Several scrolls of maps, just as they were about to reach Hai Bo Dong’s body, were suddenly frozen into icy blocks by a surge of cold energy and fell helplessly beside the old man. Looking at the suddenly iced scrolls of maps, the red-dressed woman’s beautiful eyes glimmered slightly; this was another time she had seen the elder display his formidable strength. “This fool, daring to be so disrespectful to Ice Master, truly is shortsighted.” She glanced at Xiao Yan with a playful look, clearly not believing that the elder would easily let this reckless fellow who dared to offend him go. Of course, all these thoughts were merely her one-sided hope. Although the old man indeed, as she thought, moved his attention away from the maps, the face that resembled an ice block, when it swept over the black-clothed young man in front of him, revealed a rare smile, something that the respectful maid, dressed in red, had never seen before. “Haha, little brother, you’ve finally returned. I’ve been waiting for quite a while,” Hai Bo Dong said, gently placing the ink pen down, and then scanning Xiao Yan with his gaze. His eyes flickered with a strange light; it had only been a few months since they last met, yet the young man in front of him had become much stronger. Moreover, Hai Bo Dong even faintly sensed something that made him a bit afraid from the young man. “Could it be a Mysterious Flame? My goodness, he really found a Mysterious Flame?” A thought flashed through his mind, causing a trace of shock to appear on Hai Bo Dong’s face. His gaze towards Xiao Yan now carried an indescribable emotion. “There’s no other way, the elder has something I need, so naturally, I must return quickly. And this journey, if it weren’t for the elder’s map, even if I wandered in the desert for a year, I wouldn’t have reached my goal,” Xiao Yan said, smiling. “Haha, each has what the other needs,” Hai Bo Dong said, waving his hand and chuckling. His nose twitched slightly, and then his expression changed, looking at Xiao Yan in surprise, and exclaimed, “You… you had contact with the Medusa Queen?”
Inside the shop, the red-dressed woman, who saw that not only did Hai Bo Dong not attack Xiao Yan but also talked to him amiably, was instantly flabbergasted. After a moment, she frowned slightly, and secretly glanced at the seemingly younger black-clothed young man. She couldn’t help feeling jealous; she had helped Hai Bo Dong for so long, but he had never treated her so kindly…
“Damn it…” She thought resentfully, just as she was about to leave and have someone check on Xiao Yan’s background, the words that came out of Hai Bo Dong’s mouth made her stiffen as if struck by lightning.
Of course, not only her, but also the three young men and a few burly men in the shop, upon hearing the name ‘Medusa Queen’ mentioned by Hai Bo Dong, their bodies stiffened. In the desert, the fearsome reputation of the Medusa Queen was enough to make any human feel terrified. In the past, during the great war, Her Majesty the Queen had single-handedly slaughtered several cities, her vicious reputation reaching such a point that even infants would stop crying when her name was uttered.
“This… this guy actually had contact with the Medusa Queen? And he survived?”
The eyes inside the shop looked at the youth with the huge black ruler on his back with shock and disbelief. Their minds were reeling. Although there were a few strong people in the nearby cities who had contact with the Medusa Queen and survived, those people were all well-known powerhouses. But the youth in front of them seemed to be less than twenty years old… could it be possible?
“Haha, it was quite unlucky to have contact with her, but fortunately, I managed to keep my life, otherwise, the elder wouldn’t have seen me again,” Xiao Yan shrugged, jokingly.
“Wow, incredible. To come back alive and unharmed from that woman, you are truly a hero among the younger generation. I think, the peak figure of the younger generation in the Jia Ma Empire must surely be you, little brother,” Hai Bo Dong said, amazed.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, not showing any opinion on the so-called peak figure. “Oh, haha, right… little brother, about the matter I entrusted to you?”
Rubbing his withered palms, Hai Bo Dong asked with a sly smile. “Here, this is the Sand Mandala you need. It wasn’t easy to find. I was lucky enough to find it in the Holy City of the Snake People.”
He tapped lightly on the storage ring, and a pale yellow plant appeared in Xiao Yan’s palm. This plant was rather peculiar, resembling a coiled yellow snake, with its head raised high, and a fist-sized growth protruding from the top of the head. This growth was the most concentrated essence of the entire plant.
“Haha, it must have been a lot of trouble for you, little brother.”
Hai Bo Dong accepted the plant joyfully, grinning with gratitude.
“Each has what the other needs,” Xiao Yan spread his hands, imitating Hai Bo Dong’s tone with a smile.
