How Did Your Brain Grow Like That

During this time, the Antler Serpent sat quietly on the chair, never leaving Grace's side—such a well-behaved little thing.

It wasn't until the next morning that she finally succeeded in refining it!

Grace looked like she'd just been through a battle—her whole body was drenched.

But her spirits were absolutely soaring.

She had successfully made the Infernal Drake Pill!

Minister Zhuo lifted the curtain and walked in. He took the pill from Lena’s hand, sniffed it near his nose, and frowned, "Who gave you this medicine?"

Seeing it was still early and her dad probably hadn't come home yet, Grace—who hadn't eaten for two meals—grabbed the golden pill and happily ran off to find her mom.

When she saw her mom, the first thing she did was tell her about the Infernal Drake appearing—and how it was killed by another dragon.

Lena said she'd already heard about it from Grace's dad.

So Grace took out the Infernal Drake Pill and explained that a friend had given it to her. It was made from the Infernal Drake's eggshell, and it's especially effective for people with cold-related illnesses.

Lena was also quite encouraged by what she heard, and didn’t ask much more. She quietly prepared to take the pill.

"Dad, it really is the Infernal Drake Pill. You can let Lena take it without worry!"

"Nonsense!" Minister Zhuo snapped, seeing her dodge the question again. "This is medicine! You can't just let Lena take something when you don't know where it came from! What were you thinking?"

Grace glanced at the Infernal Drake Pill, feeling utterly defeated inside.

Her father was never one to let things slide…

If only he’d come a little later—after Lena had already taken the medicine!

"A friend of mine…"

"Which friend?"

Grace: "..."

Should she really tell him?

Seeing her silent, Minister Zhuo grew even more suspicious: "If this really is a Fire Demon Pill, it must be a high-level spiritual medicine. Who refined it? Why would someone just give it to you so casually?"

"Dad, it really is the Fire Demon Pill. You can let Hope take it without worry!"

Minister Zhuo glanced at Lena and said, "Your mother’s worried. Step outside with me so we can talk."

Grace glanced at the Fire Demon Pill, feeling utterly defeated inside.

Why did her dad have to show up now, of all times?

If only he’d come a little later—after Hope had already taken the medicine!

"I also heard that yesterday, Qin Zhong and Lu Xin from the General’s Mansion came to see you. What did they want?" Minister Zhuo pressed.

"Infernal Drake Dragons don’t appear every year, you know. They’re spirit beasts that only show up every few centuries! This Infernal Drake Pill is priceless. Maybe it really is good for Lena’s health, but... we can’t just take something so valuable from someone else." Minister Zhuo explained.

"Sure, it’s rare, but maybe he didn’t need it himself. If he kept it for too long, it’d go bad, so he gave it to me for Lena. That’s called putting things to good use—"

"Mhm."

"You just accepted something this precious, just like that?" Minister Zhuo frowned.

"Well... how else was I supposed to respond?"

Minister Zhuo glanced at Hope and said, "Your sister’s worried. Step outside with me so we can talk."

Grace followed him outside.

The Antler Serpent poked its little head out from her sleeve, listening in.

Once they were outside in the garden, Minister Zhuo said, "Grace, you should return this pill to Evan Xiao!"

"Huh?" Grace stared blankly. "Why?"

"Fire Demon Dragons don’t appear every year, you know. They’re spirit beasts that only show up every few centuries! This Fire Demon Pill is priceless. Maybe it really is good for Hope’s health, but... we can’t just take something so valuable from someone else." Minister Zhuo explained.

"Sure, it’s rare, but maybe he didn’t need it himself. If he kept it for too long, it’d go bad, so he gave it to me for Hope. That’s called putting things to good use—"

"That’s just you fooling yourself!" Minister Zhuo interrupted. "He might not need the pill, but if you took it to the Spirit Alliance, who knows how many spirit jades or pills you could trade for!"

Grace bit her lip, saying nothing.