Two Years

The sun shone brightly as the two young people, having rested for the night, emerged from the cave.

A faint blush still lingered on the girl's face as she walked behind him.

Don't misunderstand—they had done nothing. It was simply that the young and innocent girl still could not accept sleeping beside a man, especially when a certain bastard kept letting his hands wander.

She shot a vicious glare at the refreshed Xiao Yan, then reluctantly climbed onto his back again. They were still atop a cliff, so they had to rely on this bastard to get down.

Her smooth legs and soft body drove away the last traces of Xiao Yan's sleepiness, leaving him completely energized. He swiftly descended the cliff and continued deeper into the Magic Beast Mountains.

Within the dense forest, water sources and caves were always scarce.

In a verdant valley, a waterfall fell from the west and flowed eastward, nourishing a patch of fertile land in the center. All kinds of medicinal herbs and flowers flourished there, carpeting the valley floor.

The moment Little Fairy Doctor arrived, she could barely move on.

Girls loved flowers, physicians loved herbs, and this valley had both in abundance. Wasn't this Little Fairy Doctor's paradise?

Though there was no cave in the valley to shelter in, so what? They could just dig one themselves.

No sooner said than done!

Xiao Yan condensed his powerful Heavenly Flame into a fiery shovel and easily plunged it into the mountainside. With a hard pull, he dragged out a large pile of dirt. Repeating this over and over, half a day passed in a flash. The orange-yellow sunset shone into the cave Xiao Yan had dug, revealing a dwelling with one bedroom and one living room. As for why it was one bedroom and one living room instead of three bedrooms and one living room—wasn't that obvious? There were only two of them. Why would they need a second bedroom? Xiao Yan said he simply could not understand.

At that moment, Little Fairy Doctor entered from outside carrying wild vegetables and fresh fish. Looking at the walls, which had taken on a basalt-like texture after being scorched by the Heavenly Flame, as well as the excellent lighting that faced the sun, Little Fairy Doctor nodded in approval. Yet when she saw the one and only bed, already covered with blankets and pillows, she cursed inwardly. She could figure out a certain scoundrel's thoughts with her heels now. How had she let herself get fooled into coming out here in the first place?

Since they had long planned to live in the Magic Beast Mountains, Xiao Yan had naturally brought all the necessary pots, bowls, and seasonings. After finishing a fragrant bowl of fish soup, Xiao Yan held Little Fairy Doctor and leaned back against the newly built bed. As they discussed adding a bathroom, a cultivation room, and other things, they gradually drifted into sleep. Their first day in the valley passed peacefully.

Time flew like a white colt flashing past a crevice, and two years passed in the blink of an eye.

High in the cloudless sky, a figure spread a pair of purple eagle wings and soared through the heavens.

Suddenly, the purple-winged figure halted in midair. Blazing flames gathered in his hands and fused into a great bow. Its string was drawn taut like a full moon, its scorching arrowhead aimed at a patch of dense forest below.

Within the forest below, a Stone-armored Beast was foraging as usual. The immense pressure unique to a Third-Rank Magical Beast sent all nearby creatures fleeing or hiding. Suddenly, an intense sense of danger swept through the Stone-armored Beast's body. Its scales instantly tightened, while earth-element energy rapidly gathered around it, forming an indestructible suit of armor. Even a Fourth-Rank Magical Beast would find such double-layered defenses troublesome, yet they brought it no sense of safety. Its instincts told it that the danger had not passed. Its thick limbs pounded the ground as it trampled everything ahead and fled at full speed.

"Scarlet Flame Arrow!" Xiao Yan roared. His voice boomed like a great bell, exploding through the silent skies.

Bang!

The bowstring thundered as the crimson flaming arrow, carrying the might of Heavenly Flame, pierced through the air.

Though the Stone-armored Beast fled with all its might, the blazing arrow pursued it relentlessly as if it had eyes.

The hard stone armor and resilient scales were pierced with ease under the scorching Heavenly Flame and the impact of the Scarlet Flame Arrow, as though they were merely thin, brittle paper. A violent explosion destroyed the Stone-armored Beast's life from within.

When Xiao Yan descended from the sky, he saw only a charred corpse three meters tall and over ten meters long lying on the ground.

He condensed flame into a sword and made a casual slash. A brown magic core as large as his palm fell into his hand.

Over the past two years, Xiao Yan had not only completely refined the Volcanic Rock Flame, pushing his cultivation directly to the level of a Seven-Star Great Dou Master, but had also thoroughly mastered the Dou Technique Compendium and created quite a few Dou Techniques unique to himself. The Scarlet Flame Arrow from earlier was one of them. Xiao Yan estimated that it was around the Mid Black Tier, but when combined with the power of Heavenly Flame, it was unquestionably a High Black Tier Dou Technique. Even against an Earth Tier Dou Technique, Xiao Yan was confident he could withstand it.

