It Was All Yao Lao's Fault!

The desert baked beneath the blazing sun. High above, the sun wantonly poured down its scorching heat, roasting the entire desert until the air warped. From afar, it seemed as though the whole world had twisted out of shape.

Atop a sand dune, Hai Bodong held a jade bottle and a jade spatula, pouring out the thick, fiery-red liquid within and gently spreading it over Lu Bu's body with the spatula.

Lu Bu's body trembled slightly. The intense burning sensation from Burning Blood made him grimace in pain, but he did not groan.

The one applying medicine for him was a lousy old man, not some pretty young maid. It was not worth wasting expressions over.

"Brother Lu, this stuff isn't low-grade, is it?" Hai Bodong asked in surprise, shaking the bottle of Burning Blood. His Dou Qi was ice-attributed, so while he disliked this fire energy, he could still clearly sense the vast yet gentle energy within it.

That did not suit the nature of fire energy, which had always been known for its violence.

"Only fourth grade..." Lu Bu glanced at Hai Bodong behind him and sighed. "When I get the chance, I definitely need to find a pretty maid. Looking at a lousy old man just makes me uncomfortable."

Hai Bodong's face darkened. He was the dignified Ice Emperor. Others had always waited on him, yet after rarely serving someone else for once, he was actually being disliked.

But after saying that, Lu Bu ignored him. Burning Blood had already been applied properly over his body. He formed hand seals, half-closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

As he watched Lu Bu enter his cultivation state, Hai Bodong's gaze flickered. With his eyesight, he could naturally tell at a glance that this brat was only around a five- or six-star Dou Fighter. But how did he possess such powerful soul strength?

Could he be some Old Monster who had possessed another body and started cultivating anew?

Who would be that bored? Besides, possession was not something one could accomplish merely by wanting to...

"Forget it. No point thinking about it..." Hai Bodong rubbed his brow and turned his gaze outward. He had to stand guard for Lu Bu. Otherwise, if something happened to this brat, his pills would be ruined.

An hour later, Lu Bu finished cultivating, opened his eyes, put on his clothes, and dashed toward Stone Desert City.

"Lu Bu, why aren't we going to the place in the west?" Hai Bodong asked as they ran. On the map of Heavenly Flames he had made, there were three places where Heavenly Flames might exist. One was west of their current location, another was in the east, and the last... required going deep into the Snake People Tribe's territory, perhaps even farther.

The western location was the closest to them, yet Lu Bu had not chosen it and had instead chosen the eastern one.

"The two places are about the same distance from us." Lu Bu cast him a glance and said blandly, "But there's a city in the east. I can find a pretty little maid there."

Hai Bodong's eye twitched. Just how much did this brat dislike him?

Stone Desert City, a border city in the desert.

It faced the Snake People Tribe directly and was the first line of defense against them. Calling it an important border stronghold and military position would not be an exaggeration. Its city lord was a Dou Ling, but his main responsibility was actually to give warnings.

Once the Snake People Tribe made any unusual moves, that Dou Ling's job was to call for reinforcements from within the empire.

Within a cluster of buildings in the western part of the city lay the headquarters of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group. Xiao Ding looked solemnly at his younger brother, Xiao Li.

"You were a little too impulsive." Xiao Ding said in a deep voice. "You shouldn't have attacked the Sand Mercenary Group people back then..."

"Big Brother!" Xiao Li glared at his elder brother. "That bastard Mo Xing had already bullied us to our doorstep. Were we still supposed to hold back?"

"I mean... you attacked too early!" Xiao Ding said irritably.

"You should have waited until we had more people before attacking, then made sure to break all their legs and leave them unable to get out of bed for ten days or half a month."

"Hehe..." Xiao Li scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. He truly was not as experienced as his elder brother.

"If something like this happens in the future, use your brain before using your fists..." Xiao Ding said, glaring at his brother.

At that moment, a female mercenary ran in to report, "Commander, someone has come to visit. He says he is a friend of you two brothers."

"A friend of us brothers?" Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged looks. Yours or mine?

"..."

