The Black-Corner Region had been thrown into an uproar lately.
The bounty changed every day.
In just half a month, it had skyrocketed from its initial one million gold coins to three million.
That was enough money to persuade a Dou Zong expert to take action.
Yet despite how long the bounty had been posted on the Black List, not a single clue had surfaced.
Suddenly, a rumor began circulating through the Black-Corner Region: this notorious thief would soon strike Maple City.
What kind of place was Maple City?
It was Medicine Emperor Han Feng's territory.
A great reputation never came from nothing.
As the foremost Alchemist in the Black-Corner Region, Medicine Emperor Han Feng, who could refine peak sixth-tier pills, was certainly no fraud.
The Gold and Silver Elders, ranked first and second on the Black List, announced throughout the Black-Corner Region that they would personally help the Medicine Emperor guard Maple City.
Come if you dared.
After hearing the news, Han Feng also made an intrigued announcement in Maple City, inviting the pair whose fame had swept the Black-Corner Region to visit him. He was willing to offer an Emperor's Extreme Pill as a welcoming gift.
The Black-Corner Region erupted once again.
An Emperor's Extreme Pill!
A peak sixth-tier pill!
No one in the Black-Corner Region besides Han Feng could refine one.
Everyone in the Black-Corner Region was stunned.
Who would have thought that a thief would actually earn the Medicine Emperor's appreciation?
Comparing yourself to others really could drive you to an early grave.
Then again, if you could appear and vanish like a ghost, the Medicine Emperor might think highly of you too.
At that moment, on a secluded hillside at the edge of the Black-Corner Region.
Zi Yan crouched on the ground and emptied a pile of Storage Rings, her eyes sparkling like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice vat.
"Boss, boss, look at this! This is that old fellow from the Blood Sect's treasure, a Hundred-Year Blood Crystal!"
"And this one belongs to the Heavenly Yin Sect. It's called... what was it again? Anyway, it's good stuff too!"
"Huh, this pill... fifth-grade? Can I eat it?"
Shen Luo crouched nearby and nodded with a smile.
Without another word, Zi Yan tossed the pill into her mouth, chewed twice, and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
A faint purple glow rippled across her skin, and her aura visibly grew a little stronger.
Shen Luo watched it happen.
To her, a fifth-grade pill was nothing more than a snack.
With the careful feeding of Shen Luo, an eighth-tier Alchemist, the purple glow in Zi Yan's hair had grown increasingly rich, faintly showing signs of an impending breakthrough.
In fact, Shen Luo could easily give Zi Yan a Transformation Pill, allowing her to change forms whenever she wished.
But he would never do that.
Until his relationship with Zi Yan reached the point where each was a part of the other, it was better not to give anyone the chance to see her true form.
Pacing mattered.
As things stood, their relationship was progressing very well. They were already friends who had faced life and death together.
"Zi Yan."
"Hmm?" With her mouth still full of pills, she looked up at him.
"How have these past few days been?"
Zi Yan tilted her head, thought for a moment, then grinned. "So exciting, boss... I'm so happy when I'm with you!"
Shen Luo ruffled her hair.
This girl spoke nothing but the honest truth.
Shen Luo could tell that what she truly enjoyed was not merely the treasures they stole, but having someone willing to keep her company.
In the past, she had been alone, stealing food and running away afterward. Sometimes she even got hurt, relying entirely on her tough hide to endure it before hiding in some cave to lick her wounds, with no one to share with and no one to care.
Things were different now.
Shen Luo kept watch for her, gave her a thumbs-up, and ran alongside her as they were chased all over the mountains.
That feeling was more precious than any pill.
Shen Luo nodded inwardly.
Half a month together had worked even better than he had expected.
The way Zi Yan looked at him had already shifted from friendship into something deeper.
She was like a lonely little beast that had finally found family she could lean on.
But it still was not enough.
He wanted to become irreplaceable.
"Boss, I suddenly don't miss home so much anymore!" Zi Yan suddenly sounded a little downcast. "Let's just stay like this. You keep me company, and I'll keep you company. We'll stay together forever and ever, okay?"
Shen Luo froze.
"Shen Luo, do... do you have someone you like?" Zi Yan suddenly asked timidly.
She had not called him boss. For the first time, she had called him by his name!
"Uh..." Shen Luo did not know how to answer.
"How about... I become your wife?"
Zi Yan grabbed Shen Luo's sleeve. "I'll give you a little Shen Luo... and then we can go... steal things together... okay?"
Shen Luo's face twitched.
An ordinary woman, even if she liked Shen Luo, would have feigned reserve, acted coy, or even played hard to get.
But Zi Yan did not seem to be like that.
Frank and innocent, she said whatever was on her mind.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"I thought of you as my brother, and you actually want to have my baby?"
"Just tell me, yes or no?" Zi Yan gazed at Shen Luo expectantly, her large, gemlike eyes sparkling.
"Well... isn't this a little too fast? After all, we... don't know each other very well yet." Shen Luo worked hard to control his expression, forcibly keeping the corners of his mouth from turning downward.
Zi Yan pouted, then widened her eyes. "Fast? Didn't you say we were friends who'd faced life and death together? The perfect team!"
Shen Luo nodded.
"But you're still young. Once you've grown a little, I'll... think about it!"
"As long as you give me pills, I'll grow up very quickly!" Zi Yan said delightedly.
Everything she wanted, Shen Luo happened to have.
Whether it was pills or companionship!
In Zi Yan's world, she had always been alone. After Su Qian brought her to the Inner Academy, he had left her to roam freely.
Now, Shen Luo was like a beam of light shining into her somewhat empty inner world.
"Zi Yan, I have a very good impression of you too, but..."
"Someone as outstanding as me is bound to have plenty of partners. You should think this through!"
Shen Luo shrugged, pretending to be utterly composed.
In truth, his heart had already blossomed with laughter.
Actually, Shen Luo was not wrong. Wonderful as Zi Yan was, there was no way she would be his only woman.
Transmigrating without building a harem?
Then what was the point of coming here?
What fun would becoming an emperor even be?
"Ah!"
The instant she heard Shen Luo say he would have other partners, Zi Yan's heart sank.
She had finally found someone interesting, only to have to share him with other females.
Her nose stung a little, and her eyes grew moist!
Shen Luo chuckled.
The Zi Yan of this moment was no Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragons!
Nor did she have a father at the late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng level.
She was merely an orphan who could not even get enough to eat.
In her eyes, he was powerful, knowledgeable, and an extraordinary Alchemist. Not only did he not disdain her enormous appetite, but he was also willing to take her home to find her family.
Moreover, someone so capable was willing to spend time and effort playing with her, asking her every day whether she was happy!
Zi Yan pursed her lips. Being his partner already seemed like such a blessing that blue smoke must have risen from her ancestors' graves. What right did she have to ask for Shen Luo all to herself?
At that thought, Zi Yan grew conflicted again. Finally, she asked apprehensively:
"Then... could you... not let them bully me?"
Shen Luo's women were bound to be dazzling talents. An enormous eater like her might well end up being bullied by them!
Shen Luo smiled.
"I promise you, no one will dare bully you!"
Shen Luo paused, seemingly remembering something else, and said,
"But you can't bully anyone else either!"
Before you continue