Besides the Scarlet Flame Arrow for long-range attacks and Wings of the Eagle for flight, Xiao Yan had also created the lower-tier Wave-Cleaving Ruler based on Yao Lao's Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler. Earth Tier Dou Techniques were powerful, but Xiao Yan's current realm did not allow him to use them freely. Every time he used the Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler, more than half his Dou Qi would be drained, making it highly inconvenient. Thus, he normally used the lower-tier Wave-Cleaving Ruler in battle. It was also a Low Black Tier technique. Though much weaker, it was more sustainable. Of course, Xiao Yan had not neglected the Earth Tier Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler either. As his trump card, he had cultivated it to the point of mastery.

Lastly came the Flame Emperor Armor. On the Dou Qi Continent, once someone reached the Great Dou Master realm, they could release Dou Qi to form Dou Qi armor. Xiao Yan built upon this trait, further strengthening the Dou Qi armor and combining it with the power of Heavenly Flame to create the Flame Emperor Armor. Its defensive power was three times that of ordinary Dou Qi armor, and it also blocked poisonous gas and enhanced other Dou Techniques. However, it consumed twice as much Dou Qi. The Flame Emperor Armor's greatest advantage was that its power could increase alongside the number of Heavenly Flames he possessed. Though it could not evolve on its own like the Flame Mantra and required Xiao Yan's own deduction, as a Dou Technique closely tied to the Flame Mantra, it would not be difficult to maintain the same tier as the Flame Mantra with the Flame Mantra as a model. At present, like the Flame Mantra, it had reached the Mid Black Tier. However, the Flame Emperor Armor's current level was still too low. Xiao Yan felt he should keep a low profile, so for now he called it the Flame Emperor Armor.

Calculating the time, he had been out for quite a while. It was time to head back, or Xian'er would worry. With that thought, Xiao Yan flapped his wings and soared into the sky once more, shooting toward one side of the forest.

The most obvious change in the valley where their cave dwelling stood compared to two years ago was the addition of a medicinal field. Since Xiao Yan had formally begun practicing alchemy two years earlier, his demand for medicinal ingredients had increased sharply. Little Fairy Doctor's cultivation also required her to prepare large quantities of poison, so the two of them opened this medicinal field together. Besides growing common auxiliary herbs, they had transplanted many main ingredients that had been immature when they found them.

At that moment, a white figure was busy working amid the medicinal field. As the saying went, a girl changed greatly as she grew. After two years, the once immature girl had become a graceful young woman. Little Fairy Doctor was clearly taller than before, nearly 1.7 meters, around 1.68 meters. Although Xiao Yan had returned to Green Mountain Town several times to buy her clothes, he still could not keep up with her physical development. Her white dress was stretched taut front and back, above and below, fully displaying her curvaceous and lovely figure. Her long black hair fell loosely around her shoulders, fluttering alongside her dress in the gentle breeze. Only her slender willow waist remained as slim as it had been two years ago.

The purple figure landed quietly, as if unwilling to disturb the mountain's beautiful scenery, but the girl still sensed the young man's arrival.

She slightly lifted her lovely face and looked toward him. Their gazes met, and they smiled at each other. Such scenes had long become part of their daily lives.

"You're back?" Her voice was crisp and melodious.

"I'm back." His voice was deep and strong.

"Come lend me a hand. We need to harvest all the herbs in the field before we leave."

"Alright." Xiao Yan answered and walked to the other end of the field.

Though Little Fairy Doctor worried that absorbing too many toxins would cause her to lose control, with Xiao Yan's help, she had still reached the Dou Master realm.

With a Dou Master and a Great Dou Master working together, the already small medicinal field was soon harvested.

After returning to the cave dwelling and lighting the stove, they soon prepared a dinner of pan-fried Stone-armored Beast meat and vegetable soup.

After eating and drinking their fill, Little Fairy Doctor entered the bathroom first to wash. Accompanied by the sound of water flowing as the girl bathed, Xiao Yan practiced his commonly used Dou Techniques one last time that day, then sat in meditation and circulated his Dou Qi through several cycles. Although neither Xiao Yan nor Little Fairy Doctor relied much on meditation for cultivating their strength, it was still the foundation of cultivation, so both retained the habit.

After completing his nightly practice, Little Fairy Doctor had already finished bathing and returned to the room.

