Auxiliary Quest

Thinking of the captain of a certain mercenary regiment, Xiao Ni put away the Bone Chilling Flame and stroked his chin, his gaze fixed tightly on the exhilarated Yang Cheng.

Yang Cheng was laughing so heartily—he must have really enjoyed getting beaten up. This time, Xiao Ni should be able to get the medicinal ingredients he wanted, right? But the wooden house was already gone. Where were they supposed to eat later?

Although he would not have to compensate for the damage here, it would still be a headache if Yang Cheng asked him to stay and help rebuild the house.

"Brother Xiao Ni, are you all right?" Glancing at the endlessly laughing Yang Cheng, Yang Qizhen hurried over to Xiao Ni.

She had never expected Xiao Ni to inflict internal injuries on Yang Cheng, nor had she expected him to possess the legendary Heavenly Flames. She had been stunned for quite a while just now.

Yang Cheng had often mentioned Heavenly Flames to her, and she knew how terrifying they were. She had thought she would never have the chance to see one in her lifetime.

"I'm fine." Xiao Ni smiled and shook his head, then called out to Yang Cheng, "Uncle Cheng, does this mean I passed your test?"

Yang Cheng's condition had been that he either endure ten exchanges or fight to his heart's content before he could stay. Xiao Ni had even brought out the Heavenly Flames and developed a new move, while Yang Cheng was laughing like a child despite being decades old. That should count as fighting to his heart's content, right?

"You passed, you passed. Come with me. You can take all the medicinal ingredients here!" Yang Cheng beckoned with a hearty voice.

How many years had it been since he had fought anyone? Being injured by Xiao Ni's Heavenly Flames today had truly thrilled him. Those were Heavenly Flames—Heavenly Flames that every Alchemist desired.

"Thank you, Uncle Cheng." Xiao Ni grinned and quickly ran over. Scratching his head, he asked, "Uncle Cheng, you're an Alchemist too. Is it really okay to give me all the medicinal ingredients?"

What he really wanted to ask was where the medicinal ingredients were, since there did not seem to be anywhere nearby to store things, and Yang Cheng wore no storage ring on his finger. But asking so directly would make him seem impatient and rude, so he changed the way he phrased it.

"I stopped being an Alchemist long ago. I can't be one anymore." Yang Cheng's eyes dimmed, and a trace of sorrow appeared on his face.

"Is it because of... that Big Snake?" After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Ni could not resist satisfying his curiosity.

The Big Snake Yang Cheng spoke of was no good person to begin with. If he had the chance, Xiao Ni would kill Big Snake before Xiao Yan did, repaying Yang Cheng for the medicinal ingredients he had given him today.

"If I had obtained a Heavenly Flame back then, I would have burned that bastard Big Snake until not even ashes remained!" Yang Cheng said angrily. Then he suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. "But it doesn't matter. He erased the wood-attribute Dou Qi inside me, but I nearly killed him too—and left a long scar beneath his ear."

Excitement gleamed in Yang Cheng's eyes, as though that bloody battle from years ago had appeared before him once more.

Back then, he and that bastard Big Snake had both been Seven-Star Dou Zhe. They fought all the way from Green Mountain Town to the Magic Beast Mountain Range, where they both ended up severely injured. A magical beast dragged him away, while Big Snake seized the chance to flee. They had never met again after that, and Big Snake believed he was already dead.

"Although I don't know what level you were at back then, Uncle Cheng, you're already a Three-Star Dou Master now. If you meet that guy again, you'll definitely be able to kill him easily." Xiao Ni spoke with a grave expression.

He could now be certain that the Big Snake Yang Cheng mentioned was the captain of a certain mercenary regiment. That man was merely a Two-Star Dou Master; if he truly faced Yang Cheng, the odds of his defeat would be very high.

"I let go of those old grudges long ago. I don't care in the slightest whether that bastard Big Snake lives or dies, or how strong he is. All I want now is to live a peaceful life with Qizhen." Yang Cheng's tone became much calmer, and his gaze toward Yang Qizhen was full of tenderness.

"Uncle Cheng is truly broad-minded." Xiao Ni smiled faintly, then asked tentatively, "I heard Qizhen say that you have a furnace that hasn't been used for many years. Could you give that to me as well?"

To be honest, he did not believe Yang Cheng had truly let go of his hatred. Otherwise, why had Yang Cheng become so agitated when Alchemists were mentioned earlier? It showed that he still hated that person for destroying his wood-attribute Dou Qi.

"You're asking for medicinal ingredients and a furnace too. Could it be that you're also an Alchemist?" Yang Cheng grew increasingly curious about Xiao Ni.

Xiao Ni had already obtained Heavenly Flames. If he was also an Alchemist, then he would certainly go even farther down the path of alchemy in the future.

"I..." Xiao Ni had just been about to deny being an Alchemist when the system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Congratulations, Host, for triggering an auxiliary quest: Display the abilities of a Third-Grade Alchemist before Yang Cheng, and obtain from Yang Cheng a cultivation method and a Dou Technique, neither below the Mysterious Tier. Upon completing this quest, you will receive rewards and gain three additional days of progress on the quest to borrow money from Xun'er."

"Friendly reminder: if the Host keeps staring at Yang Qizhen throughout the alchemy process, progress on the money-borrowing quest will increase greatly, with a certain chance of directly completing the money-borrowing quest."

Listening to the system issue its new quest, Xiao Ni could not help frowning.

This quest suited him perfectly. He did not want to wait outside Xun'er's door every morning just to borrow money, so in order to complete the money-borrowing quest as quickly as possible, he could only wrong Yang Qizhen for now.

"Brother Xiao Ni isn't an Alchemist. He's only running an errand for some esteemed Alchemist." Seeing that Xiao Ni seemed hesitant to speak, Yang Qizhen hurriedly explained.

Hearing this, Yang Cheng was just about to say something to comfort Xiao Ni when Xiao Ni gave Yang Qizhen an apologetic smile. "Sister Qizhen, I was wrong to hide my identity as an Alchemist from you before. Actually... I'm a Third-Grade Alchemist. I only concealed the truth at the market because I didn't want to attract attention."

Where there was a system, there were quests. Where there were quests, they had to be completed. Otherwise, how could he accelerate his growth?

"So Brother Xiao Ni is actually a Third-Grade Alchemist. My father only barely became a Second-Grade Alchemist back then. It seems Brother Xiao Ni's Dou Qi is much more abundant than that of ordinary Dou Zhe." Yang Qizhen chuckled, not minding that Xiao Ni had concealed his identity as an Alchemist.

After all, even Master Gu Ni in Wutan City was only a Second-Grade Alchemist. If Xiao Ni suddenly revealed himself to be a Third-Grade Alchemist, it would indeed draw plenty of attention. Since Xiao Ni preferred to keep a low profile, she would certainly keep his secret.

"You really know how to hide your talents, kid. Not only are you a Third-Grade Alchemist, you've even obtained Heavenly Flames. You're not getting any younger—have you considered getting married?" Yang Cheng laughed heartily and patted Xiao Ni on the shoulder. Then, with an abrupt change of topic, he brought up Xiao Ni's lifelong marriage prospects.

"Uh... not for the time being." Xiao Ni smiled awkwardly. Thick-skinned as he was, even he felt a little embarrassed inside at that moment.

Why had Yang Cheng suddenly asked about marriage? He wasn't planning to betroth Yang Qizhen to him, was he?

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