Entering the Cave Abode

Xiao Jin quickly caught up to Xiao Yi Xian below. Just then, Xiao Yi Xian took out a packet of medicinal powder from her clothes and hurled it at Xiao Jin. Xiao Jin hurriedly dodged sideways, then dropped down beside her and wrapped both arms tightly around her, preventing her from throwing any more strange things at him.

"Ah, let go of me!" Xiao Yi Xian had never been held like this by a man before. Her little face flushed crimson as she struggled with all her strength. "Don't move. Keep struggling, and believe it or not, I'll kiss you." Xiao Jin held Xiao Yi Xian even tighter, afraid she would throw him off the Cliff.

"You shameless bastard!" Xiao Yi Xian's anger exploded. Why was this guy so infuriating? He had shaken the rope above the Cliff earlier to scare her, and now he was going even further, actually putting his hands on her. "I'm shameless? You were the one who ambushed me first. I'm holding you to stop you from causing more trouble." Xiao Jin looked completely righteous. Xiao Yi Xian was so furious that tears welled up in her eyes. Clearly, the guy in front of her was trying to snatch her opportunity by force. Was she not even allowed to fight back?

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian on the verge of tears again, Xiao Jin could not bear it. "All right, don't cry. If there really is a powerful expert's cave abode below, how about we split whatever treasures are inside?"

"Why should I trust you?" Xiao Yi Xian held back the tears that were about to fall and glared fiercely at Xiao Jin. She was not as strong as him. Her cultivation talent was average, and she had only become a 1-star Dou Practitioner at the age of twenty. Though she could not tell what level the youth before her was at, and he was younger than she was, he was undoubtedly stronger than her. She could tell from his swift, decisive movements earlier.

"Then what would make you trust me?" Xiao Jin was rather helpless, but he had no choice since he was the one in the wrong. "I have a pill here. Nothing will happen after you take it, but if you don't take the antidote after two days, it will gradually corrode your meridians and affect your cultivation speed. Take it, and once I return to the crowd above, I'll give you the antidote." "No. What if you refuse to give me the antidote then? Wouldn't I be ruined?" Although Xiao Jin was not afraid of Xiao Yi Xian's so-called pill at all, he did not want to be an idiot. "Unless you take one of my pills too. Nothing will happen during the first two days after taking it, but if you don't take the antidote on the third day, you'll gain a hundred jin and become as fat as a pig." Xiao Jin said viciously.

Xiao Yi Xian shuddered. She did not want to become like that. But there was no better solution. "Fine, it's a deal." Seeing Xiao Yi Xian agree, Xiao Jin casually took out a useless pill he had exchanged from the System Mall. It only had the appearance of a pill and no other effect whatsoever, costing 10 Breakthrough Points. Xiao Yi Xian also took out a packet of medicinal powder from her Storage Ring. After both of them swallowed their respective medicines, Xiao Yi Xian felt much more at ease around Xiao Jin.

"Hey, what's your name? And how long are you planning to keep holding me?" Xiao Yi Xian's little face reddened again. "My name is Xiao Jin." Xiao Jin climbed up a short distance and stopped holding Xiao Yi Xian. Xiao Yi Xian let out a breath of relief. Being held by Xiao Jin earlier had made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Follow me." Xiao Yi Xian continued climbing down the Cliff, with Xiao Jin following closely behind. Soon, they saw a platform on the sheer Cliff face. Perhaps because it was below the Cliff, a layer of white mist usually rose around it, which was why this cave abode had remained undiscovered until today.

There was a Cave within the platform, and Xiao Jin and Xiao Yi Xian were delighted as they climbed toward it. Just then, a foul wind swept toward Xiao Yi Xian. She was shocked and had no time to react. All she could do was watch as a snake resembling stone lunged toward her to bite her. Slowly, she closed her eyes. She recognized this kind of snake—it was called a Rock Snake. Its venom was not particularly potent, but it could leave someone unable to move for two hours.

After waiting for a while, Xiao Yi Xian did not feel any pain, nor did her body go numb. She opened her eyes and saw Xiao Jin gripping the Rock Snake tightly by the neck. It was coiled around his arm, trying to crush it. With a squeeze of his hand, Xiao Jin crushed the Rock Snake to death and tossed it off the Cliff.

"Stop spacing out. Hanging like this isn't comfortable either. Hurry down onto the platform." Watching Xiao Jin easily crush the Rock Snake to death, Xiao Yi Xian felt a flicker of gratitude. The Rock Snake's venom was not fatal, but if it bit her, she would be unable to move for two hours. If the mercenaries above discovered that she could not move, the consequences were easy to imagine.

After reaching the platform, Xiao Yi Xian thanked Xiao Jin somewhat awkwardly. "Thank you. If it weren't for you just now, I would have been in danger." "It's nothing. Just let me choose first from the things inside later, all right?" Xiao Jin said indifferently. "No problem." Xiao Yi Xian agreed at once.

The two walked into the Cave and soon reached the end, where a stone wall stood before them. Dou Qi surged in Xiao Jin's hand as he prepared to force his way through. Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes. "All you know is brute force." As she spoke, she began feeling around the stone wall. Soon, she found a protrusion and pressed it inward. The stone wall slowly began to rise.

"Oh, not bad. I didn't expect you to know mechanisms." Xiao Jin was a little surprised. "There are plenty of things I know. Watch and learn." Seeing Xiao Yi Xian's smug expression, Xiao Jin smiled as well. She's pretty cute.

Soon, the stone wall had risen completely. Inside the cave abode, Night Pearls illuminated the entire place brightly. Chests of gold coins were casually placed throughout the Cave, while rare medicinal herbs grew along both sides. On a stone bed sat a skeleton in meditation, with three stone boxes placed in front of it.

Looking at the chests of gold coins, a faint gleam appeared in Xiao Jin's eyes. "All the gold coins go to me, and all the medicinal herbs go to you. What do you think?" Xiao Yi Xian was somewhat surprised. "What do you need so many gold coins for? These medicinal herbs are worth more than all those gold coins." Xiao Yi Xian thought Xiao Jin did not understand the value of these herbs, so she reminded him.

"Can't help it. I just like shiny golden things. It's an illness that can't be cured." Seeing the fervent look on Xiao Jin's face, Xiao Yi Xian said nothing more. "All right. You said you'd choose first." After Xiao Yi Xian agreed, Xiao Jin waved his hand, and all the gold coins in the Cave were collected into the System Space. Xiao Yi Xian began gathering the rare medicinal herbs.

Xiao Jin walked up to the skeleton. His Soul Power enveloped it completely, and he quickly found the fragmentary map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. With a wave of his hand, he put it away. Then he removed the key from the skeleton's hand and sat at a stone table, waiting for Xiao Yi Xian to gather the herbs.

Soon, Xiao Yi Xian finished collecting the medicinal herbs and came before Xiao Jin. She placed several jade boxes filled with herbs in front of him. "These are for you. The gold coins you took are worth far less than the medicinal herbs. I never take advantage of others."

Xiao Jin looked at Xiao Yi Xian in surprise. He had said all the medicinal herbs would be hers, yet she had still given him some. She was clearly a woman who knew her boundaries, and Xiao Jin found himself liking her a little more.

Xiao Jin did not stand on ceremony and put the medicinal herbs into the System Space. Then he took out the key and said, "You're too slow. I've been waiting for you forever." Xiao Yi Xian gritted her teeth slightly. She had gathered medicinal herbs for him, and he actually complained that she was slow. However, seeing that Xiao Jin had waited for her instead of opening the stone boxes himself, she felt he was not such a bad person after all—not someone greedy beyond measure.