Homeward Journey

After spending an entire day sweeping through the area and visiting nearly all of the eastern district, Xiao Yi Xian and Ya Fei had bought enough things to fill an entire Ring. Only when the sky began to darken did they reluctantly head back. After dropping Ya Fei off at the Mite'er Family by carriage, Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian continued on to their residence.

As soon as they entered, a maid respectfully approached them. "Pill King, the Great Elder asked me to inform you that Xiao Yi Xian's magical beast has been moved behind the house."

"Haha, Brother Teng Shan really understands me." Gu He laughed at the arrangement.

Whenever he left, he preferred to depart directly. He did not like having a crowd see him off; it was troublesome, time-consuming, and required too much pointless politeness. With Xiao Lan brought here directly, they could set off first thing tomorrow morning.

"Master, let's go see Xiao Lan together! I haven't seen it in so many days. I miss it." Xiao Yi Xian tugged Gu He's arm and pleaded sweetly.

"Alright, let's go together." Gu He rubbed Xiao Yi Xian's hair and agreed.

After dismissing the maid, Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian headed toward the rear of the house.

Screech!

Sensing Xiao Yi Xian's presence, Xiao Lan let out a clear eagle cry. Xiao Yi Xian quickly went over to soothe it. After several days of digestion, it had fully absorbed the medicinal pills it had been fed. Its entire body had grown a full size larger, making it look even more imposing and majestic.

"Xiao Lan, we're leaving tomorrow. We're going back to the Monster Mountain Range." Xiao Yi Xian stroked its feathers as she spoke to it.

It was unclear whether Xiao Lan understood, but it rubbed its head against Xiao Yi Xian.

The protruding feathers atop Xiao Lan's head tickled Xiao Yi Xian, making her giggle.

Gu He walked to Xiao Lan's side and sent Dou Qi throughout its body, carefully examining it. He needed to determine how well it had adapted to the pills so he could adjust the dosage for its second feeding, maximize their effect, and help Xiao Lan advance as soon as possible.

He sensed several hidden injuries within Xiao Lan's body. From the lingering aura around those tiny wounds, he knew that it had been given too many pills the first time. While that had accelerated Xiao Lan's advancement, it had also left behind many hidden dangers. Gu He decided to wait until they returned to the Small Valley and completely healed its injuries before feeding it any more pills.

Xiao Yi Xian was still excitedly communicating with Xiao Lan. She could relax, but as her master, Gu He had to fulfill his responsibility to keep her on track.

"Xian'er, you can communicate with Xiao Lan all you want while riding on its back tomorrow. Right now is the golden hour for cultivation. It's time to train." Gu He withdrew his hand from Xiao Lan.

"Yes, Master." Although Xiao Yi Xian was reluctant, she knew she could not slack off in her cultivation.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Lan, Xiao Yi Xian returned to Gu He's side, and the two walked back toward the courtyard together. A light breeze blew past, and the hair behind them seemed to drift together.

Back in his room, Gu He took out the last seventh-grade pill formula. After memorizing it, he seriously absorbed Spiritual Energy to strengthen his Soul Power.

The next day, without disturbing anyone, Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian sat on Xiao Lan's back and flew toward the Monster Mountain Range.

Once it was confirmed that the Pill King had left, the members of the Mite'er Family in the courtyard hurried to report it to Teng Shan.

Teng Shan merely nodded, unsurprised by the outcome. He said to Kyle, who stood waiting nearby, "Inform the major families that handed over medicinal ingredients. Tell them the Pill King will finish refining the pills in three months, so they do not become needlessly suspicious. As for the exact location, the Pill King told us to mention it after three months, so we will speak of it then."

Kyle accepted the order and left. Teng Shan walked to the window and watched several Dragon Bone Flowers slowly bloom beneath the bright sunlight outside.

News of Gu He's departure quickly spread among the upper-class families of the Imperial Capital. Most merely regretted that the Pill King had stayed for too short a time, leaving them no chance to make his acquaintance. The younger generation was the happiest; they no longer had to be confined at home by their parents at every turn for fear of offending someone they could not afford to provoke. Only the few families that had handed medicinal ingredients to Gu He harbored some doubts, but after receiving reliable news of the finished pills from the Mite'er Family, they too were reassured. Thus, Gu He's departure from the Imperial Capital stirred only a small breeze among its upper circles. Most people in the Imperial Capital did not even know that the Pill King had ever come.

Having fully digested the medicinal pills, Xiao Lan was noticeably faster and steadier. In just eight hours, it had nearly crossed half the Jia Ma Empire and arrived at the Monster Mountain Range.

Upon returning to the Small Valley, both Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian relaxed considerably.

"Whew, although the Imperial Capital is prosperous, it's still more comfortable here. There's no need to think about so many things, and there aren't so many people." Xiao Yi Xian climbed down, rubbed her waist, which had grown sore from sitting for so long, and stretched lazily.

"Mm, now that we're back, enjoy it while you can. But I'll be heading to the Black Corner Region soon, and I'm worried about leaving you here alone. Before I leave, I'll arrange for you to stay with the Mite'er Family in the Imperial Capital—the family Ya Fei and Teng Shan belong to." Though saying it now was somewhat of a mood-killer, it was better to say it immediately than put it off.

"I don't want to go to the Imperial Capital. If you leave, I'll stay here and guard our home." Xiao Yi Xian spoke with considerable determination. Afterward, she walked off to speak with Xiao Lan, clearly leaving Gu He no chance to persuade her.

Gu He smiled bitterly and rubbed his nose, feeling rather helpless toward Xiao Yi Xian. She definitely would not listen right now, so he could only wait a few days until she was in a better mood before trying again.

After a simple dinner, Gu He first guided Xiao Yi Xian through several rounds of Water Mandala cultivation. By the time the sky had completely darkened, he prepared Earth Core Body Tempering Milk for her once more. Gu He then returned to his room, swallowed a pill to remove the seal within his body, and began another round of cultivation.

After cultivating through the night and restoring both his Dou Qi and Soul Power to their peak states, Gu He opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.

He had already mastered the strength of a Dou Emperor Two Stars and had even improved slightly. His Soul Power was roughly ten percent stronger than it had been before returning to the Imperial Capital.

It was time to meet the Sixth Tier Magical Beast of the Monster Mountain Range. Gu He muttered softly to himself.

Gu He was now a Dou Emperor Two Stars, and he could skillfully use two Earth-grade Dou Techniques. His strength exceeded that of ordinary Dou Emperor-level magical beasts. Furthermore, as an alchemist, he possessed enough pills to restore his Dou Qi and heal his wounds. He could wear down magical beasts of similar strength, and even against beasts slightly stronger than himself, he could still win as long as he dragged out the battle.

However, most Sixth Tier Magical Beasts had their own territories, and there was only one nearby. Several months ago, when Gu He had been searching for Fifth Tier Magical Beasts to challenge, he had relied on the Soul Power of an alchemist, far stronger than that of ordinary people, to sense an aura on a mountainside that was much more powerful than that of a Fifth Tier Magical Beast. Yet that aura had not been enough to make him feel fear at the time. Gu He had therefore determined that a Sixth Tier Magical Beast lived atop that mountain.

As for other Sixth Tier Magical Beasts, finding them would undoubtedly require a great deal of time. Gu He decided to meet this nearest one first. Since they were both Dou Emperors, even if he could not defeat it, he could still escape with human agility and his ample supply of Dou Qi-restoring pills.

After reminding Xiao Yi Xian not to take Xiao Lan outside today and to remain safely in the Small Valley, Gu He summoned his Dou Qi Wings and flew toward the place he remembered.