After evading the search of the black-robed elder, Xiao Yan lingered in the deep mountains for another half day before finally using his Purple Cloud Wings to return to the Inner Academy. With the cover of the dim light, Xiao Yan once again successfully eluded those who wanted to challenge him, directly rushing into the Pill Sect and confidently striding back to the pavilion. However, when he pushed open the door, a white figure suddenly flashed before him, causing him to take a cautious step back. Upon closer inspection, he was somewhat surprised; the white figure turned out to be Zi Yan, the so-called “Strong Ranking” first, an incarnation of a magical beast.
The little girl in white clothes was gazing at Xiao Yan with eager anticipation, her large, black eyes filled with a glint of desire. “Ahem, Zi Yan, why are you here?” Releasing the tension in his heart, Xiao Yan coughed dryly and smiled, ruffling Zi Yan’s head. Then he sidestepped into the room, where he indeed found Xuner, Hu Jia, Wu Hao, and others. The three of them were looking at him with strange expressions.
“You ate all the pills I made for you,” Zi Yan said, following Xiao Yan like a shadow, her face slightly blushing, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but wipe away a cold sweat. This little one truly lived up to her status as a magical beast, able to finish such wild medicinal pills in just a few days. Based on Xiao Yan’s understanding, she probably treated those pills like candy.
As he quickly walked into the hall, he heard Hu Jia mutter, “Who is this little girl? She suddenly came to our Pill Sect this morning, looking for you. When she found out you weren’t here, she sat and didn’t leave, her small face icy and frightening. Since she’s a child, we didn’t want to force her.”
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, smiling bitterly, “Good thing you didn’t force her. Otherwise, this building might have been torn down.”
“Huh?” Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, Wu Hao and Hu Jia looked at the little girl, whose face had thawed from its cold expression since Xiao Yan appeared. Such a cute little girl, capable of such violence?
“Although this little girl is young, she seems to contain a very powerful energy. If she were to fight, there wouldn’t be many people here who could handle her,” Xuner, who was standing by, did not seem too surprised. Her words indicated that she had also sensed Zi Yan’s power.
Xiao Yan cast a somewhat surprised glance at Xuner. Her sensitive perception was not something a Great Dou Master should possess, but Xiao Yan was not surprised by Xuner’s mysteries for the first time. So, the surprise lasted only a moment before quickly dissipating.
Hu Jia and Wu Hao exchanged glances, unable to resist muttering, “That can’t be possible… she’s so small…”
“Things can’t always be judged by appearances,” Xiao Yan smiled. He, too, had been shocked by Zi Yan’s formidable strength when he first met her. Therefore, he understood the feelings of Hu Jia and Wu Hao.
Sitting down on a soft chair, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel tired. He rubbed his forehead, his eyes half-closed. Observing the Old Alchemist refine the Spirit Pills these past few days had drained a lot of his energy.
“Snap, snap…” Just as Xiao Yan sat down, a series of rustling sounds suddenly sounded. Xiao Yan opened his eyes in confusion, only to see a pile of medicinal herbs on the table in front of him. Beside the table, Zi Yan was wearing a storage ring on her little finger.
“The old man guarding the Medicine Treasury asked me to bring these to you. He said these herbs were prepared by Elder Liu,” Zi Yan explained. Clearly, this wasn’t her main purpose, so after throwing these things out, she immediately took out a pink, plant-like root from the storage ring. Her large, black eyes looked at Xiao Yan expectantly as she said in a childlike voice, “Also, you said I could find you after I finished all the pills!”
Glancing at the herbs on the table, Xiao Yan casually flipped through them and nodded slightly. Elder Liu had not been too stingy with these. There were enough herbs for three batches. Clearly, he was worried about Xiao Yan’s failure rate, so he had gritted his teeth and added a bit more, hoping that at least one batch would successfully produce a Dragon Strength Pill.
After flipping through, Xiao Yan finally took the root herb from Zi Yan’s hand, examining it. He couldn’t help but sigh. He recognized this, a rare medicinal herb called “Fire Spirit Root.” The concentrated fire energy it contained was even tempting to him.