Apparently, neither of them knew him. So he was just making it up?

"Tell him to..."

"Commanders, he is also a First Grade Alchemist."

"...You should have said so sooner!"

Xiao Ding shot the mercenary a glare and swallowed the word "scram" that had reached his lips. No matter who this First Grade Alchemist was, that status alone demanded his serious attention.

"Come on. Let's go meet this visiting friend," Xiao Ding said, clapping his hands.

In the reception hall, Lu Bu looked around. The Mo Tie Mercenary Group's architecture was quite plain, and along the way, Lu Bu had barely seen any extravagant decorations.

Given Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's talent, getting into Jia Nan Academy would not have been a problem.

However, Xiao Yan had been tormented at the time by his mysteriously vanishing Dou Qi. To ensure that this younger son would have a way out in the future, Xiao Zhan, as his old father, arranged for Xiao Ding and Xiao Li to go out and establish a force. First, they could make a name for themselves; second, they could leave Xiao Yan a fallback plan.

So... it was all Yao Lao's fault!

Otherwise, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li could have enjoyed a happy life at the academy instead of eating sand here.

"Hahaha, brother, welcome to our Mo Tie Mercenary Group..." A hearty laugh rang out from outside as two young men strode in.

Lu Bu smiled and clasped his hands. "Brother Xiao Ding, Brother Xiao Li, I am Lu Bu. Please forgive the disturbance."

The two were stunned. At first, they had assumed he was someone deliberately trying to claim kinship with them. Then, upon hearing that he was an alchemist, they had selectively ignored his earlier claim to be a friend of the brothers.

But now, seeing Lu Bu's gentle and friendly manner, a thought arose in their hearts... Could he be connected to their third brother?

"Brother Lu..." The two looked somewhat excited. One invited Lu Bu to sit while the other called for tea.

"Brother Lu, have you met our third brother?" Xiao Ding hurriedly asked. He had been away from home for several years. It was impossible for him not to miss his father and younger brother.

"Haha, of course I've met that kid Xiao Yan..." Lu Bu said with a smile. Seeing their expressions, he began describing Xiao Yan's recent circumstances one by one.

Naturally, things like Yao Lao and the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King were far too shocking for them, so Lu Bu selectively kept them hidden.

Meanwhile, in the northwest of the city, a white-haired old man kicked open the gates of the Sand Mercenary Group. The huge bang instantly threw the entire Sand Mercenary Group into chaos.

"Damn it, which blind bastard is that?"

"What nerve! Coming here to cause trouble for our Sand Mercenary Group!"

"So it's just some old thing. Hehe... looks like he's tired of living!"

"..."

Hai Bodong looked at the noisy mercenaries before him and asked indifferently, "Which one of you is the commander here, Rob?"

"Old thing, since you've come to our place, stay here forever!" a sinister-looking man with bandages wrapped around his arm and head said coldly.

"What a bother..." Hai Bodong rolled his eyes. With a boom, his aura suddenly erupted. The violent, chaotic, bone-chilling wind instantly froze the nearest few people into ice sculptures, including the sinister man who had just spoken.

The rest fled inside in a panic, scrambling to report to the strongest person in the entire Sand Mercenary Group, their commander Rob.

But there was actually no need for them to do so. The instant Hai Bodong unleashed his aura, Rob ran out desperately as if his backside had caught fire.

"M-Milord, greetings, Milord." Rob was drenched in cold sweat, his limbs going weak with fright. This was at least a Dou Ling-level powerhouse. Destroying his entire mercenary group would take no effort at all.

"Rob, right?" Hai Bodong swept his gaze over the Da Dou Shi bowing and scraping before him. "For the time being, I need you to do something for me. Can you do that?"

Rob's face twitched as he lowered his head. "Milord, command me as you please. I will certainly give it my all."

"Very good." Hai Bodong nodded and tossed him a jade bottle. "This is your advance payment. There will be more later."

Rob took it and looked inside, and his face immediately lit up with joy. Pills—third-grade pills!

"Milord, please give your orders. This subordinate will go through fire and water and die ten thousand deaths without hesitation!"