Dragon Girl Little Zi Yan

"Quite a bountiful harvest..."

Yun Zimo sorted through the experiences he had exchanged with the elders of Jia Nan Academy over the past few days. Before him lay scroll after scroll—these were all the pedagogical insights he had gleaned from the academy!

"Once Xiao Yi Xian finishes her seclusion, I can return to the Misty Cloud Sect."

Yun Zimo stretched, his slightly weary body slowly loosening up, before he rose to head toward the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower to check on Xiao Yi Xian's condition.

"Are you Yun Zimo?"

A youthful, cold voice drifted over. Yun Zimo looked toward the source but found nothing.

"I'm down here!"

The youthful voice carried a hint of irritation. Yun Zimo instinctively looked down and finally spotted a purple-haired girl in white, only half his height, gnawing on a familiar-looking red fruit while glaring at him with angry eyes.

"Holy crap, a Heavenly Candle Fire Dragon Fruit!"

Only then did Yun Zimo realize that the familiar fruit was actually a high-grade medicinal herb, the Heavenly Candle Fire Dragon Fruit!

"Are you Zhu Zi Yan?!"

Light purple hair cascading to her waist, a child-like physique, clear and unblemished eyes, and eating high-grade medicinal herbs raw...

Every one of these traits pointed to one "person"—no, dragon—the dragon girl, Zhu Zi Yan!

"You know me?"

Zhu Zi Yan took another bite of the Fire Dragon Fruit.

"I don't remember where I've seen you before..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Give me that fruit, eat this instead!"

As someone who loved pharmacology, Yun Zimo could not bear to watch Zhu Zi Yan waste such a treasure. He fished out a pouch of pills he had "refined" himself and reached out to take the half-eaten herb, carefully storing it away.

Zhu Zi Yan, who was about to throw a tantrum over having her snack snatched, caught the small pouch. Out of curiosity, she took out a round pill and popped it into her mouth.

"Not much energy, but the taste isn't bad."

Zhu Zi Yan's comment made Yun Zimo blush with shame; those were just things he had refined for fun, so naturally, they didn't contain much energy.

"Just eat these as snacks if you're bored. Don't eat those medicinal herbs anymore, they taste awful!"

"If I don't eat them, I won't grow up!"

It wasn't as if Zhu Zi Yan didn't think those herbs tasted terrible, but she had no choice. To grow her body quickly, she had to consume large amounts of foul-tasting, high-energy herbs every day.

"Why don't you ask Su Qian to help you find an alchemist? Wouldn't that be better than eating the herbs raw?"

Yun Zimo asked, feeling puzzled.

Zhu Zi Yan looked at him as if he were an idiot, then replied with a hint of grievance.

"I've asked, but they all complain that I eat too much and refuse to refine anything for me. I have no choice but to sneak into the medicine storehouse to eat herbs, and sometimes I go into the mountains to find things to eat."

Even though Zhu Zi Yan spoke lightly, Yun Zimo was deeply shocked. With her pure heart, she certainly wasn't exaggerating, which meant her "appetite" was truly terrifying. Furthermore, there was no telling how many dangers lurked in the mountains; with only the strength of a Dou Ling, even if she could rival a Dou King, she must have been hunted down constantly.

"What about your parents?"

"I don't have parents. Old man Su Qian picked me up from the mountains."

"The mountains? You were picked up?"

"Yeah, I ate a blade of grass and fainted. When I woke up, I was at the academy, and my body had turned into this form that won't grow up."

"Are you a Magical Beast?"

"Yeah, scared? Be careful or I'll eat you!"

Zhu Zi Yan bared her fangs and claws to intimidate Yun Zimo, but the fleeting look of loneliness in her eyes made him pause.

It seems the identity of a Magical Beast is something Zhu Zi Yan is very sensitive about...

Thinking about it, Zhu Zi Yan didn't seem to have any friends in the academy. Her only known identity was the top of the Strong Ranking—oh, and the Brute Force King...

