Zi Yan, the Treasure-Seeking Mouse; the Third Fragmentary Map

Zi Yan compared Tang Chen's words with herself one by one and found that they matched surprisingly well.

Her eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed Tang Chen's arm excitedly and said, "That's right! I have all those abilities! I can sense where medicinal ingredients are every time, and I can come and go from the medicinal storehouse whenever I want."

At the mention of the "medicinal storehouse," Su Qian's eyelid twitched, and Elder Hao's miserable face, worn down by Zi Yan's antics, immediately surfaced in his mind.

"Then there's no mistake. Your true form is an Ancient Void Dragon." Tang Chen smiled faintly and raised a hand to rub Zi Yan's head.

"Then can you take me to meet my clansmen?" Zi Yan grabbed Tang Chen's hand, tilted up her little face, and looked at him with pitifully large eyes as she pleaded softly.

"Of course I can. But I still have some matters to handle on the Northwest Continent. You can follow me for now, and once I'm done, I'll take you there. How does that sound?" Tang Chen finally revealed his true intentions, looking exactly like a creepy uncle coaxing a child.

"That's great! Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry. I definitely won't delay your work." Having received Tang Chen's promise, Zi Yan's little face was filled with delight. The little girl was practically beside herself with excitement.

Seeing that Zi Yan had finally learned the truth of her origins, Su Qian was happy for her as well.

"My lord, why not rest in the Inner Academy? It would also allow me, on behalf of Jia Nan Academy, to properly thank you." With everything settled, Su Qian respectfully invited Tang Chen.

After giving it some thought, Tang Chen agreed. He was not in much of a hurry at the moment, so he followed Su Qian into the Inner Academy.

Zi Yan stuck close to Tang Chen every step of the way, asking him all sorts of questions and brimming with energy.

Su Qian could barely stand watching from the side, afraid that she might anger Tang Chen.

Tang Chen did not mind. Instead, he found Zi Yan rather adorable like this and patiently answered every question.

Through these conversations, Tang Chen and Zi Yan grew much closer.

Su Qian arranged a residence for Tang Chen within the Inner Academy. It was both quiet and comfortable.

As though afraid Tang Chen would leave her behind and run off, Zi Yan moved in with him as well. Tang Chen naturally welcomed this arrangement. Building a good relationship with this little rich girl would make things much more convenient in the future.

As time passed, the two became increasingly familiar with each other, and the initial awkwardness in their interactions gradually faded.

"You're actually an alchemist too!" Zi Yan said in surprise when she saw Tang Chen take out a medicinal cauldron.

"Of course. I can even turn medicinal ingredients into delicious pills!" Tang Chen said with an upward curl of his lips, tempting her step by step.

"Really? Hurry up and make some for me!" Zi Yan had always been a little foodie. The moment she heard "delicious pills," her eyes immediately sparkled with stars.

"Then watch carefully." Tang Chen took the medicinal ingredients from Zi Yan and tossed them into the cauldron. In no time, he refined several pills.

As someone from Blue Star, how could Tang Chen not know what children liked to eat? Based on his own understanding, he made the pills in several flavors: strawberry, apple... He refused to believe Zi Yan would not like them.

Sure enough, the moment Zi Yan received the pills, their brilliant colors caught her attention. She promptly put one into her mouth to taste it.

As soon as the pill entered her mouth, sweetness melted across her tongue. Zi Yan instantly fell in love with the flavor and cried happily, "Tang Chen, you're amazing! You actually made those awful medicinal ingredients taste so good!"

Before long, she had eaten every last pill Tang Chen refined. Her little cheeks were puffed up, yet she still pestered him to make more.

"You little brat." Smiling, Tang Chen could not help reaching out to ruffle her small head. After only a few strokes, he had messed up Zi Yan's purple hair.

"Hey! Don't touch my head! I won't grow taller if you do!" Zi Yan slapped away Tang Chen's mischievous hand and muttered indignantly.

"Grow taller? Wouldn't that be as simple as one pill from me?" Tang Chen said casually with a smirk.

"Really?" Zi Yan became utterly excited at those words. She wanted to grow up so badly. She had long since had enough of this little-girl body. Everywhere she went, people treated her like a child, and she had no dignity at all.

"Of course it's true, but I'm still missing a few medicinal ingredients." A smile appeared on Tang Chen's face as he spoke softly.

"What ingredients are you missing? Will any of mine do?" Zi Yan hurriedly took out her collection, her little face filled with urgency.

"These aren't enough. We'll probably have to look outside." Tang Chen smoothly revealed his true purpose. How could he possibly not make use of Zi Yan's treasure-seeking ability? With Zi Yan by his side, they might be able to gather quite a few good things.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Since it concerned whether she could grow up, Zi Yan was bursting with motivation. Without another word, she dragged Tang Chen out of Jia Nan Academy, only informing Su Qian before they left.

During this time, Tang Chen had also carefully examined Zi Yan's body. One Humanoid Pill was clearly not enough to allow Zi Yan to complete her transformation. Finding a solution would likely require more time and research.

After leaving Jia Nan Academy, the two entered the territory of the Black-Corner Region.

"Zi Yan, while you're looking for medicinal ingredients, help me keep an eye out for this as well." Tang Chen grinned wickedly as he took a fragmentary map from his Storage Ring.

Zi Yan leaned close to the fragmentary map and carefully sensed its distinctive aura. Then she patted her chest and assured Tang Chen, "Don't worry. This thing has a pretty unusual aura. If we come across it, I'll definitely spot it right away."

Hearing Zi Yan's assurance, Tang Chen praised, "As expected of Zi Yan."

"Of course... of course!" At Tang Chen's praise, Zi Yan's smugness became visible to the naked eye.

After their conversation, Tang Chen took Zi Yan on a treasure-hunting journey. Zi Yan's treasure-seeking talent, combined with Tang Chen's formidable strength, made the two unstoppable as they moved freely among the various forces of the Black-Corner Region.

Heavenly treasures, take them! Cultivation methods and battle skills, seize them!

Before long, they had made a fortune.

It had to be said that the Black-Corner Region was a chaotic mix of all kinds of people, and it possessed no shortage of good things. It was just that some locals lacked the discerning eye to recognize them.

It could be said that no heavenly treasure could escape Zi Yan's senses. The two thus picked up many overlooked bargains, and their cooperation became increasingly seamless.

They even found the Life-Devouring Pill and its pill formula. Their achievement was nothing short of impressive.

Only the third fragmentary map had yet to appear.

Finally, when they passed through the Eight-Fan Gate, Zi Yan sensed an aura identical to that of the fragmentary map.

After Tang Chen paid them a visit for some "friendly" discussion, that fragmentary map, along with several heavenly treasures, naturally ended up in his possession.

"Tang Chen, how was that? I'm impressive, right?"

Seeing Tang Chen obtain the fragmentary map, Zi Yan put her little hands on her hips and lifted her chin high, looking immensely proud.

"Very impressive! Here, this is your reward!"

Having obtained the third fragmentary map, Tang Chen was in excellent spirits. He casually took out several bottles of pills and handed them to her.

Zi Yan accepted the jade bottles and impatiently poured out several pills to stuff into her mouth. A satisfied expression soon appeared on her little face.

Tang Chen did not linger. He took Zi Yan and stepped into a spatial rift.

"Next stop: the Black Emperor Sect!"