Xiao Yi Xian

"Next, I need to gather the ingredients for the Blood Lotus Pill."

The Blood Lotus Pill was a Fifth-grade Pill, and it was essential for devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Without the Blood Lotus Pill to protect him, even a Dou Emperor would be courting death by trying to devour the Green Lotus Core Flame. (Ye Xiu still didn't know that his Innate Medicine Body made him immune to fire.)

The main ingredient in the Blood Lotus Pill was Blood Lotus Essence. It wasn't easy to find, but Ye Xiu remembered that the original story had mentioned the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion in Qingshan Town had some.

Unfortunately, the people at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion didn't know what they had. They mistook the Blood Lotus Essence for Yellow Lotus Essence and sold it to Xiao Yan for just a hundred gold coins.

A bargain like that was too good to pass up.

After resting for the night, Ye Xiu left the inn early the next morning and headed down the street.

The Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was on the eastern end of town. It was a fairly large shop, with people constantly coming and going through its doors. Ye Xiu walked in, and the smell of medicine hit him at once.

A shop assistant stood behind the counter. When he saw Ye Xiu enter, he called out, "What can I get for you, sir?"

Ye Xiu glanced around and asked directly, "Do you have any Yellow Lotus Essence?"

The shop assistant nodded. "Yes, we do. Just a moment, please."

He turned and went into the back room. Before long, he returned with a wooden box and set it on the counter.

"You're early, sir. I haven't had a chance to put this out yet. Here, Yellow Lotus Essence—just a hundred gold coins."

Ye Xiu opened the box and took a look.

Inside lay a medicinal herb about the size of a fist, deep red all over, like a clot of blood. A faint sheen shimmered across its surface, and it gave off a light medicinal fragrance.

It was Blood Lotus Essence!

Ye Xiu closed the box and casually pulled a bag of gold coins from his Storage Ring, then tossed it to the shop assistant.

"Count it."

The shop assistant opened the bag and peeked inside. His eyes lit up. "Exactly a hundred, sir. Here you go."

Ye Xiu put the wooden box in his Storage Ring and turned to leave.

After leaving the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, he didn't hurry back to the inn. Instead, he wandered around the streets for a while.

The Blood Lotus Pill also required Ice Spirit Flame Grass, which grew in a cave beneath a cliff on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

After wandering around and finding nothing that caught his interest, Ye Xiu bought a few high-grade empty jade bottles and returned to the inn.

The night passed uneventfully.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Ye Xiu left the inn.

There were already people on the streets of Qingshan Town, most of them mercenaries heading into the mountains to hunt magical beasts. In groups of three or five, they formed up and made their way out of town.

Beyond the town lay the outer reaches of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Before long, Ye Xiu reached the town gate and looked up to pick a direction.

The next second.

Boom!

Crimson-gold Dou Qi exploded from his body and gathered behind him, forming a huge pair of fiery wings.

With a beat of his wings, he soared into the sky.

In that instant, countless people in Qingshan Town looked up at once.

"Holy shit!"

A mercenary near Ye Xiu, who had just left town, dropped his knife. His eyes bulged like bells.

"Dou... Dou Qi Wing Transformation?!"

"That's a Dou King!"

"A Dou Wang expert?!"

The streets of the town erupted into chaos. A vendor who heard someone shout "Dou King" abandoned his stall and ran. A dozen mercenaries burst out of a tavern, all of them craning their necks to look at the sky.

Someone pointed upward. "Look! There!"

A streak of crimson-gold light cut across the sky, moving at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it vanished in the direction of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"Good heavens, it really is a Dou King!"

"What's a Dou King doing in a dump like Qingshan Town?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's just passing through..."

"Those wings are fucking awesome..."

The crowd buzzed with discussion, but no one got a clear look at the figure.

Ye Xiu paid no attention to the people below.

He beat his wings and flew deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He moved incredibly fast, the forests below racing past.

After about half an hour, Ye Xiu lowered his altitude and began searching for the cliff.

The original story had been vague. He only remembered that the cliff was in the eastern part of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, with a cave beneath it.

Ye Xiu slowed down, flying along while looking below.

After flying for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, he finally spotted it.

A steep cliff lay ahead, its face nearly vertical. From the top, it looked to be at least several hundred meters deep.

Ye Xiu folded his wings and dropped toward the bottom.

The wind roared past his ears, but he remained steady.

As he neared the bottom, Ye Xiu paused in surprise.

There was a cave at the bottom of the cliff, and someone was standing outside it.

A woman.

She wore a pale white dress, and her long hair fell over her shoulders. Her skin was as white as snow. Her features were delicate, and her eyes gentle. She looked soft and frail, but there was a sharp, lively glint in her eyes.

She stood outside the cave, head lowered as if examining something, muttering under her breath.

"Strange. Why is there a cave here...?"

Watching her from midair, Ye Xiu's mouth twitched.

This had to be Xiao Yi Xian.

In a place like Qingshan Town, there couldn't be many pretty girls bold enough to venture alone into the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. She was probably the only one.

Ye Xiu didn't hurry down. He watched from above.

Xiao Yi Xian circled the cave entrance several times, then seemed to make up her mind. She took a small pouch from her waist and sprinkled something by the entrance. It was probably insect repellent or something similar.

Then she took a deep breath and stepped into the cave.

Then she stepped back out.

Ye Xiu couldn't help laughing.

She had some courage, just not quite enough.

He stopped watching, folded his wings, and dropped straight down.

"Who?!"

Xiao Yi Xian jumped in fright and whirled around, her hand already reaching for the dagger at her waist.

Then she froze.

Standing in front of her was a young man who looked even younger than she was. He wore black and was quite handsome, his expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk.

"Y-you... who are you?" Xiao Yi Xian didn't let her guard down. She clutched her dagger tightly.

Ye Xiu countered, "What are you doing here?"

Xiao Yi Xian didn't answer. She looked him up and down. Anyone who could appear alone in the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range was no ordinary person. She cautiously asked, "Did you... just fly down from the sky?"

Ye Xiu nodded.

Xiao Yi Xian's pupils contracted.

He'd flown down from the sky?

Dou Qi Wing Transformation?

A Dou King?!

She was completely flustered.

In a little place like Qingshan Town, a Dou Shi was considered an expert, and even a Da Dou Shi could throw his weight around. Now a Dou King had suddenly appeared—and he was so young?

"S-senior." Xiao Yi Xian's voice trembled. "This junior is Xiao Yi Xian. I didn't know you were here, Senior. Please forgive my intrusion."