Zi Yan: I'm an Ancient Void Dragon?

This was a Red Lotus Fruit, the main ingredient for refining a fifth-tier Red Lotus Pill. Its medicinal potency was incredibly fierce.

The pure energy it contained could help Zi Yan grow quickly. It was exactly what she needed most right now.

She had only found this fruit after great difficulty. Was it going to be snatched away before she had even had the chance to enjoy it?

Zi Yan bit her lower lip and looked up at Ling Yuan's handsome face, unable to stop herself from muttering inwardly, Such a good-looking big brother—why does he have to do something so shameless as taking things by force?

Wary of Ling Yuan's strength, Zi Yan reluctantly took out the Red Lotus Fruit, her little face full of reluctance.

"Here, take it."

Ling Yuan looked down and saw several faint, uneven nail marks on the smooth surface of the Red Lotus Fruit. Zi Yan had clearly scratched at it repeatedly with her nails just moments ago.

This was Zi Yan's little scheme.

She thought that once Ling Yuan saw the ruined fruit, he might dislike it and stop trying to take it from her.

Ling Yuan found it amusing. Zi Yan's trick was far too clumsy.

A little girl who was both greedy and so protective of her food was simply too easy to coax away.

Ling Yuan quickly came up with a plan.

Rather than taking the Red Lotus Fruit, Ling Yuan frowned slightly, putting on a disgusted expression as he shook his head. "How could this fruit possibly taste better than my Red Lotus Pills?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his wrist, and a small white jade bottle appeared in his palm.

The instant he pulled out the stopper, a rich, mellow pill fragrance spread through the air, lingering across a radius of several yards.

Ling Yuan casually poured out two pills. They were crimson throughout, with faint pill patterns flowing over their surfaces, and their energy fluctuations were several times stronger than those of the Red Lotus Fruit.

Ling Yuan deliberately displayed them for Zi Yan to see.

As expected, Zi Yan could not resist such temptation. Her gaze was instantly locked onto them, and her gem-like eyes were filled with longing.

She had been at Jia Nan Academy for so long, yet she had never had the chance to get her hands on more than a few fourth-tier pills, let alone fifth-tier ones.

The last time she had secretly stolen and eaten a fourth-tier Qi Condensation Pill, Great Elder Su Qian had lectured her for an entire day.

Yet the bottle in Ling Yuan's hand contained at least twenty fifth-tier Red Lotus Pills!

Seeing this, Ling Yuan deliberately tossed the two pills into his mouth. He chewed lightly, an expression of utter enjoyment appearing on his face.

"Mmm, Red Lotus Pills really do taste far better than Red Lotus Fruit."

Zi Yan watched eagerly, her throat bobbing unconsciously. She was so tempted that she nearly drooled.

She truly could not endure it any longer. Taking two steps forward, she raised her little face, her tone direct and bold as she held out her hand to Ling Yuan.

"Can you give me one?"

They had only just met, yet Zi Yan already dared to ask Ling Yuan for something. It was unbelievable.

Zi Yan simply had no ulterior motives. She was pure and bold, saying whatever came to mind.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Ling Yuan was amused by Zi Yan's forthright and interesting nature.

Zi Yan thought Ling Yuan was laughing at her, but she really wanted to eat that pill.

Ling Yuan handed one to her, and Zi Yan accepted it as though it were a priceless treasure.

Without caring whether there might be anything wrong with the pill, she popped it straight into her mouth.

Chew, chew, chew. Her eyes instantly narrowed into slits, and an expression of incomparable bliss appeared on her face as she mumbled indistinctly, "Delicious, delicious!"

A stream of pure energy instantly surged into her body and traveled along her meridians, making her let out a soft moan of comfort.

After eating this pill, she was one step closer to growing up.

Yet Zi Yan's gaze remained glued to the jade bottle in Ling Yuan's hand, and she swallowed again.

She still wanted more, but she had already asked once. She felt a little embarrassed about opening her mouth again.

