The next day.
However, at dawn, Lan Ye couldn't wait to rush to Helan Relay Station where Xiao Yan and his group were staying. After inquiring about Xiao Yan and Xiao Yan others' accommodations, he immediately went to their place.
When the innkeeper led Lan Ye here, he was about to knock on Xiao Yan's door when Lan Ye stopped him. After a moment's hesitation, Lan Ye told the innkeeper to go back first, while she waited in the courtyard outside the door for Xiao Yan to appear.
After Xiao Yan treated Fang Zhicong to remove the poison yesterday, he found that Fang Zhicong's overall condition had improved a lot. Even his speech and behavior had become more normal, and he was no longer as simple-minded and unyielding as before.
Although this change may not seem significant, it gave Lan Ye a real chance to restore Fang Zhicong to his original state. He had wanted to come here last night, but he was afraid of disturbing Xiao Yan's rest, so he didn't come. Now, seeing Xiao Yan's door closed, in order not to cause Xiao Yan any prejudice, and also to show his sincerity, Lan Ye patiently waited quietly outside the door.
To make a Late Origin Return Realm expert wait like this—who else in the entire Hopeless City would receive such treatment?
"Crunch..."
Suddenly, with a scraping sound, Xiao Yan's tightly closed door slowly opened. The noise startled two birds that were resting quietly on the eaves in front of the door, and at the same time, it made Lan Ye, who was resting with her eyes closed, open her eyes instantly.
"Mr. Xiao Yan!"
Upon seeing Xiao Yan appear, a respectful smile immediately appeared on Lan Ye's aged face, and he quickly stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Yan.
Upon seeing Lan Ye here, Xiao Yan's face showed surprise, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes as he asked in astonishment:
Why is Master Lan here?
Xiao Yan was naturally aware of Lan Ye's presence. From the moment Lan Ye stepped into Helan Relay Station, every move he made had been observed by Xiao Yan, though he hadn't said anything. The reason he was saying this now was to let Lan Ye take the initiative to continue the conversation and let him hear what he wanted to hear.
"Mr. Xiao Yan, thanks to your help yesterday, my young master's condition has improved considerably, and he is completely different from what he was a few days ago. Your Heavenly Flames truly lives up to its reputation as a power of heaven and earth; it is truly miraculous."
Seeing the puzzled look on Xiao Yan's face, Lan Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly calling him a little fox, before continuing to flatter him.
Lan Ye was, after all, a powerful figure who had traveled the continent, and his experience was no less than Xiao Yan's. Naturally, he could tell that Xiao Yan was deliberately waiting for him in the room. Otherwise, he wouldn't have felt that faint sense of oppression when he entered Helan Relay Station earlier. That was clearly a soul pressure.
Even though it wasn't obvious, he could still vaguely sense it thanks to his Late Origin Return Realm cultivation.
"It's good that things have turned around. Actually, I only intervened because I felt I had a connection with Young Master Fang. I just wonder if Master Lan has anything else to discuss with you today?"
"You know perfectly well why!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Ye immediately spat inwardly, then grinned and said:
"Mr. Xiao Yan, as you mentioned yesterday, my young master's poison is not easy to cure. To completely eradicate it, it will probably require several rounds of detoxification. That's why I've come today hoping to invite Xiao Yan master. What do you think?"
You mean going to the Fang Clan?
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow; Lan Ye was quite decisive.
"Uh, yes, I hope Mr. Xiao Yan can understand. After all, this matter concerns my young master, and the decision still depends on the head of the family. Although I can foresee the outcome, I still need to inform the higher-ups first. Therefore, I would like to trouble Mr. Xiao Yan to accompany me."
"This..."
"Hehe, also, our patriarch once said that if anyone can remove the toxins from our young master's body, we will invite him to be a guest elder of our Fang Clan, and he will have access to any family resources in the clan treasury."
Just as Xiao Yan hesitated, Lan Ye spoke again, and her words immediately stirred Xiao Yan's heart.
He was worried that he couldn't find the other important ingredients for refining the Mirror-Breaking Pill. With the support of the Fang Clan's resources, he believed that he would be able to gather the herbs in the shortest time and refine the Mirror-Breaking Pill. Then, the strength of his group would be able to be improved again.
Of course, medicinal resources are only one aspect; the most important factor is the still-unknown head of the Fang Clan family.
According to Xiao Yan's guess, the other party's cultivation level was at least at the Origin King Great Realm. If he really saved Fang Zhicong's life, the Fang Clan head would definitely owe him a favor. It was a win-win situation, so why not?
"In that case, I'll accompany Master Lan on this journey!"
Thoughts raced through his mind, and then Xiao Yan nodded heavily. Lan Ye, standing before him, breathed a sigh of relief. Although he could imagine Xiao Yan's purpose, relationships are reciprocal. If they wanted to use Xiao Yan to remove the toxins from Fang Zhicong's body, they should naturally pay a price for it. As long as this didn't harm the Fang Clan itself, the rest didn't matter.
"Only..."
But at that moment, Xiao Yan spoke again, and Lan Ye's heart seemed to stop for a moment.
"I hope I can bring my friends with me."
As Xiao Yan spoke, the doors on the other two sides of the courtyard opened, and Luo Jin and the others stepped out. Sunlight streamed down, casting a circle of shadows on the ground in the center of the courtyard.
"Well..."
Lan Ye looked at the several people who had suddenly appeared around him, and his old face froze for a moment. His gaze quickly swept over Luo Jin and Bai Hua, and when it passed over the Heaven-Reaching Giant Ape, his deep old eyes paused for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in their depths. Then he looked at Xiao Yan in front of him and smiled:
"Since he's Mr. Xiao Yan's friend, there's nothing wrong with him going along."
As he said this, Lan Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, among the crowd present, only he and Xiao Yan in front of him were experts at the Origin Return Realm. If there had been a few more, he would probably have been worried about his current situation.
Upon hearing Lan Ye's words, Xiao Yan smiled with satisfaction. He quickly glanced at Luo Jin and the others, then exchanged a few more words with them. After everything was prepared, the group, led by Lan Ye, found Fang Zhicong and headed east out of the city towards the Fang Clan's location.
Shortly after this group left the city, four middle-aged men appeared from a distance outside the eastern city gate. They exchanged glances, nodded, and then set off to follow them.