Taste

"Tomorrow, go prepare three stalks of Purple Orchid Grass, two Marrow Cleansing Flowers, and one Rank 1 Wood-type Magic Core. The older the Purple Orchid Grass, the better. The rest doesn't matter. Leave what comes after to your teacher!"

Yao Lao paid no attention to Xiao Yan's slightly stunned expression and continued speaking on his own.

"Old man, do you think I'm an imperial prince or something? Where would I get the money to buy all that? Just that one Rank 1 Wood-type Magic Core would be enough to bankrupt me!"

Xiao Yan glared at Yao Lao, cursing in somewhat of a panic.

"That's none of my concern. How you handle it is your problem. Also, remember to call me Teacher. Show some respect!" Yao Lao said calmly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt rather depressed. What kind of lousy teacher was this? When other people took a master, they were given cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, and resources. Why was it different when it came to him? He even had to prepare the materials himself.

His eyes shifted, and a trace of slyness appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

"Heh heh... Teacher, look, I'm already your disciple. Shouldn't a teacher give some kind of gesture... like a first-meeting gift or something?"

Yao Lao rolled his eyes. "Get lost. This old man hasn't even received your apprenticeship gift yet! And you're already trying to take advantage of me!"

Seeing that this path was blocked, Xiao Yan turned to Xiao Bai and looked at him pitifully.

"Bai Ge...!"

Xiao Bai shot him an annoyed glance and said:

"Get lost. I have no money. I never use money. I'm not interested in money!"

Xiao Yan choked on those words, speechless in his heart.

As expected. Truly worthy of being you, Show-off King Bai Ge! Forever full of style.

Then he looked toward Xiao Xun Er, a hint of struggle in his eyes. From childhood until now, he had never borrowed money from a girl before. But thinking that this was for cultivation, he could only grit his teeth and shamelessly go through with it.

"Heh heh, sister-in-law, look... could you lend me some money?"

Seeing that shameless look of his, Xiao Bai truly wanted to punch him to death.

Xiao Xun Er, however, was beaming from that "sister-in-law." She glanced at Xiao Bai, and only after seeing him nod slightly did she speak.

"How much do you need?"

Xiao Yan said cautiously, "One thousand Gold Coins!"

Hearing this, Xiao Xun Er did not say much. With a sweep of her small hand, a small pile of Gold Coins appeared on the stone table.

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up when he saw them, and he hurriedly said:

"Many thanks, sister-in-law! Many thanks, Bai Ge! Heh heh...!"

Yao Lao held his forehead with one hand, truly too ashamed to keep watching his own disciple's disgraceful appearance. For a moment, he began to wonder if accepting him as a disciple had been too hasty.

He was the mighty Venerable Yao, the number one Alchemist of the Central Continent, yet he had actually taken in such a shameless disciple. He sighed helplessly in his heart and kept comforting himself.

Forget it, forget it. Who told him this was the brat he had chosen? At this point, he could only pinch his nose and accept it.

Seeing that his goal for today had been achieved, Xiao Bai did not stay any longer. He knew Yao Lao definitely still had things to say to Xiao Yan, so he prepared to head back.

He stood up and said to Yao Lao with a smile:

"Senior, then please arrange whatever you need to on your side as soon as possible. We'll set off in three months!"

Seeing Xiao Bai's movement, Xun Er also rose and walked to his side, holding his arm.

Hearing this, Yao Lao nodded. "Don't worry! Xiao Bai, boy, this old man won't go back on what I promised you."

Xiao Bai smiled after hearing that. "Then we'll be leaving first!"

"Bai Ge!"

Seeing that Xiao Bai was about to leave, Xiao Yan could not help calling out to him. When there had been many people around earlier, he had not felt it, but now that he had to be alone with a strange teacher he had only just acknowledged, he still felt a little uncomfortable!

Xiao Bai pretended not to hear and directly left with Xun Er.

He could not help thinking that if things went on like this, Xiao Yan was probably going to become useless. He was practically turning into Xiao Yan's father.

