Fishing

Xiao Yan looked at Mu Li, hesitating over whether he should kill him.

Xiao Yan had never actually killed anyone before, but he was not particularly averse to it—Dou Qi Continent was a world where people killed or were killed. The existence of Dou Qi created classes, and once one cultivated to a high enough realm, one was no longer even the same "species."

Take the Dou Di Bloodline, for instance. It was no longer merely a matter of reproductive isolation; unless one was a Dou Sheng, even a "touch" would cause one's bloodline to be completely lost.

What Xiao Yan was considering now was how to minimize the losses.

Excluding Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, there were fifty Dou Zhes in the party. Twenty belonged to the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, only ten to Myriad Medicine Hall, while the remaining twenty were freelance mercenaries.

If a real fight broke out, the people from Myriad Medicine Hall might not obey orders, but the Wolf Head men would certainly listen to Mu Li.

Old Yao was unwilling to act. Xiao Yan was confident he could escape, but he was not confident he could flee while taking Xiao Yi Xian with him.

So Xiao Yan directly took out his Medicine Cauldron and began refining medicine on the spot.

Xiao Yi Xian immediately leaned closer, watching Xiao Yan's alchemy techniques with a face full of envy.

A rich Medicinal Fragrance wafted out from the Medicine Cauldron. After breathing it in, everyone present felt their blood surge and their Dou Qi circulate faintly faster, as though even their cultivation had improved.

"Don't let me be disturbed," Xiao Yan said blandly.

The ten Dou Zhes from Myriad Medicine Hall immediately became alert. Not only did they guard against any Magical Beasts that might appear, but their gazes toward the Wolf Head Mercenary Group also carried a faint hostility.

"Young Commander, what should we do? Should we protect him properly?"

Mu Li's expression shifted uncertainly. He had not expected this Alchemist to suddenly pull such a move, putting him in a very passive position.

"Ignore him for now. Wait until the Myriad Medicine Hall mercenaries suffer casualties. If he still hasn't finished refining by then, protect him properly. Once he succeeds, we'll just take it from him," Mu Li said in a low voice.

"Yes, Young Commander."

Xiao Yan refined medicine for the entire morning. Although First Rank Magical Beasts occasionally launched attacks during that time, the people from Myriad Medicine Hall blocked them all, and no casualties were suffered.

Even the twenty freelance mercenaries noticed that something was wrong—the Wolf Head Mercenary Group members retreated whenever they saw Magical Beasts, sometimes even outright making way and allowing the beasts to attack Xiao Yan.

They knew full well that Mu Li was most likely jealous of this mysterious Alchemist because of Xiao Yi Xian and wanted to get him killed. But Myriad Medicine Hall treated Xiao Yan like a treasure, and they had no confidence in facing the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's twenty mercenaries.

Thus, the twenty freelance mercenaries also began to put in effort without truly committing themselves, preparing to flee at any moment.

At noon, the appearance of a Second Rank Magical Beast shattered the stalemate.

It was an injured male Old Green Lion. Perhaps it had lost a battle for the position of lion king and been driven out of the pride by the victor. Drawn by the Medicinal Fragrance of the pill Xiao Yan was refining, it had come over.

The Green Lion brought immense pressure upon the Mercenary Group. Though it limped as it walked and was covered in wounds, the aura it emitted had reached the peak of the Second Rank, comparable to a human Dou Shi at the peak.

"Are the Wolf Head people still planning to slack off at a time like this?" The Myriad Medicine Hall people could no longer endure it. Their ten men alone could not possibly hold it back.

If they were running away, it would be one thing. But now they had to protect Xiao Yan, so they could only clash head-on with the Green Lion.

"Wolf Head men, prepare to support the master," Mu Li ordered, his face grave as well.

If this Green Lion had been in peak condition and commanded a pride, Mu Li would have turned and run without a word. But now that it was severely injured, he was unwilling to give up.

The Green Lion crouched low as it circled the Mercenary Group from a hundred meters away, seemingly searching for the party's weak point so it could break through in one strike.

The mercenaries stared intently at the Green Lion, each gripping their weapons nervously, as if that could offer them even a trace of safety.

At this distance, the mercenaries' Dou Techniques could not reach it at all. Yet once the Green Lion charged in, a casual strike from it could severely injure a mercenary.

Suddenly, green Dou Qi radiated from the Green Lion's entire body. The mane around its head bristled violently, and all four limbs exerted force at once. With a powerful leap, it shot straight toward the Mercenary Group from a hundred meters away.

In almost an instant, the Green Lion had covered seventy meters. Just as the mercenaries instinctively unleashed Dou Techniques, trying to strike its massive body, the Green Lion landed lightly thirty meters away. It opened its bloody maw as the green Dou Qi over its body gathered toward its head before finally erupting from its throat.

"Roar!"

A fierce sound wave, accompanied by a foul gale, swept toward the Mercenary Group. Nearly everyone was left dizzy and disoriented by the roar, blown stumbling in every direction and almost robbed of their ability to resist.

Only Xiao Yan had sealed off his hearing with Soul Power beforehand. Taking advantage of the broken formation, he grabbed the Medicine Cauldron and hurled it with all his strength, throwing both the cauldron and the "pill" inside at Mu Li.

Driven by all of Xiao Yan's strength, the Medicine Cauldron knocked Mu Li to the ground. More than half the Medicinal Liquid inside splashed out—mostly onto Mu Li—giving him a Medicinal Bath and making him smell "delicious."

Once he confirmed that the Green Lion, which had originally been charging at him, had turned toward Mu Li, Xiao Yan stored the Heavy Black Ruler in his Storage Ring, slung the dazed Xiao Yi Xian over his shoulder, and ran.

The mercenaries' screams, curses, and the Green Lion's roars faintly echoed behind him, but that had nothing to do with Xiao Yan anymore.

After taking a Dou Technique from the Green Lion at close range—and one from a Green Lion whose cultivation exceeded theirs by an entire major rank—they would at least be stunned for several seconds.

And in those few seconds, the Green Lion had more than enough time to kill and carry off its target.

The Green Lion was injured and would not waste much time tangling with these mercenaries. So this wave would likely only kill Mu Li, with perhaps a few unlucky mercenaries getting in the Green Lion's way, being knocked aside, and suffering some injuries.

All Xiao Yan could say was that he had been lucky. He and this Green Lion had rushed toward one another. If the Magical Beast he had lured over had been a little stronger and in better condition, the mercenaries would definitely have suffered heavy casualties—then Xiao Yan's conscience might have hurt a little.

As for not being able to lure over a sufficiently strong Magical Beast, Xiao Yan had never worried about that. He was not refining medicine at all; he was directly evaporating the energy within the Medicinal Herbs, creating the illusion that he was refining a High-Grade Pill.

If no Magical Beast came, Xiao Yan could simply keep adding herbs until one did.

Only after running flat out for more than ten minutes and covering several kilometers did Xiao Yan set Xiao Yi Xian down and lead her deeper into the Beast Mountain Range.

"I know of a hidden valley where we can hide," Xiao Yi Xian said, rubbing her ears.

Xiao Yan gave Xiao Yi Xian a surprised look. He had not expected her to be so ruthless as well.

On second thought, it made sense. After what had happened last night, Xiao Yi Xian should have darkened too.

"Let's circle around first and shake them off," Xiao Yan said, continuing to clear the way ahead.

A few kilometers was not far. If those Wolf Head mercenaries wanted to chase them, they could easily catch up.

"I didn't expect to shake them off so easily."

"It wasn't that easy. The Medicine Cauldron and Medicinal Herbs cost me nearly a million." ╮(╯_╰)╭

"..." d(д)