On the other side, Xiao Yexuan had no idea that Liu Erlong had already given Dai Mubai and Tang San a thorough thrashing.
He also had no idea that if Flender hadn't suddenly appeared, those two would already be dead, without even their bodies left intact.
By then, he had arrived at the Nine Hearts Begonia Clan's pharmacy with Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.
The pharmacy's wooden door was carved with delicate begonia patterns. When they pushed it open, it creaked softly.
As the four of them entered, they happened to run into a young woman who was just about to leave.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with a slender figure. She wore a long black dress embroidered with subtle begonia patterns, understated and elegant.
A thin black veil covered her face, concealing her features and leaving only a pair of exceptionally beautiful eyes visible.
A cascade of blue hair fell down her back, soft and silky. It shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and its ends swayed gently.
Her eyes were the same clear blue as her hair, pure and limpid, like a pool of water.
Her long lashes curled slightly upward, fluttering with each blink in a way that made her eyes seem almost able to speak.
"Ye Lingling!"
Ning Rongrong recognized her at a glance. Her eyes lit up, and a radiant smile spread across her face as she hurried forward to greet her.
"I can't believe we've run into each other again so soon. I still remember our battle at the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City!"
At her words, Ye Lingling simply gave Ning Rongrong a slight nod. Her cool, composed expression didn't change in the slightest; that was her way of responding.
Then her gaze swept gently across everyone present, like spring water, before finally settling on Xiao Yexuan.
This was the first time she had ever met Xiao Yexuan.
Yet the instant her gaze touched him, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat. Then it began to pound, as if a fawn were trapped inside her chest, and even her fingertips tensed.
A strange sensation she had never felt before quietly spread through her heart like a creeping vine.
She couldn't help wanting to glance at Xiao Yexuan a few more times. Her gaze could hardly pull away.
Because of this sudden flutter in her heart, she completely forgot the plans she'd made for the day.
She had been on her way to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to meet up with her teammates for combat training. She had even packed the medicinal supplies they would need in her Soul Tool.
But now, all she wanted was to stay here and see what these people were here for.
Especially the unfamiliar young man standing in the middle of the group. She wanted to know what made him so special.
Ye Lingling was usually solitary and taciturn, distant and aloof toward others. Even the elders of her clan rarely got her to speak first.
But now, as if bewitched, she spoke up on her own. Her clear voice came through the veil with a hint of nervousness she hadn't noticed herself, and she spoke a little faster than usual.
"Is there something you need at my Nine Hearts Begonia Clan's pharmacy?"
"Are you here to buy pills?"
"Our clan has recently developed a new pill. Taken while cultivating, it can improve your physical strength."
"If you want to buy some, I can give you a twenty percent discount."
Xiao Yexuan looked at the young woman who had taken the initiative to speak to him. A faint, captivating smile touched his lips, and a hint of amusement glimmered in his eyes.
He gently fanned himself, and the ink-painted bamboo on the fan swayed with the motion, lending him an air of easy grace.
He bowed politely to Ye Lingling, his movement impeccable and elegant. His voice was warm and gentle, like a spring breeze brushing over a lake.
"Thank you for your kind offer."
"But we haven't come to buy pills this time."
"We'd like to study and make pills together with the Nine Hearts Begonia Clan."
"You want to make pills too?"
Ye Lingling's brows lifted in surprise, and she leaned forward slightly.
Then she nodded with evident approval, and her gaze toward Xiao Yexuan grew more appreciative.
The art of pill-making was vast and profound. It took an immense toll on the mind, consumed huge amounts of time, and required years spent working with medicinal herbs and pill furnaces.
Xiao Yexuan was clearly a young Soul Master, with the spirited confidence of youth in his eyes. Yet he was willing to venture into this field. Such dedication was truly rare.
She understood its advantages and drawbacks all too well.
Quite a few members of the Nine Hearts Begonia Clan were obsessed with pill-making, but their fates were all much the same.
Because they spent too much time and energy making pills, their Soul Power cultivation stagnated. They struggled to improve, and some even remained stuck at the Soul King level for their entire lives.
The clan had once tried recruiting like-minded people from outside, but Soul Masters willing to settle down and make pills were few and far between—rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
After all, compared with the tedious work of making pills, most Soul Masters would rather spend their time increasing their Soul Power or hunting Soul Beasts. Those were the foundations of a Soul Master's life.
And so, in Ye Lingling's eyes, Xiao Yexuan immediately became a noble man, willing to make pills for the good of others at the cost of his own cultivation time. She looked at him with even greater admiration.
"Huh? What are all these herbs?"
The Nine Hearts Begonia Clan had run pharmacies for generations, and the shelves inside were stacked high with all kinds of rare, strange-looking medicinal herbs.
Ye Lingling was bent over a thick pile of medicinal notes, her pen scratching across the paper.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yexuan leaned idly against the shelves, looking around. His eyes darted from one side to the other as he examined the unusual things whose names he didn't know.
Before long, his attention was caught by a dusty, pitch-black lump in the corner of the lowest shelf.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong hurried over at the sound of his voice. They stared at the blackened object, unable to make out what it had once been, and shook their heads in unison.
"We don't recognize it either."
Only Xiao Wu propped her pointed chin in her hands. She sniffed delicately, catching the faint, lingering scent of blood in the air, and spoke thoughtfully.
"This thing... it seems to have fallen off a Soul Beast."
"Is this medicine too?"
Xiao Yexuan reached out and poked the cold, pitch-black object. It seemed vaguely familiar, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what it was.
Just then, Ye Lingling walked in from the back room with an armful of dried herbs, her footsteps light.
At a glance, she saw the three of them gathered around the black lump, enthusiastically examining it.
A faint blush spread across her pretty face.
She walked over slowly and saw Xiao Yexuan leaning in to study it, humbly asking questions. A wave of shame rose in her heart.
She had just blushed and felt her heart race at the thought of the herb's use. It was hardly fitting for a physician to lose her composure like that.
Before you continue