Departure

If silence was golden, then Xiao Yan must have had a mountain of gold tonight.

Silently, he climbed down from the Melded Ape's corpse, silently removed its magic core, then silently walked over to the girl and picked her up.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Taking you back to Green Mountain Town. What, did you want to spend the night with me in the Magic Beast Mountains?" One hand hooked beneath Little Fairy Doctor's slender legs while the other supported her back. His palm carefully avoided her small breasts as it moved to support her waist.

"What does taking me back have to do with carrying me?! Put me down! I can walk by myself!" Little Fairy Doctor's face flushed red as she struggled weakly.

"You're too slow. It's already dark, so we need to get back quickly." With that, Xiao Yan unleashed Explosive Step and swiftly ran toward Green Mountain Town.

"Ah!"

The violent jolting and rapidly retreating forest made Little Fairy Doctor instinctively clutch Xiao Yan tightly to keep herself from falling.

With that tight embrace, combined with the jolting from his running, certain appropriate and inappropriate contact was naturally impossible to avoid.

No wonder couples liked carrying each other princess-style. So that was why...

Xiao Yan felt pretty good about it. He would do it again next time.

However, unlike Xiao Yan's lecherous thoughts, Little Fairy Doctor, as a physician, quickly noticed something after being in such close contact with him.

This person... had at least ten broken bones! Little Fairy Doctor looked at Xiao Yan as if he were a monster.

She stopped struggling as well. As a girl who often entered and left the Magic Beast Mountains, she naturally knew that escaping was the most important thing in dangerous situations.

Only then did Little Fairy Doctor realize just how much advantage he had taken of her.

Hmph! This guy isn't just a monster, he's a pervert too! Little Fairy Doctor grumbled inwardly.

Green Mountain Town, within the estate of Ten Thousand Medicine Hall.

"Any news from Little Fairy Doctor?" a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious brocade robes asked.

A guard-like man immediately replied, "Not yet, but I've gathered the brothers. We can enter the mountains to search at any time."

"Mm." The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then said, "According to those who returned from the herb-gathering team, they encountered a second-tier magic beast this time. It is night now, and entering the mountains would be too risky. We should wait until dawn."

"But!" The guard leaned close to the middle-aged man and whispered, "Didn't the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group say some time ago that he was interested in Little Fairy Doctor? If we just leave her alone like this, wouldn't that be too much of a loss?"

"So what?" The middle-aged man glanced sideways at the guard. "Remember, preserving our own strength is what matters most."

"What about the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group..."

"Just find another pretty girl!" the middle-aged man said. "Little Fairy Doctor would have needed another two years before she was old enough to marry off anyway."

At that moment, a subordinate suddenly came to report, "Boss Yao, Chief, Little Fairy Doctor has returned, and she brought a man with her!"

In the courtyard of the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall estate, Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor stood surrounded by a crowd.

The middle-aged man and the guard quickly arrived. As the people blocking the way parted, a young man and woman stood in the center.

"Little Fairy Doctor, are you all right? It's wonderful that you came back! Uncle Yao was worried sick about you!" the middle-aged man said happily.

What a convincing act! the guard thought to himself. He would probably put on the same reluctant expression when sending Little Fairy Doctor to the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's bed, all so he could continue exploiting her to seize benefits from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Mister Yao. Little Fairy Doctor is fine. The person beside me is the one who saved me." Little Fairy Doctor gracefully gave Mister Yao a respectful bow.

Only then did Mister Yao turn his gaze to Xiao Yan. "So this young brother was the one who saved our Little Fairy Doctor. A true hero emerges in youth! May I know your name, young brother?"

"You're too kind, Mister Yao. Just call me Yao Yan." Xiao Yan smiled as he looked at the owner of Ten Thousand Medicine Hall, the man who had tried to force Little Fairy Doctor to hand over the Seven-Colored Poison Manual in the original story, and began thinking.

"So it's Brother Yao Yan! We truly have you to thank for saving Little Fairy Doctor this time. This is a small token of appreciation from Ten Thousand Medicine Hall. Please accept it." As he spoke, Mister Yao took a storage ring from a tray that a servant had brought over at some point and handed it to him.

Xiao Yan accepted it and looked inside. Besides quite a few medicinal herbs, there were also many gold coins, roughly thirty or forty thousand. A mercenary at the Dou Zhe level would need at least four or five years to earn that much. It was indeed no small amount.

"Well, young brother? If there is anything else you need, feel free to mention it. Ten Thousand Medicine Hall will do everything possible to satisfy you," Mister Yao said with a smile.

"Mister Yao truly deserves to be the owner of Ten Thousand Medicine Hall. Your generosity is extraordinary. I really do have something I need your help with," Xiao Yan said.

Mister Yao's face twitched almost imperceptibly. How can someone be so shameless? I was only being polite, couldn't you tell? Though he thought this, none of it showed on his face. "Whatever Brother Yao Yan requires, just say it! Leave it to me!"

"It's nothing much. I suffered some injuries in the Magic Beast Mountains, so I would like to find a suitable place to recover for a few days." Xiao Yan immediately stated his request.

Whew, I thought it was something serious. He just wants to stay here. But that will make it easier for me to investigate his background and his relationship with Little Fairy Doctor. "Of course, no problem. What do you think of my estate, young brother? The environment is lovely and medicinal herbs are plentiful. If you are satisfied, feel free to stay. Stay as long as you wish!" Mister Yao said with a smile.