In the bathroom, a bubbling hot spring washed away Xiao Yan's exhaustion from head to toe.

He emerged from the bathroom and entered the room. On the spacious bed, large enough for five or six people, Little Fairy Doctor had also just finished her nightly meditation and opened her eyes. Having lived together for more than two years, they had long developed this silent understanding.

As it was midsummer, Little Fairy Doctor wore only a dudou-like undergarment, while Xiao Yan wore nothing but a pair of underpants.

"Xiao Yan." On the bed, Little Fairy Doctor's jade-like hand rested against Xiao Yan's chest. "Where do you plan to go after leaving the Magic Beast Mountains?"

"I plan to go to the Tagore Great Desert." Xiao Yan played with her beautiful hair. Though he had done so countless times, he never got tired of it. "I told you before that my two brothers are there. I want to take you to meet them. And besides..."

"Besides what?"

"I suspect there may be a Heavenly Flame there."

"Heavenly Flame!" Little Fairy Doctor sat up in surprise. Her full breasts were faintly visible beneath the moonlight stone's glow, making Xiao Yan feel thoroughly rewarded.

"Is that true?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling there should be one. You know, I've always had an affinity with Heavenly Flames." Xiao Yan naturally knew that the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame was there, but such a thing was difficult to explain, so he could only claim it was a premonition.

"It would be wonderful if there really is one." Little Fairy Doctor said hopefully.

"What, are you that eager to marry me?" Xiao Yan hooked up Little Fairy Doctor's fair chin with his right hand and grinned wickedly.

They had agreed back in the cliffside cave dwelling that after Xiao Yan helped Little Fairy Doctor resolve her Woeful Poison Body, she would marry him.

"Keep dreaming! Even if you gather all the Heavenly Flames, there are still two other materials needed. And the Pill Tower you mentioned before isn't so easy to enter!"

Though she said that, Little Fairy Doctor did not truly think the Pill Tower was beyond Xiao Yan's reach. Over the past two years, Xiao Yan had devoted nearly half his energy to refining Heavenly Flame and practicing Dou Techniques, yet he had still used the other half to reach the level of a Third-Grade Alchemist. He was not far from becoming a Fourth-Grade Alchemist either. With such talent, even though Little Fairy Doctor did not know the Pill Tower's recruitment standards well, she was almost certain Xiao Yan would be able to enter.

Little Fairy Doctor lightly slapped away Xiao Yan's right hand and lay back down. "Sleep. We have to leave tomorrow, so we need to rest well tonight." With that, she ignored Xiao Yan and directly closed her eyes.

Xiao Yan grinned, pulled Little Fairy Doctor closer against himself, tucked the blanket around them, and soon fell asleep as well.

Early the next morning, the two packed their belongings into their Storage Rings.

After taking one last look at the place where they had lived for two years, Xiao Yan spread his Purple Cloud Wings. One hand supported Little Fairy Doctor's back, while the other hooked beneath her legs and lifted her in a bridal carry. Little Fairy Doctor naturally wrapped her arms around his neck.

The purple wings flapped violently, carrying the two of them into the sky like an arrow leaving its bow. The scenery below rapidly shrank into a dazzling patchwork of colors.

Riding the purple wings, the two sped toward the eastern side of the Magic Beast Mountains, gradually vanishing into the horizon.

Over the vast, boundless desert, the blazing sunlight poured down and dyed the sands golden. High above the desert, a purple figure moved at tremendous speed.

After crossing dune after dune, Xiao Yan spotted a city in the distance. When they were roughly a dozen li away, he slowly descended and put away his Purple Cloud Wings.

Dou Qi Wings were the privilege of Dou King experts. In a small border city like this, a Dou King was an extraordinary figure. To avoid trouble, Xiao Yan chose to land in the wilderness outside the city.

He gently set Little Fairy Doctor down from his arms, took two cloaks from his Storage Ring, handed one to her, and draped the other over himself. When traveling outside, it was always best to be cautious.

Holding Little Fairy Doctor's hand, the two walked the last dozen li. A massive yellow city appeared before them.

Crowds of bronze-skinned people flowed in and out through the city gates. Most of the men were bare-chested, while the women, though somewhat better covered, mostly wore tight leather clothing that exposed plenty of skin. By comparison, Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor's attire stood out somewhat. However, Xiao Yan had no intention of changing. Neither his own well-built body nor Little Fairy Doctor's fair, jade-like skin was for these people to covet or admire.

"Mo City." Xiao Yan murmured the city's name and smiled, recalling someone who could probably be considered an old man. Then he led Little Fairy Doctor slowly toward the city gates.