"What's wrong with you?" Seeing Xiao Yan's complexion fluctuate between green and white, Yao Lao frowned slightly and asked.
"Teacher… are you sure you didn't give me the wrong one?" Xiao Yan hesitated, his expression odd. "Why does this Burning Technique feel… strange to me. Like… like…"
"Like what?" Yao Lao asked, puzzled.
"Like a… spring palace illustration…" Xiao Yan's mouth twitched as he said it.
"A spring palace illustration? Let me see."
With a casual wave of his hand, Yao Lao drew the black scroll over to himself. He glanced at it—and instantly, his own expression turned extremely ugly. At the same time, he muttered nonstop under his breath.
"It really is a spring palace illustration… mm, mm! The drawings aren't bad at all—so there are even positions like this—ahem! That's not right! My storage ring doesn't even contain the Bone Chilling Flame, so it shouldn't be possible to open it. And even if it had been opened, I definitely would have known!"
His brows knit together tightly. "Strange… how did it suddenly turn into this? Could it be that beast who tampered with it?"
"Teacher… are you okay?" Seeing Yao Lao so flustered—something that almost never happened—Xiao Yan asked carefully.
"Ah—nothing," Yao Lao said, forcing himself to calm down. "This isn't something you should know about yet. I'll directly transmit the Qi circulation method to you using soul power. Hurry up and switch your cultivation."
As he spoke, Yao Lao raised his finger and lightly pointed it forward. A streak of white light shot into Xiao Yan's forehead. Xiao Yan felt his mind sway briefly, and in the next instant, an unfamiliar set of memories appeared in his consciousness.
"Oh." Feeling that the proper cultivation method had appeared in his mind, Xiao Yan nodded slightly. He sat down cross-legged on the spot and began cultivating.
Watching Xiao Yan convert his cultivation method, Yao Lao secretly let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately… fortunately, I once used soul power to rehearse the Burning Technique. Otherwise, I would have completely lost any hope of resurrection.
—
The Black-Corner Region.
Feng City.
Once known as the territory of the Black-Corner Region's number-one alchemist, the Medicine Emperor Han Feng.
But eight months ago, after a sudden upheaval, Han Feng fell—and Feng City changed hands.
It became the headquarters of a rising new force in the Black-Corner Region: the Sea King Palace.
At the very center of the city still lay that bamboo forest, completely isolated from the bustling markets outside.
Yet now, this bamboo forest was far more dangerous than before.
Not only were there numerous guards stationed within, but the entire area was layered with poison formations personally arranged by Dou Zong–level experts. Forget ordinary people—even typical Dou Huang experts didn't dare approach too closely, much less enter.
Once anyone trespassed, the guards would immediately activate the poison formations, releasing toxic fog powerful enough to kill Dou Wang experts—or even ordinary Dou Huang—on the spot.
Over the past eight months, countless individuals who attempted to spy on Sea King Palace's secrets barely made it past the outer perimeter before being torn apart by the poison mist, dying gruesome deaths.
As a result, the guards' main duty wasn't even fighting enemies anymore—it was collecting corpses.
Deep within the bamboo forest, the original bamboo house was long gone, replaced by a five-story pavilion with an ancient, elegant design.
The moment one laid eyes on it, the word that came to mind was refined.
The entire structure was built from agarwood, exuding a faint, soothing fragrance.
Inside the main hall on the first floor, a small girl in white clothes—no more than twelve or thirteen years old in appearance—was sprawled lazily atop an agarwood table. Her cheeks were puffed out, her face full of boredom and frustration.
Beside her stood a young woman wearing a slightly loose purple-red robe.
She had hair like a cascading silver galaxy, falling straight past her waist. Her skin was exceptionally pale, her delicate face stunningly beautiful, giving off a strangely enchanting aura.
At this moment, she was calmly holding a cup of fragrant tea, taking small, unhurried sips.
After a long while, the white-clad little girl suddenly sat up and complained loudly, "Ahhh, I'm so bored, Little Fairy Doctor!"
