Cute Little Brother

Just as Xiao Yuan was marveling at this, the woman suddenly glanced back.

That cold, profound gaze seemed to span countless eras to meet his eyes.

Immediately.

The image shattered.

At the same time, his mind was flooded with a vast amount of knowledge.

It was all related to alchemy!

For instance, the Void Alchemy Technique, as well as the Tribulation Lightning Pill Tempering the woman had just performed.

Furthermore, his soul felt a tearing pain unlike anything he had ever experienced!

There was no helping it; the life of an Emperor-Grade Alchemist was incredibly long, and the memories were equally immense.

If his soul power hadn't been sufficiently strong and his physical body sufficiently robust, he would have likely exploded and perished, his soul scattered to the winds.

He did not know how much time had passed, only that the sky outside had already darkened.

Only then did he break free from that agonizing pain.

His entire body was soaked in sweat.

He looked as if he had just been fished out of the water.

He lay sprawled on the bed, gasping for air like a drowning man clutching a piece of driftwood.

Damn it, I almost kicked the bucket there...

He had realized that these golden egg rewards from the system were simply not things someone at his current level could possess.

Whether it was Source Qi, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, the Innate Fire Spirit Body, or the insights of an Emperor-Grade Alchemist...

He felt that any one of these things could easily cost him his life.

Perhaps in the future, when he received rewards, he would need to weigh whether or not he should actually use them.

Sigh, what's done is done. I'd better just get some sleep.

As his tense nerves gradually relaxed, the accumulated fatigue swallowed him like a tide, and his heavy eyelids slowly drifted shut.

The silent night slipped away quietly.

When the sky was just beginning to brighten the next day, Xiao Yuan was already awake.

This sleep had been refreshing in a way he hadn't felt for a long time.

Although he hadn't managed to digest much of the knowledge regarding alchemy, his cultivation level had broken through yet again.

He was now a Three-Star Dou Ling.

To break through two stars just by sleeping—if he told anyone, it would surely drop their jaws.

However.

To his surprise, Little Doctor Fairy was already up and was currently in the courtyard organizing medicinal herbs.

"Awake?"

Seeing him, Little Doctor Fairy raised her usual bright, gentle smile and instructed:

"Breakfast will be ready in a moment. Oh, that's right, I'm heading into the Magical Beast Mountain Range today. Do you want to come along? If not, you can stay at the Myriad Medicine Pavilion; the people from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group won't give you any trouble."

As she finished speaking, Xiao Yuan shook his head hurriedly.

"No, I'd better go with you, Little Doctor Fairy. Besides, I can protect you."

"Alright, alright, then I'll leave my safety in your hands, little brother Xiao Yuan."

Little Doctor Fairy smiled and patted his head, her face full of doting affection.

Perhaps because his appearance was too deceptive, or perhaps because she could hear his inner thoughts, Little Doctor Fairy had now let down all her guard.

She truly treated him like a little brother.

And honestly, this feeling of being doted on by an older sister... was actually quite nice.

At the very least, his cheap cousin Xiao Yu had never treated him like this.

After breakfast.

The members of the Blood Battle Mercenary Group had already gathered outside the Myriad Medicine Pavilion.

When they saw Little Doctor Fairy, dressed in white as pure as snow, the mercenaries acted as if they had been injected with adrenaline, stepping forward one after another to greet her.

But when they saw Xiao Yuan following behind her, their expressions froze, and their eyes were filled with astonishment.

Almost everyone began to speculate about the relationship between him and Little Doctor Fairy.

But no one dared to ask.

This was Little Doctor Fairy's private business, and they knew very well that they had no right to pry.

In the silent forest, the large group of people walked quietly. Pairs of vigilant eyes constantly scanned the dark shadows among the surrounding trees, hands gripping the weapons at their waists, ready to deal with any sudden situation at a moment's notice.

Once they left Qingshan Town and entered the territory of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the probability of encountering magical beasts became very high.

This remained true even in the outer regions.

As veteran mercenaries who had spent years in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, they could maintain a basic level of tacit understanding without the need for verbal communication.

Through exchanged glances, they could identify signals of danger or safety from one another's eyes.

As a member of the team, Xiao Yuan naturally bore the responsibility of protection.

While using the alchemy knowledge he had just digested to help gather herbs, he also released his soul power to remain constantly alert to his surroundings.

"Little Brother Xiao Yuan, I didn't expect you to be so capable. You actually recognize medicinal herbs? Could it be that you are an alchemist?"

Little Doctor Fairy straightened up slightly after placing the gathered herbs into her Storage Ring, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand while breathing lightly.

Yet, her soft and beautiful face revealed an expression of envy and longing.

Becoming an alchemist was her lifelong dream.

If she could see it realized in someone else she knew, she would feel happy all the same.

"I'm not an alchemist... I've just learned a little bit of the basics..."

Xiao Yuan scratched his hair, feeling somewhat embarrassed, his face filled with awkwardness.

He felt that he was completely different in front of Little Doctor Fairy compared to when he was with Ya Fei.

He could remain calm and composed when facing Ya Fei, but in front of Little Doctor Fairy, he felt a strange, indescribable sensation.

"Really? But I feel that your technique for picking herbs is very practiced; it doesn't look like you just learned it at all."

As she spoke, a hint of playfulness flashed in Little Doctor Fairy's eyes.

"Uh..."

Now Xiao Yuan truly didn't know how to explain it.

But I really did just learn it yesterday!

Hearing his inner voice, the smile on Little Doctor Fairy's lips became even more radiant.

She suddenly felt that the young man before her was quite cute.

It would be nice if he were actually her own younger brother.

However, not long after the team set off again, they encountered their first magical beast attack.

"Watch out!"

Several Rank 1 Red Ice Snakes suddenly lunged from the trees.

Although it was a sneak attack, fortunately, the mercenaries were highly vigilant and dealt with them easily.

But what terrified them was the lizard blocking the path ahead!

It was about half a meter long, its body covered in grey-green scales that looked like crushed stone. Its limbs were exceptionally thick, and its tail was so powerful that a single lash could shatter a tree trunk.

"It's a Rank 1 Stone-Skin Lizard! How could one appear here?!"

This creature was arguably the one mercenaries least wanted to see.

Its shell was too hard, and its weak point was its underbelly, making it very difficult to deal with.

"Let me handle it."

Xiao Yuan suddenly made his move.

He dashed out, his speed so fast that only an afterimage remained.

He swung the Heaven-Slaughter Halberd in his hand violently.

Like a hot knife through butter, the hard scales were instantly cleaved open, and the entire Stone-Skin Lizard was split in two.

A round, earth-attribute magic core rolled onto the ground.

Seeing this, many of the mercenaries could not help but show expressions of shock and astonishment.

Even in Little Doctor Fairy's beautiful eyes, there was a flicker of shock and surprise; he was completely different from the timid and shy youth he had been before.

His strike was sharp and decisive, killing with a single blow.

Was he actually this powerful?

However, what surprised Little Doctor Fairy even more was that after killing the Stone-Skin Lizard, Xiao Yuan's expression did not soften in the slightest; he hoisted the Heaven-Slaughter Halberd onto his shoulder and stared straight ahead.

In the dense forest ahead, another mercenary team had appeared.

The young man leading them smiled and spoke toward their group:

"What a coincidence, Little Doctor Fairy. I didn't expect to run into you here."