Gute

Rays of sunlight scattered the darkness, slowly climbing into every corner of the world...

Xiao Yi Xian woke from her slumber and looked helplessly at Little Spirit, who was lying on top of her.

She ruffled her messy hair and nudged Little Spirit awake.

After getting ready, the two of them looked like fairies. Xiao Yi Xian put away Chi Han, who was still sleeping, and led the groggy Little Spirit downstairs to eat.

"Miss?"

Liu Yan greeted Xiao Yi Xian as she came down and ordered two more portions of food from the waiter.

Xiao Yi Xian sat across from Liu Yan and asked, "Do you know Gute?"

Liu Yan was taken aback by the question, then nodded. "How could I not? That Gute is quite the oddball among Medicine Masters!"

Thinking of Gute, Liu Yan couldn't help recalling that annoying figure. The guy had a truly bizarre personality. Despite having decent talent in medicine refinement and being the younger brother of Pill King Gu He, he was obsessed with collecting all kinds of rare treasures and exotic artifacts, which kept him stuck at the third rank. His obsession was almost pathological—once he spotted someone with something good, he'd pester them relentlessly, driving people crazy with annoyance.

Xiao Yi Xian smiled slightly upon hearing that Liu Yan knew Gute. "We came here for him."

Liu Yan was stunned for a moment, then understood. Gute's collection was indeed worth a look; maybe they could trade for something good.

After a pleasant breakfast, Liu Yan led Xiao Yi Xian and Little Spirit through over a dozen dizzying streets in Black Rock City before finally stopping in front of a strange building tucked away in a remote corner near the southern part of the city.

Looking up at the bizarre structure, Liu Yan sighed, then turned to Xiao Yi Xian with a smile. "Miss, this is where that weirdo Gute lives."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded in acknowledgment. She knew, after all, she'd read the original story.

Liu Yan walked ahead and pushed open the door, but before he could step inside, a fierce gust of energy surged out from within, carrying a cloud of black powder.

Faced with the sudden attack, Liu Yan curled his lip and swept his sleeve sharply. An even stronger burst of energy materialized out of thin air, sending the black powder flying back inside.

The black powder gradually dissipated, revealing the dirty, cluttered room beyond.

Clapping his hands, Liu Yan glanced at Xiao Yi Xian, who remained unfazed, and said with a smile, "That old geezer loves pulling pranks like this. That black powder won't poison you, but if it gets on your skin, it'll itch like crazy."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded from behind. After all, Xiao Yan had already gone through this in the book, so she knew a bit about it, though not in great detail.

Even with her good memory, she'd only been an ordinary person in her past life; remembering the gist of a novel was already impressive.

"Come on, stay close behind me and try not to touch anything." With a chuckle, Liu Yan stepped into the room first. Xiao Yi Xian glanced at Little Spirit, nodded, and followed.

As they entered the dim room, the door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang, making Xiao Yi Xian shake her head in resignation again.

This prankster personality was really annoying. Someone needed to give him a good beating!

Her eyes swept over the room, which looked like a garbage dump, as she followed Liu Yan across several rickety wooden stairs that seemed ready to collapse at any moment. After enduring a few more random traps, they finally reached the top floor.

At the end of the stairs, Liu Yan let out a relieved breath. Looking up at a wooden door at the end of the corridor, he turned to Xiao Yi Xian. "Miss, this should be it."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded to show she understood. Getting here really hadn't been easy.

Liu Yan glanced down at his robe, which had a few small holes melted into it by a corrosive liquid from the stairs. His mouth twitched as he gritted out, "That old bastard. Instead of learning proper medicine refinement, he wastes his time on these shady tricks..."

Hearing his complaint, Xiao Yi Xian gave a faint smile. She knew Gute didn't end up well in the end.

"Proper medicine refinement, my ass! What's not proper about my stuff? You old scoundrel, don't think just because you rarely come see me, I won't kick you out!" Just as Xiao Yi Xian smiled, a hoarse, angry voice rang out from the room at the end of the corridor.

"You're the old scoundrel." Rolling his eyes, Liu Yan waved his sleeve irritably, led Xiao Yi Xian down the corridor, and stopped outside the door. He kicked hard at what seemed to be a wooden door.

"Clang!"

His foot hit the door, and a crisp metallic sound rang out. Liu Yan's eye twitched as he turned to see his own face twisted in pain.

That looked painful...

Little Spirit watched the middle-aged man with curiosity, clearly sensing the fracture.

"Haha, old man! After you kicked down my last door, I had someone replace it with a solid steel one. Fun, huh?" The hoarse laughter came from inside the room again, this time with a note of schadenfreude.

"You old bastard..." Liu Yan's face contorted as he sucked in a sharp breath, his expression turning livid. Powerful Dou Qi began to rise from his body, enveloping him like a human torch, and he melted the door down completely.

Liu Yan stormed inside, glaring at the grinning Gute, and unleashed his formidable soul pressure.

"Uh!" Feeling the immense soul force, Gute dropped his grin and said cautiously, "Brother Liu, don't be mad, don't be mad, hehe!"

Seeing how flippant Gute was, Liu Yan snorted, withdrew his flames and pressure, and stepped aside.

Though Gute was a bit surprised that Liu Yan had advanced further, his eyes lit up at the two beautiful women who had entered.

Xiao Yi Xian gave Gute a mysterious smile. The Sword Box on her back radiated a powerful pressure, a sovereign aura that pressed down on him.

"Ugh!"

Gute grunted, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and looked at Xiao Yi Xian with fear in his eyes.

"A powerhouse. Definitely a powerhouse!"

Gute was certain—she was a true expert, and not an ordinary one at that. That pressure was definitely above Dou Emperor level.

Forcing down his discomfort, Gute gave an awkward smile. "May I ask what brings you two esteemed ones to my place?"

Seeing Gute like this, Liu Yan couldn't help sneering inwardly. What a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong.

If it weren't for his brother, Pill King Gu He, and their years of friendship... well, hmph.