My health recovery is incredibly fast.

He walked through the corridor, up the spiral staircase, and entered the study at the head of the courtyard as the first rays of sunset appeared on the horizon.

Beatrice's desk had several stacks of books, each half a person's height.

She was rubbing her temples and resting with her eyes closed, her face showing a rare hint of fatigue.

"Kulov, sit down."

Beatrice pointed to the chair opposite the table, rubbed her fingers together, and five picture books flew out from the pile of books and landed in front of the other person.

When Kulov saw the five picture books, his face immediately stiffened.

"Hehe, don't make that face. Asking you to teach students is like I'm trying to murder you."

Beatrice chuckled softly, leaned back in her chair, and said:

"You should be happy that there are so many promising talents who could become poison alchemists."

Kurov forced a smile, manipulating the five picture books to unfold in front of him, his eyes scanning the pages, giving them a cursory glance.

He stroked his beard, pointing with his other hand to two of the picture books:

"Director, aren't these two a bit too old? 22 and 23..."

Beatrice snapped her fingers, and the two picture books flew back to the pile of books.

Kulov stared at the remaining three picture books in front of him, carefully searching for an excuse to shirk responsibility.

In the end, he accepted them with disappointment and neatly stacked the albums on the table in front of him.

"Alright. I'll teach them poison alchemy."

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"Just like with Shazo, Mason, and Brandon. In the first semester, if they make a mistake or fail the Black Eye Poison trial, they will be transferred to other alchemy disciplines."

Beatrice nodded in satisfaction, a smile playing on her lips. "You can't place elemental servants in the Poison Alchemy Zone, so you can't have them teach new students. But you now have a beginner student."

Kulov smiled. "Yes, that's right. I have a beginner student now. I can have him teach these three new students, and I'll just keep watch to prevent any accidents."

“There’s a second thing.” Beatrice took a palm-sized wooden box from her desk drawer:

"Ms. Starry Night did not grant my request. However, she allowed me to use the finished product."

Kulov took the wooden box with both hands, placed it steadily on the table, and gently opened the lid.

A crystal-blue vial lay quietly on the cushion.

Upon closer inspection, a thin red line could be seen moving within the blue medicine.

"Xia Zuo's recovery ability is much stronger than yours was back then, so one bottle is enough for him."

Beatrice watched as the other person carefully put away the wooden box and said:

"I've discussed it with Ms. Xingye. Students with the affinity for alchemy after tomorrow, as long as they possess a aptitude of at least Grade 1 in poison alchemy, can use finished potions."

"Yes, Headmaster."

For the next half hour or so, Kurov discussed some matters with the head of the institute, and then manipulated the atlas back to the poison alchemy area.

...

Inside the Flower Protection in Starry Night City, Xia Zuo sat on a soft chair, looking at the wall clock.

5:30 p.m.

He has been waiting here for half an hour.

Indeed, men and women sometimes have different perceptions of time. What the female shop assistant meant by "a few minutes" was actually several minutes.

"I'm here~" A figure wafted over with a fragrant scent.

Xia Zuo smiled with relief, "Let's go back and have dinner."

"Mmm~" Anru hugged the other person's arm and tilted her head back, "Do you see any difference between me and before?"

Here it comes, here it comes, the killer question is here.

Fortunately, we were prepared.

Xia Zuo stared at the pretty face, stimulating his five senses, his mind racing, as if facing a formidable enemy.

First, take 05 seconds to check if the other person has anything on their face.

This step is very important. If Anru praises someone as if they had applied something when they clearly hadn't, no matter how eloquently she praises them, it will only backfire.

Her skin reflected a sheen.

It's obvious that she applied skincare products.

The second step is to find a point to praise.

Put yourself in their shoes. People tend to supplement what they lack, and vice versa. Supplementing something means that they feel they lack something.

The third step is to find the reason for skincare.

The fourth step is to carefully consider your language.

