He Came Back So Soon

"You really think," Grace chuckled, "that it's just carved onto your skin?"

Evan Xiao gripped his dagger, staring at her with a look that suggested he genuinely wanted to stab her.

"It's seeped into your bones and blood," Grace said. "Take a closer look inside yourself—it's formed from your own life force! Unless you die, it won't disappear!"

Chloe Zhu!

Grace gave him an innocent smile.

I'll never lower myself for a woman as shameless as you! I'd rather never show myself again than let you win!

Grace said nothing.

"I also swear I'll never come see you again!" Evan Xiao added.

Grace still didn't respond.

Evan Xiao shot her a cold glare and left.

Grace picked up her cold tea, took a sip, and smiled to herself.

The words she carved onto Evan Xiao’s chest would first show up on his skin when heated—that was just step one.

Last time, when she massaged Evan Xiao’s chest, she worked the medicine into his bones and blood—that was step two.

Originally, Grace thought it wouldn’t be easy for him to come looking for her again.

Because those words really did fuse with her essence.

Put simply, the mark only shows up when he’s thinking about her in that way.

She figured that would be a tough hurdle for him.

Who would’ve thought... he came back this fast! Ha!

......

The next day, she officially went to the Chief’s Hall of the Herb Division.

The Eastern Luo Empire governs over a dozen major nations like the Vermilion Kingdom, with a staggering population.

But in this world, it’s rare for anyone to qualify as a Level Nine or above Spiritual Alchemist.

So, the entire Herb Division has about a hundred people, but most are assistants; only a little over twenty are actual Spiritual Alchemists.

Looking around, Grace realized the vast majority were men. Female Spiritual Alchemists were extremely rare.

Ms. Rachel Zhang gave her a grand introduction: "This is our newest Spiritual Alchemist in the Herb Division. Her name is Chloe Zhu, and she’s a prodigy with the Celestial Five-Element Root! She’s just seventeen, and already a Level Nine Spiritual Alchemist."

With everyone watching, Grace smiled and said, "Hi everyone. Please take care of me."

"From now on, Grace will be my assistant Spiritual Alchemist," Ms. Rachel Zhang announced. "I’m working on a White Shell Pill, so Grace, you’ll help me with it."

Grace nodded, "Yes!"

"If you need anything, talk to Mason Fu. He’s also my assistant Spiritual Alchemist." With that, she glanced at the young man on her right.

Most members of the Eastern Alliance are mid- to high-level Spiritual Alchemists, and they’re generally older—young people are rare.

Grace nodded at him, but he didn’t look up—he just replied calmly, "Alright."

After everyone dispersed, Grace went to find Mason Fu and asked what else needed to be done for the White Shell Pill.

Mason Fu told her, "Everything else is ready, except the Black-and-White Shells haven’t been sorted yet. Since the Division Chief assigned this to you, it’s your job now!"

Black-and-White Shells are a type of magical herb, divided into black shells and white shells.

Only the white shells are needed for the White Shell Pill.

He pointed to seven big baskets of Black-and-White Shells on the floor and said, "These just arrived. The black and white ones are all mixed together and haven’t been sorted yet, so you’ll need to separate them!"

"Do I really have to do something like this?" Grace asked, puzzled.

Spiritual Alchemists usually only handle the core tasks.

Like preparing herbs, checking their quality, and refining medicine, for example.