The Solution to Evil Fire, Ma Hongjun's Efforts

After saying this, without waiting for Ma Hongjun to react or press for more, Xiao Qing lay down on the bed fully clothed and closed his eyes.

The days of maintaining constant vigilance in the Sunset Forest, the bumpy journey back, and the various matters he needed to think through and handle upon his return had left him mentally exhausted.

He needed to rest to conserve his energy for tomorrow's tug-of-war with Flender regarding the dormitory expansion, as well as for his subsequent cultivation plans.

As for whether Ma Hongjun believed him or would go find Oscar, that was their own business. He had provided the information and the direction; how to choose was Ma Hongjun's freedom.

If he truly had the heart to change, Xiao Qing would be happy to see it happen. After all, no one could say for sure what the future held, and having more friends meant having more paths to take.

Ma Hongjun froze, his small eyes widening on his chubby face as he stared straight at Xiao Qing, who had already lain down and appeared ready to sleep.

"Evil Fire... Oscar has a way?"

He muttered the words, and a look of incredulous, urgent ecstasy surged across his face. The Evil Fire that had plagued him for years, making him feel inferior and unable to speak of it, actually had a solution other than visiting brothels? And it was that food-type soul master, Oscar?

When it came down to it, Ma Hongjun was still just a child of over eight years old. Seeing that none of the other children his age needed to frequent such disreputable places like he did, a sense of inferiority had welled up within him.

He immediately wanted to rush over and shake Xiao Qing awake to ask for clarification, but seeing Xiao Qing's "do not disturb" posture, already deep in rest, he forcibly stopped himself.

After a few interactions, he had managed to grasp a bit of Xiao Qing's personality: he was a man of his word who did things decisively.

He tossed and turned on his bed, restless, his gaze frequently darting toward the door as he anxiously waited for Oscar to return.

Dai Mubai watched all of this, the displeasure on his face deepening.

Not only had Xiao Qing rejected his "goodwill," but he had also turned around and said those things to Ma Hongjun, which made him feel subtly excluded and targeted.

The reason Dai Mubai had invited Xiao Qing earlier was to establish his image as the leader among them.

But he hadn't expected that Xiao Qing would not only be uninterested in visiting a brothel but would also easily sway Ma Hongjun, who had originally wanted to follow him.

Thinking of this, Dai Mubai let out a cold snort and stopped speaking; the atmosphere in the room became somewhat stagnant.

About half an hour later, footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by the sound of Oscar saying goodbye to Zhao Wuji.

Immediately after, the dormitory door was pushed open, and Oscar walked in, his face a mix of excitement and fatigue.

Before he could even see the situation in the room, Ma Hongjun had already sprung from his bed, rushed to Oscar in a few steps, grabbed his arm, and asked urgently:

"Oscar! Oscar! Xiao Qing said you have a way to deal with my Evil Fire? Is it true? What is the method? Tell me quickly!"

Oscar was taken aback by Ma Hongjun's sudden agitation, but then he saw Xiao Qing on the bed, eyes closed as if resting, and Dai Mubai's sour expression, and he immediately understood.

He scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, but more so happy to be recognized and able to help a companion: "My second soul skill, Clear Heart Sausage, has a calming and soothing effect."

"Xiao Qing said that when your Evil Fire flares up, it makes your emotions volatile and your mind unstable. If my sausage can help, you might be able to calm down, or at least alleviate it somewhat, so you don't have to go to, to that kind of place every time."

Having been roommates with Ma Hongjun for so long, Oscar naturally knew that Ma Hongjun needed to visit brothels to resolve his Evil Fire.

He explained the effects and duration of the Clear Heart Sausage in detail and made one on the spot to hand to Ma Hongjun.

"You can try it and eat one when you feel something is wrong. However, this is only a relief; it treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Xiao Qing also said that a fundamental solution might require other opportunities. But using it for daily control should be somewhat useful."

Ma Hongjun took the sausage, which radiated a cool and tranquil aura. Just by smelling the scent of the Clear Heart Sausage, he felt as if the Evil Fire within him had calmed down a fraction.

