Heavenly Flames Clue

Hai Bodong's feelings were truly complicated right now. Xiao Heng had given him hope, then taken it away, only to give it back again. At this moment, he desperately wanted to know who that person was.

Xiao Heng smiled faintly. "Ice Emperor, there's no need to ask who he is. Even if you knew, it might not do you any good. He does possess a Heavenly Flame and can refine Sixth-grade Pills, but if he is unwilling, then even the Ice Emperor at his peak would be unable to do anything to him."

Hearing Xiao Heng's words, Hai Bodong instead calmed down. That was right! Someone capable of refining Sixth-grade Pills and possessing a Heavenly Flame—even if that person were standing beside him now, what could he possibly do?

He rotated the cup with his fingers and quietly waited to hear what else Xiao Heng had to say. He did not believe Xiao Heng had brought up that person merely to toy with him.

Hai Bodong's swift control over his emotions surprised Xiao Heng somewhat. Was this worthy of the Ice Emperor?

If his own strength had been sealed for more than a decade, and he had suddenly heard there was hope of recovering it, he probably would not have remained so calm.

He continued, "However, I know him. Whether I can persuade him to refine pills for you will depend on what price you are willing to pay."

Hai Bodong frowned. He truly had nothing left on him that would particularly attract an Alchemist, apart from his strength. But he could not possibly sell himself, could he?

"Is the favor of a Dou Emperor not enough?"

Thinking of Xiao Yan, a smile unconsciously appeared on Xiao Heng's face. For that guy, it might actually be enough. But he could not say that.

"The Ice Emperor also knows that while a Dou Emperor's favor is valuable, to an Alchemist capable of refining Sixth-grade Pills, it is merely that. So I cannot guarantee anything."

Hai Bodong nodded. Having hope was better than waiting forever. "Then I shall trouble you, young friend, to introduce me to him."

Since he needed Xiao Heng's help, his attitude toward him had improved considerably.

Xiao Heng nodded as well. "Rest assured. However, I cannot bring you to see him right now. He will probably come here in about a year. Whether you can persuade him to act then will be up to you."

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's heart finally settled completely. It was only a year. He could afford to wait.

He clasped his fists and said, "Then I must trouble you, young friend. Consider it that I owe you a favor."

Xiao Heng hurriedly returned the gesture. He did not feel right accepting this favor. "Ice Emperor, there is no need for this. Just call me Xiao Heng. As for the favor, you should save it for that Alchemist."

Someone actually did not want the favor of a Dou Emperor. Hai Bodong was surprised, but it also convinced him that Xiao Heng was not deceiving him. He had not merely been polite. Even if he had only said it casually, a Dou Emperor's words carried tremendous weight in a place like the Jia Ma Empire. Yet this young man before him had refused. How strange.

This made him even more curious about Xiao Heng. Which old monster had raised such a little monster? His surname was Xiao, but Hai Bodong had never heard of any major clan called the Xiao Family. Forget it. Perhaps he came from some clan elsewhere on the continent.

Unable to figure out Xiao Heng's origins, Hai Bodong simply stopped thinking about it. As long as Xiao Heng was not here to harm him, he did not care about such matters.

So he went along with it. "Then this old man shall take the liberty of calling you Xiao Heng. You need not be so formal either. Just call me Hai Bodong."

"Ice Emperor, there is no need for that. If you do not mind, I shall call you Elder Hai." Getting acquainted with the Ice Emperor counted as accomplishing one small goal of this journey.

Hai Bodong set down his teacup and nodded. "Xiao Heng, then what is that Alchemist's name? Does he have any distinguishing traits? It would be a shame to miss him when the time comes."

Xiao Heng smiled. In truth, there was no need for him to say anything. According to the original course of events, Xiao Yan would definitely encounter Hai Bodong. But since he had arrived first this time, some things might change, so he would need to mention it to Xiao Yan after returning.

"Rest assured, Elder Hai. You only need to wait here in peace. That Alchemist will certainly come. He has no particular distinguishing traits, but I believe Elder Hai will definitely recognize him when the time comes." Xiao Heng did not believe that Hai Bodong would fail to recognize Xiao Yan if they met. That guy was a child of destiny—trouble followed him wherever he went.

Unlike himself, who had not encountered anything particularly extraordinary. At that very moment, Xiao Yan, who was cultivating, suddenly sneezed!

"Strange, why did I suddenly sneeze? Could someone be cursing me?" He thought about it, but could not figure out who it might be.

Old Yao floated up and smacked the back of his head. "Brat, hurry up and cultivate!"

Xiao Yan covered the back of his head, thinking that the old man was surprisingly strong. He grumbled twice before resuming his cultivation...

Hai Bodong nodded. Since Xiao Heng had said so, he could only choose to believe him. He had already waited for a long time. Even if Xiao Heng was deceiving him, all he could do was wait.

Then, as if recalling something, Hai Bodong asked, "Young friend, are you planning to head deeper into the Tagor Desert next?"

Xiao Heng did indeed plan to venture deeper into the Tagor Desert. He still needed to deliver a letter to Xiao Yan's two older brothers, and he was also considering whether to take a look at the Green Lotus Core Flame. After all, Yun Yun's matter seemed to have been inexplicably intercepted by him. He did not know whether Xiao Yan would still be able to obtain the Green Lotus Core Flame later. Though if he could not, it did not seem to matter much!

