Exploring the Cave

Little Doctor Fairy still held the dagger in her hand, unsure whether to grip it tighter or throw it away, remaining frozen in place.

"Senior..." Little Doctor Fairy said cautiously, "This junior is Little Doctor Fairy. I didn't know you were here; I'll be leaving now..."

As she spoke, Little Doctor Fairy prepared to slip away.

Ye Xiu glanced at her: "Stop."

It was as if her feet had been nailed to the ground; Little Doctor Fairy stopped immediately.

Ye Xiu pointed to the cave behind her: "Why are you here?"

Little Doctor Fairy's heart was pounding, but she forced a smile onto her face: "I... I'm just gathering herbs. I was wandering around and saw a cave, so I got curious and came to take a look..."

"Gathering herbs?" Ye Xiu looked her over, "A young girl like you? Running deep into the Magical Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs?"

Little Doctor Fairy nodded.

Ye Xiu didn't make things difficult for her and walked straight toward the cave entrance: "Follow me."

Little Doctor Fairy was stunned: "Ah?"

"Ah what? If I tell you to follow, then follow." Ye Xiu didn't even look back, "Aren't you curious about what's inside this cave? I happen to be going in as well. Since we've met, it's fate, so I shall bestow a bit of fortune upon you."

Little Doctor Fairy's mind raced.

What kind of person was this? A Dou Wang expert, yet he looked even younger than her... The key question was, did he really intend to bring her inside, or was he planning to kill her to silence her?

But Little Doctor Fairy knew very well that she had no choice at all.

If he wanted to kill her, a flick of his finger would suffice; there was no need for idle chatter.

Little Doctor Fairy bit her silver teeth and followed him in.

The entrance was narrow at first, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

Ye Xiu walked in front, with Little Doctor Fairy following cautiously behind.

The cave was pitch black, and one couldn't even see their own fingers. Little Doctor Fairy reached into her robes to find a fire starter, but Ye Xiu raised a hand, and a cluster of Dou Qi flames erupted from his fingertips, instantly illuminating the surroundings.

After walking for about ten minutes, a stone door blocked the path ahead.

Little Doctor Fairy stepped up to examine it, then said: "There's a mechanism here."

Ye Xiu looked at her, and instead of smashing the door open, he said with some interest: "You understand this?"

"I've read a few books and learned a bit." Little Doctor Fairy crouched down, felt around the base of the stone door, and finally pressed a protruding stone.

"Creak—"

The stone door slowly lifted, and light shone from within.

Little Doctor Fairy stood up, clapped her hands, and looked at Ye Xiu with a smile: "After you, Senior."

Ye Xiu: "Hmm."

The stone chamber was quite large and much brighter than the outside.

Moonlight Stones were embedded in the walls, lighting the entire room as if it were day.

Ye Xiu scanned the room. In the center sat a stone chair, and on the chair was a skeleton, its skull having fallen onto its leg bones. Several keys hung from the skeleton's fingers.

In front of the stone chair was a stone table, upon which sat three stone boxes, all locked.

In the corner were several piles of gold coins, bright and yellow, numbering at least several hundred thousand.

But Ye Xiu's gaze fell directly on the final corner.

There was a small flower bed there, built up with soil, with a bunch of flowers and plants growing inside.

Little Doctor Fairy saw it too, and her eyes went wide.

"Purple Blue Leaf, White Spirit Ginseng Fruit, Snow Lotus Seed..." she muttered to herself, inching forward step by step, "And this... is this Ice Spirit Flame Grass?!"

In the center of the flower bed, a white and red plant stood out prominently.

The white stem had ice-crystal-like textures, while the red crown looked like a burning flame. Faint mist drifted around it, making it look like a celestial herb.

Little Doctor Fairy subconsciously reached out to touch it, but suddenly remembering something, she pulled her hand back sharply and turned to look at Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu was staring intently at the plant.

Little Doctor Fairy's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tucked her hand away.

Ye Xiu ignored her and walked to the stone table.

Three stone boxes sat there, corresponding to the three keys.

He looked at the keys in the skeleton's hand and gave them a tug. With a "crack," the bone snapped off.

He looked at the skeletal arm in his hand, then at the skeleton, tossed the bone aside, and took the keys to open the locks.

