Before Mu She and the others could react, a sea of golden flames engulfed everyone present. The four men who had still been indulging in their dreams moments ago turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
After dealing with Mu She and the others, Xiao Chen left calmly, as though nothing had happened, and made his way to the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.
"Greetings, sir. May I ask what you'd like to buy?"
When the attendant saw Xiao Chen enter the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, he hurried over to greet him. He had heard of this young Dou Wang who had suddenly appeared in Qingshan Town recently, so naturally, he didn't dare risk offending him.
Xiao Chen glanced at the attendant and swept his soul power across the entire Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. Finding that Yao Wanqian was still inside, he nodded. "I have a big business deal to discuss with your manager. Go fetch him!"
"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go ask the manager to come right away!"
The attendant bowed again, then hurried toward the back courtyard. Before long, he returned with a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue brocade robe.
"Yao Wanqian greets you, sir. I didn't know you were coming, so I apologize for not welcoming you. If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask!"
Yao Wanqian adopted an exceedingly humble attitude. He had heard long ago that the Greedy Wolf Mercenary Group was working for this lord and had been promised quite a few benefits. He was green with envy.
He had been wondering how he could catch this lord's attention, and now an opportunity had come knocking. No wonder he'd heard magpies chattering that morning.
Xiao Chen had no intention of wasting words with him. With a single slap, he turned Yao Wanqian into a bloody mist. The attendants at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion were so terrified by the sight that they collapsed to the ground. Overcome with fear, they couldn't utter a word and could only watch helplessly as Xiao Chen left.
Not long after Xiao Chen departed, news that the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion's manager had been killed and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's leaders wiped out spread throughout Qingshan Town.
The mercenaries had originally planned to avenge Mu She and the others, but once they learned that Xiao Chen was the killer, they all abandoned the idea.
As for whether people would laugh at them for being afraid of death? Give them a break. They knew perfectly well which mattered more: reputation or their lives.
Qingshan Town, Qingfeng Inn, third floor.
"Brother Xiao Chen, you're back! Is everything taken care of?"
When Xiao Chen pushed open the door, Xiao Yi Xian threw herself straight into his arms. Her slender arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and her eyes brimmed with concern.
She had thought she'd long grown accustomed to her solitary, quiet life. But after Xiao Chen appeared in her world, she realized that she had always longed for someone to keep her company.
Xiao Chen gently patted Xiao Yi Xian's back, then ruffled the young girl's hair. "It's taken care of. We should leave here now, too!"
"Mm! I'll do whatever you say, Brother Xiao Chen!"
Xiao Yi Xian didn't ask where they were going next. She had little attachment to Qingshan Town. As long as she could stay by Xiao Chen's side, she'd gladly climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of flames.
Xiao Chen had already planned out their next steps. First, they would go to the Alchemist Association in the Imperial Capital to have his alchemist rank certified. Then, he would gather some highly toxic medicinal herbs and refine Poison Pills to raise his and Xiao Yi Xian's levels.
Two days later, Jia Ma Empire, Imperial Capital.
Xiao Chen walked down the street holding Xiao Yi Xian's hand. Hearing the vendors on either side of the road hawking their wares, he couldn't help exclaiming, "As expected of the Imperial Capital. It really is bustling!"
"Brother Xiao Chen, aren't you from the Imperial Capital?"
Xiao Yi Xian was puzzled. She had always thought Xiao Chen was the heir of some powerful family in the Imperial Capital. Otherwise, how could he have such frightening strength at such a young age?
Xiao Chen smiled and shook his head. "No. As it happens, this is my first time in the Imperial Capital, too. My family is in Wutan City, quite close to Qingshan Town. You've probably heard of it, Xian'er!"
"Wutan City?!"
At the name, Xiao Yi Xian felt as if her mind couldn't keep up. Of course she knew where Wutan City was—it was just a small city on the northwestern frontier of the Jia Ma Empire.
She simply couldn't understand how such a remote place could have produced a prodigy like Xiao Chen. It was a miracle among miracles.
As if he'd guessed what Xiao Yi Xian was thinking, Xiao Chen reached out and lightly flicked the tip of her nose. "All right, stop thinking about it. I had a few fortuitous encounters—that's how I got to where I am today!"
"Brother Xiao Chen must have gone through so many hardships and dangers, right?"
Xiao Yi Xian clasped Xiao Chen's hand tightly, a look of tenderness and sympathy rising in her eyes. In her view, the fortuitous encounters he mentioned must have involved inheriting the legacy of some powerful expert.
She had heard that to obtain the legacy of such experts, one had to pass the many trials they had set up before their deaths. Every one of those trials was a brush with death, and some were even impossible to pass.
Xiao Chen had no idea what Xiao Yi Xian had imagined this time. But seeing her like this, he still reassured her. "Actually, I haven't been through any great hardships or dangers. Things have gone pretty smoothly for me so far!"
Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip, taking his words as nothing more than an attempt to comfort her. As they talked, they had already arrived at the Alchemist Association.
"Please stop, both of you. This is the Alchemist Association. May I ask what brings you here?"
Seeing that the two weren't wearing alchemist robes and weren't children of the empire's nobility, the guards hurried over to stop them. However, after seeing Xiao Chen's fine clothes, they didn't dare offend him, so they spoke fairly politely.
Xiao Chen knew the Alchemist Guild's rules. He opened his left hand, and a cluster of golden flames rose from his palm. "I'm here to take the alchemist qualification exam!"
The guard stared at the flames dancing in Xiao Chen's hand, his breath catching. Beads of sweat began to gather on his forehead.
Although he wasn't an alchemist, he had worked at the Alchemist Guild for many years and knew the ranking system well.
Being able to condense real flame meant that the young man before him was at least a fourth-tier alchemist. That was far beyond the reach of a lowly guard like him.
He was thankful he hadn't said anything reckless earlier. Otherwise, he'd be in serious trouble now. A fourth-tier alchemist this young could kill him in broad daylight, and no one would uphold justice for him. The nobles might even curry favor with Xiao Chen by telling the guard he deserved to die.
With that in mind, the guard quickly stepped back respectfully and made way. "I didn't know who you were just now, sir. Please forgive me!"
"It's all right. You're not guilty of what you don't know. Besides, you were only doing your job. Why would I blame you?"
Xiao Chen waved his hand. The guard had been doing his duty and hadn't given him any trouble. Xiao Chen wasn't unreasonable; there was no need to nitpick over such a trivial matter.
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