“This guy is simply a treasure of wastefulness!” Shaking his head, Xiao Yan smiled bitterly, “Elder Hao would be driven mad by you.”
“Rubbish, I found this herb myself in the deep mountains. I have a special sensitivity to these heavenly and earthly spiritual treasures, and I didn’t steal it from that old man,” Zi Yan puffed up her black eyes, angry.
“Special sensitivity?” Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s heart slightly stirred. Could it be that Zi Yan, being an ancient beast, had an innate talent for treasure hunting, like a born explorer?
His eyes lit up slightly. If so, wouldn’t this little one be like a treasure trove? With her strange sense, finding natural treasures in the deep mountains would undoubtedly be much easier.
“Can you sense the herbs buried deep in the ground?” Xuner, beside them, asked in surprise.
Zi Yan glanced at Xuner. For some reason, she felt a subtle wariness towards this beautiful sister. Thus, her tone was not cold, “Hmph, I know where the spiritual medicines are in the deep mountains of the Inner Academy. But most of them are guarded by powerful magical beasts. For example, the Snow Demon Sky Ape in that valley. It definitely guards something good, but every time I went, it beat me back. Later, I met a woman with silver hair in the Inner Academy. I liked her, so I told her what the Snow Demon Sky Ape was guarding. I don’t know if she succeeded, but she said if she did, she’d give me a share.”
As Zi Yan spoke, the faces of several people in the hall changed. Hu Jia and Wu Hao looked at her in shock.
“I never expected Han Yue to know that the ‘Earth Core Refining Body Milk’ was in that valley, and it was Zi Yan who told her… This is truly interesting,” Xiao Yan shook his head in amazement. A woman with silver hair, there was only one in the Inner Academy—Han Yue.
“Hehe, Zi Yan, how about we make a deal?” Xiao Yan’s eyes twinkled, and he suddenly smiled at Zi Yan, his face lighting up.
“What do you want?” Seeing Xiao Yan’s smile, Zi Yan took a step back, alert.
“From now on, whenever you run out of pills, I’ll drop everything and make them for you immediately.” Xiao Yan smiled, “But in exchange, if I need to go to the deep mountains to find herbs, you have to come with me.”
As an alchemist, the desire for rare herbs was greater than anything else. Zi Yan’s treasure-finding talent was extremely attractive to him.
“You want me to find herbs for you?” Though Zi Yan was young, she was not stupid. She understood Xiao Yan’s intentions instantly.
“Refining pills for you is quite exhausting. I can’t do it for free, can I?” Xiao Yan spread his hands.
Frowning, Zi Yan thought for a while before reluctantly nodding, muttering, “Whatever, I’ll only take you to find herbs. If we encounter magical beasts guarding the herbs, you have to deal with them yourself. Of course, if you really need my help, you have to pay.”
Smiling and nodding, Xiao Yan stood up and collected all the herbs on the table into his storage ring. Then, holding the “Fire Spirit Root,” he said, “I’ll refine the pill for you tonight. You can come pick it up tomorrow.”
“No, I’ll wait here,” Zi Yan quickly shook her head.
“Suit yourself. Xuner, arrange a place for her. I’m too tired these days, so I’ll rest first,” Xiao Yan shrugged and instructed Xuner.
Xuner smiled and nodded. As Xiao Yan turned to go upstairs, her lips moved slightly, as if she had something to say. But after a moment, she let out a silent sigh, smiled faintly at Zi Yan, and, after saying goodbye to Hu Jia, led Zi Yan to a room.
Night fell over the entire Inner Academy, with occasional lights flickering, dispelling the darkness. In the quiet, a shadow in the dark corner of the room suddenly stirred, coalescing into an elderly figure.
“Miss,” the figure bowed respectfully to Xuner, revealing the face of Ling Ying.
“Ling Elder, speak your mind,” Xuner turned around, a light smile appearing on her flawless, beautiful face, she said softly.
Ling Ying hesitated slightly, then, his gaze fixed on Xuner’s face, he said in a low voice, “Miss, the Clan Leader has issued new orders…”
As Ling Ying’s words fell, Xuner’s figure, bathed in moonlight, trembled almost imperceptibly.
“Speak,” the girl’s voice was slightly cold under the moonlit sky.
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