The first key wouldn't fit.

The second one didn't work either.

The third one—

"Click."

The lock clicked open.

Ye Xiu lifted the lid, revealing a colorful scroll resting inside.

He picked up the scroll and flipped through it twice.

Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Little Doctor Fairy: "Do you want this?"

Little Doctor Fairy looked up, her eyes fixed intently on the colorful scroll.

"Senior... are you saying you want to give this to me?"

"Yeah."

Little Doctor Fairy asked cautiously: "Senior, you... you don't want it?"

Ye Xiu tossed the scroll into her arms: "I don't dabble in poison, what would I want with it?"

Little Doctor Fairy scrambled to catch it, clutching it to her chest as if it were a treasure.

She lowered her head, her voice slightly muffled: "Thank you, Senior."

Ye Xiu didn't respond, turning instead to open the second stone box.

The second key slid in, and it opened.

Inside the box lay a black scroll.

Ye Xiu picked it up and took a look—Eagle Wings, a Xuan-tier high-grade flight Dou Technique.

In the original story, this was what allowed Xiao Yan to fly while still a Da Dou Shi.

However, it was useless to Ye Xiu now; he was already a Dou Wang and could fly naturally.

He tossed the scroll into his Storage Ring and moved to open the third stone box.

The third box opened.

Inside was the Xuan-tier high-grade Dou Technique Mad Lion Roar.

Ye Xiu shrugged; it was as expected. This technique was a perfect fit for him, as the highest-grade Dou Technique he currently possessed was only Xuan-tier low-grade.

He turned around and dug up all the medicinal herbs in the flower bed, placing them into his Storage Ring.

Little Doctor Fairy watched him with longing eyes, not daring to say a word.

Ye Xiu finished collecting the items and glanced at the gold coins on the ground: "You don't want these?"

Little Doctor Fairy shook her head hurriedly: "I am already satisfied that Senior was willing to bestow the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture upon me."

Ye Xiu didn't say much more; with a wave of his hand, the piles of gold coins vanished into his Storage Ring.

"Alright, let's go."

As they reached the entrance, Ye Xiu suddenly stopped, picked up the rib bone he had tossed on the ground earlier, and placed it into his Storage Ring.

Inside this lay one of the fragments of the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame map.

"Senior, where are we going now?"

Ye Xiu glanced at her: "Let's part ways here."

Little Doctor Fairy was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Then... Senior, my name is Little Doctor Fairy, and I work as a physician at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion in Qingshan Town. If you happen to pass by in the future, feel free to drop by."

Ye Xiu replied immediately: "That works, I happen to be free right now."

Little Doctor Fairy: "?"

An incense stick of time later.

Outside Qingshan Town, Little Doctor Fairy leaned on her knees, gasping for breath, her face as pale as paper.

Ye Xiu stood beside her, looking perfectly calm: "We're here."

Little Doctor Fairy looked up at the familiar town before her, unable to speak for a long time.

As a mere Dou Zhe physician, being carried through the air by a Dou Wang powerhouse for such a distance—not vomiting was already a miracle.

Little Doctor Fairy took a deep breath and forced a smile at Ye Xiu: "Thank you, Senior."

Ye Xiu: "Mm."

As the two walked into Qingshan Town together, the people on the street stared.

Mainly because Little Doctor Fairy's face was still pale and her legs seemed weak, while Ye Xiu stood beside her looking completely unaffected.

It was hard not to let one's imagination run wild.

"Miss Little Doctor Fairy is back!"

"Oh my, did you go into the mountains to gather herbs?"

"Who is that kid next to you? Never seen him before."

The mercenaries on the roadside greeted them noisily, their eyes darting toward Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu was dressed in black robes and looked only fifteen or sixteen, with no visible Dou Qi fluctuations. But these mercenaries, who lived their lives on the edge of a blade, instinctively felt that something was off about this person.

Little Doctor Fairy forced a smile to handle them. Since Ye Xiu showed no intention of speaking, she didn't dare utter a single extra word. She led Ye Xiu through the streets until they arrived in front of a shop at the east end of the town.

"We're here, Senior." Little Doctor Fairy pushed open the door, "This is where I live, and also where I treat patients."