Entering the Desert

The moment he walked into the Map Store, five pairs of eyes stared straight at him.

Some carried undisguised admiration, some were complicated, and some nodded with smiles, their attitudes easygoing.

But without exception, every one of these five was someone Chen Xiao could not see through. The gap in strength was extremely obvious.

Especially the only woman among them. Even seated, the loose Black Robe she wore could not hide her impressive figure. Her face was beautiful, her bearing noble, and her aura was unfathomable.

The names of Jia Ma Empire's many experts flashed through Chen Xiao's mind, and he quickly formed a guess.

"Chen Xiao, this Old Man will introduce them to you and broaden your horizons. These people are all renowned experts within the empire. On ordinary days, getting to meet any one of them is truly no easy matter."

Hai Bo Dong laughed heartily, then began introducing them one by one, from the strongest to the weakest.

"Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Yun!"

"Lion King, Yan Shi!"

"Wind Walker, Feng Li!"

"Empire Lionheart Marshal, former head of the Nalan Family, Nalan Jie!"

"And this one bringing up the rear, Clan Leader of the Mite'er Family, Teng Shan!"

Listening to Hai Bo Dong's introductions, Chen Xiao wore a respectful expression and greeted them one by one.

He knew quite a lot about Nalan Jie and Yun Yun, but there was no need to reveal that at this moment.

What truly exceeded his expectations was that the Mite'er Family had been able to invite so many powerful experts.

He had originally thought that if Teng Shan invited one more expert over, that would already be about enough.

However, for Chen Xiao, this was a good thing. It undoubtedly gave him even more confidence to enter the desert.

"This time, Chen Xiao's safety will depend on you seniors."

"Young Friend, there's no need to be polite. Since we have accepted the commission, we will naturally spare no effort."

"We take the money and solve the problem."

The few of them nodded in rather friendly response. Even Nalan Jie, whose old face was still faintly warm with embarrassment, gave a slight nod.

This person was somewhat of a fence-sitter, but he was not stupid.

"Now, this Old Man has already done more than I promised you. Next, it will be up to your performance. This Old Man doesn't want to rush you, but we still have to set out as soon as possible. After all, everyone present is extremely busy, and their time is very precious."

Hai Bo Dong leaned back in his chair, his smile filled with anticipation.

Regardless of whether Chen Xiao's plan succeeded or not, for him, good news was close at hand either way.

Either the seal inside his body would be undone, or he would be able to take in this disciple he had set his heart on. No matter how he looked at it, he would not lose out.

As for the risk...

It really was not that high.

Many people were influenced by Medusa Queen's fearsome reputation and believed she was a ruthless woman of unpredictable moods, and that coming into contact with her meant gambling with one's life.

Even Hai Bo Dong, who likewise held prejudice against Medusa Queen, wanted to laugh when he heard this kind of thinking.

He truly could not understand why anyone would think that Medusa Queen, as the head of a race, was some reckless fool who acted without restraint.

From what Hai Bo Dong knew, that woman was indeed ruthless, but only toward enemies, toward those with ill intentions who had designs on the Snake-People Race and on her.

Over all these years, Hai Bo Dong had never heard of Medusa Queen attacking anyone without reason.

It was precisely because of this that the Snake-People Race had been able to occupy their corner of the Tagor Desert.

Moreover, this time Chen Xiao had five experts guarding him, making things even safer.

"I understand. Since all you seniors have traveled here, please rest in Mo City for a day first. Tomorrow morning, we will enter the desert!"

Chen Xiao nodded slightly.

Long ago, he had already perfected every set of plans. Even for the moment he met Medusa Queen—how to greet her, how to respond to questions—he had prepared multiple options.

Therefore, now that the five experts had arrived, there was no need to delay too much longer.

"Fine, then tomorrow it is. Sect Master Yun, and the rest of you as well, when the time comes, please look after this boy a little. Teng Shan, tomorrow, you will completely follow his arrangements."

Hai Bo Dong cupped his fists slightly toward the others, and at the end, he did not forget to give Teng Shan an instruction.

Closeness and distance were clear at a glance.

Yun Yun and the others returned the courtesy politely. Although Hai Bo Dong was currently sealed and his strength had greatly declined, his status was still there.

Besides, behind him stood the entire Mite'er Family.

"Will the Ice Emperor not travel with us tomorrow? After so many years, that bit of grievance between the Ice Emperor and Medusa Queen must have long since been forgotten by her." Nalan Jie spoke.

Meet Medusa Queen?

Hai Bo Dong's heart trembled, but he pretended to be calm and shook his head.

"Before this matter is settled, this Old Man... doesn't really want to see her."

The next day.

Hearing Qing Lin's knock at the door, Chen Xiao woke from his training.

"Young Master, it's time to wash up."

The little girl's smile curved sweetly as she called out.

Through their contact over the past few days, she and Chen Xiao had undoubtedly grown much closer.

After all, Chen Xiao had never once been fierce with her, much less shown her any disdain. The food she ate each day was exactly the same as his, leaving her not only full, but well fed.

Aside from that, he had personally taught her how to draw in qi, officially allowing her to begin cultivating as well.

Many times, Qing Lin felt that the tiny bit of labor she gave simply did not deserve such treatment.

"Young Master, last night Qing Lin had a very clear sense of qi. I should count as having reached the first stage of Dou Zhi Li now, right?"

While Chen Xiao washed up, Qing Lin walked to the bedside and carefully smoothed out the slightly wrinkled sheets, asking with anticipation at the same time.

"Mm. Keep working hard."

In truth, as long as one officially stepped onto the path of cultivation, it counted as the first stage of Dou Zhi Li. This was merely the starting point.

Moreover, before the third stage of Dou Zhi Li, cultivation was at its simplest and did not carry much weight.

However, Chen Xiao knew Qing Lin's talent and held great expectations for the little girl's future, so he appropriately raised the requirements a little.

"Hehe, then can Qing Lin see Young Master out of the city later to wait for that old gentleman? Qing Lin promises she won't dawdle. As soon as that old gentleman arrives, I'll come back and cultivate."

From another person's perspective, this was truly unnecessary.

But she simply wanted to find something to do.

Chen Xiao put down the towel in his hand and shook his head slightly.

"Not today. I'm going deep into the desert. I may come back a little late, so eat dinner first. There's no need to deliberately wait for me."

Hearing this, Qing Lin nodded obediently and did not ask what he was going deep into the desert for.

After leaving the inn, Chen Xiao headed to Hai Bo Dong's Map Store.

Yun Yun's group of five had already gathered there.

"Seniors, let's set off."

The five nodded slightly. Teng Shan, dressed in a splendid robe, stepped forward and said with a smile, "The Tagor Desert is hardly small. You're only a Da Dou Shi right now and still can't fly. To save time, I'll take you."

"Then I'll have to trouble Clan Leader Teng Shan."

Chen Xiao did not refuse.

The Purple Cloud Wings counted as one of the few trump cards he possessed at present. He had not even exposed them during his spar with Hai Bo Dong a few days ago.

If he could keep something hidden, then he should. It was not a bad thing.

Without saying anything more, Teng Shan grabbed Chen Xiao by the shoulder. Dou Qi wings unfurled behind him, and he was the first to sweep toward the sky.

Behind him, Yun Yun and the other four followed closely.

Watching the six gradually disappear from sight, Hai Bo Dong withdrew his gaze and glanced toward the corner, at the Fragment Map he had used as bait.

"Forget it. It's useless anyway. If it really comes to it, I'll just return it to her when the time comes."