Ye Lingling's Heart Aroused

On the other side, Xiao Yexuan had no idea that Liu Erlong had already given Dai Mubai and Tang San a harsh lesson on his behalf.

He was even less aware that if Flender hadn't suddenly appeared, those two would already be ghosts by now, without even a complete corpse left behind.

At this moment, he had arrived at the entrance of the Nine Hearts Begonia family's apothecary alongside the three girls: Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.

The wooden door of the apothecary was carved with exquisite begonia patterns, emitting a faint creak as they pushed it open.

No sooner had the four of them stepped inside than they bumped into a young girl who was just about to head out.

The girl looked to be in her early twenties, with a slender and graceful figure. She wore a black dress embroidered with dark begonia patterns, understated yet elegant.

A thin black veil covered her face, obscuring her features and revealing only a pair of exceptionally beautiful, large eyes.

A waterfall of blue hair cascaded down her back, silky and smooth, shimmering with a faint luster under the sunlight as the tips swayed gently.

Her eyes were the same clear blue as her hair, deep and limpid, without a trace of impurity, like a pool of still water.

Her long, slender eyelashes curved slightly upward, and as she blinked, they seemed to possess a lively, expressive quality.

"Ye Lingling!"

Ning Rongrong recognized her at a glance. Her eyes lit up instantly, a brilliant smile bloomed on her face, and she hurried forward to greet her.

"I never expected we'd meet again so soon! I still remember the battle at the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City as if it were yesterday!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Lingling merely nodded slightly at Ning Rongrong, her cold, clear brows showing no ripple of emotion as a form of acknowledgment.

Immediately, her gaze swept slowly across everyone present like spring water, finally coming to rest on Xiao Yexuan.

This was her first time seeing Xiao Yexuan.

Yet, the moment her eyes touched him, her heart skipped a beat for no reason, followed by a frantic thumping like a trapped fawn, and even her fingertips tightened slightly.

A strange sensation, one she had never felt before, quietly spread through her heart like a vine.

It made her unable to resist looking toward Xiao Yexuan again and again; she could barely tear her gaze away.

It was precisely because of this sudden palpitation that she completely forgot her original plans for the day.

She had intended to go to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to meet up with her teammates for practical training, and she even had training potions packed inside her Soul Tool.

But now, she only wanted to stay here and see what these people were actually here for.

Especially to look at this strange boy standing in the middle of the group and see what exactly was so special about him.

Ye Lingling was usually solitary and reticent, indifferent and distant toward others; even the elders in her family rarely heard her take the initiative to speak.

Yet, at this moment, she spoke up impulsively. Her crisp voice drifted through the black veil, carrying a hint of nervousness she hadn't even noticed herself, her speech faster than usual:

"Is there something you need by coming to my Nine Hearts Begonia family's apothecary?"

"Are you looking to buy medicinal pills?"

"Our family recently developed a new type of pill; taking it while cultivating can enhance one's physical constitution."

"If you wish to purchase some, I can give you a twenty percent discount."

Xiao Yexuan looked at the girl who had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, the corners of his mouth curling into a soul-stirring, faint smile, his eyes filled with a touch of playfulness.

The folding fan in his hand swayed gently, the ink-bamboo pattern on its surface dancing with the movement, exuding a sense of carefree ease.

He bowed to Ye Lingling with extreme courtesy, his movements standard and elegant, his voice as warm and mellow as jade, like a spring breeze brushing over a lake:

"Many thanks for your kindness, Miss."

"However, we are not here to purchase medicinal pills this time."

"Rather, we wish to research and produce medicinal pills together with the Nine Hearts Begonia family."

"You also want to produce medicinal pills?"

Hearing this, Ye Lingling's willow brows arched in immediate, visible surprise, and she even leaned forward slightly.

Then, she couldn't help but nod with satisfaction, her gaze toward Xiao Yexuan filled with a touch of approval.

One had to know that the path of alchemy was profound and vast; it not only consumed immense mental energy but also required a great deal of time, often necessitating a lifelong commitment to herbs and pill furnaces.

Xiao Yexuan was clearly a young Spirit Master, his brows filled with the high spirits of youth, yet he was willing to delve into this field—such character was truly rare.

She knew the pros and cons all too well.

There were many in the Nine Hearts Begonia family who were obsessed with alchemy, but their fates were largely the same.

Because alchemy consumed too much time and energy, their spirit power cultivation stagnated, making it difficult to progress; some were even stuck at the Spirit King realm for their entire lives.

The family had once thought about recruiting like-minded individuals from the outside, but Spirit Masters willing to settle down and refine pills were few and far between, as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

After all, compared to the tedious nature of alchemy, most Spirit Masters preferred to spend their time improving their spirit power and hunting spirit beasts—that was the foundation of a Spirit Master's standing.

In this light, Xiao Yexuan instantly became, in Ye Lingling's heart, a great person willing to sacrifice his own cultivation time for the sake of alchemy and the benefit of others. Even the way she looked at him was filled with a touch of admiration.

"Huh, what kind of medicinal herbs are these?"

The Nine Hearts Begonia family had made a living by running an apothecary for generations, and the shop was filled with layers of shelves, never lacking in rare and strangely shaped medicinal materials.

Ye Lingling was buried in organizing thick stacks of herb data, the tip of her pen scratching rhythmically against the paper.

Xiao Yexuan lay bored against the shelf, his eyes darting around as he curiously examined the rare trinkets he couldn't name.

Soon, his gaze was firmly drawn to a dusty, pitch-black lump tucked away in the corner of the bottom shelf.

Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong immediately crowded over at the sound, staring at the blackened object that had lost its original form, both frowning and shaking their heads in unison.

"We don't recognize it either."

Only Xiao Wu rested her chin in her hand, her nose twitching slightly as she sniffed the faint, lingering scent of blood in the air, speaking thoughtfully:

"This thing... it seems to have fallen off a spirit beast."

"Is this medicine too?"

Xiao Yexuan reached out to poke the cold, pitch-black object, feeling a vague sense of familiarity, yet unable to recall exactly what it was for the life of him.

Just then, Ye Lingling walked in from the back hall with a stack of dried medicinal herbs, her footsteps light and quick.

She caught sight of Xiao Yexuan and the others huddled together, studying that black lump with great intensity.

A faint blush instantly stained her pretty face.

She walked up slowly, and seeing Xiao Yexuan leaning in close with such an earnest, inquisitive look, a sense of shame welled up in her heart.

To think she had been blushing and heart-racing just moments ago over the intended use of this herb—it was truly unbecoming of a healer's composure and steady nature.