Yun Yun Gives Him a Breastplate, He Meets Xiao Yi Xian, His Bone Spirit Cold Flame Is Male, and Yao Lao's Is Female

Qingshan Town was a small town near the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

The largest group in town was made up of mercenaries who lived with their lives on the line.

With chipped weapons slung at their waists, they spat as they talked loudly in the streets, brazenly discussing which women were the hottest, where the strongest liquor could be found, and where the fiercest magical beasts roamed.

"Yun Yun, you win."

Ji Changqing walked through the streets of Qingshan Town.

That was right—he had been kicked out.

In the end, Yun Yun had believed Elder Danxia's slander.

She said it was too dangerous for him to accompany her in search of Purple Spirit Crystal, but that he could train in the outer regions of the Monster Beast Mountain Range instead.

Ji Changqing remembered the day he left.

Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran had both come to see him off.

Trying to awaken their sleeping bond as master and disciple, Ji Changqing hugged Yun Yun and refused to let go.

"Master, I can't bear to leave you."

Nalan Yanran shouted that she wanted one too.

Yun Yun patted Ji Changqing on the back and said gently:

"Changqing, you have to grow up someday."

"Don't be afraid. I prepared a whole pouch of healing pills for you, and I've had you wear the Sea Heart Inner Armor. You'll be fine."

"Sigh..."

Ji Changqing sighed and pulled open his collar for a look.

Beneath his clothes was a soft azure armor, its surface rippling like water. It even carried a faint fragrance, like orchids and fragrant herbs.

"Wearing this makes me look kind of girly..."

Ji Changqing muttered under his breath.

A commotion suddenly broke out not far ahead of him.

"The Myriad Medicine Pavilion is heading into the Monster Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs! Xiao Yi Xian will be joining us! There are only fifty spots, and the pay is one hundred Gold Coins! Applicants must be at least Two-star Fighters, so hurry up!"

"Xiao Yi Xian? Xiao Yan?"

Without hesitation, Ji Changqing turned around and walked away.

In the original story, wasn't it Xiao Yan who joined the herb-gathering party and then got to know Xiao Yi Xian?

Those two were both more trouble than they were worth. It was better to stay far away from them.

However...

A moment later, Ji Changqing thought of something, and his steps began to slow with hesitation.

During this herb-gathering trip, a fragment of the map to the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, would appear.

Although he had a sign-in system, the top three Heavenly Flames were all one of a kind.

Ji Changqing frowned in conflict.

He needed to become stronger to feel safe, so it would be best if he got his hands on that map fragment.

But only Xiao Yi Xian knew about the cave where the map fragment was hidden. If he wanted it, he had to come into contact with Xiao Yi Xian.

Wasn't that a damn paradox?!

Just as Ji Changqing hesitated.

A crisp, pleasant voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Friend, would you be willing to join the herb-gathering party?"

Ji Changqing's body stiffened for an instant before quickly relaxing.

He slowly turned around and looked at the beautiful girl in a white dress. Her oval face was delicate, and a pale green silk cord tied around her slender waist made her seem even more ethereal and pure.

"Are you talking to me?"

Xiao Yi Xian smiled demurely.

"Yes. Would you be willing?"

"Sure."

Ji Changqing followed Xiao Yi Xian to the herb-gathering party.

With Xiao Yi Xian as its main draw, the party was already nearly full.

As Ji Changqing passed by the mercenaries, the stench of blood and sweat nearly made him dizzy.

The mercenaries stared at him with scrutiny, disdain, and viciousness written across their faces.

There were fifty people in the herb-gathering party, but Ji Changqing was the only one Xiao Yi Xian had personally invited.

These mercenaries, overflowing with hormones and used to wrestling either magical beasts or women, naturally set their sights on Ji Changqing.

Ji Changqing felt a little numb.

But he did not take these mercenaries seriously.

Still, among the crowd, a youth carrying an enormous black ruler was staring at him curiously, forcing Ji Changqing to sound the alarm in his mind.