In the shop, seeing Xiao Yan and Hai Bo Dong chatting freely, the arrogant expression on the red-dressed woman’s face gradually faded. Though she was domineering, she wasn’t a fool. Seeing the mysterious elder’s attitude toward Xiao Yan and their conversation, she knew the young man in front of her, who seemed even younger than herself, must possess terrifying strength disproportionate to his age…
“My goodness, where did this freak come from? I’ve never heard of such a powerful person at this age in the Jia Ma Empire!”
She sighed inwardly, her face filled with a bitter smile. “Ice Master…”
Slightly hesitating, the red-dressed woman spoke timidly. Interrupted, Hai Bo Dong frowned slightly, glanced at her, and said coolly, “Go back, you don’t need to come anymore. Tell your father that his tricks are really getting old.”
Hearing Hai Bo Dong’s unkind words, the red-dressed woman was taken aback, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Her original intention was to have Hai Bo Dong take her as a disciple, but these words shattered her hopes. She felt wronged, tears wetting her long eyelashes. At this moment, her previous rudeness toward Xiao Yan was completely gone. Seeing Hai Bo Dong’s indifferent attitude, Xiao Yan couldn’t help shaking his head. This old guy was really tough. Although the woman’s rudeness earlier left a bad impression, after all, she was helping Hai Bo Dong. Yet, despite her efforts to please him, the stubborn and indifferent old man still showed no emotion. It seemed this old guy was quite cold-hearted. He would have to be careful in their future cooperation…
“Old man, treating a woman like this is somewhat beneath your dignity…”
Seeing the woman’s teary appearance, Xiao Yan shook his head, playing with a map on the counter, and said with a smile.
Hai Bo Dong was stunned, looking at Xiao Yan’s smiling face, and nodded after a moment, his fingers lightly stroking the yellow storage ring on his finger. A scroll appeared, and with a flick, he sent it to the red-dressed woman. “This is a low-level Mystic Rank Dou Technique. Since you’ve helped me for so long, I’ll give it to you. I know you want me to take you as a disciple, but I really don’t have the inclination. So, consider this my compensation.”
Stunned, the red-dressed woman tightly pursed her lips, bowing slightly in thanks to Xiao Yan, then quietly exited the shop with a gloomy face.
With the departure of the red-dressed woman, the others in the shop followed, and soon the place was empty again.
“Haha, I’m a free spirit by nature and don’t much like teaching disciples. She wouldn’t have much of a future following me.”
Hai Bo Dong patted Xiao Yan’s shoulder, explaining with a smile. Smiling, Xiao Yan stretched out his hand to Hai Bo Dong, “Old man, I’ve brought back what you needed. Shouldn’t you give me the remaining fragment of the map now?”
“Uh…”
Hai Bo Dong chuckled dryly, rubbing his hands, and grinned, “Little brother, we agreed that once you refine the pill to break the seal, I’d give you the final piece of the map. And I’ll owe you a favor in the future.”
“Alright…”
Staring at Hai Bo Dong for a moment until he felt a bit uncomfortable, Xiao Yan nodded indifferently, retracting his hand, and said with a smile, “I hope, after you get the pill, you won’t come up with more excuses. I’m a good-natured person, but I can’t stand being toyed with.”
“Haha, little brother, the promises between strong people can’t be false,” Hai Bo Dong shook his head, grinning, and patted his chest, assuring, “As long as you refine the pill I need, I won’t go back on my word!”
“Haha, that’s best,” Xiao Yan smiled, nodding. “Well, then, shall we get started?”
“Now?”
Hai Bo Dong was surprised, then quickly nodded, “Sure, sure, please!”
He pushed open the counter, inviting Xiao Yan into the back room. Entering the room, Xiao Yan sat casually on a chair, glancing at Hai Bo Dong, and a smile touched his lips, “The prescription, the materials…”
“Sometimes, I find that Alchemists really have it good… sigh, I went through so much trouble to get this prescription to break the seal. Now that you’ve seen it, I have to change it again…”
Helplessly, Hai Bo Dong took out numerous alchemy materials from his storage ring, holding a yellowish, ancient-looking parchment, his pained expression not faked. He had worked so hard to obtain this prescription. With a warm smile, Xiao Yan was also slightly amused. The Medicine Ancestor had told him that prescriptions to break seals were priceless. Although the fragment of the map was what he most wanted, getting a prescription to refine a sixth-grade pill was even better…
Grinning, he accepted the prescription from Hai Bo Dong, who was clearly reluctant to part with it. A glance at the prescription, and the smile on his face became even brighter.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage