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Chapter 116 Cultivating Cotton Trees: The Scientific Research Girl's Dao Heart Shattered

A girl who looked a lot like Qin Siyu stood at the gate of the fence, looking at the lush green fields with a look of confusion in her eyes.

"Sis! You're here! Come and try these tomatoes, they're so sweet!"

"Siyu?"

Qin Siqing looked bewildered and subconsciously took the tomato handed to her.

Feeling the heavy weight in her hands, she became even more puzzled.

"This—you did all of this? How could this be—"

"Hehe, it wasn't me, it was all done by Xiao Louzhang."

After Qin Siyu reminded her, Qin Siqing finally noticed Xiao Yun standing to the side.

As she listened to Qin Siyu's explanation, the expression on her face became increasingly complicated.

"I never expected that Xiao Louzhang is not only strong, but also a master at farming."

"It's just a trick; it can't be compared to the two experts."

Xiao Yun waved his hand modestly, then asked, "I heard Qin Siyu say that you were researching cotton mutations with Professor Jiang. Are you here now because you've made a breakthrough?"

"Hmm, we've made some progress, let's give it a try."

Qin Siyu's eyes lit up, and she shook her arm.

"Sister, Xiao Louzhang can accelerate plant maturation, why don't you just ask him to verify the results for you?"

"Won't this be too much trouble?"

"It's a small matter, and I'd also like to see the results."

Xiao Yun smiled, and Qin Siqing nodded without being coy.

The three of them found a place and planted the mutated cotton seeds that Qin Siqing had brought.

"Insects".

"Squeak squeak".

The insect ancestor nodded, flapped its wings, and scattered scales.

hiss hiss hiss—

Soon, tender shoots broke through the soil, and in less than ten minutes, the emerald green stems gradually turned scorched, and one by one, pure white cotton buds burst open.

"That's amazing!"

Qin Siqing sighed sincerely, looking at Xiao Yun with a glimmer in her eyes.

Since awakening her talent, this was the first time she had encountered someone even more skilled at farming than herself.

Xiao Yun smiled faintly and pointed at the cotton, saying, "Although the induced growth only took less than ten minutes, in reality, these cotton plants will need at least half a month to grow, and the longest will take a month. Doesn't that seem a bit unexpected?"

Qin Siqing nodded and added, "Yes, and among these experimental subjects, the one with the fastest growth rate produced the least cotton. It's a big problem that we can't have both of these desirable traits."

As she spoke, she looked at Xiao Yun: "But half a month is actually quite fast. Low yields can also be solved by expanding the planting area."

"If Director Xiao's requirements are not too high, this experimental specimen can be planted and used temporarily, and then it can be optimized generation after generation."

Xiao Yun pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "It's best to do it all at once. The other world is unpredictable, and no one can say for sure what will happen tomorrow. It's better to prepare as soon as possible."

Qin Siqing frowned slightly, sensing that Xiao Yun hadn't understood the meaning behind her words.

"Director Xiao, I actually suggest that we don't need to be so eager for quick success. It's already good enough for now, and there's not much room for further optimization. Moreover, the time, manpower, and resources required would be several times greater than they are now, which would be a losing proposition."

Hearing Qin Siqing's advice, Xiao Yun was stunned for a moment, then chuckled helplessly: "You may have misunderstood me. I didn't mean for you to continue optimizing the cotton mutation."

Do you have any more mutated seeds here? Give me two.

Seeing Xiao Yun's outstretched hand, Qin Siqing suddenly realized: "Door Manager Xiao wants to cultivate them himself?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Qin Siqing's expression was somewhat complicated, and she asked uncertainly, "As Master Xiao's disciple, he must possess unique alchemical techniques?"

"I'm ashamed to say that I've been too busy to study properly with my teacher."

"So, Director Xiao must have had a good understanding of biology and botany before?"

"Ahem, well, I know a little bit about this."

Upon hearing the words "somewhat knowledgeable," Qin Siqing's eyes lit up: "I didn't expect Director Xiao to be such an expert in this field—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yun added, "I scored 79 points on the biology section of the college entrance exam back then, and I was particularly good at questions about hybridization."

'

Qin Siqing's lips twitched slightly, but at Xiao Yun's insistence, she still gave him a few cotton seeds.

After all, he was my temporary boss, and it wouldn't be good to offend him, so I'll just treat it like appeasing a child.

Xiao Yun took the seeds, thanked them, and went to the side with the Insect Ancestor to start fiddling with them.

Seeing the person and the butterfly, Qin Siyu's eyes sparkled, and she leaned closer to Qin Siqing: "Sister, do you think Director Xiao can successfully cultivate it?"

"Probably not."

Qin Siqing shook her head and explained, "He does have some ability to accelerate plant maturation, but those plants are all perfectly mutated individuals with special properties. They only need to be infused with enough vitality to grow quickly. If the two of us are willing to fully unleash our talents, we can also shorten their maturation time to less than a day."

"But plant mutations are different; they can't be achieved solely through vitality and brute force. They require systematic knowledge and long-term experimentation, and cannot be accomplished overnight."

"Well—sister, I think we shouldn't make such definitive statements."

Qin Siyu, recalling her recent experience, kindly offered this reminder.

Qin Siqing chuckled and said, "Hehe, if he can produce a mutant variety as excellent as mine before tonight, I'll work for him for free for a month."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yun exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap!"

Qin Siqing turned her head and immediately saw a spectacular scene.

Rumble—

The earth roared, and a sturdy stalk shot skyward, instantly growing to more than a person's height, like a small tree.

"What is that?!"

Qin Siqing stared wide-eyed at the flower buds on the sapling, her face filled with disbelief.

The next second, the stem turned from green to black, and with a crisp cracking sound, a pure white flower bud bloomed.

The surrounding air suddenly froze, and even the pioneering team witnessed this scene.

"Holy crap, what's that?"

"It looks like—a cotton tree, doesn't it?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, the farmer is overjoyed, while Nig is devastated."

"Hey, isn't that our building manager standing over there?"

"Oh, I knew it was the building manager who did it. No wonder."

Many people cheered and greeted Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yun smiled, chopped down the cotton tree with his sword, carried it to Qin Siqing, and threw it on the ground.

boom-

"You used too much force. Is this okay?"

Qin Siqing's lips twitched slightly. She bit her lip, her eyes deep and unfathomable: "A single plant cannot prove that the mutation was successful."

"so?"

"I want to test other seeds."

Xiao Yun nodded and handed her the other seeds.

"Here are three more. Take them and have them tested."

"I just set the parameters a bit too high; with your talent, you can accelerate the ripening process too."

After saying that, he waved his hand and turned to walk towards the dormitory building.

"I have other things to do, you guys have fun on your own — Oh, and remember to come back for dinner later."

"understood."

Qin Siqing said coldly, holding the seed in her hand, her eyes gleaming.

As researchers, we should work tirelessly and be determined to find out the results of these mutated seeds today.

"I refuse to believe it. I've studied this field for years, and I'm no match for someone with only high school knowledge?"

Four hours later————

As the sun sets, crimson clouds fill the sky.

The three white cotton balls were also tinged with a reddish-gold glow, like three tall torches.

Qin Siyu looked at Qin Siqing, who was slumped in front of the cotton tree, with a complicated expression.

The test results were correct, and even the timing was exactly as Xiao Yun had predicted.

"Sis, it's time to go back for dinner."

Upon hearing her sister's reminder, two lines of clear tears streamed down Qin Siqing's empty eyes.

How can I possibly eat this?