Despite the innocent voice and adorable appearance, the strange aura emanating from the little girl in white made Xiao Yan’s nerves taut. Meeting her big, black eyes, Xiao Yan forced a laugh after a moment, “Little sister, this isn’t something to eat. Why don’t you give it back to me?”
“I want to grow up, so I need to eat them!” The little girl said calmly.
“Growing up takes time. By doing this, you’re like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, which won’t do any good,” Xiao Yan said with a serious face, but his mind was in turmoil. This strange little girl had already eaten a rare medicinal herb, and he was the only one who had just opened the herb storeroom. If Elder Hao were to investigate, he would be in trouble.
“Time is useless for me!” Hearing Xiao Yan, the little girl’s cheeks dimmed slightly as she laughed in a childish tone.
“Oh, heavens!” Slapping his forehead, Xiao Yan felt a headache. Where did this monstrous little girl come from? Not only was her strength terrifying, but her words were also quite bizarre. If she were just an ordinary little girl, Xiao Yan would have snatched the Ice and Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit from her despite her curses. But after sensing her frightening power, such thoughts could only be set aside. He knew that the two fingers of the little girl had rendered him immobile, and if she got angry, there would be no good end for him.
“You ate the herbs here; Elder Hao will find you,” Xiao Yan said with a bitter smile.
“That old man? I’m not afraid of him. Even if he knows, he wouldn’t dare to do anything to me!” The little girl flipped her big, black eyes and huffed cutely.
Xiao Yan’s heart raced. Could this little girl be the granddaughter of a high-ranking official in the academy? But most elders in the academy held similar positions. If their children made mistakes, no one dared to speak to other elders in such a manner. Could this little girl in white be the granddaughter of the elusive First Elder or the mysterious Academy Head?
“I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t hit you. Just go away and leave me alone.” The little girl bit into the Vajra Bodhi again, her mouth full as she mumbled, “It tastes really bad.”
Listening to her mumbling, Xiao Yan was speechless. If other alchemists saw her wasting precious herbs and complaining about the taste, they might get so angry that smoke would come out of their nostrils.
Shaking his head helplessly, Xiao Yan was about to say something when a thought struck him. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he crouched down and said softly, “Little sister, these herbs aren’t tasty, are they?”
While saying this, Xiao Yan secretly despised the herbs. Although they contained pure medicinal energy, eating them raw would naturally not taste good.
“If it’s not tasty, why don’t you give this fruit to your brother? I’ll treat you to something delicious,” Xiao Yan said with a smile, his face looking like that of a strange uncle trying to deceive a little girl.
“No way! It may not taste good, but do the things you offer have such powerful energy?” The little girl immediately became alert, shaking her head.
Xiao Yan’s smile froze. These herbs were created by the natural energy of the world. How could ordinary items contain such frightening energy? However, from her words, it seemed that she was eating these rare herbs for their pure medicinal energy. What was hard for Xiao Yan to believe was that the unrefined herbs, although pure, had a more ferocious medicinal force than pills. How could this little girl withstand such energy?
Though a bit puzzled, Xiao Yan found some relief in the little girl’s strange behavior. This little girl was probably not an ordinary person.
Scratching his head in frustration, Xiao Yan cautiously asked, “How about I refine the herbs you want to eat, making them a bit more palatable? It’s much better than eating them raw.”
“Refine?” The chewing in her mouth paused, and her big, black eyes suddenly lit up, “Are you an alchemist?”
Seeing her expression, Xiao Yan felt a glimmer of hope. He quickly nodded and said, “If you return the ‘Ice and Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit’ to me, I’ll refine the herbs you want to eat and make them tastier. How about that?”
Refining pills was a tedious task, but turning a single herb into a pill and adding a bit of flavor to it would not be too difficult. However, such a pill would still retain its wild nature and would not be very useful. Few people would waste herbs to make such pills.
