Exploring the Cave

Xiao Yi Xian still had the dagger in her hand. She didn't know whether to hold on to it or throw it away, so she just stood there frozen.

"Senior..." Xiao Yi Xian said cautiously. "I'm Xiao Yi Xian. I didn't know you were here. I'll leave right away..."

As she spoke, Xiao Yi Xian started to slip away.

Ye Xiu glanced at her. "Stop."

Xiao Yi Xian stopped at once, as if her feet had been nailed to the ground.

Ye Xiu pointed at the cave behind her. "What are you doing here?"

Xiao Yi Xian's heart pounded, but she still managed to force a smile. "I... I'm just collecting herbs. I was wandering around and saw a cave, so I got curious and came to have a look..."

"Collecting herbs?" Ye Xiu sized her up. "A young girl like you came all the way into the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range to collect herbs?"

Xiao Yi Xian nodded.

Ye Xiu didn't make things difficult for her. He simply headed for the cave entrance. "Come along."

Xiao Yi Xian froze. "Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'? I said to come along." Ye Xiu didn't look back. "Weren't you curious about what's inside? I'm going in too. Since fate brought us together, I'll grant you a chance."

Xiao Yi Xian's mind raced.

Who was this person? A Dou Wang expert, yet he looked even younger than her... More importantly, was he really planning to take her inside, or was he going to kill her to silence her?

But Xiao Yi Xian knew perfectly well that she had no choice.

If he wanted to kill her, all he had to do was lift a finger. There was no need to waste words.

Xiao Yi Xian gritted her teeth and followed him.

At first, the cave entrance was so narrow that only two people could walk abreast.

Ye Xiu walked ahead, with Xiao Yi Xian following cautiously behind.

The cave was pitch-black; she couldn't see a thing. Xiao Yi Xian reached into her clothes for a fire striker, but just then Ye Xiu raised a hand. A ball of Dou Qi flame burst to life at his fingertips, instantly lighting up the surroundings.

After walking for about ten minutes, they came to a stone door blocking the passage.

Xiao Yi Xian stepped closer to inspect it, then said, "There's a mechanism here."

Ye Xiu glanced at her. Instead of smashing the door, he asked with interest, "You know how to deal with this?"

"I've read a few books and learned a little." Xiao Yi Xian crouched and felt around beneath the stone door, finally pressing down on a raised spot.

"Creak—"

The stone door slowly lifted, and light spilled out from within.

Xiao Yi Xian stood up, dusted off her hands, and smiled at Ye Xiu. "After you, Senior."

Ye Xiu nodded. "Mm."

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

Moonlight Stones were embedded in the walls, illuminating the entire room as brightly as day.

Ye Xiu glanced around. A stone chair stood in the center, with a skeleton seated on it. Its skull had fallen onto its thigh bones, and several keys still hung from its fingers.

A stone table stood in front of the chair. Three locked stone boxes rested on top.

Several piles of gold coins lay in a corner, gleaming yellow. There had to be at least a few hundred thousand.

But Ye Xiu's gaze went straight to the far corner.

There was a small flower bed built up with soil, filled with all kinds of flowers and herbs.

Xiao Yi Xian spotted it too, and her eyes went wide.

"Purple Blue Leaf, White Spirit Ginseng Fruit, Snow Lotus Seed..." she murmured, edging toward the flower bed one step at a time. "And this... this is Ice Spirit Flame Grass?!"

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

Its white stalk was covered in something like ice crystals, while its red crown looked like a ball of fire. A faint mist drifted around it, making it look like an immortal herb.

Xiao Yi Xian instinctively reached out to touch it, but suddenly remembered something. She quickly pulled her hand back and turned to look at Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu was staring at the plant.

Xiao Yi Xian's heart skipped a beat, and she hastily pulled her hand back.

Ye Xiu paid her no mind and walked over to the stone table.

Three stone boxes had been laid out on it, each matching one of the three keys.