Along the way, Xiao Xun Er looked at Xiao Bai with bright, burning eyes. She felt as if she had so many things she wanted to ask him, yet for a moment, she did not know where to begin.

Today, she had seen a side of Xiao Bai that no one knew about. He had methods, strategy, wit, and humor; he was confident and carefree. Even though he himself was only a Dou Shi, he could still go back and forth with someone who had once been a Dou Zun.

A Rank 8 Alchemist held an extremely high status even within her clan. They were not some common cabbage.

Those in her clan who were the same age as Xiao Bai would still have to maintain respect when facing a Rank 8 Alchemist.

Even if that Rank 8 Alchemist was only a remnant soul, it was still not something just any Dou Shi could handle as freely and effortlessly as Xiao Bai had today.

At the very least, she knew that even if those younger-generation members of her clan, at the Dou Shi realm, were placed in Xiao Bai's position today, they would not be able to do what Xiao Bai had done.

"Little girl, why are you looking at me like that? Did I get even more handsome today?"

Seeing Xun Er staring straight at him the entire way, Xiao Bai teased her with a smile.

"That's right! Xiao Bai Gege was super handsome today. Xun Er likes you so much!" Seeing Xiao Bai tease her, Xiao Xun Er took the chance to speak the words in her heart.

"Haha... My Xun Er really has good taste!"

Seeing the little girl cooperate with him so well, Xiao Bai could not help laughing. Then he deliberately put on a smug air and said:

"But Xun Er's taste still isn't as good as Xiao Bai Gege's!"

Hearing this, Xiao Xun Er blinked her lively eyes and smiled. "Then tell me, Xiao Bai Gege, where is Xun Er's taste inferior to yours?"

Xiao Bai smiled, stopped walking, and looked at her seriously.

"Because Xun Er's eye only found Xiao Bai, while Xiao Bai's eye found a girl as wonderful as Xun Er. Tell me, doesn't that mean Xiao Bai has the better eye?"

When Xiao Xun Er heard those perfectly ordinary words, she froze for a moment. Her heart felt a little sweet, and a little sour; she wanted to smile, but also felt like crying.

She threw herself into Xiao Bai's arms, rested her head on his shoulder, and rebutted him in a muffled, slightly sobbing voice:

"No, it's not. Xun Er clearly has the better eye!"

Xiao Bai had not expected the little girl to react so strongly. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, then dotingly stroked the little head on his shoulder.

"All right! We both have good eyes, okay?"

Xiao Xun Er nodded against Xiao Bai's shoulder.

"Mm!"

Xiao Bai laughed despite himself. This little girl even had to argue over something like this!

Xiao Xun Er held him for quite a while before letting go, her eyes red.

Seeing this, Xiao Bai said nothing more. He took her jade-like hand and slowly walked down the mountain with her.

After they returned to the small courtyard, Xiao Xun Er gradually came out of her emotions. She pulled Xiao Bai to sit down by the table and asked softly:

"Xiao Bai Gege, are you going to learn alchemy?"

Xiao Xun Er had never made a habit of prying into Xiao Bai's affairs, but today he had used a mature Heavenly Flame to exchange for the inheritance of a Rank 8 Alchemist, which made her a little curious.

Heavenly Flames were not exactly common things. Even among the various imperial clans, they were rarely seen.

"Mm! I do have that plan, to give it a try."

Although his method of trying was a little wildly imaginative, and he had no idea whether anyone on the Dou Qi Continent had ever used lightning arts for alchemy before.

But Xiao Bai trusted Xun Er. There were some things he could not tell her, but there was no harm in talking to her about alchemy.

"But you are...?" Xun Er seemed to want to speak, yet held back.

Xiao Bai knew what she wanted to say. After thinking for a moment, he stretched out both hands. On one palm, azure lightning appeared, and a surge of Yi Wood Qi spread out.

Around his other hand, Crimson Thunder coiled, and a scorching heat rushed toward her.

Moreover, both kinds of thunder carried a violent aura, with the Crimson Thunder being especially intense.