Master, You're on Fire

Although Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu were reluctant to part, they gritted their teeth and watched Xiao Yexuan's figure gradually fade into the distance.

They did not slack off in the slightest, turning around and heading in different directions to busy themselves with their respective tasks.

Xiao Wu contacted Da Ming and Er Ming, instructing them to scour the Star Dou Forest for rare medicinal herbs.

Ning Rongrong whipped her horse to return to her sect, setting out to consolidate all the pharmacies under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to pave the way for future alchemy.

Zhu Zhuqing was not idle either; she made a special trip to every bookstore in Heaven Dou City, collecting all texts related to herbs and the Dao of alchemy, hoping to study and explore them with Xiao Yexuan in the future.

On the other side, Xiao Yexuan walked with hurried steps, heading straight for Liu Erlong's residence.

Before he even stepped through the door, a rich, mellow medicinal fragrance rushed to meet him, hitting his nasal cavity so intensely that he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose.

Just by smelling this pungent aroma, Xiao Yexuan knew exactly how much Liu Erlong cared for him, as she had spared no expense in using so many precious herbs.

But upon reflection, this also meant that Liu Erlong had once again wasted a significant amount of resources for nothing.

If only these herbs had been refined into pills instead.

However, Xiao Yexuan felt no heartache; after all, with Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu backing him now, as long as he spoke up, wouldn't any amount of herbs be within his reach?

"Xiao Xuan, you really did return right on time!"

Liu Erlong's voice drifted from inside the room, carrying a hearty, cheerful tone.

"When soaking in a medicinal bath, the body is in its most vulnerable state, making it the easiest to absorb the medicinal properties."

"My precious disciple, while we're at it, shall we spar a little?"

Liu Erlong strode out to greet him, clenching her fists and looking eager to test her strength.

Xiao Yexuan saw through her intentions at a glance; this wasn't a spar at all, but clearly an attempt to take advantage of him under the guise of a physical exchange.

He rested his chin in his hand, his gaze falling on the large vat filled with medicinal herbs, then glanced at Liu Erlong, suddenly recalling that her martial soul was a Fire Dragon.

Consequently, Xiao Yexuan hesitated no longer and told Liu Erlong everything about the plan he had discussed with Xiao Wu and the others regarding alchemy.

After listening, Liu Erlong didn't think Xiao Yexuan was a whimsical spendthrift; instead, her eyes were filled with admiration, feeling that her disciple had ambition and dreams.

He was a hundred times, ten thousand times better than that good-for-nothing Yu Xiaogang!

"So, my precious disciple, you want to use the flames of my martial soul to refine pills?"

Liu Erlong didn't beat around the bush; as soon as she finished speaking, she released her martial soul.

A ball of raging flames suddenly appeared in her palm, the scorching temperature making the surrounding air shimmer with heat.

"Master, I am going to try to control this flame now."

Xiao Yexuan's expression was serious as he spoke in a low, cautionary tone.

"No matter what I do in a moment, do not resist."

"You only need to release your martial soul flame continuously."

Xiao Yexuan knew clearly that soul power was something that recognized its master.

If one wanted to manipulate someone else's soul power to do work, the difficulty would increase exponentially the moment the other party felt any resistance.

Liu Erlong naturally agreed readily, following whatever Xiao Yexuan said.

He watched as the fire in her palm surged, and more flames poured out.

Xiao Yexuan took out the paper fan he carried with him and gave it a gentle wave.

A small current of air immediately rose, swirling around the flames and precisely drifting beneath the medicinal vat.

The flames burned fiercely, and the herbs and water in the vat soon began to churn, emitting a bubbling sound as dense bubbles rose continuously.

While focusing his mind to guide and control the flames with his soul skill, Xiao Yexuan walked slowly to the shelf nearby.

The shelf was neatly stocked with various herbs, along with a manual recording the medicinal bath formula.

Using the manual, Xiao Yexuan quickly identified many of the herbs.

Whenever he encountered one he didn't recognize, he turned to ask Liu Erlong beside him.

Having put in great effort to prepare this medicinal bath for Xiao Yexuan, Liu Erlong knew the properties of these herbs like the back of her hand.

No matter what Xiao Yexuan asked, she answered fluently, not only stating the names of the herbs but also explaining their basic characteristics in detail.

Xiao Yexuan listened intently while keeping his hands busy; he maintained the temperature of the flames while selecting several herbs from the shelf that could neutralize the medicinal properties, tossing them into the vat one by one.

In Xiao Yexuan's view, the knack for refining medicine was actually quite simple—it was nothing more than neutralizing, diluting, or strengthening the medicinal power.

Once one grasped these, it was possible to refine many high-quality pills.

However, this task was extremely draining on his mental energy and soul power, and before long, the vortex of wind created by Xiao Yexuan's paper fan became somewhat sluggish and obstructed.

Suddenly, during one instance of guiding the flames, the fire in Liu Erlong's palm flared violently.

A spark flew out, landing squarely on the hem of Liu Erlong's clothes.

The flame ignited instantly, beginning to scorch her garment.

At that moment, Xiao Yexuan was focused entirely on the large vat, watching the medicinal liquid inside gradually thicken until it was almost boiled dry.

Full of anticipation for what kind of pills he might refine, he hadn't noticed the commotion behind him at all.

Liu Erlong kept her eyes fixed on Xiao Yexuan, her gaze burning as if he had become her entire world.

She felt absolutely nothing regarding what was happening to her own body.

She thought to herself that she was currently nothing more than a "gas tank" meant to provide flames; whatever amount of fire Xiao Yexuan needed, she would provide, and she didn't need to concern herself with anything else.

Consequently, sparks began to spread along the hem of her clothes.

The sparks burned brighter and brighter, quickly consuming half of her garment and revealing the fair, alluring skin beneath.

The room was already filled with a rich medicinal fragrance, and the acrid scent of burning fabric was masked by it, becoming so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Xiao Yexuan naturally didn't notice anything unusual, remaining buried in his work.

The flames burned more and more fiercely, and the clothing on Liu Erlong's body grew increasingly scarce.

It wasn't until Xiao Yexuan had finished his work that he turned around, intending to say a few words to Liu Erlong.

The moment he turned, he was struck dumb, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

He saw that half of Liu Erlong's clothes had been burned away.

Her hair was slightly curled from the singeing sparks, and she looked rather pitiful.

But that wasn't the main point; the point was that the curvaceous, fiery figure on one side of Liu Erlong was now being displayed before Xiao Yexuan without reservation.

Having been scorched by the fire, her skin looked even redder and more provocative...

That physique was enough to drive countless men to madness, truly the dream lover of every man.

Xiao Yexuan felt his cheeks burning as he hurriedly raised his hands to cover his face.

He put on the appearance of a righteous gentleman, as if he feared that taking one more look would mean taking advantage of Liu Erlong.

However, Xiao Yexuan was still very worried about his master's condition, so he quickly warned:

"Master, you... you're on fire!"