Xiao Yan

Long Xiao thought it over and agreed that Curly had a point.

So the three of them headed for the most luxurious restaurant they could find.

But when they stepped into the most luxurious restaurant in Jia Ma Holy City, they found hardly any customers inside. That didn't seem right.

The three chose a table near a window and sat down.

A waiter came over to greet them.

"What would you like, honored guests?"

Seeing Medusa and Long Xiao's fine clothes and extraordinary bearing, he could tell at a glance that these were big spenders.

Long Xiao ordered a few signature dishes, then handed the menu to Medusa.

Medusa accepted it without ceremony and ordered another dish or two.

Curly clutched a plate, drooling, until it was finally his turn to order.

"Bring one of everything except the stir-fried greens and cabbage!"

Curly's booming declaration startled the waiter, who hurriedly agreed, thinking, Is he the ghost of someone who starved to death?

Still, as long as they could pay, nothing was a problem.

"Sir, are you sure you want that much? That's over a hundred dishes, worth several million gold coins," the waiter asked Curly tentatively.

Curly immediately flew into a rage and slapped the table. "Who are you looking down on? A measly few million gold coins-do you take my big brother for a pauper?"

The waiter's expression instantly fell. So you're not even the one paying, yet you're shouting so fiercely.

Seriously, what kind of person is this?

The waiter grumbled inwardly.

He hurriedly put on an apologetic smile. "Not at all, not at all. I meant nothing of the sort. I'll have everything prepared right away..."

Only then did Curly nod in satisfaction. After the waiter left, he turned to Long Xiao. "Big brother, can you believe it? A measly few million gold coins, and he actually doubted you could afford it. Isn't that a dog looking down on people?"

Long Xiao covered his forehead and said helplessly, "I really don't have any gold coins."

Curly froze, then recovered. "Hehe, you're joking, big brother. You're a Dou Zong, and you've even got seventh-tier pills. What's a few million gold coins to you?"

Long Xiao shot him a glare.

Curly immediately lost his nerve and sat obediently to one side without another word.

He really didn't have any gold coins. Who still used those things? Only people on the Dou * Continent.

Elsewhere, people used spirit stones, divine crystals, essence marrow, or essence jade.

He had hundreds of billions of spirit stones on him, with nowhere to put them to use.

"Shasha, do you have any gold coins?"

Long Xiao turned to Medusa.

To his surprise, Medusa crossed her legs and said haughtily, "Why would this queen need to carry gold coins when she goes out?"

Fair enough. With Shasha's status, she really didn't need them. Simply killing people was a more practical solution for her.

Soon, dish after dish arrived. Every one looked exquisite and delicious, its fragrance wafting toward them.

Curly's eyes lit up. Without even picking up his chopsticks, he shoveled one plate after another straight into his mouth.

Medusa frowned at Curly's ravenous display. This pig is a disgrace to magical beasts.

After eating for ages, Curly finally stopped. He burped, then sprawled contentedly over the table, his belly stuffed to bursting.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Long Xiao called the waiter over to settle the bill.

The waiter stared wide-eyed at the dishes on the table. Good grief, they've actually finished this entire table of food. Are these people really human?

"Sir, the total is 2,210,001 gold coins. We'll knock off the last coin, making it 2,210,000."

Long Xiao couldn't be bothered to quibble. He simply took out a jade bottle and placed it on the table.

"These are three Dou Ling Pills. You should know their value. Use them to cover the bill."

"Dou Ling Pills?"

The waiter's expression changed drastically. These could raise a Dou Wang's strength by an entire star, and each was worth over a million gold coins!

"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll need to discuss this with the proprietor."

With that, the waiter immediately ran off.

Before long, a short, plump middle-aged man hurried over.

The moment he saw Long Xiao, he hastily bowed. Anyone who could produce Dou Ling Pills was certainly no ordinary person. He had to treat this guest properly.

The waiter placed the three Dou Ling Pills before the proprietor, who was dumbstruck at the sight.

These... these are Dou Ling Pills!

And they even have Pill Patterns. Supreme quality!

As a third-tier alchemist, he naturally knew how precious Dou Ling Pills were. Only two people in the entire Jia Ma Empire could refine them, but neither could produce supreme-quality Dou Ling Pills-not even Pill King Gu He.

Seeing his astonishment, Long Xiao asked mildly, "That should cover the bill, shouldn't it?"

The proprietor nodded hastily. "Yes, absolutely!"

"I have a few things I'd like to ask you."

Long Xiao's gaze settled on the short, plump proprietor. Under that gaze, the man felt a chill run through his entire body, and his heart pounded.

He was certain that this man's soul power far surpassed his own.

To possess such strength at such a young age, he was already a peerless genius.

"What would you like to ask, sir?"

"Why are there so few people in the inn today?" Long Xiao asked the short, plump proprietor slowly.

The proprietor was taken aback. He actually doesn't know?

Could he be from out of town?

"Sir, the finals of the alchemists' gathering are being held this afternoon. A mysterious young man named Xiao Yan is facing an alchemist from the Chu Yun Empire in the final showdown. The honor of both nations is at stake, so everyone has gone to watch the competition."

"Xiao Yan?"

Long Xiao thought for a moment and realized who the proprietor meant. Wasn't Xiao Yan none other than Xiao Huohuo?

"That Xiao Yan seemed to appear out of thin air. He wears a mask, and his identity is extremely mysterious, but his alchemy skills are beyond reproach. I'm going to watch the competition this afternoon myself."

Long Xiao nodded. With Yao Lao helping Xiao Huohuo, it was perfectly normal for the boy to make a name for himself.

A little while later, Long Xiao and his two companions left the inn.

"You want to watch that competition? Is it really worthy of your attention?" Medusa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm rather interested in that boy named Xiao Yan."

"As you wish," Medusa said indifferently.

Curly, however, was rather disgruntled. "Big brother, what's so interesting about alchemy? They won't even let me eat the pills."

Long Xiao glanced at him. "All you think about is eating. Didn't you get enough just now? Keep eating, and I'll stew you!"

Curly immediately shrank back, chuckling awkwardly. "Of course I did. I was just saying."

The three then headed toward the plaza hosting the Alchemist Tournament.

Medusa took out a red veil and covered the lower half of her face before falling into step with Long Xiao.

She knew that nearly all the Jia Ma Empire's powerful figures would gather at this tournament, including quite a few "old friends." But with Long Xiao here, she didn't want to cause a commotion, so she could only keep them from recognizing her.

After all, her reputation was known in every household across the Jia Ma Empire.

Long Xiao was somewhat puzzled by Medusa's actions, but he felt that she looked even more alluring this way.