Winning Over Hai Bodong and Meeting My Brothers

"Elder Hai, shall we keep fighting?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

The memory of the beating he had just taken came rushing back, and Hai Bodong shuddered.

He hurriedly took out the other half of the torn map and handed it to Xiao Yan. Forcing a smile uglier than a grimace, he said, "Your strength is formidable, young friend. I'm no match for you. This map fragment rightfully belongs to you."

As for Xiao Yan's earlier offer to break his seal, Hai Bodong desperately wanted to know more, but he did not dare bring it up himself.

"Elder Hai, would you like your strength back?" Xiao Yan asked as he put away the map fragment.

Those were the words Hai Bodong had been waiting for. He nodded eagerly. "Yes! Of course I would!"

"I'll break your seal. In return, you and the Mittel Family will serve me from this day forward. What do you say?" Xiao Yan said, enunciating every word.

"That..." Hai Bodong hesitated.

Regaining his strength or keeping his freedom—he could choose only one. It was no easy decision.

Seeing Hai Bodong weigh his options, Xiao Yan did not press him. He merely sat to one side and waited.

After barely a dozen breaths, Hai Bodong made his choice.

He walked up to Xiao Yan and bowed deeply. "I, Hai Bodong, together with the Mittel Family, will serve you unconditionally from this day forward, Master."

"Open your mind," Xiao Yan said calmly.

Hai Bodong gritted his teeth and did as he was told.

Following Yao Lao's instructions, Xiao Yan planted a mark deep within Hai Bodong's soul.

With that mark in place, a single thought was all Xiao Yan needed to destroy Hai Bodong's soul.

Hai Bodong sensed that something had appeared within his soul, but he had no idea what it was or where it lay.

The thought of losing his freedom filled him with sorrow.

Then Xiao Yan spoke again. "Three years... If you serve me well for three years, the mark will be removed."

At those words, light returned to Hai Bodong's dim eyes.

"Thank you, Master!" Hai Bodong bowed again.

"Don't call me Master. Young Master will do." Xiao Yan waved a hand, looking faintly uncomfortable.

Having a scruffy old man call him Master felt wrong somehow. He could just about accept it from a beautiful woman like Little Purple.

"Yes, Young Master!" Hai Bodong promptly corrected himself.

Xiao Yan nodded, then raised a finger and pointed at him.

The power of the Horse Talisman surged into Hai Bodong, rapidly healing every injury in his body.

Warmth spread through Hai Bodong as an extraordinarily gentle energy flowed through his limbs and bones.

His ruined arm began to mend before his eyes. Within a few breaths, it was as good as new—better than before, even.

All his other injuries healed as well, including the hidden wounds that had plagued him for years.

Hai Bodong could scarcely believe what he had seen.

More astonishing still, the seal that had tormented him for years offered no resistance to that power. It crumbled in an instant.

With the seal gone, Dou Qi erupted from Hai Bodong's body. His cultivation soared, returning to Dou Wang in the blink of an eye before leaping to Dou Emperor.

At last, his strength settled firmly at Five-Star Dou Emperor—the peak he had reached before being sealed.

"Wonderful! I'm a Dou Emperor again!" Hai Bodong's Ice Dou Qi surged as he burst into laughter.

But his joy lasted only an instant before he remembered his new position. He hastily drew in his Dou Qi, strode up to Xiao Yan, and bowed. "Young Master, I will never forget what you've done for me!"

This bow was more sincere than any he had given before.

After witnessing Xiao Yan's incredible abilities firsthand, Hai Bodong was deeply relieved that he had chosen to submit.

If the Mittel Family could tie its fortunes to Xiao Yan, it was sure to soar to new heights.

"It's nothing. We're on the same side now, so you needn't bow like that. Just do your work well." Xiao Yan waved a hand, looking unconcerned.

With everything settled, Hai Bodong gathered his things and left the Ancient Map Shop with Xiao Yan.

In the Snake-People Tribe's Snake-People Temple...

A beautiful snake-woman with a graceful figure reclined languidly upon the throne in the great hall, her eyes closed in concentration.

As though sensing something, she slowly opened her lovely eyes and gazed toward a point beyond the temple. Her crimson lips parted. "My seal... has been broken."

Xiao Yan knew nothing of what had happened among the Snake-People Tribe. By then, he and Hai Bodong had reached Stone Desert City.

He had not forgotten that his eldest and second brothers had established a group there. He wondered how they were doing.

After entering Stone Desert City, Xiao Yan asked a passerby about the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

The group did exist, though it had yet to make a name for itself. For now, it was only a small mercenary outfit.

Following the passerby's directions, the two soon arrived at the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's headquarters.

As they were about to enter, the guards on duty at the gate stopped them.

"This is the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. What business do you two have here?" one guard asked formally.

"Go tell them Xiao Yan is here," Xiao Yan said.

A guard nodded and jogged inside to deliver the message.

Before long, two figures hurried out to meet them.

Their voices reached Xiao Yan before they did.

"Hahaha! Little Yanzi, it really is you!" His second brother, Xiao Li, rushed forward and pulled him into a bear hug. "When the guard said Xiao Yan was here, I thought it had to be someone with the same name. But it really is you!"

"That's right, Little Yanzi. I never expected you to find us here," his eldest brother, Xiao Ding, said as he came forward smiling.

"I happened to pass through while traveling, so I came to see you both," Xiao Yan replied with a smile.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li noticed Hai Bodong behind Xiao Yan and paused. "Little Yanzi, who is this?"

"This is Elder Hai. You could say he's an ally of the Xiao Clan now..." Xiao Yan briefly introduced him to his brothers.

When they heard that Hai Bodong was a Dou Emperor expert, both brothers thought they had misheard.

After Xiao Yan confirmed it, they stared in astonishment at the gray-haired old man before them.

Knowing the two were Xiao Yan's brothers, Hai Bodong put on none of the airs of a Dou Emperor expert. He bowed respectfully. "Hai Bodong greets the two young masters."

"Oh, please, Elder Hai, there's no need for that!" The brothers were so flustered that they waved their hands repeatedly.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I came all this way. Are you going to leave your little brother standing out here?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile, breaking the awkwardness.

The four of them then entered the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's headquarters.

Once Hai Bodong had been shown somewhere to rest, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li began asking Xiao Yan what had happened.

"Little Yanzi, what's your cultivation level now...?" Xiao Li swallowed and could not help asking.

Xiao Ding looked just as curious.

Xiao Yan saw no reason to hide it from his brothers. He smiled faintly and said:

"I got lucky. I've just broken through to Da Dou Shi."