For the first time, a look of relief and immense gratitude appeared on Ma Hongjun's chubby face.

He patted Oscar's shoulder hard, then turned to look at Xiao Qing on the bed, who seemed to have fallen asleep. His lips moved, but in the end, he didn't disturb him, simply tucking the Clear Heart Sausage away carefully.

Then, he turned to Dai Mubai, whose expression was shifting between anger and uncertainty, puffed out his chest, and spoke with an unprecedented sense of ease and firmness:

"Boss Dai, I won't be going tonight. As for the future, I'll probably go a lot less. I think if I have the money to go to that place, I'd rather buy something good to eat or save it up. Who knows, maybe I can marry a decent wife in the future."

Dai Mubai looked at Ma Hongjun's eyes, which were filled with hope for the future, then looked at the sleeping Xiao Qing and the simple-minded, smiling Oscar.

In the end, he just snorted through his nose, turned over to face the wall, and said nothing more.

In the room, only the sound of Ma Hongjun whispering excitedly to Oscar about the details of the Clear Heart Sausage remained, along with the steady, calm breathing of Xiao Qing.

The next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Ma Hongjun was already awake.

He didn't linger in bed as he usually did; instead, he quickly sat up cross-legged and carefully took out the Clear Heart Sausage Oscar had given him the day before. He stared at it for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and swallowed the entire sausage in a few bites.

Once the sausage hit his stomach, a cool, gentle current didn't linger in his gut for long but surged upward, rushing straight to his brain and diffusing outward.

Ma Hongjun felt as if he had drunk a bowl of peppermint water; the cooling sensation rushed to the top of his head, and the emotional instability and blood-qi agitation caused by the Evil Fire over the past few days were smoothed out in an instant.

The evil thoughts in his heart gradually vanished. Ma Hongjun was now as calm as still water, and while this momentum lasted, he immediately began to meditate.

Half an hour later, the effect of the Clear Heart Sausage faded, and Ma Hongjun ended his meditation.

He tried to circulate his soul power. Although his soul power still carried the characteristic heat of the Evil Fire, the previous mania and difficulty in control were significantly reduced.

He concentrated his mind, attempting to guide a wisp of soul power to condense at his fingertips. A small cluster of crimson flame ignited, and the flame's flickering frequency was much more stable than before.

It worked! It really worked!

Ma Hongjun was ecstatic, his chubby face flushing slightly from excitement.

He could feel that the Evil Fire had not been eradicated; that scorching power still flowed within his body, but the effect of the Clear Heart Sausage allowed him to observe, feel, and even attempt to guide this power more calmly, rather than being driven by its instincts.

Although the cooling sensation had long since vanished and the familiar heat was re-emerging, Ma Hongjun didn't feel discouraged; instead, he was even more excited.

He now clearly realized how significant the changes brought by the Clear Heart Sausage were.

From now on, while the Clear Heart Sausage was in effect, he could cultivate normally without interruption, and he wouldn't need to run off to that place that always left him feeling empty and vaguely inferior afterward.

"I'll ask Oscar for one every day from now on, so I won't have to endure the pain of the Evil Fire's agitation!"

Ma Hongjun muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light as he rolled out of bed, his movements lighter than they had ever been.

Seeing Xiao Qing, who had just returned from his morning training, he immediately hurried over, his face wreathed in a grateful smile: "Xiao Qing! Xiao Qing! Oscar's Clear Heart Sausage is so useful! I tried it this morning, and that Evil Fire really can be suppressed!"

Xiao Qing was wiping non-existent sweat from his face with clear water; hearing this, he merely nodded and replied calmly: "As long as it's effective. But this is only an aid; the root lies in improving your control over your own flames."

"Control? Why would I need to control the Evil Fire? With Oscar's Clear Heart Sausage around, I don't have to worry about the Evil Fire flaring up at all!"

The naive Ma Hongjun had not yet realized the truth; in his view, with Oscar's Clear Heart Sausage available, why should he go to such great lengths to do anything else?