"This is my first time entering. I was too young before, and my teachers would not permit it," the woman said softly.
"Then did you enter alone?" Xiao Tian asked, his brow furrowed.
"Many people entered together, but after we came in, we were all scattered at random. I had only just arrived that day, and my location happened to be near the White Flame Tiger's territory."
"In the end, I was no match for it and nearly perished. Then you appeared."
The woman recalled Xiao Tian's sudden arrival, how he had resolved her crisis and saved her life. Counting this occasion, she now owed him two lives.
"Oh, that is right. My teachers said this secret realm only remains open for nine days. If you do not leave after nine days, you will be unable to. You would have to wait for the next opening, and this secret realm only opens once every ten years."
Xiao Tian's brows furrowed slightly. A deep deliberation surfaced in his eyes, as though he were weighing an important decision. He spoke to the woman.
"Since you are awake now, I shall take my leave."
"May I follow you? My soul has yet to recover, and although my cultivation is at the Dou Emperor level, it was achieved through unconventional means. I possess very little real combat strength."
"I am an alchemist—a sixth-grade one at that. I can supply you with pills."
The woman now understood her predicament with stark clarity. Her soul was far too weak to employ soul attack Dou Techniques, and she was well aware that her strength was little more than a paper tiger. Hope and even a trace of pleading shone in her eyes.
Xiao Tian studied the woman before him, whose delicate face bore a faint, innate coldness. Considering her age, the fact that she was a sixth-grade alchemist, and her identity rooted in the Central Plains, Xiao Tian had already formed a vague guess as to who she was.
"I can bring you along, but you must obey my orders and refrain from acting on your own. Should you violate this, I will leave at once."
Though he now knew the identity of the person before him and held some understanding of her temperament, he still laid out his terms.
"No problem. I am not that sort of person. Do not worry. I will do whatever you say."
Afterward, the woman briefly mentioned some of her possessions—things like pills, flames, weapons, and other items.
"Can you walk now?"
"I need to change my clothes first..." the woman said softly, her cheeks flushing.
Xiao Tian pushed aside the large boulder sealing the cave entrance and stepped outside.
After a brief wait, the woman emerged, clad in a violet dress.
Though young, her figure had developed exceptionally well, all its curves perfectly proportioned.
The violet dress accentuated her exquisite silhouette, neither too full nor too slender.
Xu Song's sister had been right. Purple truly held a unique charm.
After a fleeting glance, Xiao Tian turned and strode back in the direction from which they had come.
"These pills are for you. They are all fifth and sixth-grade pills, perfectly suited to your current needs. This is my token of gratitude for saving me."
The woman swiftly caught up, planted herself before Xiao Tian, and extended six or seven exquisite jade bottles containing various pills.
"I refined all of these myself. You may rest assured, there is no issue with any of them."
Xiao Tian paused to consider, then chose not to accept them. He smiled faintly, his tone calm and resolute as he replied, "There is no need. The first time I acted, it was not to save you. It was simply because that beast was courting death."
"The second time, I saved you in order to learn about this place. You have already told me what I wished to know. We owe each other nothing now."
Xiao Tian would naturally not accept such things. Setting aside the fact that he could refine them himself with some further development, what he was truly plotting was not these items—it was to leave a profound impression upon her, laying the groundwork for his future plans.
The woman watched Xiao Tian refuse her gratitude, her fair and delicate face momentarily stunned. A swirl of emotions churned in her heart.
"But..."
Xiao Tian cut her off directly, his voice gentle. "I appreciate your kindness. It was only a small favor. There is no need to dwell upon it."
"Since that is the case, I shall not insist." The woman sighed softly, a flicker of disappointment crossing her eyes at Xiao Tian's unwavering stance. Then a black token materialized in her hand, and she smiled as she spoke.
"However, this is my token. Should you ever require assistance in the future, you may bring this token and seek me out in Pill City. Surely you cannot refuse this."
Xiao Tian glanced at the hopeful look in her eyes and finally accepted the token. "If the need arises, I shall find you."
He swept a casual glance over the tower-shaped pattern etched upon the token, then stowed it into his storage ring.
Watching Xiao Tian tuck the token away with apparent indifference, the woman's expression faltered for a moment. She wondered, *Does he not know what the pattern on this token and the location it signifies represent?*
But on second thought, perhaps he had never intended to use the token to make her repay him at all. A cunning glint flickered in her eyes.
Her token bore a deeply concealed soul imprint. As long as he appeared in Pill City, she would be able to sense him. Then she could find him and properly repay her debt.
Her slender eyes studied the man before her. "I still do not know your name."
Xiao Tian met the gaze of the beautiful woman in front of him and chose not to give his true name. "Tian Xiao."
"Tian Xiao... My name is Xuan Qingying. If you ever need help in the future, remember to come find me."
The woman was also highly intelligent and perceptive. From the fleeting shift in Xiao Tian's expression just now, she sensed that the name he gave was not his real one. Yet she understood—it was only wise not to reveal one's true identity while traveling abroad.
She, too, had not given her real name. Perhaps it was out of pique because he had not, or perhaps she had other plans.
"Mm. Let us go. It is already the second day since the opening. Time grows short."
Xiao Tian summoned his wings and soared toward the mist-veiled forest.
The woman summoned her Dou Qi Wings and followed. Xiao Tian deliberately tempered his flying speed, for her soul had not yet recovered. He feared she would be unable to keep pace or be caught off guard by a sudden ambush.
"Is that a flying Dou Technique you possess?" she asked, gazing at Xiao Tian's golden wings as she drew alongside him, a smile gracing her lips.
Xiao Tian nodded faintly.
She was slightly taken aback. She had not expected that despite her exceptional appearance and her initiative in speaking to him, he still seemed rather indifferent. Her impression of him immediately soared. He was truly an intriguing person.
"I have never seen such a magnificent flying Dou Technique."
"A fortunate acquisition," Xiao Tian replied coolly, not even turning his head.
*What an arrogant fellow.*
She grumbled silently to herself, secretly vowing to make him regard her in a new light and prove she was not as useless as before. Curious, she asked, "Are you always this aloof?"
Xiao Tian turned his head slightly, his gaze falling upon her face. A trace of surprise flickered through his deep eyes, as though he had not expected her to ask such a thing. Then his calm demeanor returned.
"No. I simply feel we do not have much to discuss. We do not know one another."
Xiao Tian's deep eyes were like stars scattered across the night sky. Recalling how he had descended like a divine warrior from the heavens during the battle to save her, her heart quickened.
Xiao Tian's brief reaction also made her believe she had cracked the ice.
But his following words struck like a bucket of icy water, instantly extinguishing half her joy.
Unwilling to show weakness, she retorted, "That is not necessarily true. We are roughly the same age. Perhaps we share many common interests?"
"Perhaps. We have arrived."
Xiao Tian halted midair and gazed ahead. Hearing this, she executed an abrupt stop in the air as well, following his line of sight.