"You still want some?" Ling Yuan asked teasingly.

Zi Yan nodded rapidly, her eyes brimming with anticipation.

"You can have more." Ling Yuan's tone shifted, turning serious. "But my pills aren't free. You need to trade something for them."

Ling Yuan would not spoil Zi Yan without limits simply because she was Zhu Kun's daughter.

One-sided giving was never advisable.

Zi Yan froze for a moment, then immediately held out the Red Lotus Fruit, which had been scratched into a pitted mess by her nails. Ling Yuan directly shook his head. "I don't want that!"

Zi Yan was troubled. She had searched through everything she carried, but the Red Lotus Fruit was all she had.

What was she supposed to do? She still wanted another pill so she could grow up faster.

But soon, Zi Yan thought of something she could offer.

"I can find treasures! I'll help you find heavenly treasures and rare herbs!"

"I'll be responsible for finding them, and you'll deal with the magical beasts guarding them. I won't take any of what we find; you just have to give me pills. Is that okay?"

Zi Yan looked at him expectantly.

"That works." Ling Yuan nodded. This had been part of his plan all along.

He had been guiding Zi Yan from the very beginning.

More contact was the fastest way to deepen a relationship.

Besides, he had not been transported here for long. He needed to test his own attack methods more and gain some experience.

Seeing Ling Yuan agree, Zi Yan was so happy she nearly jumped up.

"Then let's go find them!" Zi Yan stretched out her little hand and directly grabbed Ling Yuan's.

Zi Yan knew this area like the back of her hand. She knew better than anyone where spiritual herbs were hidden and where spiritual fruits grew.

She had not taken them before not because she did not want to, but because she was not strong enough to defeat the magical beasts guarding them. All she could do was watch helplessly.

Now that Ling Yuan was here, she had nothing to fear.

Not only could she obtain heavenly treasures and rare herbs in exchange for pills, but she could also vent her anger on the magical beasts that had bullied her before. It was killing two birds with one stone.

As Zi Yan led Ling Yuan around, Ling Yuan could not stand her burning gaze and gave her another pill.

Bringing along such a little girl gave him the strange feeling of raising a daughter.

"Search properly, and there will be no shortage of pills for you."

Gratitude shone in Zi Yan's eyes. "Big Brother, you're such a good person. Oh, right, my name is Zi Yan. What's yours?"

"Ling Yuan."

Zi Yan firmly memorized that name in her heart.

Next, under Zi Yan's guidance, Ling Yuan began hunting magical beasts and seizing treasures.

Since it was close to Jia Nan Academy, this forest had long been surveyed by the academy. The strongest magical beasts here were only sixth-tier magical beasts, equivalent to Dou Emperors.

Such insignificant opponents could never be a match for Ling Yuan.

Ling Yuan killed them in a single move every time, making Zi Yan's eyes sparkle repeatedly.

"Ling Yuan, it would have been great if I'd met you sooner!"

Zi Yan sighed sincerely after being rewarded with another pill.

Ling Yuan reached out and gently rubbed her purple hair, smiling as he asked, "Why do you say that?"

"If I'd met you sooner, we would have taken over this entire forest long ago and expanded farther outward."

Zi Yan forcefully waved her little hand, trying to strike the pose of someone venturing out to conquer the world.

But with her little girl appearance, that gesture seemed rather out of place and comical.

"It isn't too late to meet now. Follow me, and I'll make sure you can eat pills like these every day!"

Zi Yan's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course. Besides, my clan is in the Central Plains, not far from the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. It will be convenient for you to return there in the future."

Zi Yan instantly grew dejected.

"Go home? But I don't have a home..."

Ling Yuan said, "Your true form is an Ancient Void Dragon. Isn't that your home?"

This time, Zi Yan understood what Ling Yuan meant. She instantly became excited and grabbed Ling Yuan's hand. "My true form is an Ancient Void Dragon?"