"Then I'll trouble you, Mister Yao." Xiao Yan revealed a satisfied smile.

Looking at the smiles on the faces of the two foxes, one old and one young, Little Fairy Doctor had no idea what she was thinking.

Several days later, in Mister Yao's study.

"Well? Have you found out Yao Yan's background?" Mister Yao asked.

"We found some information. This man arrived in Green Mountain Town alone not long ago. After that, he bought a residence not far from our Ten Thousand Medicine Hall. Then he entered the Magic Beast Mountains with members of the Blood Battle Mercenary Group. After that, he returned from the Magic Beast Mountains with Little Fairy Doctor," the guard from before reported.

"Does this person have any connection to Little Fairy Doctor?"

"Probably not, but no one knows what happened between them that day in the Magic Beast Mountains," the guard replied.

"Mm." Mister Yao pondered for a moment. "You may leave first. Keep a close watch on this Yao Yan. I always feel there is something off about him."

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, in Little Fairy Doctor's room, Little Fairy Doctor was changing Xiao Yan's medicine. As for why it was in Little Fairy Doctor's room, that was something one would have to ask a certain person about his shamelessness.

"What kind of person do you think Mister Yao is?" Xiao Yan suddenly asked just as Little Fairy Doctor finished changing the medicine and was about to show him out.

Little Fairy Doctor did not hesitate and immediately answered, "Mister Yao is a very good person. He has taken care of me all these years. To me, he is like a father."

"Really?" Xiao Yan did not believe it. In the original story, Little Fairy Doctor had been skilled in poisoning from the very beginning. If it had not been for self-defense, could it have been for fun? "If you want to leave, I can help you."

Little Fairy Doctor glanced at Xiao Yan's serious face. She knew that this boy, who could kill a second-tier magic beast, truly had the ability to do so. Yet rather than feeling happy, she asked, "And then I become your woman, is that it?"

Xiao Yan was not surprised by Little Fairy Doctor's question. After all, he had never concealed his desire from the beginning. "I admit I did think that, but unlike that hypocritical Mister Yao, I won't hide it, nor will I force you."

"Heh! That sounds nice, but how are you going to prove it?" Little Fairy Doctor sneered, unconvinced by Xiao Yan's words.

"Because I'm only twelve years old. I'm not capable of doing anything to you yet," Xiao Yan said matter-of-factly.

Little Fairy Doctor froze. She looked at the tall figure before her, nearly one meter seventy, and thought, You're supposed to be twelve?

"You don't believe me?" Xiao Yan noticed the doubt in Little Fairy Doctor's eyes. "You know about blood age-testing, right? Just test me."

Blood age-testing was a relatively common method on the Dou Qi Continent for determining someone's age through their blood. As a physician, Little Fairy Doctor naturally knew a little about it as well.

"You... are really only twelve?" Although she had just tested him, Little Fairy Doctor still found it unbelievable.

"Absolutely genuine!" Xiao Yan said firmly.

If a twenty-year-old male college student told a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old middle school girl, "Little girl, become your brother's wife," people would think it was a crime, utterly sleazy. But when it was a twelve-year-old boy saying, "Big sister, will you marry me when you grow up?" it instead carried a kind of innocent cuteness. At that moment, Little Fairy Doctor was experiencing that exact one-hundred-and-eighty-degree shift in perception.

Only after a long while did Little Fairy Doctor recover from her shock over Xiao Yan's age.

"Pah! Even if you're only twelve, you're still a little pervert," Little Fairy Doctor said. Yet it was undeniable that she was indeed somewhat moved.

After pondering for a long time, Little Fairy Doctor finally asked tentatively, "If I go with you, where do you plan to take me?"

"I came to the Magic Beast Mountains this time to train, so I plan to take you somewhere suitable in the mountains and live there for a few years. After all, staying alone in the Magic Beast Mountains is rather lonely," Xiao Yan explained his plan.

"The Magic Beast Mountains?" Little Fairy Doctor cried out. "Aren't you afraid of dying in there?"

"A little, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. A genius like me, without much of a background, has to risk his life to have a chance. Besides, magic beasts each have their own territories. As long as we are careful and avoid powerful magic beasts, there should not be much of a problem." Xiao Yan added, "You know how to prepare herbs that conceal one's scent, right? I noticed it when we first met."

"I do know some," Little Fairy Doctor said. Then she seemed to realize something. "Don't tell me that's why you took an interest in me?"

"That is part of the reason," Xiao Yan said. It was the truth. Given their ages, he and Little Fairy Doctor were destined to be unable to do anything for now. Moreover, Little Fairy Doctor's Woeful Poison Body required Heavenly Flame, so their paths would cross again sooner or later. The reason Xiao Yan had been so impatient was indeed partly because he wanted someone to accompany him. After all, Yao Lao was not with him this time. The other reason was Little Fairy Doctor's abilities as a physician.

But when Little Fairy Doctor heard that, she immediately assumed this was the main reason, because it sounded more like the thinking of a twelve-year-old boy. Her thoughts immediately became much more active.

"When will your injuries be healed?" Little Fairy Doctor asked excitedly. If possible, she did not want to remain here for even one more day.

"If you want, we can leave right now," Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Right now?"