In just two seconds, Xia Zuo, having been through it all, had already prepared a countermeasure:

"Hmm... my skin is more hydrated, and my tear troughs are much shallower. It seems that the skincare products from Hana no Ho are quite effective. The shop recommended by my senior is really great."

Anru smiled sweetly, "I also think it's quite useful."

She gently pressed her finger under her eyes, saying, "I'll come here for a treatment every week or two. I've also bought some skincare products."

The fifth step, and the most crucial one.

To prevent potential conflicts, it's important to avoid discussing topics like judging the appearance of the opposite sex and minimize the likelihood of such conversations.

Xia Zuo scratched the back of his head, looking bewildered. "I really don't know much about skincare. Why don't you talk to your senior more about it in the future?"

"Mmm~" Anru rubbed against his shoulder, then looked at her boyfriend's cheek:

"You're often in contact with toxins, do you want to buy some to keep on hand? You can also use mine for now... Wait, I just realized your skin is smoother than mine, why is that..."

Chapter 34 Freshmen

Xia Zuo was taken aback.

Unexpectedly, despite all the careful planning, the only flaw was right on his own face.

You wicked old man... you have to take this blame.

"That's a long story. Let's talk about it as we walk."

Xia Zuo pulled An Ru'er outside the store and walked along the road, explaining his unusual behavior in just a few words.

"...It was because the potion I drank in the cave gave me a great recovery ability that the fire-breathing potion didn't leave any marks in my mouth."

"I see." Anru nodded her head. "I really envy you."

She raised her hand and gently rubbed the other person's face a few times. "It feels so smooth and bouncy."

Seeing that her little hands couldn't stop, Xia Zuo took out a bottle of medicine from his robe pocket:

Guess what this is?

Anruer took the bottle, uncorked it, and smelled it. "Is it a flamethrower?"

"Yes, that's right."

As the sun set, Xia Zuo stopped and turned to face her. "So, beautiful lady, would you like to watch my fire-breathing performance? Tonight, by the lake at the academy, just the two of us."

"Yes~" Anruer capped the bottle, opened her arms and hugged him, burying her face in his chest, "I'm very willing~"

"Then it's settled. We'll sit in the restaurant until dark, and then go to the lake."

"Good~"

The two strolled along the street, slowly making their way towards the university.

Anruer seemed unaware of why the performance was fire-breathing tonight, much to Xia Zuo's delight. With the audience's cooperation, the show would be even better tonight.

...

7 pm.

The night sky was deep and dotted with stars, and the white crescent moon was reflected on the rippling lake.

Xia Zuo and Anru walked a distance along the stone path illuminated by the alchemical lamps, and stepped onto the grass to reach the lakeside.

The lake shore is paved with stones and pebbles, and there is some distance between you and the grass, so you don't have to worry about accidentally setting the grass on fire during the fire-breathing performance.

Not far behind the two, a surveillance guard silently hovered.

The Castle Rules do not prohibit fire-breathing performances within the university grounds.

Tim has no say in Chazo's performance. Perhaps after tonight, Tim will add this rule to the "Castle Rules".

Xia Zuo glanced around.

There was no one else around.

He gestured for Anru to stand a little further away, then took a vial of medicine from his pocket and poured it into his mouth.

Next, light a match, and then use the match to light the torch.

"Pfft~"

"Whoo~"

White flames appeared before my eyes, illuminating the surrounding grass.

"Wow!" Anruer clenched her hands in front of her chest, staring at the pure white flames with her small mouth slightly open.

Xia Zuo hadn't breathed flames for a long time, but his lung capacity hadn't shrunk. The white flames lasted for nearly twenty seconds before disappearing.

He changed the agent, spraying out flames of different colors in succession: white, red, purple, green…

Anru was so engrossed in observing the scene up close that she remained in the same position, staring blankly as the colorful flames danced on the lake's surface.

Xia Zuo wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth.

The torches gradually dimmed, and the flames were about to go out.