Xiao Lin swept his Soul Force through the Storage Ring, and a flicker of satisfaction crossed his eyes.
Just then, Yun Yun's lashes fluttered as she lay on the bluestone, and she slowly opened her eyes.
She was still somewhat dazed upon waking, but the unfamiliar surroundings brought her sharply to alertness!
Yet the moment she tried to rise, she discovered that her meridians ached fiercely, her limbs were numb, and her Dou Qi had stagnated. She did not even have the strength to lift a hand.
"Don't move."
Seeing her scramble to move as soon as she woke, risking tearing her wounds open again, Xiao Lin could not help giving a sharp warning.
"Ah! Who's there?!"
The sudden voice startled the weakened Yun Yun. Only then did she belatedly realize that someone else was in the cave.
She abruptly turned her gaze toward the voice and saw a figure in blue robes standing beside the bluestone. His features were handsome, and he seemed to blend seamlessly into his surroundings, as naturally as if he belonged there.
Her mind had been so unsettled that she had failed to notice his presence at all!
"You... who are you?"
Yun Yun demanded sternly, though her weakness left her voice soft and feeble.
She instinctively tried to prop herself up, only to find her limbs numb and her meridians in agony. She could barely move even a fingertip.
Ignoring her panic, Xiao Lin leisurely sat cross-legged, took out the pitch-black Storage Ring, and drew out a host of bottles and jars, setting them down in the cave one by one.
Jade bottles, jade boxes, silk pouches... they piled up beneath the glow of the Moonlight Stone, their medicinal fragrances mingling and permeating the entire cave abode.
Yun Yun stared blankly at the sight, the fear in her eyes gradually giving way to shock.
The labels marking the grades on those jade bottles, the tremendous energy fluctuations emanating from them, and the waves of unmistakable medicinal fragrance-all of them sent tremors through her heart-
Fifth-grade, sixth-grade, seventh-grade... there were even two Grade 8 Pills!
"This... this..."
Her pupils contracted sharply as she stared in disbelief at the composed figure in blue.
Never mind Grade 8 Pills-not a single person in the entire Northwest Continent could refine even seventh-grade pills.
Before she left the sect, Elder Gu He had said that he had made a breakthrough and could begin attempting to refine seventh-grade pills, but Yun Yun had not quite believed him.
Without the guidance of an accomplished master, breaking through a bottleneck in alchemy was far harder than advancing in Dou Qi cultivation.
Yet this man carried so many high-grade pills that countless people would flock to like ducks to water, and he casually set them out as though they were ordinary odds and ends?
Xiao Lin's gaze passed over the many pill containers before he finally reached for a small green jade bottle.
The bottle was smooth and warm to the touch, its label clearly bearing the words "Blood-Replenishing Vitality Pill." It was precisely a Sixth-Grade Pill used for healing.
He pulled out the stopper, and a rich medicinal fragrance immediately gushed forth, forming a thin mist inside the cave.
Xiao Lin rose and walked slowly to the bluestone. Looking down at that pale face whose exquisite beauty remained undiminished, he curled his lips into a faint smile.
"You... what are you going to do?"
Yun Yun's voice trembled. She looked at the mysterious pill in his hand, then into Xiao Lin's unfathomable eyes, fear and anger intertwining in her gaze.
Then Xiao Lin slowly bent down, lifted Yun Yun's light body, and rested her head on his right thigh.
With one hand, he lifted Yun Yun's fair chin and gripped her delicate face. A slight pressure parted her dry, cracked lips, bloodless from weakness, and he gently dropped the pill into her mouth.
"Mmph-"
Yun Yun's eyes widened with fury, but caught off guard, she swallowed it.
The pill dissolved upon touching her tongue, instantly becoming a warm, gentle stream of energy that flowed through her limbs and every part of her body.
She had been about to rebuke him, but the instant the pill entered her stomach, she swallowed all her words.
That energy was like a spring breeze bringing nourishing rain, like the soothing warmth of a hot spring, slowly seeping into every meridian and every inch of flesh.
The searing pain that had felt as though she were being torn apart gradually melted away in that gentle warmth. Though her sealed Dou Qi had yet to recover, her depleted blood essence was replenishing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
A faint blush rose to her pale cheeks, and her parched lips gradually regained their moist sheen.
"Mm..."
She could not help letting out a soft murmur, her voice sweet and tender, carrying a comfort she could scarcely suppress.
An instant later, Yun Yun abruptly realized she had lost her composure. Her face flushed red as sunset clouds, and even the roots of her ears turned crimson.
She forced herself to put on a cold expression and turned her head away, refusing to look at Xiao Lin, as though that could conceal her earlier embarrassment.
Xiao Lin withdrew his hand, his expression calm, as though nothing had happened.
He turned around. Rather than returning all those high-grade pills to the Storage Ring, he picked up only the jade box containing the seventh-grade Transformation Pill, looking thoughtful.
Seeing that he made no response, Yun Yun breathed a slight sigh of relief, then began trying to circulate her power. Yet the Dou Qi inside her was like a stone sunk into the sea, impossible to summon.
"Don't bother trying. Your Dou Qi is still sealed."
He spoke casually, his gaze settling on the purplish-black marking on Yun Yun's shoulder.
"That pill only healed your injuries. It can't break the seal. But that move of yours already weakened most of the seal's power. With your ability, you should be able to break through it yourself before long."
Hearing this, Yun Yun instinctively examined her internal condition. Sure enough, although the Amethyst Seal remained, it was nowhere near as overbearing as before.
The effects of a Sixth-Grade Pill were already excellent, but to recover completely in such a short time, she would probably need an eighth-tier healing pill.
Unfortunately, neither of those two Grade 8 Pills was specifically meant for healing.
Fortunately, the Wind Summoning Technique helped enormously. If I hadn't obtained that inheritance, I might have met my end here today...
Feeling her body mend, she silently sighed to herself. Only after a moment did she remember how the man before her had helped her.
"Th... thank you."
Her voice was cool, yet tinged with embarrassment.
Xiao Lin leaned against the stone wall, his blue robes taking on a faint, dim sheen beneath the Moonlight Stone's glow.
His eyes seemed to hold brilliant starlight. His tone was level, yet carried an unquestionable certainty. "The Amethyst Winged Lion King is no longer what he once was."
Yun Yun paused, then silently agreed.
"Just as you yourself obtained some kind of miraculous inheritance."
Xiao Lin turned his head, meeting her astonished gaze.
"But your mastery of that Dou Technique clearly isn't up to par. I imagine you've been slacking off. Otherwise, with the speed of the Wind Summoning Technique, you would never have been hit."
Yun Yun's lovely face reddened slightly. Having a strange man point out her lax cultivation to her face left even her, the Misty Cloud Sect Master, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed despite her composure.
But soon, her heart tightened, and deep suspicions surged through her thoughts-
How did this man know about the Wind Summoning Technique?
Ever since she obtained this Otherworldly Inheritance, no one besides her disciple Nalan Yanran had known what Dou Technique she had inherited...!
Before you continue