry out any disciplinary measures in the end.

At this moment, although Li Qingzhi was unsure if his method would work, he at least had a plan, which significantly calmed his initially panicked state. After a hesitant sigh of relief, Li Qingzhi's attention shifted to the current Potions class.

Like he did with alchemy, he continuously channeled his true energy into the intricate cauldron, causing a faint glow to emerge from its ornate body. For the stirring step, after some contemplation, Li Qingzhi attempted to cast the spell using his whisk, reciting the potion-making incantation from the Potions book as he waved it.

Expecting no results, he was surprised when his whisk actually shimmered with a brilliant light after finishing the spell. Soon, that radiance transferred to the alchemy furnace, suggesting that success might indeed be possible.

Following Wendy's instructions, he added the potion ingredients into the cauldron as specified in the Potions book. He had thought that the time was too short for any effect, but when he opened the furnace at the end of class, he found several glowing red pills inside, with the original ingredients now vanished.

Teacher Wendy clapped her hands, excitedly exclaiming, "It seems to work!"

Li Qingzhi picked up one of the red pills and commented, "The time seems a bit too short. I wonder if it will be effective."

Without hesitation, the daring Li Qingzhi swallowed a pill. Immediately, a rich, sweet taste spread across his tongue.

Seconds later, just like yesterday after consuming the Flying Potion, he began to float slowly and unsteadily.

Seeing this, Bruce couldn't help but exclaim, "It worked!"

Curious, the other students gathered around to witness Li Qingzhi's innovative potion crafted with an Eastern alchemy furnace. After trying it themselves, they all discovered that the pills had an unexpected chocolate flavor.

Li Qingzhi's Chocolate Potion, as expected, was a hit among the other students in the Herbology Department: more convenient to carry than potions! And it tasted almost like chocolate too!

Those who had sampled it gave glowing reviews, even expressing their wish for Li Qingzhi to bring more alchemy furnaces and mass-produce the potion into chocolate-like pills.

Wendy was amazed by Li Qingzhi's magical pills, but at the same time, she felt a hint of embarrassment: it seemed that under Qingzhi's influence, this batch of Plant Element students would be quite different from others...

Other faculty wizards might sip potions while flying on brooms, but theirs would be a school of students popping pills mid-air.

The image was too picturesque for Wendy to contemplate further.

...

Later that evening, after Potions class, Li Qingzhi, armed with the chocolate he originally intended for Ludwig, swiftly set off towards the Student Council on his flying sword, determined not to give the professor another reason to send a third warning letter.

As Li Qingzhi knocked on the door, the Student Council's entrance opened promptly, and just like yesterday, it was Catherine who greeted him.

The long-haired girl appeared surprised upon seeing him but quickly composed herself, saying politely, "Hello, is there something you need?"

"Everyone else has gone out, so it's just me here."

Surprisingly, Ludwig was not present.

The disruption in his plan left Li Qingzhi momentarily at a loss. He quickly shook his head. "It's nothing, I just came to drop something off."

With that, Li Qingzhi fumbled for the elegant silk pouch containing the chocolates, intending to place it on Ludwig's desk and leave. But he suddenly realized he had no idea which desk belonged to Ludwig.

He turned to seek Catherine's assistance. "Excuse me, could you tell me where the Chief's desk is?"

Catherine promptly pointed to a desk nearby, where some scrolls were placed. "Over there." Her expression remained composed, but her gaze had clearly become curious.

Unaware of Catherine's changing demeanor, Li Qingzhi felt relieved. After setting the chocolates on Ludwig's desk, he was about to depart when he suddenly remembered that if he left like this, Ludwig wouldn't know who had left the treat or understand his intentions.

The mischievous Li Qingzhi pursed his lips in deep thought for a few seconds. After an idea struck him, he joyfully fished out a paper and brush from his backpack, dipped it in ink, and wrote a few bold lines.

Satisfied yet not entirely, Li Qingzhi, who felt that his paper was too plain, recalled Bruce's remark about "beauty signifying care." Inspired, he meticulously drew a full circle of tiny hearts along the edge of his paper, elegantly embellishing his gift letter with a touch of leisurely sentiment.

After a few minutes, Li Qingzhi, having finished his work, glanced over his masterpiece and found the words perfectly suited. Satisfied, he nodded and bid Catherine farewell with a smile, "Thank you for letting me in. I'll be on my way now."

