Chapter 177: Xiao Yan's Special Medicinal Powder
"That depends on the opportunity." Jiang Lin smiled at Xiao Yan, subtly declining Yun Zhi's suggestion.
"Miss Yun Zhi, you should rest well in the cave for the next few days. I'll head out and scout the situation." After finishing the grilled fish Xiao Yan had cooked, Jiang Lin stood up, ready to stretch his legs and investigate the current state of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"Brother Lin, wait for me! I'm coming too!" Xiao Yan naturally didn't want to stay behind with Yun Zhi, so the moment he saw Jiang Lin leaving, he quickly followed.
In the end, Jiang Lin left the Storm Hawk stationed outside the cave to guard Yun Zhi, while Xiao Yan scattered some medicinal powder to repel magical beasts. Then, the two of them slipped quietly into the depths of the mountain range.
Along the way, they gathered some herbs, minerals, and food, intending to improve Yun Zhi's meals.
"There are a lot of magical beasts around lately. Miss Yun Zhi, please avoid going out. It could lead to unnecessary trouble." Upon returning, Jiang Lin relayed the situation to Yun Zhi, who simply gave a soft "mm" in response without saying much more.
Over the next few days, Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan left early and returned late, taking advantage of the beasts' movements to gather high-grade spirit herbs, while also concocting crystal pills and medicinal elixirs in a new cave. Though they trusted Yun Zhi enough, they still didn't want her knowing too much—hence their routine departures.
That said, after a few days of living together, the relationship between the three became much warmer. The atmosphere turned more harmonious, and the imposing air of a Dou Huang slowly faded from Yun Zhi.
"Brother Lin, you know who Yun Zhi really is, don't you?" One evening at dusk, as Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan were making their winding way back to the lakeside cave, Xiao Yan suddenly asked.
Jiang Lin nodded slightly and continued walking ahead. "I've been to the Jia Ma Imperial Capital. Her background is a bit complicated… but you'll probably meet her again in the future."
"I'll meet her? Why?" Xiao Yan's eyes showed a hint of confusion.
What connection could a Dou Huang have with him?
"With your talent, you're bound to make a name for yourself in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital. It's only a matter of time before your paths cross." Jiang Lin smiled without explaining further.
Yun Zhi's true identity was none other than Yun Yun, the Sect Leader of the Yun Lan Sect and also Nalan Yanran's master.
If he wasn't mistaken, her current journey into the Magical Beast Mountain Range in search of the Purple Spirit Crystal was probably meant to help Nalan Yanran's cultivation. One had to admit, master-disciple relationships on the Dou Qi Continent were remarkably strong. They truly were willing to share their treasures, to the point that Yun Zhi risked clashing with the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
This time, if it weren't for Xiao Yan's protagonist aura kicking in, allowing him to stumble upon Yun Zhi in her sealed and unconscious state, the Yun Lan Sect might have had to elect a new leader. Even the gossip column of the Blacksmith Guild would have lost a frequent subject.
"You're back!" As Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan returned to the lakeside cave, they saw Yun Zhi grilling fish. Upon spotting them, she gave a warm smile.
"You can grill fish?" Xiao Yan, placing the magical beast meat from his shoulder on the ground, looked at Yun Zhi in surprise. Based on his impression of her, she seemed like a pampered noble lady, someone who wouldn't know how to do this sort of thing.
"I've been watching you do it the past few days. It looked simple, so I gave it a try." Being questioned like that made Yun Zhi's face flush slightly. Looking at the slightly charred fish in her hand, she muttered softly.
Jiang Lin also put down the supplies, sat beside Yun Zhi, and picked up the most burnt fish. He took a big bite, bones and all, and under Yun Zhi's slightly hopeful gaze, nodded seriously. "The taste is actually not bad. Of the three aspects—appearance, aroma, and taste—taste is the foundation, while appearance and aroma are superficial. Ignoring the surface, you've captured the essence. To get the core flavor on your first try is quite an achievement."
"Really?" Yun Zhi's beautiful green eyes lit up upon hearing his evaluation.
"Really." Jiang Lin nodded earnestly.
Putting aside the facts, with Jiang Lin's current physique, as long as there was no psychological factor involved, he could even enjoy rotten meat.
Xiao Yan gave Jiang Lin a suspicious look. But seeing him eat so heartily, he thought, "If Brother Lin can eat it, I should be able to as well." He sat by the fire and started nibbling on a piece of grilled fish.
"Hmm, it actually tastes pretty good." After a few bites, Xiao Yan couldn't help nodding. Of course, he knew the flavor was good because of the seasoning he had used… but he wisely kept that to himself. It wouldn't help the team's morale.
Jiang Lin cast him a side glance. The reason Xiao Yan thought it tasted good was because Jiang Lin had eaten the worst burnt ones. So when Xiao Yan saw that charred fish in Jiang Lin's hand, his expectations dropped so low that everything else tasted great in comparison.
"If you ever open a grilled fish shop, business will be booming!" Xiao Yan praised.
Jiang Lin: "…"
Yun Zhi: "…"
Yao Chen: "…"
"If you don't know how to compliment, just don't. That was painful to hear, alright?" Yao Chen couldn't help but scold Xiao Yan mentally. A Dou Huang selling grilled fish? Only you could come up with that!
"Uhh…" Realizing the two nearby had gone silent, Xiao Yan scratched his head awkwardly and continued eating in silence.
But as he ate, he suddenly felt warmth spreading through his lower abdomen. His brow twitched slightly, and he instinctively looked up to see Jiang Lin still acting normal, and Yun Zhi's cheeks slightly flushed. Alarm bells rang in his head. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Lin said softly:
"Miss Yun Zhi, did you add any new seasonings? I noticed your blood circulation seems a bit erratic."
"I-I'm not sure…" Yun Zhi wrapped her robe tighter around her, her flushed face full of confusion. She pulled out several small medicinal bottles from the side.
"I saw Yan Xiao use these when grilling fish, so I tried some myself…" Her voice grew softer. She felt her mind getting hazy, her body warming unnaturally from within.
"Ah, uh…" Xiao Yan's face turned red as he recognized the bottles. Under Jiang Lin's scrutinizing gaze, he stammered, "T-that was… something I refined back when I first started alchemy… I was just curious and made some… um… aphrodisiac powder…"
Yun Zhi's face turned crimson upon hearing that. She glared at Xiao Yan and scolded, "You—such a young age—and you had to learn something like… that thing?!"
Xiao Yan's face was burning. He had only refined it out of curiosity. He never expected something like this to happen!
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1