Queen Medusa, Beautiful and Kind-Hearted

With the help of the Dou Emperor Lu Man, Xiao Yan arrived in Mo City that evening.

Before entering the city, the two landed on the ground, and Lu Man immediately put the veil back on.

It's said that she didn't want to attract trouble because of her appearance. After all, she was there to do business, not to cause trouble. If she accidentally killed a few people and attracted some unknown powerful figure, that would be a real problem.

Xiao Yan didn't mind, since he had already watched the whole way.

This Lu Man creature had a scent of herbs and trees about it; it was unclear whether it had used aromatherapy or was due to some special cultivation technique.

Overall, it smells quite nice.

Having successfully entered the city, Xiao Yan stood on the street and looked around. Following the route he remembered, he walked towards the end of the street. After a while, he stopped in front of an old-fashioned map shop at the end of the street.

The shop's doors were slightly ajar, perhaps because it was already dark, and a faint light shone through the cracks, illuminating Xiao Yan.

Standing at the store entrance, gazing at the half-closed door, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow.

Wasn't Elder Hai planning to give up on this place?

Why are you back again?

After glancing around at the now sparsely populated street, Xiao Yan pushed open the door, then led Lu Man inside and closed the door behind him.

Inside the shop, some Moonlight Stone emitted a faint glow, a gentle and non-glaring light that illuminated the shop quite brightly.

The layout remained the same as before. The damage caused by the battle had been perfectly repaired. Behind the counter piled with maps, Elder Hai was carefully working on the maps in his hands. He was so focused that he didn't sense Xiao Yan sneaking in.

It seems that Hai Bodong's interest in mapmaking that day was actually true.

Simply put, Hai Bodong opened a map shop not because there happened to be a map shop on his property, which led him to learn how to draw maps and to develop a passion for his work.

Rather, it was because he genuinely enjoyed drawing maps that he chose to open a map shop.

That's outrageous!

Inside the shop, four people were selecting maps—three men and one woman. All four were dressed quite elegantly. Behind them stood several burly men who glanced back at Xiao Yan he entered, but upon seeing their travel-worn appearance, they turned back and lazily continued selecting maps.

Xiao Yan didn't bother to pay much attention to them. He slowly walked to the counter, picked up a map, and flipped through it.

Hearing the sound of the map being turned, Hai Bodong's brush, which had been moving smoothly across the map, paused slightly. However, just as he had done when they first met, he did not look up, but simply said:

"Sorry, our store is closed today. If you need to purchase a map, please come back tomorrow."

Hearing Hai Bodong's consistently indifferent words, Xiao Yan couldn't help but shake his head. This Old Man Hai was really addicted to drawing maps.

I'll have him draw me a map of the entire Dou Qi Continent later.

Let him have a good time!

Just as Xiao Yan was about to speak, two burly men suddenly blocked his way, their hands gripping the weapons at their waists, staring at him with fierce eyes.

"Well?"

The sudden scene left Xiao Yan somewhat amused and exasperated.

Where did this little punk come from?

Turning his head, Xiao Yan looked at the woman in the red dress opposite him, who seemed to hold a rather high position in this Mo City.

"Master Ice doesn't like to be disturbed when he's making maps, so please leave."

Although the woman's voice was quite soft, it was not hard to detect a hint of domineering and tyrannical power in it, clearly indicating that she had a powerful background.

Although he had read the original novel, Xiao Yan had absolutely no recollection of this minor character. However, seeing her willingly acting as Elder Hai's bodyguard, Xiao Yan realized that it seemed his previous encounter with Hai Bodong had caused this "Dou Ling" powerhouse, who had been living in seclusion in Mo City for many years, to run into some minor trouble.

However, since the woman was speaking up for Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan didn't hold it against her.

"It seems our last encounter caused you some trouble, but I think you won't hold it against me, Elder Hai!"

Xiao Yan looked directly at Hai Bodong behind the counter and said with a faint smile.

Elder Hai?

Hearing Xiao Yan's familiar words, the woman in the red dress was somewhat surprised. Could it be that these two had known each other for a long time?

"Huh? So it's you, kid?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's familiar voice, Hai Bodong suddenly raised his head and stood up with some surprise. Looking at the young man in the moon-white brocade robe, Hai Bodong's eyes lit up.

Hey, this kid's clothes are much nicer now, and his strength has improved a lot too!

However, the fabric of this garment looks like the Cloud-Weaving Brocade by the Misty Cloud Sect. Does he actually have some connection to the Misty Cloud Sect?

Wait a minute, that terrifying aura emanating from this kid... could it be that he really found the Heavenly Flames?

"There's no other way. Elder Hai has what I need, so I have to come back as soon as possible. Besides, if it weren't for Elder Hai's map, even if I spent a year wandering in the desert, I probably wouldn't have been able to achieve my goal!"

Xiao Yan was in a rather good mood and said with a smile.

Inside the shop, the woman in the red dress looked on in astonishment as she watched Hai Bodong chatting happily with Xiao Yan. After a moment, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she secretly glanced at the white-robed youth who seemed to be younger than her. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She had helped Hai Bodong here for so long, but she had never been treated so kindly by him!

"This guy..."

Feeling indignant, the woman in the red dress was about to go back and have someone investigate Xiao Yan's background when the words suddenly spoken by Hai Bodong struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her completely frozen in place.

"Hehe, it's just a matter of each having their own needs." Hai Bodong waved his hand with a smile, his nose twitching slightly. Then, his dry face changed slightly, and he stared at Xiao Yan in astonishment, exclaiming in shock, "You... you've had contact with Queen Medusa?"

Of course, it wasn't just her; inside the shop, the three young men and several burly men all froze instantly after Hai Bodong uttered the name of Queen Medusa.

Near the desert, Queen Medusa's fearsome reputation was enough to instill fear in any human being. In the great war of yesteryear, Her Majesty the Medusa single-handedly slaughtered several cities, and her savagery was so terrifying that it could almost stop a baby from crying.

"This... this guy actually had contact with Queen Medusa? And he's still alive?"

Inside the shop, gazes filled with shock and disbelief stared at the handsome young man in white robes. Their minds were still reeling. In the cities near the desert, there were indeed a few powerful individuals who had encountered Queen Medusa and survived, but those people were all renowned figures in their respective regions. Could this boy, who looked to be only a teenager, possibly be the one to witness it?

"Well, I guess you could say we've met. She seemed nice; beautiful inside and out. Not only did she give me the Heavenly Flames, but she also let me come back."

Xiao Yan shrugged and joked.