"If you're bored, go find Zhuqing to play," the girl known as Little Fairy Doctor said casually, tossing a jade bottle over.
"Awwooo~" Catching the jade bottle, the little girl didn't even look at it. She popped open the stopper and dumped the entire contents straight into her mouth, chewing as she spoke. "Zhuqing's a total cultivation maniac. She's boring to death."
She continued angrily, "It's all that big bad guy's fault! He disappeared for so long—made me worry for nothing—and now I've run out of pills too!"
"The last part is the important one, isn't it?" Little Fairy Doctor laughed softly.
"Hehe, just a bonus. Just a bonus," the little girl said shamelessly.
Yes, you guessed it right.
They were Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan.
And the "big bad guy" Zi Yan was complaining about… was Xiao Se.
Because Xiao Se had vanished for eight whole months, Zi Yan's supply of pills was completely cut off. In her mind, he had already been demoted from "good guy" to "big bad guy."
"Who told you to eat them all in one go?" Little Fairy Doctor said helplessly, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Besides, didn't I already find an alchemist for you?"
Originally, the pills Xiao Se left behind were more than enough for Zi Yan to last a very long time.
But she couldn't withstand Zi Yan's relentless pestering. On top of that, Sea King Palace had just been established, and there were countless affairs demanding her attention. In the end, she simply handed all the pills over to Zi Yan.
The result was predictable.
Over thirty thousand pills—refined from countless high-grade medicinal ingredients—were wiped out by Zi Yan in less than three months.
Little Fairy Doctor had nearly lost her mind over it.
She had originally planned to have Zi Yan help out, but instead, she ended up bringing in a tiny disaster. Over the next six months, nearly every medicinal shop in Feng City was ravaged by this little girl.
Left with no choice, Little Fairy Doctor had to return to the Chu Yun Empire and summon Horton—the man she had once saved—to specifically refine pills for Zi Yan.
"The old guy you brought in makes terrible pills," Zi Yan pouted. "Not even half as tasty as the big bad guy's."
As she spoke, she poured the remaining few pills from the jade bottle into her mouth and chewed away.
"Are the pills I refined really that tasty?"
Suddenly, a clear, cheerful laugh echoed throughout the hall.
Immediately afterward, a deep blue light barrier appeared out of thin air. As it dispersed, three figures emerged—Xiao Se, Medusa, and Die.
"Xiao Se!"
Hearing that familiar voice, both Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan froze.
When they clearly saw Xiao Se standing there, Little Fairy Doctor's figure flickered—and in the blink of an eye, she threw herself straight into his arms.
Her slender jade arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she clung to him, practically hanging off his body, as if afraid he might disappear again if she let go.
"I promised you," Xiao Se said softly, gently stroking her back. "I said I'd come back alive."
"Mm…" Little Fairy Doctor's voice trembled slightly.
Ever since Xiao Se had been dragged into the depths of the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower by the Fallen Heart Flame, she had maintained a calm front.
She often went out of her way to comfort Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Yu, and the others.
But only she herself knew the truth.
She was terrified.
Worried. Deeply, overwhelmingly worried.
For more than half a year, she had forced herself to suppress those emotions.
And now—now that Xiao Se had returned—she could no longer hold it in.
Her shoulders trembled as quiet sobs escaped her.
"Right… Xiao Se," she finally said, wiping her tears and pulling herself together. "When did you come out?"
She had so much she wanted to say to him—but with Medusa and a Snake-People Dou Huang present, she couldn't afford to lose her composure. As the Palace Master of Sea King Palace, she had to maintain her dignity in front of outsiders.
"I just came back," Xiao Se said with a gentle smile. "I went to see Xiao Yu and the others first, then came straight here."
His gaze shifted toward Medusa and Die. "Oh, right—let me introduce them to you."
"This is Medusa. You already know her. From now on, she'll be your sister."
"And this is her younger sister—Die."
(End of Chapter)
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