"Is it… is it okay if I come to you to refine them after I've finished eating these?"
Zi Yan looked at Xiao Tian with anticipation, gently grabbing the corner of his clothes.
"Yes, you can come to me in the future. But you'll have to bring your own ingredients."
Xiao Tian wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity. This was a human treasure-hunting machine, and also a stable source of medicinal ingredients. He told her where he lived.
"Good, good, no problem. I'll come find you then. If you have anything in the future, just tell me. I'll handle it all."
When Zi Yan heard Xiao Tian agree, her whole face lit up with a smile, and her head swayed slightly. "Finally, I don't have to keep eating those awful things."
Xiao Tian also smiled knowingly at her expression. Zi Yan was simply too cute.
"Then can you help me refine these into pills?"
Zi Yan took out nearly five types of medicinal ingredients. Many of them didn't look like they had just been dug up. Xiao Tian's eyelids twitched as he looked at them. These were probably "conveniently" taken from the Inner Academy's medicinal ingredient storage. Some elder was likely wailing right now. Zi Yan might have run into the deep forest to seek refuge.
Zi Yan saw Xiao Tian's gaze and thought she had taken out too many. She awkwardly shuffled her feet on the ground and put a finger to her lips. After some thought, she said to Xiao Tian with a pained expression, "Hmm~ there's a bit too much here. If you help me refine them, I can give you one of them."
Xiao Tian didn't take Zi Yan's medicinal ingredients. There was nothing he needed here, and it was better to show generosity now to build up goodwill, so he could ask her to help find ingredients in the future.
"I won't take your ingredients. This time, I'll help you for free."
Under Zi Yan's drooling gaze, Xiao Tian refined all the medicinal ingredients into pills.
"Here, these are all refined from your ingredients. They should last you a long time. Of course, don't give them to others casually. The energy inside is too great, and it's easy for something to go wrong."
"Slurp~ I don't even have enough for myself. I don't have any friends in the Inner Academy anyway, so I eat them all myself."
Zi Yan said innocently, but her expression became a little dejected when she mentioned the word "friends." In the Inner Academy, they didn't treat her like a normal person. When she was little, she was even bullied by other magical beasts in the forest. She looked up at Xiao Tian, mentally labeling him as a good person. Xiao Tian was one of the few people in the Inner Academy who genuinely helped her.
"It's okay. I can be your friend. If you don't have enough to eat in the future, you can come directly to me."
Xiao Tian looked gently at the pitiful Zi Yan in front of him.
"Really? Are you really willing to be my friend?"
Zi Yan took the pills Xiao Tian had refined, her eyes shining as she looked at him.
"Really. If you don't believe me, we can pinky swear."
Xiao Tian squatted down and extended his pinky finger to her.
Zi Yan showed a pure smile, quickly put away the jade bottle, and even wiped her small hand on her clothes before extending her little pinky finger to link with Xiao Tian's.
"Pinky swear, cross my heart, never change for a hundred years."
Hearing Xiao Tian's words, Zi Yan shook her head. "Yours doesn't count. Let me say it. Pinky swear~ cross my heart, never change, forever."
"Okay, okay, never change, forever."
Xiao Tian looked at her happily and gently stroked her head.
"Xiao Tian, what are you planning to do now?" Zi Yan asked him curiously.
"I plan to wander around here."
"What's there to wander around here? It's boring. I'll go first then. I'll come find you later."
After speaking, Zi Yan bid farewell to Xiao Tian, her hands behind her back, skipping away. It was clear she was in a very good mood.
Xiao Tian chuckled softly and walked deeper into the forest. He spent a day exploring a small part of the area but didn't encounter a single Sixth-Tier Magical Beast. His plan to temper himself through magical beasts fell through. As for why he didn't fight with Bai Ya — it was too boring. Bai Ya didn't dare to fight Xiao Tian with full strength. Not to mention whether he could win, if he injured Xiao Tian, his master would definitely scold him.
…
At night, in his own Eternal Dream Palace, Xiao Tian sat embracing Yun Yun.
"Stop it. Didn't we just finish?"
Yun Yun glared at Xiao Tian, but he ignored her and continued to do as he pleased.
"Are you saying that the Black Skull Tomb has been hostile toward our Heaven Suppressing Hall recently, and even attacked our caravans?"
Xiao Tian looked at Yun Yun before him and spoke.
"Yes, before… before they even attacked our caravans, but they were repelled. Although they all wore masks, based on the clues, we found out they were people from the Black Skull Tomb," Yun Yun said, slightly out of breath.
"According to the spies we planted, we received some news that there are other forces secretly supporting their actions."
Xiao Tian tilted his head slightly, looking at her, and said tenderly.
"The Black Skull Tomb is not weak. Only those top forces would be able to command them."
"Indeed. They probably want to use them to probe our strength. After all, the Black-Corner Region is only so big, and they don't want anyone else to come and share a slice of the pie."
Yun Yun tried hard to control her voice as she spoke.
"Keep an eye on them. Once you've investigated thoroughly, tell me. I'll deal with them then. The Black-Corner Region is too peaceful right now. It's time for some changes."
"We'll talk about these things later. Let's focus on the main business first."
Xiao Tian embraced her forcefully, and Yun Yun couldn't help but roll her eyes.
…
In the morning, Xiao Tian, who had attended three concerts in one night, walked out of Ya Fei's palace. Upon exiting, he saw Queen Medusa sitting cross-legged on a lotus platform in the lake. This lake was no ordinary lake; it was formed by the liquefaction of heaven and earth energy. Cultivating on it yielded twice the results with half the effort. Of course, this kind of liquid was very turbid and could not be drunk directly, otherwise the energy would run wild. Xiao Tian didn't have the ability to create pure liquid yet.
"I want to come too when you make your move later. My hands are itching."
Medusa opened her eyes and said to Xiao Tian, who was walking on water.
"Cai Li, can you stop always peeking? Why don't you just join in?"
When Xiao Tian heard Medusa's words, he stumbled, almost losing his balance and falling into the water.
"It's because you all are too loud and affecting me, that's why I'm looking. I haven't even asked you to compensate me for emotional damages yet. I won't give you any advantage. This King will never submit to a man in her life. You're truly a toad playing with a frog — ugly and wild."
Medusa slightly raised her head and spoke arrogantly.
Xiao Tian looked at the stubborn Medusa and smiled mysteriously. She was all talk. In the future, I'd like to see how stubborn your mouth really is.
"Put away your ridiculous ideas. Can you refine Sixth-Grade pills now?"
Medusa had spent a lot of time with Xiao Tian, and in addition to chatting with Xiao Yi Xian and the others, they didn't treat Medusa as an outsider. She knew Xiao Tian very well.
"Yes. As long as you gather enough ingredients, I can refine them anytime."
Xiao Tian sensed the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python's soul. The little guy had been suppressed by Medusa and fallen into a deep slumber.
"That's good. It's not in vain that I've worked hard guarding your home here."
Queen Medusa crossed her arms over her chest, and the pressure almost blinded Xiao Tian. Looking at Xiao Tian's expression, Medusa's lips curved into a slight smile.
Xiao Tian went directly to Medusa's cultivation lotus seat and sat down beside her.