Disaster Approaches

"Anyway, I don't really need this Poison Scripture, and you don't have to buy it. I'll just give it to you."

Xiao Yan was unexpectedly forthcoming.

Then he snatched up the Flying Dou Technique, turned on his heel, and walked past the girl and down the stairs.

Xiao Yi Xian was an old acquaintance in Xiao Yan's heart.

Now that he had met her again, Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't be stingy.

But his generous gesture left Yao Lao, inside the ancient-looking ring, somewhat puzzled.

"Xiao Yan, doesn't it pain you? That Poison Scripture is a priceless treasure, no matter how you look at it! You just handed it over like that?"

Yao Lao asked in confusion.

Though he didn't begrudge the Poison Scripture itself, letting someone else profit for nothing still made him feel as though he had suffered a loss.

"Hehe, it doesn't matter. How could that poison scroll compare to my knowledgeable teacher?"

"Besides, somehow, I have a feeling this woman isn't so simple. She might prove very useful in the future..."

Xiao Yan first laid on the flattery, then added those words meaningfully.

At the same time, he made his way to the pile of herbs, ready to collect these pill-refining ingredients.

"Hehe, that's true..."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Yao Lao immediately smiled with pride, but then he changed the subject and continued:

"As for that feeling you mentioned, I think there's some sense to it."

"Through her soul, I seem to have sensed a trace of an old acquaintance's presence, but I can't quite remember who it is..."

Xiao Yan paused at his words and thought, An old acquaintance's presence? Could it be the person with the Woeful Poison Body that Teacher once encountered?

Yao Lao shook his head. "Forget it. I can't remember anyway, so let's just let nature take its course. I won't interfere with your choice. You can decide for yourself."

Xiao Yan nodded. "I understand, Teacher!"

Then he crouched down, took a shovel from his Storage Ring, and dug up a crystalline herb streaked with red and blue, roots, soil and all.

It was Ice Spirit Flame Grass, one of the ingredients needed to refine a Blood Lotus Pill.

And the Blood Lotus Pill was the pill he would use to protect his body when he subdued the Green Lotus Core Flame in the future.

Meanwhile, over by the table.

Xiao Yi Xian's gaze shifted slightly as she held the small scroll in her hand and watched the departing figure of the youth.

For some reason, her heart fluttered, but she couldn't quite say what she was feeling.

"How strange. What's wrong with me..."

With a soft sigh, Xiao Yi Xian shook her head, immediately suppressed the feelings she had just experienced, and walked toward Xiao Yan.

"Hey, my name is Xiao Yi Xian. What's yours?"

The girl bent down, braced her hands on her knees, and greeted him warmly.

"Xiao Yan!"

Xiao Yan gave a brief, indifferent reply without looking back at her.

After sorting the herbs, the youth casually tossed them into their designated containers, then stored the remaining herbs in his Storage Ring.

Xiao Yi Xian wasn't angry that Xiao Yan paid her no attention. Her gaze fell on the herbs in his hand, and a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes:

"Are you a physician too? Otherwise, how could you be so skilled at handling medicinal herbs?"

At this, Xiao Yan suddenly perked up. He looked up at Xiao Yi Xian and smiled. "No, I'm an alchemist!"

Xiao Yi Xian was taken aback. "You're an alchemist? But you look so young!"

Xiao Yan smiled without answering, secretly pleased with himself. I'm not just an alchemist. I'm an Emperor-Grade Alchemist, too!

When his gaze swept over the girl's eyes, Xiao Yan clearly saw a faint trace of disappointment flash through their brightness before they returned to normal.

"That's wonderful... You have the talent to be an alchemist."

The girl murmured to herself and quietly walked away from Xiao Yan, her tone tinged with envy and bitterness.

Her dream was to become an alchemist.

But the talent to be an alchemist was one in ten thousand. It required a Dou Qi attribute of fire with a trace of wood, something rarely seen among hundreds of millions of people.

She was born with the fire attribute, but lacked that trace of wood. She was destined to have no chance of becoming an alchemist and could only become a physician, using ordinary fire to make medicinal liquids.

Seeing the girl's forlorn expression, Xiao Yan felt a pang in his heart and remembered this as well.

It seemed that in this very same setting, Xiao Yi Xian had worn the same expression and said the same thing to him.

At the thought, Xiao Yan rubbed his forehead helplessly.

He was always unconsciously showing off his abilities, yet always overlooking other people's feelings.

It had been the same when he was cultivating Dou Qi before. He had become the youngest Dou Zhe in the empire, but often showed off in the clan, basking in everyone's admiration.

Now that he thought about it, he really had been a little childish...

No wonder those people had all thrown stones down the well after he lost all his Dou Qi.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Xiao Yan immediately put away the herbs on the ground and called out to Xiao Yi Xian, who was just about to leave. Apologetically, he said:

"I'm sorry. I unconsciously started showing off my status again just now. I'm really sorry!"

Xiao Yi Xian waved her hands repeatedly. "It's all right. You didn't actually do anything wrong. It's my problem. I'm too sensitive."

The girl really did think so. She simply wanted to become an alchemist so badly that she had taken Xiao Yan's words to heart.

Hearing that, Xiao Yan couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

If this had caused a rift between Xiao Yi Xian and him, he would surely have felt guilty for the rest of his life.

After all, Xiao Yi Xian had long been like a dear friend to him, and he didn't want to ruin that friendship.

At that thought, he hurriedly said:

"How should I put this? Deep down, I still feel bad about it. How about this..."

"You can take that entire pile of gold coins on the right. I'm an alchemist anyway, so I'm not short of money!"

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes went wide the instant he said it.

Even the burly men lying in ambush at the cave entrance all dropped their jaws when they heard him.

They were the mercenaries escorting the Myriad Medicine Pavilion to gather herbs in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

When they discovered Xiao Yi Xian was missing that night, they had searched everywhere and ended up finding this cave dwelling.

Besides that, they had heard every word of Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian's conversation when the two first entered the cave.

Not only were there Xuan Class Dou Techniques inside, but there was also a rare Flying Dou Technique, and now a pile of gold coins.

Those temptations were enough to drive people mad!

"Young group leader, what should we do?"

A burly man with a scar on his face crouched beside the young man at the front and asked respectfully.

The young man wore fine moon-white robes. His eyes were sinister, and a cold smile always lingered at the corners of his mouth, making him look rather crafty.

His name was Mu Li. He was twenty years old, a Three-Star Dou Zhe, and the son of Mu She, leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. He was also the mercenary group's future leader.

Mu Li pondered for a moment. "Let's wait and see. There'll still be time to strike after they've put everything away. And... if possible, try to capture them alive. Don't you go hurting that girl Xiao Yi Xian!"

As a famously beautiful physician in Qingshan Town, Xiao Yi Xian's looks went without saying. Who knew how many mercenaries dreamed of her?

Mu Li was one of them and had been pursuing her as well, though unfortunately without success.

And now, once they went into the cave dwelling to rob them, they would inevitably tear off all pretense.

At that thought, Mu Li couldn't help licking his dry lips. Thinking of Xiao Yi Xian's alluring figure, he felt desire stirring in his eyes:

"When the time comes, I can force myself on her!"