Chapter Four: The Crystallization

The next day, Saturday, they slept in, and then Fu Linxing finished his homework under Fu Lan’s supervision.

He wanted to play for the rest of the afternoon, but Fu Lan naturally wouldn’t agree to him skipping tennis lessons and sent him off.

"Don't forget, Old Fu, there are only 14 days left in the cooling-off period," Fu Linxing reminded him before heading to class.

"I know, I know. Don't you worry about it."

After coordinating the handover arrangements for after class via phone, Fu Lan said goodbye to his son, avoiding any meeting with He Yue.

As he left, he watched Fu Linxing on the tennis court from afar and inexplicably thought of five years ago, when Shi Ningyu was the same age. Now, five years later, Shi Ningyu was exactly 18, an adult.

Would he even live to see the day Fu Linxing reached adulthood?

Fu Lan shook off the thought and began to consider another matter. He knew full well that even without magic, his heart condition could be treated through modern medicine.

He had checked the cost of a heart transplant; with his current savings and income, it was far from enough.

This had nothing to do with the divorce. He Yue hadn't taken a single cent of his assets; he was simply poor to begin with.

Conversely, his self-respect would not allow him to take any property from He Yue.

They were probably the most clear-cut divorced couple in existence. While others tried to tear a piece of flesh from their partners during a divorce, they even split their divorce costs 50/50.

If he could swallow his pride and ask He Yue, the financial problem would be greatly eased. Fu Lan knew that even after the divorce, she would definitely help him.

But he didn't want that.

It wasn't just because He Yue was still paying off a mortgage, or because Fu Linxing hadn't grown up yet. It was more likely because he didn't want his life to end so pathetically.

For a long time, he seemed unable to integrate into society. Despite his academic success, he had always worked mediocre jobs, never learning how to navigate workplace politics.

Sometimes he could see through the rules, but he couldn't bring himself to follow them.

Just like at the tutoring center: he believed a teacher should focus on imparting knowledge and solving problems, but the company complained that he couldn't sell a single product all year and "optimized" him right at the age of 35.

And 35 was a cursed age; if not for He Yue's connections, he wouldn't even have landed the contract position at the library.

The weight of life almost made him forget he could wield magic. Yet, magic offered no help in daily life; most magic could not be applied to work.

Besides, if he were discovered by the Magical Affairs Bureau, there would be no life left to speak of.

So, should he just continue living this mediocre life and then die quietly?

Fu Lan took the neatly folded "Application for Withdrawal of Divorce Registration" out of his pocket. Without unfolding it, he tore it to pieces and threw it into the trash.

Then he called a ride and headed toward a location in his memory.

The tutoring center had offered customizable private tutoring services, which was why he had once visited Shi Ningyu's home years ago.

Two days had passed since their chance encounter that night; he wasn't sure if he could still find her. If his luck was bad, she might have already been caught by the Magical Affairs Bureau.

But he went to that dilapidated residential compound anyway, walking up the dark, cramped stairs.

The old building gave off a distinct musty smell, like a dried-out corpse, yet many people still lived there.

Fu Lan reached the fifth floor, facing a door and walls covered in red-painted debt collection threats, but hesitated to knock.

The graffiti had been painted over at least twice, with new and old layers overlapping, and even the newer marks were covered in dust.

It looked as if no one had lived here for a long time.

Thinking of the parent's phone number from five years ago in his phone, Fu Lan approached the door.

Given the state of the entrance, that number was likely long out of service, and the excuses he’d prepared were useless.

However, when he caught a glimpse of the doorknob in the light of his phone, he noticed it was relatively free of dust.

So, holding onto a glimmer of hope, he knocked.

No one answered. He knocked again and waited five minutes, but still, there was no response.

Footsteps echoed from upstairs, and after a moment's thought, Fu Lan turned and left quietly. Being mistaken for a debt collector would be an unnecessary trouble.

It seemed this trip would be in vain. He wasn't too disappointed, just feeling a sense of melancholy at the red characters on the door, and harboring some guesses about Shi Ningyu's circumstances over the years.

However, as Fu Lan reached the bottom of the building, he saw a door open in an old-fashioned garage across from the residential building, and a sneaky young girl quickly slipped half her body out.

"Shi Ningyu." This time, he called out to her directly.

When the girl realized it was him, she rolled her eyes without reservation, then lowered her brows and gave an awkward smile: "It's you again, Teacher Lan..."

She was still using that title that used to give Fu Lan a headache.

She closed the door and clapped the dust off her hands, pretending nothing had happened.

Fu Lan went straight to the point: "Are you making magic ash?"

