"Quite a haul..."
Yun Zimo reviewed what he had learned from exchanging ideas with the elders of Jia Nan Academy over the past few days. Scroll after scroll lay before him, all filled with teaching methods he had learned from the academy!
"Once Xiao Yi Xian comes out of seclusion, we can return to the Misty Cloud Sect."
Yun Zimo stretched, his slightly tired body slowly loosening up. Then he got to his feet and headed for the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower to check on Xiao Yi Xian.
"You're Yun Zimo?"
A young, cool voice rang out. Yun Zimo looked in the direction it came from, but saw no one.
"I'm over here!"
The childish voice held a hint of irritation now. Yun Zimo instinctively looked down and spotted a little girl with purple hair and white clothes, only half his height. She was biting into a familiar-looking red fruit and glaring at him.
"Holy crap, a Heavenly Candle Fire Dragon Fruit!"
Only then did Yun Zimo realize that the familiar fruit was the high-grade medicinal ingredient, a Heavenly Candle Fire Dragon Fruit!
"You're Zi Yan?!"
Waist-length, pale purple hair, a child's small body, clear, untainted eyes, and eating high-grade medicinal ingredients raw...
Every one of those traits pointed to one "person"—no, a dragon. The Dragon Girl, Zhu Zi Yan!
"You know me?"
Zi Yan took another bite of the fire dragon fruit.
"I don't remember where I've seen you..."
"Wait, wait! Give me that—that fruit. Eat this instead!"
Yun Zimo loved medicinal studies and simply couldn't stand to see Zi Yan waste such a precious ingredient. He took out a packet of pills he had "refined" himself, reached out, and took the half-eaten fruit from her, carefully putting it away.
Zi Yan had been about to lash out over having her snack snatched away, but caught the little packet instead. Curious, she took out a smooth, round pill and popped it into her mouth.
"Not much energy, but it tastes pretty good."
Yun Zimo was embarrassed by Zi Yan's comment. He'd only made those pills for fun, so of course they weren't very potent.
"Just eat those as snacks when you want. And stop eating those medicinal ingredients. They're awful!"
"If I don't eat them, I won't grow!"
Zi Yan thought those medicinal ingredients tasted awful too. But she had no choice; to grow faster, she had to choke down huge amounts of high-energy ingredients every day.
"Why don't you ask Su Qian to find an alchemist to make pills for you? Wouldn't that be better than eating the ingredients raw?"
Yun Zimo was a little puzzled.
Zi Yan looked at him like he was an idiot, then said with a hint of grievance, "I tried. But they complained that I eat too much, so none of them would make pills for me. I had no choice but to sneak into the medicinal storehouse and eat the ingredients. Sometimes I go into the mountains to find food, too."
Though Zi Yan said it as if it were nothing, Yun Zimo was deeply shocked. Zi Yan was guileless and wouldn't embellish the story, so her "appetite" must truly have been enormous. And who knew how many dangers lurked in the mountains? She was only a Dou Ling. Even if she could match a Dou Wang, she must have often been chased down.
"What about your parents?"
"I don't have any. Old man Su Qian found me in the mountains and brought me back."
"In the mountains? He found you?"
"Yeah. I ate a plant and passed out. When I woke up, I was at the academy, and my body had turned into this. I stopped growing."
"You're a magical beast?"
"Yeah. Scared? Watch out, or I'll eat you!"
Zi Yan bared her teeth and claws to scare Yun Zimo, but the fleeting loneliness in her eyes made him pause.
"She really cares about being a magical beast..."
Zi Yan didn't seem to have any friends at the academy. Her only claim to fame was being number one on the Strong Ranking—and, oh, being the Brute Force King...
"Zi Yan, don't eat those awful things anymore. Come with me."
"Come with you?"
"Yeah. I'll have a friend make pills for you."
"Make pills? An alchemist? What rank?"
"A sixth-tier alchemist. He should be seventh-tier soon."
"Does he make pills that taste as good as yours?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking whether the pills he makes taste better than this."
"They should... taste better."
"Then I'll go with you."
Hearing Zi Yan agree so readily left Yun Zimo a little dazed. Was this little Dragon Girl really that easy to convince?
Then came a strange pang of sympathy. If he were a wicked, black-hearted person, wouldn't Zi Yan be falling into an abyss?
"You want to take Zi Yan away?"
In the dean's office, Su Qian glared furiously, his beard bristling. This kid really was up to no good. First, he'd borrowed a spot in the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower for his little girlfriend to cultivate. Now he wanted to spirit away one of his students.
"First Elder, Zi Yan has already accepted me as her brother. As they say, an elder brother is a father. Her father is nowhere to be found, so as her brother, I have a duty to take responsibility for her!"
Yun Zimo spun his shameless nonsense without batting an eye.
"You—you rascal!"
Su Qian was so furious at Yun Zimo's utter shamelessness that he could barely get the words out.
"Zi Yan, do you really want to go with him?"
"Yeah. He said I can eat whatever I want when we get home."
"..."
Su Qian was speechless. She was leaving just because he'd feed her? What a casual decision. Still, Su Qian could see that Yun Zimo meant no harm. Zi Yan might be guileless, but she wasn't stupid, and she seemed to have a special instinct for people's feelings.
Since she had made up her mind, he couldn't very well force her to stay. She didn't have many friends at the academy, and the elders complained to him about her every day. Going with Yun Zimo might actually be a good thing.
"Fine, fine. Zi Yan has been strong enough to graduate for a long time. We just didn't know where her home was, and she didn't want to take up a post at the academy, so she stayed here as a repeat student. Now that she's willing to go with you, I hope you'll treat her well."
Su Qian sighed. Zi Yan had finally found a home, which lifted a long-standing worry from his heart.
Su Qian was indeed quick to get things done. By the afternoon, Zi Yan's graduation papers had been taken care of, making her an official graduate of Jia Nan Academy.
"Even after you've graduated, Jia Nan Academy will always be your home. You're welcome back anytime!"
Su Qian looked at Zi Yan with satisfaction. Behind him, the many elders wore affectionate smiles as well.
The elders of the Alchemy Department were especially delighted, their smiles nearly splitting their faces. They offered the most congratulations and farewells, and even gave her many gifts. Their warmth made Zi Yan, who had been sneaking over there for snacks, feel a little embarrassed.
"Brother Zi Mo, this is for you."
Back in her room, Zi Yan took out a scroll and handed it to Zi Mo.
"What is it?"
Zi Mo took the scroll and looked at Zi Yan. When he opened it, he found detailed information about all sorts of rare natural treasures, along with their locations.
"This is a list of the rare treasures in the Endless Mountains!"
"Earth Core Body Tempering Milk, guarded by a Snow Demon Sky Ape, in the Southwest Grand Canyon..."
"Crisp Wind Green Thunder Apricot, guarded by a Purple Lightning Silver Snake, in the Eastern Thunder Marsh..."
"Green Maple Soul Origin Fruit, guarded by a Purple Nether Flame Sparrow, at the Northeast Breath-Watching Cliff..."
"..."
Seeing the shock on Yun Zimo's face, Zi Yan smiled proudly. Treasure hunting was her innate talent!
"To think I ended up with a little sister who's a treasure trove!"
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