Many people might think that unfair, but some people truly were lucky. Some things seemed destined. Perhaps they were not entirely predetermined, but they were always somewhat tied to luck. One had to admit that there were things effort alone could not achieve.

Still, though that bit of luck was important, Xiao Heng believed that as long as one was prepared, that bit of luck would come sooner or later. Unfortunately, in his previous life, he had never been prepared. But perhaps this life would be different.

Xiao Yan was the same. Even without certain things, Xiao Heng believed he would still rise to prominence. On the road to success, good fortune was only temporary; only hard work endured.

Though he said that, he still did not want to alter Xiao Yan's path too much. Some things had likely already changed, but he did not want to alter a main thread like the Green Lotus Core Flame. After all, would it not be lonely if he were the only one moving forward?

Xiao Heng was proud, yet humble. He believed he would surely reach the end, yet he remained cautious with every step.

"I do indeed plan to head into the Tagor Desert next. Is there anything Elder Hai needs me to do?"

Hai Bodong gently spun the teacup at his fingertips again. He was not good at asking others for favors, but at this moment, he had no choice.

"I have a Pill Recipe. The pill recorded on it can undo my seal, and one of the requirements for refining it is a Heavenly Flame. Over the years, I have gathered nearly all of the ingredients. However, one medicinal herb is rather difficult for me to obtain, so I would like to ask you to keep an eye out for it."

The moment he said this, Xiao Heng knew what Hai Bodong wanted him to do.

"Please tell me, Elder Hai. This junior will certainly do his utmost to help you search."

Only after seeing Xiao Heng agree did Hai Bodong continue. "Since you know that I have been sealed, I shall tell you how the seal on my body came about..." Hai Bodong then roughly explained how he had received the seal.

After hearing Hai Bodong's explanation, Xiao Heng clasped his fists. "Rest assured, Elder Hai. This junior will certainly do his utmost to search for it."

Sand Mandara, a medicinal herb found only deep within the Tagor Desert. Of course, that did not mean it could absolutely not be found elsewhere, only that the chances were slim.

This medicinal herb was not particularly rare. The only difficulty was that the depths of the Tagor Desert were Snake People Tribe territory. Still, that was not a problem. It was only one medicinal herb; he did not necessarily have to enter the Snake People Tribe's domain.

Hai Bodong lifted his teacup and took a sip. He did not understand why Xiao Heng was helping him so much. This kid did not seem to want his favor, either.

"Then I must thank you, young friend Xiao Heng."

"There is no need to be so polite, Elder Hai!"...

Having agreed to Hai Bodong's request, Xiao Heng thought of something and said, "I have one more question. Has Elder Hai ever discovered any trace of a Heavenly Flame in the desert?"

After thinking it over, he still decided to take a look at the Green Lotus Core Flame. It was not that he intended to refine it himself. Given his current strength, setting aside whether he could even refine another Heavenly Flame, even if he succeeded, it would not do much to improve his strength. He might as well use it to trade Xiao Yan for something.

Of course, it would mainly be Old Yao doing the trading. What good stuff could that poor bastard Xiao Yan possibly have?

Far away in Wutan City, Xiao Yan suddenly sneezed again, so much so that he nearly thought he had caught a cold.

Hai Bodong looked at Xiao Heng, wondering how this kid knew he had that thing. But considering he would still need the kid's help later, he decided to give it to him. In any case, he was not an Alchemist, and he cultivated ice-attributed Dou Qi himself, so he had no use for Heavenly Flames.

"Come with me!"

Hai Bodong then rose to his feet and led Xiao Heng and Bear Two outside to the shop. Since the shop had been caught up in the earlier battle, it was indeed rather messy now.

Lifting up a shelf, Hai Bodong rummaged around for a while before pulling out a piece of parchment and handing it to Xiao Heng.

"This is where I think a Heavenly Flame might appear. It may not be accurate, so go look for it yourself."

Unfolding the parchment, Xiao Heng examined the red marks on it.

He put the parchment away in his Storage Ring, cupped his hands toward Hai Bodong, and said, "Thank you, Elder Hai!"

Looking at the shop outside, which had been thrown into complete disarray, Hai Bodong suddenly felt that this kid, whom he had somewhat admired before, did not seem all that admirable anymore.

He had barged in, forced him to make a move, wrecked the home he had lived in for years, and without giving him anything, had even wheedled a map out of him.

Eh? Why did this brat suddenly seem so irritating?

Xiao Heng also sensed the sudden hostility in Hai Bodong's gaze. He gave an awkward smile and said, "Well then, Elder Hai, this kid won't disturb you any longer."

Then, under Hai Bodong's reluctant (hostile) gaze, Xiao Heng quickly left the shop with Bear Two.

Watching Xiao Heng's departing figure, Hai Bodong sighed and muttered, "Kid, I hope you won't disappoint this old man!"

He then turned around and began repairing his shop. Fortunately, his place was rather secluded. Otherwise, with such an intense battle earlier, people would have come long ago. Still, not long after, a group arrived here, only to be driven back by Hai Bodong's aura. He was Hai Bodong, the Ice Emperor—he would not be so courteous to everyone.

As Xiao Heng traveled farther away, he looked back and curled his lips into a smile. This trip to Desert City had truly made him very happy.

He turned around. "Bear Two, let's go!"

"Mm! Xiao Heng, where are we going this time?"