Nighttime, on a desolate mountainside.
A lone figure clutched his head, letting out deep, agonized roars filled with endless pain and struggle.
At this moment, Xiao Bai's face was as pale as paper, veins bulging on his forehead, and sweat poured down like rain, drenching his clothes. His vision darkened intermittently.
Staggering forward a few steps, his body finally gave out, collapsing helplessly as his consciousness blurred under the excruciating pain, sinking completely into darkness.
"Master!"
A startled cry rang out from nearby.
With a flash of movement, the small golden dragon appeared beneath Xiao Bai just before he hit the ground, using its tiny body to cushion his fall and minimize the impact of tumbling down the mountainside.
After ensuring Xiao Bai had landed, the little dragon finally got a clear look at his face and was utterly shocked.
It had only seen Xiao Bai let out a few painful, weak cries before suddenly stumbling and falling.
Wasn't he just breaking through to a new realm? How did he end up like this?!
"What do I do now?"
The small golden dragon grew anxious. If it could fly with someone, it would have carried Xiao Bai to find the young mistress.
But it had only recently hatched from its egg and wasn't capable of carrying people yet.
Leaving to find help wasn't an option either—it couldn't bear the risk of something happening to Xiao Bai while it was gone.
"Sigh! Master , oh My Master… It's just a damn breakthrough to Dou Ling! How did you manage to knock yourself out?!"
Frustrated at its own helplessness, the little dragon grumbled while watching Xiao Bai, who remained unconscious, his brows tightly furrowed, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly.
Just then, as it was still complaining, a flicker of golden light suddenly appeared within its vision.
A deep tremor ran through its very soul, startling it into taking several steps back.
A fine golden lightning arc danced between Xiao Bai's brows, crackling faintly. Wisps of black mist curled around the lightning before slowly dissipating.
At the same time, a distant, barely audible rumble of thunder echoed in the air.
The small golden dragon instinctively looked up, only to see a tiny black thundercloud forming high above.
"What the hell is this now?!"
It was completely bewildered. If this were just natural thunderclouds forming for rain, then this storm cloud was way too small!
The dark cloud was only a few meters in diameter, nowhere near comparable to the massive one they had encountered in the desert before.
Inside the cloud, silver lightning flickered and churned, gradually condensing into a thick, pillar-like bolt of thunder.
As the little dragon watched, it could feel that the lightning was preparing to strike—and its target was none other than Xiao Bai!
"Damn it!"
The small golden dragon almost cursed out loud.
What in the world did this guy do to deserve this?! He's already passed out, and now lightning wants to strike him too?!
Its expression flickered between hesitation and determination.
The little dragon could take this strike—it would even benefit from absorbing the lightning energy—but it wouldn't be pleasant.
And if taking it caused it to pass out like Xiao Bai, they'd both end up lying here helpless in the middle of nowhere.
Glancing at Xiao Bai, it gritted its teeth and muttered angrily, "If you ever stop me from playing with Xiao Yi again, I—I…!"
But after thinking for a moment, it realized it had no real way to threaten him, and its frustration turned to resignation.
As its thoughts raced, a bolt of silver lightning suddenly tore through the sky.
"Aooong!"
A tender yet resolute dragon's roar echoed.
A golden light shot up from below, intercepting the descending thunderbolt.
Gold and silver clashed midair—one thick and powerful, the other small yet fierce. The golden light coiled around the silver lightning, intertwining tightly as deep, rumbling thunder resonated through the night.
Amidst the swirling gold and silver arcs in the sky, the small golden dragon endured the searing pain, greedily devouring the lightning energy. The silver sparks gradually dimmed and faded.
After a long while, the silver lightning finally disappeared, leaving behind a golden glow that descended, slipping into Xiao Bai's sleeve before vanishing without a trace.
By this time, the black mist around Xiao Bai's brow had completely dissipated, and the golden light there gradually dimmed.
The tiny thundercloud in the sky continued to churn for a while, but as if it had lost its target, it gradually dispersed.
"Ugh!"
Xiao Bai let out a muffled groan in his unconscious state. Golden lightning flickered across his chest from time to time, followed by a faint red glow emerging from his body.
The surroundings fell into silence. In the darkness, only a patch of wild grass flickered intermittently with golden and crimson light.
––
As dawn broke, the sky gradually brightened.
On a rugged mountain path, several figures carrying various-sized packs slowly made their way forward.
"Uncle Garen, there really is a small path here! But judging by the looks of it, no one has used it for years." A young voice, tinged with excitement, broke the silence.
"This route is a bit longer, but it's much safer than going directly through the Magical Beast Mountain Range to return to Qingshan Town. Since we've had a good haul this time, it's best to avoid unnecessary trouble." A steady, middle-aged voice responded with a chuckle.
"Sigh! I can't believe it's only been a little over ten years, and this road has already become so desolate." A rough, deep voice spoke with a hint of nostalgia.
"Uncle Garen, look! There's someone over there!" The young man, unable to keep his eyes still, was scanning the surroundings when he suddenly noticed a figure lying in the grass not far from the roadside.
"Hol, let me teach you something—when you're out in the wild, mind your own business! Now hurry up and move along!" The rough-voiced man shot a glance in the indicated direction, then smacked the young man on the back of the head and urged him forward.
"Oh…" The young man responded a bit sullenly, then muttered under his breath, "Fine, fine, I won't care… but why hit me on the head?"
"Huh?"
"Garen, what's wrong?"
"I think I know that person… He's a friend of Xiao Yi Xian!" Garen followed Hol's pointing finger and took a look.
The striking white hair and the black robes with golden trim immediately brought back memories of the young powerhouse he had encountered at the Thousand Medicine Pavilion months ago.
"A friend of Xiao Yi Xian? How do you know?"
Garen smiled wryly and recounted the events at the Thousand Medicines Hall.
Afterward, when he had run into Xiao Yi Xian, he had even warned her to be cautious.
At the time, Xiao Yi Xian had furrowed her brows slightly but then smiled and thanked him before reassuring him that there was no need to worry—that young man was her friend.
"So… should we save him?" The rough-voiced man hesitated.
Just from hearing about this person, it was clear that he was not from the same world as them.
His torn and tattered clothing showed that he had suffered serious injuries. If his enemies tracked him down, wouldn't they, a bunch of struggling mercenaries, be doomed?
"Sigh… For Xiao Yi Xian's sake, let's take him to Qingshan Town and leave him with her. She should know what to do." Garen hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"You're just causing her more trouble. She's barely holding on as it is. If it weren't for all the people she's saved in Qingshan Town over the years, she would have already been devoured by the Thousand Medicine Pavilion and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group." The rough-voiced man spoke with some dissatisfaction.
Not long ago, a rumor had spread—no one knew who started it—that Xiao Yi Xian had obtained a treasure in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The news had caused a huge stir in Qingshan Town.
Ever since then, members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had been frequently seen monitoring the Thousand Medicine Pavilion. The hall itself had maintained an ambiguous stance, doing nothing to stop them.
Everyone could see that this rumor wasn't baseless. If it weren't for certain scruples holding people back, Xiao Yi Xian might have already disappeared from public sight.
Seeing Garen's expression, the rough-voiced man knew he had made up his mind. With a sigh of resignation, he waved his hand.
"Fine, fine! Let's take him. If trouble comes, we'll face it together!"
Garen chuckled. He knew that this old friend of his, whom he had known for years, had a tough mouth but a soft heart. If that weren't the case, they wouldn't have gotten along so well.
After redistributing their packs among themselves, Garen walked over to the unconscious figure in the grass and hoisted him onto his back.
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