Following Little Fairy Doctor

As night fell, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group took the first watch, leaving the freelance mercenaries to cover the second half of the night.

At the first glimmer of dawn, everyone on watch was drowsy except for Xiao Li. His higher cultivation meant that even two days without sleep wouldn't affect him much; he usually replaced sleep with meditation, though he refrained from doing so now while on guard duty.

As the first rays of morning light descended, the Little Fairy Doctor opened her eyes inside her tent. With the sky beginning to brighten, she knew she had to return within the hour.

The Little Fairy Doctor wasn't even a Dou Zhe yet, so she dared not venture too far, but an hour was more than enough for her purposes.

Peering through a gap in the tent, the Little Fairy Doctor noticed that most of the mercenaries were relying on light naps, with only a few huddled together, chatting to stave off their drowsiness.

A perfect opportunity!

A smile touched the Little Fairy Doctor's fair, delicate face. She stepped out of the tent on tiptoe, carefully navigating the mercenaries' blind spots as she made her way toward the forest.

As the Little Fairy Doctor's figure vanished, Xiao Li opened the eyes he had been feigning sleep with, lost in thought.

Could it be that the Little Fairy Doctor already knows the location of the cave she isn't supposed to enter for several years, but simply lacks the strength to claim its treasures?

Xiao Li rubbed his chin, planning to help his third brother secure the remnant map of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame first. The Heavenly Flame held no appeal for him; it was better left for Xiao Yan, and obtaining it early wouldn't disrupt the grand trajectory of the plot.

Besides, even if Xiao Li were to obtain the Heavenly Flame, it would eventually be absorbed when Xiao Yan became an Emperor. Compared to Heavenly Flames, Xiao Li was more interested in finding out if there were such things as "Heavenly Lightning" in this world, which would perfectly align with his own elemental affinity.

The Dou Qi Continent was vast; Xiao Li refused to believe that only fire-attributed divine objects existed in this world.

Having made up his mind, Xiao Li decided that as long as it didn't interfere with the main plot, he would help Xiao Yan as much as possible. His third brother had a rough life, so he would help where he could.

He followed the Little Fairy Doctor quietly. Although she already possessed the cunning of her future self, her abilities were still lacking. She was merely a ten-year-old girl who hadn't even reached the Dou Zhe stage; the fact that she dared to sneak out alone was enough to earn Xiao Li's respect.

Dappled light filtered through the leaves, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression.

The Little Fairy Doctor moved with cautious steps. She had reached the vicinity of the herb-gathering team's destination, where medicinal plants grew more abundantly than elsewhere.

Digging up another herb with her small trowel, a smile appeared on her face. "This should be enough. I can make some anesthetic powder when I get back."

"Chirp~~"

A faint, long cry echoed out. Startled, the Little Fairy Doctor quickly hid behind a tree.

"That sound, it's almost like..."

"Like it's crying."

The Little Fairy Doctor shook her head, casting aside her immature thoughts. How could a magical beast cry? She had better get going.

She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she suddenly doubled back. The kindness in her heart wouldn't allow her to simply turn a blind eye.

Xiao Li raised an eyebrow and followed her, lurking in the shadows.

At the edge of a cliff, the Little Fairy Doctor looked down at the valley floor in distress. A small, azure-colored fledgling lay prone, gasping for breath and letting out weak cries for help.

"It must have failed during its first attempt at flight and fallen to the valley floor with a broken wing."

Xiao Li's calm voice drifted over, startling the Little Fairy Doctor.

"Y-you, why are you here?" The Little Fairy Doctor shrank her shoulders in fear, but with the cliff behind her, she had nowhere to retreat.

"Just trying my luck, looking for some herbs or treasures. What about you?" Xiao Li shrugged, conveniently omitting the creepy fact that he had been tailing a little girl.

The Little Fairy Doctor gritted her teeth; Xiao Li seemed decent enough. "I... I am doing the same."

Xiao Li nodded and stepped to the edge of the cliff. "It's not going to last much longer."

The Little Fairy Doctor turned her head, her eyes filled with pity. She looked at Xiao Li beside her and gathered her courage. "Although... it is very presumptuous, could I ask you to help it? I can give you some herbs as payment."

Xiao Li shook his head. The herbs the Little Fairy Doctor gathered were low-grade and of little use to him. By comparison, he would rather do a favor and build a connection with a future powerhouse.

The Little Fairy Doctor's heart sank. She frowned as she looked down at the valley floor, which was over ten meters deep, her eyes filled with the pure, innate kindness of a child.

"Keep your herbs. I can help, but I don't know anything about medicine. I can only take you down there. Do you dare to come with me?" Xiao Li asked.

The situation took a turn for the better, and the Little Fairy Doctor nodded in pleasant surprise. "Yes, yes! Thank you!"

Seeing the porcelain doll with tear-filled eyes, Xiao Li couldn't help but chuckle. "I can't stand seeing a cute little girl cry."

His calloused palm, toughened by years of spear practice, instinctively patted the Little Fairy Doctor's head. It really felt like coaxing a child in his past life.

Xiao Li didn't feel any awkwardness; the Little Fairy Doctor was just a little girl right now. Besides his own freakish third brother, who would be interested in a little girl?

Xiao Li curled his lips, mentally poking fun at Xiao Yan again, maliciously reinterpreting his past actions of helping Xun'er nourish her meridians as a "good deed."

The Little Fairy Doctor beamed, feeling an unprecedented warmth.

Ever since she had accidentally wiped out her entire village at the age of three, this was the first time she had felt warmth from another person.

Thinking of her unique constitution, the smile on the Little Fairy Doctor's face dimmed slightly.

"Alright, hold on tight. I'll carry you down."

Xiao Li scooped the Little Fairy Doctor into his arms, supporting her bottom with his left hand and wrapping his right arm around her back, treating her exactly like a child from his past life.

The Little Fairy Doctor, however, had lived by her own wits for so long that she was quite precocious, and she felt a bit unnatural.

On the Dou Qi Continent, the coming-of-age ceremony was at sixteen, and some were even betrothed at thirteen or fourteen. The Little Fairy Doctor didn't feel she was that young anymore.

"How are we... ah!"

Before the Little Fairy Doctor could finish asking how they would get down, Xiao Li had already leaped off the cliff while holding her.

"Ahhhhh!"

Little Fairy Doctor felt the air currents rushing past her, her white dress fluttering chaotically in the wind, the intense sensation of weightlessness making her heart leap into her throat.

Xiao Li extended his right hand downward, his body parallel to the ground, feeling the gale plaster his hair against his scalp without a trace of panic in his heart.

He slammed a palm fiercely toward the ground, a violent surge of Dou Qi erupting outward, the sheer force of the energy imprinting a palm mark into the earth even through the air.

Relying on that brief upward lift to dissipate the force of the descent, Xiao Li performed an aerial turn and landed steadily.

Little Fairy Doctor gasped for air, looking at the ground, still shaken. "I, I..."

"Hahahaha." Seeing Little Fairy Doctor's adorable, shocked expression, Xiao Li couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"What, what are you laughing at!" Having just experienced a high-altitude bungee jump, Little Fairy Doctor's face flushed bright red as she spoke fiercely.

"Nothing, nothing, hahahahaha."

Abominable! I hate adults who have no sense of boundaries!

Little Fairy Doctor jumped off Xiao Li, pouting, but her body swayed and she nearly tripped on flat ground.

Hearing the low laughter behind her, Little Fairy Doctor's face turned even redder, and she walked toward the Blue Eagle without looking back.