Auxiliary Mission

Thinking of a certain mercenary group's leader, Xiao Ni put away the Bone Chilling Flame and rubbed his chin, his gaze fixed tightly on the ecstatic Yang Cheng.

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

Although he did 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 alright?" After glancing at the endlessly laughing Yang Cheng, Yang Qizhen quickly walked over to Xiao Ni.

She had not expected Xiao Ni to injure Yang Cheng internally, nor had she expected him to possess one of the legendary Heavenly Flames. She had been stunned for quite a while just now.

Yang Cheng often talked to her about Heavenly Flames, so she knew just 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 before calling out loudly, "Uncle Cheng, does this count as passing your test?"

Yang Cheng's condition had been for him to either endure ten exchanges or fight to his heart's content before being allowed to stay. Xiao Ni had even brought out a Heavenly Flame 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 last fought someone? Being injured by Xiao Ni's Heavenly Flame today truly filled him with excitement. That was a Heavenly Flame, the flame every alchemist dreamed of obtaining.

"Thank you, Uncle Cheng." Xiao Ni grinned and hurried over, scratching his head as he asked, "Uncle Cheng, you're an alchemist too. Is it really alright to give me all the medicinal ingredients?"

What he really wanted to ask was where the ingredients were. There did not seem to be anywhere nearby to store things, and Yang Cheng was not wearing a storage ring either. But Xiao Ni felt that asking directly would make him seem too eager and impolite, so he changed the way he phrased it.

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

"Was it because of... that Big Snake?" After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Ni could not resist being curious.

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

"If I had obtained a Heavenly Flame back then, I would've burned that bastard Big Snake until not even ashes remained!" Yang Cheng said bitterly. Then, he suddenly smiled brightly. "But it's alright. He erased the wood-attributed Dou Qi in my body, but I nearly killed him too. I even left a long scar beneath his ear."

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

Back then, he and that bastard Big Snake had both been Seven-Star Dou Practitioners. They fought all the way from Green Mountain Town to the Magic Beast Mountain Range, and both ended up badly wounded. A Magic Beast dragged him away, while Big Snake took the opportunity to flee. They had never met again after that, and Big Snake probably believed he was already dead.

"Though I don't know what level you were at back then, Uncle Cheng, you're already a Three-Star Dou Master now. If you run into that guy again, you'll definitely be able to kill him easily," Xiao Ni said solemnly.

He was now certain that the Big Snake Yang Cheng spoke of was the leader of a certain mercenary group. That man was merely a Two-Star Dou Master. If he truly fought Yang Cheng, his chances of defeat would be very high.

"I put those old grudges behind me long ago. I don't care in the slightest whether that bastard Big Snake is alive or dead, 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 eyes were full of tenderness as he looked at Yang Qizhen.

"Uncle Cheng is truly broad-minded." Xiao Ni smiled faintly, then asked tentatively, "I heard from Qizhen that you have a cauldron here that hasn't been used for many years. Could you give it 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 just now? It showed that he still hated the person who had destroyed his wood-attributed Dou Qi.

"You want medicinal ingredients and a cauldron too. Don't tell me you're an alchemist as well?" Yang Cheng became increasingly curious about Xiao Ni.

Xiao Ni had already obtained a Heavenly Flame. If he was also an alchemist, then he would definitely go much farther on 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 mission: Display the abilities of a Third-Grade Alchemist before Yang Cheng, and obtain a cultivation technique and a set of Dou Skills from Yang Cheng. Their grade must not be lower than the Mysterious Tier. Upon completing this mission, in addition to receiving rewards, the progress of the mission to borrow money from Xun'er will increase by three days.

Friendly reminder: If the Host keeps staring at Yang Qizhen throughout the alchemy process, the progress of the borrowing-money mission will increase substantially, and there is a certain chance of directly completing the borrowing-money mission.

Listening to the system announce the new mission, Xiao Ni could not help frowning.

This mission suited him perfectly. He did not want to stand outside Xun'er's door every morning waiting to borrow money, so in order to complete that mission sooner, he could only wrong Yang Qizhen for the moment.

"Brother Xiao Ni isn't an alchemist. He's only running errands for some esteemed alchemist," Yang Qizhen hurriedly explained when she saw that Xiao Ni seemed hesitant to speak.

Upon hearing that, Yang Cheng was just about to offer Xiao Ni a few words of comfort 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 simply didn't want to attract attention at the market earlier, which was why I concealed the truth."

With a system came missions, and with missions came the need to complete them. Otherwise, how could he speed up 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 Fighters." 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 had suddenly revealed himself to be a Third-Grade Alchemist, it would indeed attract 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 even obtained a Heavenly Flame. You're not getting any younger either. Have you thought about getting married?" Yang Cheng patted Xiao Ni's shoulder with a hearty smile, abruptly turning the conversation toward Xiao Ni's lifelong affairs.

"Uh... not for now." Xiao Ni smiled awkwardly. Even with his thick skin, he felt rather embarrassed inside at that moment.

Why had Yang Cheng suddenly brought up marriage? He was not thinking of giving Yang Qizhen to Xiao Ni in marriage, was he?