A Chance Encounter with Xiao Yi Xian

"Teacher, I've counted on my fingers, and beneath this cliff... there's bound to be a fortuitous opportunity!"

Walking to the edge of the cliff, Xiao Yan counted on his fingers and gazed into the abyss below as he spoke those thought-provoking words.

But when Yao Lao, who resided within him, heard this, he scoffed. "This is already the ninety-ninth cliff. You still haven't given up?"

Indeed, Xiao Yan had forgotten the exact location of the Dou Wang's cave dwelling from his previous life, so he could only search the cliffs one by one.

However, it was not until nightfall that he found the place he remembered.

Xiao Yan remained unmoved. He merely raised his index finger and said calmly:

"Teacher, if the first ninety-nine don't work, the hundredth is bound to yield something. I'll bet a Heaven Class Dou Technique that this time we'll find it. Maybe we'll even run into a pretty young lady!"

Yao Lao was speechless. "You're that confident? You even dare to wager a Heaven Class Dou Technique. You really don't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is. I'll take that bet. I hope you won't regret it."

Xiao Yan chuckled. "Teacher, just wait and lose!"

With that, the youth leaped and plunged into the abyss, vanishing without a trace into the dark night.

"Hiss~"

As he landed on a lone tree jutting out from the rock wall beside him, the youth suddenly heard a strange sound.

Locating it by sound, Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened. He somersaulted on the spot, narrowly dodging a whipping strike from above.

Swish!!!!

After his somersault, Xiao Yan quickly turned and found himself staring into a pair of brown eyes.

Their gazes met. Looking over the creature from near to far, he finally saw what his attacker looked like.

It had a flat body, sturdy scales, and an overall ocher coloring. It could glide through the sky like an eagle.

It was a first-tier Rock Snake.

"So it's an old friend. But I'm not afraid of you this time."

At the sight of the Rock Snake, Xiao Yan suddenly recalled the scene of his encounter with Xiao Yi Xian in his previous life.

Back then, they had run into this Rock Snake not long after descending into the cave.

Now that he was living a second life, he had come a year early, and the creature might not be as strong as it had once been.

Besides, he was a Six-Star Dou Zhe now. How could he possibly be afraid of it?

"Come on, old friend. Let's fight to the death!"

Xiao Yan let out a loud shout and charged straight at it. With a flip, he landed on the Rock Snake's back and swung his fist down hard.

"Raaagh~"

The Rock Snake felt as though its spine was about to come apart from the pain. It twisted its body frantically, trying to throw the person on its back off.

Xiao Yan said nothing. He simply jumped on the spot and abruptly raised his leg to kick the Rock Snake hard in the head, knocking it to the ground. He then tossed it to the edge of the lone tree and said fiercely:

"You had to go and provoke me in my previous life, and I remembered you, and then you just happened to show up. So don't blame me for beating you up to vent!"

Rock Snake: "?"

The youth grinned. He had no intention of taking its life. He simply jumped down from the lone tree and climbed down, using the protrusions on the rock wall as footholds.

Before long, he reached the bottom of the cliff. Colored Dou Qi flames sprang up in his hand, and he casually lit a torch to illuminate the path ahead as he entered a dark passage.

The youth was moving too quickly to notice a young woman hiding in the shadows and secretly watching him. Yao Lao, however, sensed her presence.

"No way! There really is a pretty young girl at the bottom of the cliff. That brat actually got it right!" Yao Lao's illusory soul form stared at the girl and clicked his tongue in wonder.

But the very next moment, he could no longer smile.

For right in front of Xiao Yan, an ancient, massive stone door blocked his path.

Yao Lao was dumbfounded at the sight. "I never expected there really to be a fortuitous opportunity here!"

Recalling what Xiao Yan had said, as well as the contents of the martial arts novels the young man had described along the way, Yao Lao could not help admiring his wisdom and insight.

It seems I'll have to study this so-called martial world myself in the future. Otherwise, won't I fall behind the times?

Yao Lao silently made up his mind, then took dozens of martial-world novels out of the simple black ring and began studying them with relish.

These books were among the introductory martial arts reading materials Xiao Yan had given him when he was bored. Yao Lao had never expected that a day would come when he would actually open them.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the girl following in the youth's footsteps suddenly witnessed a bizarre scene.

A pile of yellowed books was floating in the air behind the youth, surrounding both him and her. Their pages were even turning on their own at an astonishing speed, making the sight utterly terrifying.

Flip, flip, flip!

A novel suddenly flew in front of the young woman and began flipping open.

"Waaah! Mm!"

Startled, she hurriedly fell into the grass beside her, though she managed to cover her mouth with her left hand in time to keep any more cries from escaping.

But immediately afterward, a lizard darted past her delicate hand. The sudden cold touch in the darkness made her hair stand on end.

"Whew-! What's going on? Am I seeing things? This place feels so strange! I'd better go back first."

Still shaken, the young woman patted her chest and took a deep breath. After calming herself, she was just about to turn and leave.

But just then, she suddenly bumped into something furry.

Startled, the young woman hurriedly backed away and looked behind her.

The enormous beast before her was over two meters long. It resembled both a human and an ape, with fur covering its entire body and scarlet eyes. A foul stench wafted from beneath its arms.

These were the very characteristics of a first-tier magical beast, the Mating Ape.

The Mating Ape was a notorious magical beast on the Dou Qi Continent. It preyed exclusively on human women who were alone, employing vicious methods and taking pleasure in violating its prey.

"Bastard, what on earth is going on today? Ah!"

Smelling the stench from its nostrils, Xiao Yi Xian was terrified. Tears welled in her eyes as she desperately scattered a handful of poison powder from her hand, then turned and ran toward Xiao Yan.

The girl had specially prepared this medicinal powder. It was not highly poisonous, but it had a powerful paralyzing effect.

Unfortunately, she had used too small a dose. Its suppressive effect on the magical beast was negligible and could only last for a moment.

Xiao Yan was feeling pleased with himself and was just about to show off his discovery to Yao Lao when he suddenly heard a familiar feminine cry.

He turned and saw a graceful figure hurrying toward him, scattering poison powder into the air with both hands. Trembling, she threw herself into Xiao Yan's arms.

The young woman had an ethereal bearing, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting. She was not exceptionally beautiful, but her features were strikingly well-defined, giving her a distinctive, alluring charm.

Xiao Yan looked up and naturally recognized her.

It was none other than Xiao Yi Xian, who had accompanied him throughout his travels in the Central Plains in his previous life. She had also been the first to discover this cave dwelling back then.

"Roar!!"

Just then, the Mating Ape came chasing after Xiao Yi Xian and barreled straight toward Xiao Yan. It let out a fearless roar and lunged at the two of them, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

"You're courting death!!"

The moment Xiao Yan saw the Mating Ape, he thought of Xiao Yi Xian in his arms and the disgusting torment she might have suffered. At once, fury burned in his heart.

Without another word, the youth picked up the girl, turned, and kicked, shattering the Mating Ape's groin in an instant.

Immediately afterward, he took a dagger from his Storage Ring and drove it viciously into the creature's head, bringing the fight to a clean, swift end.

After doing all this, Xiao Yan hurriedly patted Xiao Yi Xian on the back and comforted her softly. "Don't be afraid. It's all right now, it's all right."