"Zhu Zi Yan, stop eating those nasty things from now on. Come with me."

"Go with you?"

"Yes, I'll have a friend refine pills for you."

"Refine pills? An alchemist? What tier?"

"A sixth-tier alchemist, and he should be reaching the seventh tier soon."

"Does what he refines taste as good as yours?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking if the medicine he refines tastes better than this!"

"I suppose... it should taste better..."

"Then I'll go with you."

Hearing Zhu Zi Yan agree so easily, Yun Zimo felt a bit dazed. Was this little dragon girl really that easy to trick?

A sense of inexplicable pity followed. If he were a person with malicious intent, wouldn't Zhu Zi Yan be falling into an abyss of despair?

"Are you planning to take Zi Yan away?"

Inside the Dean's office, Su Qian puffed out his beard and glared. This brat was truly restless; he had already borrowed a spot in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower for his little girlfriend to cultivate, and now he wanted to abduct his student as well.

"Great Elder, Zi Yan has already acknowledged me as her older brother. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. Since Zi Yan's father is currently missing, as her brother, I must shoulder the responsibilities that come with the title!"

Yun Zimo spouted nonsense without a blush or a skip in his heartbeat.

"You—you brat!"

Su Qian was so infuriated by Yun Zimo's shamelessness that he was momentarily speechless.

"Zi Yan, do you really want to go with him?"

"Mm-hmm, he said I can eat whatever I want once I'm home."

"..."

Su Qian was rendered speechless. You're leaving just because he promised to feed you? Isn't that a bit too casual? However, Su Qian could tell that Yun Zimo didn't have any malicious intent. Although Zi Yan was simple-minded, she wasn't stupid, and she seemed to possess a peculiar sensitivity toward people's emotions and intentions.

Since she had made up her mind, it wouldn't be right for him to force her to stay. She didn't have many friends in the academy anyway, and the elders were always complaining to him about her antics. Perhaps following Yun Zimo would actually be a good thing.

"Fine, fine. Given Zi Yan's strength, she could have graduated long ago. It's just that we didn't know where her home was, and she wasn't willing to take on any official duties in the academy, so she remained as a repeating student. Now that she is willing to follow you, I hope you will treat her well in the future."

Su Qian sighed as he spoke; with Zi Yan finding a place to belong, one of his greatest worries had finally been put to rest.

Su Qian was indeed efficient; once the decision was made, he processed Zi Yan's graduation paperwork within half a day, making her an honorable graduate of Jia Nan Academy.

"Even though you have graduated, Jia Nan Academy will always be your home. You are welcome to return whenever you wish!"

Su Qian looked at Zi Yan with gratification, and the many elders standing behind him wore equally affectionate expressions.

The elders from the Pill Refining Department, in particular, were beaming with joy. They were the ones who offered the most congratulations and thanks, even gifting her many presents. This level of enthusiasm actually made Zi Yan, who had always secretly snuck into their department to snack on their supplies, feel a bit embarrassed.

"Zimo-ge, this is for you."

Back in their room, Zi Yan pulled out a scroll and handed it to Yun Zimo.

"What is this?"

Yun Zimo took the scroll and looked at Zi Yan. After gently opening it, he discovered it was densely packed with information regarding various rare treasures and their locations.

"This is... a map of rare treasures within the Endless Mountains!"

"Earth Core Body Tempering Milk, guarded by the Snow Demon Sky Ape, Southwest Grand Canyon..."

"Crisp Wind Green Thunder Apricot, guarded by the Purple Lightning Silver Snake, Eastern Thunder Marsh..."

"Green Maple Soul Origin Fruit, guarded by the Purple Nether Flame Sparrow, Northeast Breath-Watching Cliff..."

"..."

Seeing the look of shock on Yun Zimo's face, Zi Yan smiled triumphantly. Treasure hunting—this was her innate talent!

"Who would have thought? I really did end up with a precious little sister!"