With those words, Li Qingzhi, who had arrived like a breeze, left just as swiftly, without giving much thought to the expression on Catherine's face.

Only the long-haired maiden was left, staring at the chocolate and letter he'd left behind with a look of disbelief, her expression one of incredulity.

...

Thirty minutes later, the remaining Student Council members returned from their daily patrol.

"Those senior students are really clueless," Mei Mi grumbled, massaging her neck as she spoke to Catherine. "They were warned by Ludwig yesterday, yet they still dared to fight today. Now look, they've made Ludwig furious. It took me ages just to clean up the mess."

In the next moment, Mei Mi's peripheral vision caught sight of the chocolate on Ludwig's desk. She gasped and whispered to Catherine, "Goodness, who could be so bold?"

To place a confession chocolate on the Student Council table, which symbolized the guardians of school rules, was an open disregard for regulations! The President would definitely be upset!

Sure enough, Ludwig soon frowned and picked up the box of chocolates, looking anything but pleased. "Who put this here?"

Just then, Catherine, sitting beside Mei Mi, coughed softly. "It was the new exchange student from the East, Li Qingzhi."

Instantly, the atmosphere in the Student Council room seemed to freeze. Everyone fell into an eerie silence:

Li, Li Qingzhi is male, how could he give the President a confession chocolate? Could it be...

Catherine, observing the beautifully packaged chocolates, tried to defend Li Qingzhi. "Ah, well... Li Qingzhi is from the East. He probably doesn't understand the meaning behind giving chocolates. He might have just wanted to share something, not what we thought."

"Haha." Catherine forced a laugh, attempting to alleviate the awkwardness. "We must have misunderstood the situation."

As soon as Catherine finished, Mei Mi, who was fixated on Ludwig's chocolate, seemed to have perceived something:

"Wait, this chocolate is heart-shaped!"

Ludwig: "...?"

Catherine felt a wave of dizziness and attempted to clarify, "This..."

But then, everyone witnessed Ludwig pulling out a sheet of paper filled with characters and hearts from beneath the chocolate. Mei Mi was nearly overcome with excitement:

"It's a love letter card with hearts drawn on it!"

Mei Mi's near-shriek completely drowned out any attempt from Catherine to explain.

Catherine, with a hand over her face, thought to herself: Alright, I don't know how to explain this either.

At this point, even the other students in the Student Council, who usually held Ludwig in high esteem, couldn't help but buzz with excitement:

"Who would have thought that this Eastern student would be so bold and passionate!"

"But didn't the Head Prefect issue two warning letters to him? ...How could this be?"

"My goodness, a hero, a true hero! He placed the chocolates and love letter right on the Student Council table. Doesn't he fear punishment from the Head Prefect?"

"I actually think that if the Head Prefect were to give him another warning letter, he might even be delighted!"

"Unbelievable! Don't hold me back, I have to tell Judith. She hasn't returned yet!!"

Mei Mi was in awe. "What an intense and passionate pursuit, Head Prefect!"

Ludwig, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't help but be stunned by this sudden and terrifying turn of events. The gasps of the Student Council members echoed in his ears, while the unexpected chocolates and love letter remained clenched in his hand.

An endless stream of information flooded his mind, and Ludwig attempted to make sense of it all with his usual rational thinking. However, after a few seconds, he realized he couldn't comprehend it at all!

Of course, he had encountered confessions before, but never from someone of the same gender, nor had anyone been as bold and straightforward as Li Qingzhi.

Unable to find a plausible explanation, Ludwig began to ponder:

So, what exactly did I do to prompt Li Qingzhi to suddenly confess to me??

...

As the next day arrived.

Unaware of the student council's turmoil, Li Qingzhi spent the entire day without encountering Ludwig or receiving that third crimson warning letter.

A wave of relief washed over Li Qingzhi; it seemed his plan had succeeded!

Ludwig was actually quite a decent person, very amenable to negotiation!

On the other hand, Ludwig had clearly not rested well. A faint hint of blue beneath his normally smooth eyes betrayed his unrest.

Ludwig, who had spent the entire night delving into the ancient and abstruse texts of the East, continued to pore over the extensive library of Almont even after school hours had ended, with Li Qingzhi's character-filled "confession" letter lying beside him.

After a whole night of poring over it, the handsome youth couldn't decipher the letter's meaning, and he couldn't help but grind his teeth in frustration as he turned the pages.

Blazes, what do those bizarre Eastern characters even mean? !