He glanced at the keys in the skeleton's hand and reached over to pull them free. With a crack, the bones snapped.

He looked at the bony arm in his hand, then at the skeleton. After tossing the bone aside, he took the keys and went to unlock the boxes.

The first key wouldn't fit.

Neither would the second.

The third—

"Click."

The lock opened.

Ye Xiu lifted the lid. Inside lay a multicolored scroll.

He picked it up and unrolled it slightly.

Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow and turned to Xiao Yi Xian. "Do you want this?"

Xiao Yi Xian looked up, her eyes fixed on the colorful scroll.

"Senior... you mean, you're giving this to me?"

"Mm."

Xiao Yi Xian asked cautiously, "Senior, you... you don't want it?"

Ye Xiu tossed the scroll into her arms. "I don't use poison. What would I want it for?"

Xiao Yi Xian scrambled to catch it and hugged it to her chest like a treasure.

She lowered her head, her voice a little muffled. "Thank you, Senior."

Ye Xiu didn't respond. He turned to open the second stone box.

The second key went in, and the box opened.

Inside lay a black scroll.

Ye Xiu picked it up and took a look: Eagle Wings, a High-grade Xuan Tier Flying Dou Technique.

In the original story, Xiao Yan had used this to fly while only a Da Dou Shi.

But it wasn't much use to Ye Xiu now. He was already a Dou Wang and could fly on his own.

He casually tossed the scroll into his Storage Ring, then opened the third stone box.

The third box opened.

Inside was the High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique Mad Lion Roar.

Ye Xiu shrugged. It was just as he'd expected. This Dou Technique suited him perfectly, since the highest-tier techniques he currently knew were only low-grade Xuan Tier.

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

Xiao Yi Xian watched longingly, not daring to say a word.

After putting everything away, Ye Xiu glanced at the gold coins on the ground. "You don't want these?"

Xiao Yi Xian quickly shook her head. "Senior, I'm already more than satisfied that you were willing to give me the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture."

Ye Xiu didn't say anything else. With a wave of his hand, the piles of gold coins all disappeared into his Storage Ring.

"Alright, let's go."

When they reached the entrance, Ye Xiu suddenly stopped. He picked up the rib bone he had tossed aside and put it into his Storage Ring.

This was one of the fragments of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map.

"Senior, where are we going now?"

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

Xiao Yi Xian froze, then smiled. "Well... Senior, my name is Xiao Yi Xian. I'm a physician at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion in Qingshan Town. If you happen to pass by sometime, feel free to stop in."

Ye Xiu replied, "That works. I happen to have time now."

Xiao Yi Xian: "?"

A stick of incense later.

Outside Qingshan Town, Xiao Yi Xian leaned on her knees, panting. Her face was as pale as paper.

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

Xiao Yi Xian looked up at the familiar town in front of her and couldn't speak for a long while.

She was only a physician at the Dou Zhe level, and a Dou Wang expert had carried her through the air all this way. The fact that she hadn't thrown up was already impressive.

Xiao Yi Xian took a deep breath and forced a smile at Ye Xiu. "Thank you, Senior."

Ye Xiu nodded. "Mm."

As the two entered Qingshan Town together, everyone in the street looked at them.

Xiao Yi Xian's face was still pale, and her legs seemed a little weak as she walked, while Ye Xiu looked completely unaffected.

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

"Miss Xiao Yi Xian is back!"

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

"Who's that young man beside her? I've never seen him before."

The mercenaries by the roadside greeted them noisily, their eyes roaming over Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu wore a black robe and looked to be only fifteen or sixteen. There wasn't any trace of Dou Qi coming from him. But these mercenaries, who had spent years risking their lives, instinctively sensed that something was off about him.

Xiao Yi Xian forced a smile as she responded to them. Ye Xiu showed no sign of speaking, and she didn't dare say another word. She led him along the street to a shop at the eastern end of town.

"We're here, Senior." Xiao Yi Xian pushed the door open. "This is where I live, and where I treat patients."