Xiao Yan...

Ji Changqing could vaguely sense an ethereal soul within Xiao Yan, as well as a strange fluctuation that alternated between cold and hot. It even stirred the Bone Spirit Cold Flame within Ji Changqing's body.

"Teacher, is there anything special about this person?"

Looking at the green-robed youth walking beside Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan asked inwardly in confusion.

Just now, when the green-robed youth had appeared, Yao Lao had given a soft exclamation.

After a long silence.

Yao Chen's voice sounded in Xiao Yan's heart.

"Nothing much. This youth has good talent. He has likely cultivated some secret technique that conceals his aura."

"He appears to be lower-level than you, merely a Two-star Fighter, but in truth, he should be a Six-star Fighter."

"A Six-star Fighter? Wouldn't that put him about on Xun'er's level?"

A flash of shock crossed Xiao Yan's eyes.

But he quickly suppressed it, and his dark eyes returned to their calm, unfathomable state.

He might only be a Four-star Fighter, but he had mastered three Mysterious Tier Fighting Skills. If he truly fought without holding back, then even if the other party was a Six-star Fighter, he definitely would not be the one to lose.

"Teacher, why did you exclaim just now?"

At that, Yao Lao's voice carried a trace of uncertainty.

"Just now, my Bone Spirit Cold Flame gave a sudden tremor. It felt both intimate and afraid. How strange..."

Ji Changqing felt the same thing Yao Lao did.

However, he had a guess.

Although he and Yao Lao both possessed Bone Spirit Cold Flame, his had come from a system reward.

Anything produced by the system was top-quality.

To put it crudely, his Bone Spirit Cold Flame was male, while Yao Lao's was female.

"Everyone, get into formation! Watch your surroundings! Move out!"

In the deathly silent forest, the group of fifty moved forward quietly.

Pairs of wary eyes swept through the shadows among the surrounding trees. They gripped the weapons at their waists tightly, ready to deal with any sudden situation at a moment's notice.

Ji Changqing and Xiao Yi Xian fell to the back of the party. He asked:

"I have a question. I'm only a Two-star Fighter and not very strong. Why did you invite me to join the party personally?"

Xiao Yi Xian held a straight stick in her hand and gently swept aside the thick grass, hoping to find hidden medicinal herbs.

Her eyes remained fixed on the grass as she answered without looking up:

"Because you're good-looking."

"That's the truth."

Ji Changqing smiled and stroked his chin.

"No, stop that. What kind of reason is that?"

"Your clothes and temperament are both very nice."

Xiao Yi Xian lifted her pure little face. Her gaze swept over the rough-looking mercenaries before settling on Ji Changqing, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

Ji Changqing understood.

Those mercenaries were simply too offensive to the eyes.

They had only been traveling for half an hour, yet dozens of globs of phlegm had already been spat all over the road.

The party really needed someone pleasant to look at, if only to ease the mood.

No one spoke during the rest of the journey. After suffering three attacks from magical beasts, the party finally arrived at their herb-gathering destination.

After clearing out an open space, the mercenaries responsible for scouting confirmed that the area was safe.

Everyone then scattered to search for herbs on their own.

Pretending to search for herbs, Ji Changqing secretly observed Xiao Yi Xian's movements the entire time.

After passing through a dense patch of forest, he arrived at the edge of a steep cliff.

Ji Changqing spotted a medicinal herb as white as jade. Since he had nothing better to do, he figured he might as well pick it for fun.

He crouched down and reached toward the Spirit Grass.

Just then, a tender white hand suddenly stretched out from within the cliff and grabbed the back of Ji Changqing's hand.

The little hand stiffened briefly when it touched Ji Changqing, then immediately tried to pull back.

But Ji Changqing moved faster. In an instant, he yanked his hand back and cried out in panic:

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

A pure little face slowly emerged from below the cliff, staring speechlessly at the green-robed youth, who had jumped several meters away with an aggrieved expression.

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