Shi Ningyu nearly blurted out a curse. She looked around, hissed at him through gritted teeth, and beckoned him over.

Once Fu Lan locked the garage door, she turned on the light inside and asked testily, "What do you want?"

Her hair was disheveled, and she was wearing a dirty old tracksuit, looking quite grubby. Seeming to notice this, she awkwardly scraped the floor with the toe of her shoe.

Fu Lan glanced at the chicken coop behind her, feeling a moment of nostalgia; such things only existed in his childhood.

But the coop didn't contain chickens; it held several purplish-black ball-beasts.

They were the lowest-level magical beasts, possessing a spherical body about the size of a puppy. When they went wild, they acted like rabid dogs, biting with wide mouths that could almost split their bodies in half, earning them the nickname "ball-dogs."

Defeating a single ball-beast was easier than fighting a dog; an ordinary person could do it with an iron rod if they could overcome their fear.

But they usually appeared in packs, which still posed a significant danger to ordinary people.

For a mage, however, taking out a pack of ball-beasts was just a matter of a few lightning chains. Thus, these easily killed and easily kept low-level beasts were the most common raw materials for refining.

Fu Lan took a brief look and withdrew his gaze, saying, "I want to go into business with you."

Shi Ningyu arched her eyebrows in surprise, a twitching smirk on her face: "That doesn't seem appropriate, Teacher Lan. Think of your status as an educator."

"I haven't been a teacher for a long time."

"Well, alright then... how much are you buying?"

"I'm not buying. I want to make magic ash with you."

Hearing this, Shi Ningyu looked at him in disbelief: "You? You have magic?"

In an age where information was easily accessible, ordinary people could grasp many magical concepts, but only those with awakened talents could be true mages.

She didn't believe that just any tutor pulled off the street would have magical talent.

But she heard Fu Lan humbly say, "I know a little."

"Ha, 'a little' isn't enough." She scoffed. "You think you can just copy a magic circle online, buy some materials, catch a ball-dog, and go home to make magic ash? It’s not that simple! A slight error in the solution ratio or a single stroke wrong in the magic circle can lead to a failed product."

Fu Lan nodded. He had looked into these basics before coming: "You're right; it's more like alchemy than spellcasting. That's why I want to see if there's room for improvement. Can I see your stock first?"

Shi Ningyu laughed out loud: "Improvement? Do you know what you're saying? Sorry, Teacher Lan, I was your student, but when it comes to magic ash, you aren't necessarily better than me. Do you know what they call me on the street?"

She opened her fingers under the light, dangling a small bag of magic ash, and declared with pride: "Snow White! Because my goods are as white as snow."

Fu Lan had seen pictures of magic ash online; most looked like black slag, faintly shimmering with the purple reflection characteristic of ball-beasts.

Higher quality ones looked like furnace ash, and if it was clumped, the price would go up because it proved the magic concentration was higher.

The top-tier goods, like the bag in Shi Ningyu's hand, appeared as white as lime. Her product was arguably whiter than the sample photos online; the name "Snow White" was well-deserved.

"Not bad, the purity is very high," he praised sincerely. "But perhaps there is still room for improvement. May I see the materials and the magic circle you use?"

Shi Ningyu narrowed her eyes, guardedly retracting the magic ash: "Teacher Lan, I believe you aren't here to sabotage me, otherwise you wouldn't have helped me the other night.

"But now I have to suspect you want to steal my formula. If that's the case, don't blame me for being disrespectful."

Fu Lan found it somewhat amusing, but he could understand her skepticism.

He pointed to the ball-beasts in the coop: "How about this: lend me one, and I'll show you the magic ash I can produce."

Shi Ningyu stared at him for a long while before unlocking the coop and handing him a ball-beast.

The beasts were intended for immediate use and had been pre-processed; they didn't make sounds or move much, looking listless.

She then opened a door on the side of the garage, which led to a connected room next door—a dedicated refining chamber.

"Can I operate it alone?" Fu Lan asked.

Shi Ningyu agreed. She was starting to believe this former tutor really knew how to refine magic ash. "Cooks" always kept their formulas and techniques secret, as it was a trade they staked their lives on.

Fu Lan closed the door and checked for hidden cameras or listening devices.

Confirming it was safe, he unbuttoned the top of his shirt and pressed his left hand against his collarbone.

He waited over ten minutes before returning to Shi Ningyu. He opened his hand to her, holding a crystalline, perfectly octagonal crystal between his index finger and thumb.

Shi Ningyu was blank at first, but when it dawned on her, her eyes widened, and she trembled as she whispered:

"Holy sh*t, that's ice!"