Hearing this, the little girl hesitated for a moment, looking at the seemingly delicious “Ice and Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit.” After a long while, she reluctantly nodded and handed it to Xiao Yan, scowling, “But if the pills you refine aren’t tasty, I’ll take it back and eat you!”
“Eat me? With your little mouth?” Chuckling inwardly, Xiao Yan quickly took the “Ice and Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit” and hurriedly stored it in his storage ring, fearing the little girl might change her mind.
“Take it, and refine it quickly,” the little girl said crisply, handing over the half-eaten Vajra Bodhi.
“Hey, no rush. We need to go out first. I need to explain to Elder Hao about the ‘Ice and Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit.'” Smiling, Xiao Yan led the way out of the storeroom. He needed to explain the situation to Elder Hao, or else if the old man blamed him for the eaten Vajra Bodhi, he would be in deep trouble.
“What’s there to explain to that old man?” The little girl muttered, showing no fear. She grabbed the Vajra Bodhi and followed Xiao Yan.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He walked out of the storeroom, pressing the jade token against the wall. Seeing the re-emerging energy shield, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
“This broken defense shield is useless. Even if it’s activated, it’s just for show,” the little girl said, her white, almost transparent hand reaching through the energy shield, moving through it without any resistance.
Staring at her actions with his mouth agape, Xiao Yan was bewildered. Was this energy shield really just for show? He tentatively reached out and touched the shield, but it felt like touching steel. His finger ached, but he couldn’t penetrate it. Clearly, this energy shield had astonishing defensive power… but how could this little girl pass through it as if it didn’t exist?
“Giggling, silly,” the little girl laughed, her clear, childish laughter echoing in the hallway.
Embarrassed, Xiao Yan withdrew his hand. He wanted to say something, but the little girl huffed and turned around, walking down the hallway, leaving Xiao Yan staring at the back of her head.
“What kind of monster is this little girl?” Xiao Yan sighed, watching her retreating figure.
In the quiet room, Elder Hao was still buried in documents at his desk. When he heard the door, he smiled without looking up, “What? Xiao Yan, did you find the herbs you needed?”
Feeling the odd atmosphere, he looked up and saw Xiao Yan’s face filled with helplessness. His gaze then fell on the little girl with light purple hair in white.
Blinking, Elder Hao stared at the little girl. Recovering from his shock, he jumped up from his chair and shouted, “Why are you here again?”
His anger intensified when he saw the half-eaten Vajra Bodhi in her hand. “Do you think this is a restaurant? You come here every few days to grab a meal? Can’t you go to the mountains and find the herbs yourself?”
“Finding them is too troublesome. Why not eat the ones here? Stop talking nonsense, or I’ll hit you.” Glaring at Elder Hao, the little girl took a big bite of the Vajra Bodhi, almost as a threat.
Elder Hao, who was respected and feared by the students, was so enraged that his eyes nearly popped out, but he could only grind his teeth, clearly intimidated by the little girl.
“Hurry up. You still need to refine something for me. If you delay, I’ll eat you,” the little girl urged, her voice still childish.
Seeing their interaction, Xiao Yan felt even more confused about the little girl’s identity. Smiling bitterly, he stepped forward and said, “Elder Hao, I’ve got the items. You can check. Please give me the ingredients for two ‘Dragon Strength Pills,’ and I’ll refine them for you.”
Elder Hao’s expression improved somewhat. He took a pile of herbs from his storage ring and placed them on the table, muttering, “How did you run into her? Are you okay?”
His tone suggested that the little girl was like a devouring demon, though she often threatened people with the same words.
“I don’t know,” Xiao Yan said, shaking his head. He packed the herbs and briefly recounted the events.
“Uh… You’re really unlucky. Sigh, take good care of this little lady. Don’t let her get angry, or it’ll be scary,” Elder Hao said, patting Xiao Yan sympathetically.
Feeling uncomfortable, Xiao Yan asked, “Who is she?”
“Human? Who said she was human?” Elder Hao rolled his eyes.
“She… She’s not human?” Stunned, cold sweat broke out on Xiao Yan’s forehead.
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