Night Exploration of the Hidden Abode

The girl, however, was still in a panic. She merely pressed closer to the young man's chest on instinct, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes as she sobbed softly:

"Wah... um, that... sorry... but I was really scared by what just happened?"

Xiao Yi Xian timidly looked up at Xiao Yan, her eyes full of helplessness.

Just then, all the books inexplicably burst into flames. In the end, they turned to ash and fell through the air like powdery dust.

Yao Lao's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's ears, indignant:

"These things are ridiculous. It's as if anyone who jumps off a cliff will pick up a peerless Dou Qi cultivation method, then bump into a woman and fall in love at first sight. There's no depth of thought whatsoever. It's disgusting. I'm never reading them again."

Xiao Yi Xian, on the other hand, grew even more frightened. She buried her head tightly against Xiao Yan's chest, warm tears soaking his collar as aggrieved sobs came from within his embrace.

Clearly, the succession of experiences just now had drained every last bit of courage from her.

Teacher, I'll remember that assist!

Now that things had come to this, Xiao Yan promptly abandoned his earlier thought and let Yao Lao do as he pleased with the books. At the same time, he turned his attention to Xiao Yi Xian and said primly:

"Ahem, young lady, what are you doing? I, Xiao Yan, am not a casual man. Please conduct yourself with dignity."

For all he said that, his hand quietly slipped around the girl's slender waist, while he maintained a serious expression.

Xiao Yi Xian had been his confidante in his previous life.

She had beauty, talent, and bearing...

It was impossible to say he had no thoughts about Xiao Yi Xian.

After a long while, when the sound of pages turning ceased, Xiao Yi Xian finally began to calm down.

The next moment, she suddenly shoved the young man away and bowed in apology, her face bright red:

"Um, I'm sorry. I lost my composure just now!"

After what had happened, the girl wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and she dared not even meet Xiao Yan's eyes.

Suddenly throwing herself into a strange man's arms and all that...

That sort of thing... was far too embarrassing for her!

Xiao Yan naturally saw her embarrassment and did not press her. He simply turned around, feeling along the wall for a mechanism as he changed the subject:

"You came here because of this stone door too, didn't you?"

Xiao Yi Xian nodded and explained softly:

"That's right. I discovered this cave abode a few days ago. I didn't get a chance to slip away from the mercenary group and explore it until the Myriad Medicine Pavilion organized an expedition to gather herbs today."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan thought pensively:

I see. It seems Xiao Yi Xian lied to me in my previous life. I never expected her to have discovered this cave abode long ago.

Perhaps she didn't have time to explore it further, so it was put off until she met me later...

The next instant, Xiao Yan's palm moved slightly, and the sensation of pressing something registered in his mind.

He glanced at a corner of the stone door and spotted a small protrusion on one of the stone blocks.

"Looks like this is it!"

As Xiao Yan spoke, he pressed down lightly with his finger.

A click rang out, and the stone door slowly opened, dragging across the ground and leaving a mark with a harsh grating sound.

"All right, let's go in!"

Xiao Yan extended a hand in an inviting gesture, then dropped the formalities and stepped inside first.

"Oh, right!"

Xiao Yi Xian came to her senses and hurriedly answered, following close behind him through the stone door.

Not long after the two entered, another group of rough-looking men followed from afar and carefully hid on either side of the cave entrance to eavesdrop.

Yao Lao gave them a fleeting glance. With his soul power, he could naturally detect the movements of these minor figures.

He did not intend to pay them any mind, however. He would leave them for Xiao Yan to practice on, as a trial for him.

The cave abode was not lavish. It contained only a single crudely partitioned stone chamber.

Medicinal herbs were scattered across the floor on the left.

On the right were tens of thousands of gold coins.

At the top of the steps ahead, a set of remains lay quietly on a throne.

Three keys were clutched in its hand, and a stone table stood before it, bearing three stone boxes fitted with mechanisms.

Viewed from a distance, the whole scene was full of majesty.

"Set out so conspicuously? Looks like those boxes hold the greatest treasures in these ruins."

As Xiao Yan offered his assessment, he turned to Xiao Yi Xian with a smile:

"So, how should we divide these things, miss?"

Well, Xiao Yi Xian appeared a few years older than him, so there was nothing wrong with him calling her "miss."

Xiao Yi Xian gave an awkward laugh. She would have felt embarrassed taking the most valuable treasures.

After all, he had opened the mechanism, and he had saved her too... So she declined tactfully:

"I won't take a single coin, but if there's something inside that I need, could you sell it to me?"

Xiao Yi Xian spoke tactfully, feeling utterly unlucky.

If she had found the cave abode and opened the stone door on her own, she naturally would not have declined.

But the fact was, Xiao Yan had solved the mechanism first.

And... she had used up all the poison powder she carried for self-defense.

If she angered Xiao Yan now and he later harbored ill intentions, she would be in trouble.

She was only at the Ninth Stage Dou Qi, while the presence he gave off was clearly that of an intermediate Dou Zhe.

If they really fought, she would have no way to resist him.

Xiao Yan stared at Xiao Yi Xian and fell into recollection, answering without thinking, "Sure!"

Remembering Xiao Yi Xian at his side in his previous life, Xiao Yan could not help feeling a surge of warmth in his heart, so he did not refuse the girl's request.

Xiao Yi Xian was overjoyed. She nodded hurriedly and thanked him. "Thank you, little brother?"

"Then I'll go get the keys!"

With that, Xiao Yan immediately climbed the steps.

When he reached the skeleton, he first bowed to it apologetically from a distance, then pretended to feel around for the keys.

He then raised both skeletal arms and quickly noticed that the weight of one bone was not quite right.

He examined it more closely and found a faint, hidden crack in the skeleton's arm.

Xiao Yan swiftly slipped his fingers inside and soon drew out a scroll, which he promptly placed in his Storage Ring.

"Good, the Demonic Flame Remnant Map is mine."

Only after doing that did he take the keys securely from the skeleton's hand.

Spinning the key ring around his index finger, Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yi Xian with a lighthearted smile.

"Come on up. I'll broaden your horizons."

Xiao Yi Xian obediently agreed and walked gracefully over, standing beside Xiao Yan at the stone table.

Without further ado, Xiao Yan deftly took out a key, inserted it into the lock, and opened the third box first.

In his previous life, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had launched a sudden attack, and he and Xiao Yi Xian had hurriedly fled.

He had therefore always been curious about exactly what Dou Technique the third box contained.

Now that he had a chance to open it, he naturally wanted to find out.

Click!

As the key turned, Xiao Yan pushed the lid open.

The next moment, a rotten smell immediately assailed his nose.

Inside the stone box, there was no light and no sound, only a scroll lying quietly within.

Xiao Yan reached in, took it out, and unrolled it. One look left him stunned.

"Golden Luminescence Refinement, a High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique, or perhaps an unranked Dou Technique. Once mastered, it can transform Dou Techniques into golden luminescence."

"This light can attach itself to any object or Dou Technique, enhancing its function or power..."

"A High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique. What does it say?"

Xiao Yi Xian leaned closer, intending to take a look, but Xiao Yan immediately stopped her.

"Don't look!"

Xiao Yan scolded her as he moved the scroll away, glancing at its final line:

"Of course, this Dou Technique is also greatly beneficial to husbands and wives."

"Hiss-!"

After reading it, Xiao Yan immediately sucked in a breath of cold air.

The young man said nothing, but cursed inwardly:

Mu She led me astray! To think I missed out on something this good in my previous life. What a pity!

Xiao Yi Xian stuck out her little tongue and wagged it. With her hands behind her back, she cast a sidelong glance and said coquettishly:

"Hmph, miser. I don't care to look anyway?"

Xiao Yan ignored her complaint and simply focused his mind to ask Yao Lao about it.

Yet even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Yao Lao could not help clicking his tongue in wonder at the Dou Technique:

"According to this description, it can continuously stack the power of anything and other Dou Techniques. It shouldn't be ranked only at the Profound Tier!"

Xiao Yan put the scroll into his Storage Ring, equally puzzled.

"It is strange. But we already have it, so we can take our time figuring it out after we leave."

At that, Yao Lao also gestured with his hand. "True. Then go on and open the remaining boxes. I'm curious what treasures are hidden inside too."

"If the first treasure was already a High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique, the other two shouldn't be much worse."

"Understood!"

Xiao Yan answered briskly, no longer as excited as he had been at first.

He already knew what the two boxes contained.

Turning his gaze back to the stone table, Xiao Yan decisively opened the remaining two boxes.

Sure enough, there were two more scrolls inside.

One was the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

The other was a Flying Dou Technique-the Eagle Wings.

They were exactly what he knew them to be.

"Um, could you sell me this Seven-Colored Poison Scripture?"

Xiao Yi Xian stared at one of the small scrolls, her lips feeling dry as she longed for the scent it gave off.

She took the small scroll from the stone box and carefully began to read, immediately drawn in by its contents.

It contained methods for preparing many poisons.

It also recorded secrets about some unusual constitutions.

Xiao Yi Xian pressed a hand to her chest, thinking of her own special constitution that flared up from time to time. Her expression grew increasingly complicated, and she murmured inwardly:

Perhaps it contains a way to deal with that strange constitution.

Besides, she was still a weak woman.

With this scroll, at least she would not be entirely unable to fight back when she encountered danger.