Theft

Hearing the voice, Xiao Fan's steps paused.

The newcomers were from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. It looked like they had been lying in wait above for quite some time.

"Hahaha, it's actually two little brats." The mercenary's tone then turned vicious.

"Hand over what you found!"

Xiao Fan rubbed his hands together. "Hehe, robbing and killing really is the fastest way to get rich. Time to do another job. Everyone saw it—the Wolf Head Mercenary Group attacked first!"

At this moment, one of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's underlings walked over and whispered something to the man who had led them.

"What!"

The leader looked at Xiao Yi Xian, frowned, then quickly put on a smile. "May I ask if you are the proprietor of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion?"

The moment Xiao Fan heard that, he knew he would probably miss his chance to loot the bodies today. His face immediately fell...

"That's right. What, does your Wolf Head Mercenary Group intend to make a move?"

"No, no, you misunderstand, Proprietor. Our Wolf Head Mercenary Group is merely searching for the culprit who stole from our treasury."

The leader simply watched as Xiao Yi Xian led away the utterly dejected Xiao Fan.

A newly recruited underling of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group asked in confusion, "Boss, we're just letting them go? Aren't they only two little kids?"

The leader immediately scolded him, "What the hell do you know? That proprietor may look delicate and tiny like a child, but she's actually an old hag!"

"What!" The underling was rather shocked.

"Isn't that so? Green Mountain Town has four major powers. Aside from the three mercenary groups, the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion is one of them."

"Moreover, the former proprietor of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was a Da Dou Shi, yet even that Da Dou Shi was forced out of Green Mountain Town by the current proprietor!"

"She didn't even make a move. The former proprietor dropped to his knees, foamed at the mouth, and couldn't get back up. Isn't that terrifying?"

Although the leader had never seen Xiao Yi Xian make a move, the incident with the former proprietor of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion had indeed happened. Of course, it had not been nearly that exaggerated. Xiao Yi Xian had settled it amicably.

"With strength like that, she has to be an old hag in disguise! That white robe, white skirt, and white hair are proof of her identity!"

Looking at the youth Xiao Yi Xian was holding by the hand, the leader sighed. "Who would have thought an old cow would eat young grass..."

"That little brat is done for."

"Pfft, hahahaha." Once they had gone far enough away, Xiao Fan could no longer hold back his laughter.

Then, looking at Xiao Yi Xian's incomparably gloomy expression, he could not resist teasing her. "Old hag?"

"You're still saying it!" Xiao Yi Xian was furious too. She had never imagined such a misunderstanding would arise.

Girls hated being told they were old more than anything. "What, have they never seen someone who can defeat a Da Dou Shi?"

"What a bunch of short-sighted fools!"

Xiao Yi Xian was already considering how to make those mercenaries die without a sound.

Blackish-purple Dou Qi curled around Xiao Yi Xian's fingers, frightening Xiao Fan into immediately dropping the joke.

"Xian'er, calm down."

"Hehe, I'm very calm. They will be too."

Xiao Fan was already prepared to perform last rites for those fellows. Hopefully, they would live peacefully in heaven.

Sniff, sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff.

"Hmph, hmph."

"Xiao Fan! Where did you go!"

Zi Yan wrinkled her little nose and carefully sniffed Xiao Fan all over, back and forth.

She felt as if she had lost something...

"Stop sniffing around like a dog." Xiao Fan shoved Zi Yan, who was clinging to him, away.

The best way to deal with Zi Yan was...

"Wow, a Purple Spirit Strange Fruit! Xiao Fan, where did you get this?" Zi Yan snatched it in a flash, then, with her smooth and tender bare little feet, hugged the Purple Spirit Strange Fruit and gnawed on it.

Purple Spirit Strange Fruit was one of the few medicinal ingredients that tasted delicious while also having tremendous effects. To a glutton like Zi Yan, it was an irresistible delicacy. If one tied it to a fishing rod, it could probably become a dragon-teasing stick.

"How many times have I told you not to put food on the ground!"

"Huh?"

Zi Yan stared at Xiao Fan with her round eyes in confusion. She clearly had not thrown anything around this time!

"Alright, alright. We'll stay in Green Mountain Town for a few days. Don't go raiding other people's treasuries either. They aren't having an easy time themselves."

Xiao Fan did want Zi Yan to steal another haul, but it was immoral after all, and his conscience could not bear it.

"Awoo." Xiao Fan had cut off Zi Yan's source of income. She had originally planned to feel around in the other two treasuries.

"Don't worry, there'll be no shortage of Sugar Pills."

"Hehe, Xiao Fan, you're so nice."

Looking at Zi Yan's restored smile, Xiao Fan sighed inwardly. She really was still just a little kid, so easy to coax.

However, Zi Yan now seemed obsessed with growing up and wanted to eat all the time. If this continued...

"Big Sister Ya Fei, your Black Card might not be enough..."

The process of refining medicine was boring. For an Alchemist like Xiao Fan, a Nine-Rank Golden Pill, refining second-rank pills was as easy as child's play.

Having broken through to the fifth star of Dou Zhe, Xiao Fan sat in a scorching room. Two pill cauldrons stood beside him. Various seasonings and medicinal ingredients lay on the ground to one side, while the other side held only medicinal ingredients sealed in jade bottles.

With one hand, he controlled Dou Qi to condense real flames, roasting batch after batch of medicinal ingredients into delicious Sugar Pills. With the other, he controlled the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame to refine the third-rank medicinal pill, Qi Recovery Powder.

"Using one mind for two tasks and refining several medicinal ingredients at once—isn't that easy?"

"Xiao Fan! I'm hungry!" A round, purple figure suddenly crashed into Xiao Fan.

Bang!

The pill cauldron controlled by the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame let out a muffled groan, and waves of black smoke poured out.

Realizing she had caused trouble, Zi Yan skillfully retraced the exact steps she had taken when entering. "!Hungry~ I! Fan~ Xiao."

Bang-clang. The door shut.

Zi Yan rolled out just as smoothly as she had rolled in.

"Luckily, the batch of Sugar Pills didn't explode." Xiao Fan let out a breath.

"No!"

"Ahhh, Zi Yan! Those were ingredients for a third-rank medicinal pill!"

After Zi Yan's collision, barely any of Xiao Fan's ingredients for Qi Recovery Powder remained.

"Whew, looks like I'll have to find Xian'er again."

Looking at the pill cauldron Ya Fei had given him, Xiao Fan saw that cracks had already appeared from repeated refinement.

"Looks like I need to replace this pill cauldron too..."

"Sigh, I should still go get an Alchemist certification. Finding medicinal ingredients on my own is no way to live."

Xiao Fan could already see his future life of tightening his belt.

After putting away the refined Sugar Pills in separate jade bottles, Xiao Fan picked up Zi Yan, who was curled into a ball outside the door.

"Let's go."

Zi Yan buried her head between her legs. When the punishment she had expected did not come, she cautiously lifted her head.

"Ow!"

Another knuckle rap landed on her head.

A disobedient Little Dragon Maiden deserved a harsh punishment.

"Here, Xiao Yan'er. This is for you."

Zi Yan immediately forgot the pain from moments ago.

"Hehe." Zi Yan took the jade bottle and began gobbling the pills one after another as if they cost nothing.

Of course they cost nothing—she was not the one paying.

What if they ran out of money?

"Theft."

"Pull off a big job."

"This is self-defense."