"You..." Yun Yun opened her mouth, but did not know where to begin.
Xiao Lin seemed to see through her thoughts, yet offered no explanation.
He merely held the blood-red jade box containing the Transformation Pill and rocked it in his hand for a moment.
The instant the lid opened, a rich medicinal fragrance rushed out, actually condensing into a phantom beast inside the cave that threw back its head and roared!
Yun Yun's pupils contracted sharply, and she cried out involuntarily, "A seventh-grade... Transformation Pill?!"
Yun Yun stared at him blankly, her mind churning like an overturned sea.
Who exactly was this man?
He was so young, looking no more than twenty or so, yet the aura he gave off already marked him as a Dou Wang expert.
What was more, he carried so many high-tier pills with him. There had to be a master guiding him.
Could it be a seventh-grade alchemist? Or someone even higher?
Or... was he from somewhere like the Central Plains, the heart of the continent, with horizons and knowledge far beyond ordinary people?
If so, he surely knew about [inheritors]. Perhaps he was an [inheritor] himself, which was why he could discern the nature of this inheritance from the Dou Technique I used earlier?
With countless thoughts racing through her mind, Yun Yun found her conjecture more convincing the longer she considered it.
At that thought, the shock in Yun Yun's heart gradually subsided, replaced by deep curiosity and wariness.
"Sir..."
She chose her words carefully, her voice regaining some of its clarity thanks to the pill's nourishment.
"Why are you here in the Magical Beast Mountain Range? And why did you risk rescuing me from the Lion King?"
Xiao Lin tossed the Storage Ring in the air a couple of times, then raised his eyes toward the rising sun outside the cave.
Morning light spilled through the gaps in the vines, gilding his handsome face with a faint golden rim.
"I came to help someone find a fifth-rank magical beast."
His tone was indifferent, as though the matter had nothing to do with him.
"The fighting here drew me over on the way. I saw someone unconscious, drifting with the current, so I fished her out of the river. That was all."
"The river?"
Yun Yun froze, only now belatedly noticing the wet chill enveloping her body.
She looked down, and her lovely face instantly flushed red-
Her white dress had long since been soaked through by the river water. It clung tightly to her skin, tracing every exquisite curve of her figure.
At her chest, the tear left by the Amethyst Winged Lion King's claws was faintly visible beneath the damp fabric, revealing skin that rivaled frost and snow in its whiteness, as well as...
"Ah-!"
She gave a startled cry and hurriedly raised a hand to cover herself, her pearly teeth catching her red lip as an intoxicating blush spread across her pale face.
Xiao Lin's gaze swept over her, his expression as indifferent as ever, as though that fleeting glimpse of intimate beauty were nothing more than ordinary scenery.
He turned, took a loose blue-green robe from his Storage Ring, and gently draped it over Yun Yun.
"Wet clothes are bad for you. Wear this for now."
"You can move now, too. Tend to your wound yourself."
Yun Yun stared at him, complicated emotions in her eyes.
This man had rescued her from certain death, yet from beginning to end, he had never taken advantage of her vulnerability.
Even now, with her clothes disheveled and no strength to resist, his gaze remained clear as water. She could find no trace of lewd intent in it.
He seemed utterly different from those men whose eyes filled with greed the moment they saw a beauty.
"Thank you..." she said softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
Xiao Lin did not answer. He simply walked to the cave entrance and gazed out at the vast mountain forests.
In the distance, the faint roars of magical beasts could be heard. They belonged to the search parties the Amethyst Winged Lion King had sent into the mountains.
That army of magical beasts was scouring every mountain and valley for Yun Yun's trail.
"Quite a turnout... That lion really does seem determined to catch you."
At Xiao Lin's words, Yun Yun's body stiffened.
"They've already reached this area?"
"My Dou Qi hasn't recovered yet. I still need time... It'll probably take several hours before I can completely break through the seal."
Her delicate brows knitted tightly. Yun Yun sighed inwardly, a faint look of worry settling over her peerlessly beautiful face.
Then she looked at Xiao Lin's back as he gazed into the distance, and a glimmer of resolve flashed through her eyes.
"I, Yun Zhi, will never forget your kindness in saving me today. But if the magical beasts find us, just leave on your own. You needn't let me drag you down..."
Before Yun Yun had finished speaking, however, she saw the Dou Qi Wings on Xiao Lin's back flap. With a light push of his toes, he left the cave in the blink of an eye.
"..."
Her mouth froze open before she could close it. Yun Yun stared straight at the cave entrance, her expression vacant, as though she had been played with until she broke.
That seamless sequence of movements, without the slightest hesitation, left Yun Yun speechless, while bitterness inevitably began to well up in her heart.
"So in the end, he still..."
"The aura here has already been sealed off. The magical beasts can't find you. Don't leave. Wait here."
A moment later, Xiao Lin's figure flickered swiftly away and had long since vanished from sight.
Yet an ethereal voice transmission came from afar, flowing clearly into Yun Yun's ears.
Hearing Xiao Lin's voice, Yun Yun paused. The bitter smile and sorrow on her face immediately faded, and she let out a long, heavy breath.
Then, as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she slumped onto the bluestone, her eyes vacant, her thoughts unknown.
"Best not to interfere too much with the laws of survival and the paths of the creatures on the ground."
"Since I have a Transformation Pill, I'll just let things take their course and trade with that little lion for purple spirit crystal. There's no need to seize it through trickery or force."
Xiao Lin's avatar concealed his form and aura, speeding high through the sky toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cave abode.
"Once I get the purple spirit crystal and give it to Yun Yun, having Xiao Yi Xian join the Misty Cloud Sect will follow naturally. She probably won't be able to refuse."
Deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range, in an amethyst cave abode.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King crouched atop a massive amethyst boulder, purple-gold light surging around its body like a tide.
Inside its body, the primordial purple qi seed had once again fallen dormant.
"Purple qi... primordial..."
It muttered to itself, a trace of frustration and impatience flashing through its beastly eyes. No matter what it tried, the seed remained like flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in water-visible, yet forever beyond reach.
"Damn it! Why do only humans possess such powerful comprehension..."
"Why can't I make it resonate?!"
Just then, a clear voice suddenly came from outside the cave abode, pulling the Amethyst Winged Lion King's wandering thoughts back to earth.
"Stupid lion. I gave you a chance, but you're useless."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King abruptly raised its head, purple light blazing in its beastly eyes. It sensed the newcomer's aura-a Dou Wang.
"A human?!" it roared, its enormous body rising sharply. "You dare trespass in this king's cave abode!"
At the entrance to the cave abode, Xiao Lin stood with one hand behind his back, his face handsome and a smile curling his lips.
In his other hand, he held a blood-red jade box. Its lid was slightly open, and a rich medicinal fragrance burst forth, making the Amethyst Winged Lion King's massive body shudder violently!
That scent made every part of its body betray its craving!
"A Seventh-grade Transformation Pill."
"Do you like it?"
Before you continue