"Xiao Se, hurry up and refine some pills for me!"
Zi Yan marched up to him, grabbed his hand, and looked up with wide, pitch-black eyes. Her pupils shimmered with innocence and pitiful longing.
Xiao Se chuckled softly and rubbed her cute little head. Under her worshipful and eager gaze, he summoned a golden Heavenly Flame into his right hand. Casually retrieving a high-grade medicinal herb—Vajra Bodhi—from his Youhai storage ring, he tossed it into the flame.
As he refined the pill with effortless control, he introduced everyone.
"Die, this little foodie here is Zi Yan. Like you, she's actually a magical beast. She accidentally consumed a Transformation Grass, which is why she looks like this now. And this is Xiao Yixian—your sister has probably mentioned her before. You should all get to know each other."
"Hi! Can I call you Xian'er like Xiao Se does?" Die asked cheerfully, as if they had been friends for years. She casually patted Zi Yan's head, though the little girl was too busy staring at the Heavenly Flame in Xiao Se's hand and swallowing drool to care.
Xiao Yixian shot Xiao Se a sideways glance before turning back to Die with a gentle smile.
"That's fine."
Soon, the pill was finished.
Xiao Se placed it into a jade box and tossed it to Zi Yan, who immediately began chewing on it with visible satisfaction.
The five of them sat down together.
After a thorough explanation from Xiao Se, Xiao Yixian and Zi Yan finally understood everything that had happened.
At this moment, the expressions on the four beauties' faces were absolutely priceless.
Xiao Yixian—and even Zi Yan, who was still stuffing her mouth—stared at Medusa in shock.
Die looked equally stunned.
As for Medusa—
Her exquisitely seductive face flushed hot red. She lowered her proud head, embarrassment and anger warring within her. If possible, she would have dug a hole and buried herself on the spot.
She had never imagined that Xiao Se would explain everything so thoroughly.
Even that part…
"Sister… so you and Xiao Se already… you know… before you found me?" Die asked, her face bright red.
"Mm."
Medusa nodded stiffly, then shot Xiao Se a vicious glare. Under the table, her jade foot came down hard on the tip of his shoe.
At the exact same time, Xiao Yixian's delicate hand slipped to Xiao Se's waist and twisted sharply.
"So our Lord Xiao really has been enjoying life to the fullest, huh?" she said with faint jealousy.
"An accident. It was really an accident. I even told Shasha to leave that night—but then another Medusa Queen showed up halfway through!" Xiao Se grabbed Xiao Yixian's hand and laughed awkwardly.
"Oh? So it's my fault now? Do you need me to take responsibility for you?" Medusa's lips curved into a dangerous smile.
Her hand slid to the other side of his waist and twisted as well.
Xiao Se nearly yelped in pain.
"No, no! I should take responsibility for you! And for Xian'er too! Don't worry—when the time comes, I'll marry you all. Not a single one left out!"
He boldly held both their hands and declared his grand ambition.
"Pfft. In your dreams! When did I say I was marrying you?" Xiao Yixian snorted, turning her head away with a proud little huff.
Medusa didn't deny it outright—but she also turned her head away, refusing to say a word.
She would not lose face.
Zi Yan, watching Xiao Se's "harem on fire," burst into schadenfreude-laced laughter.
"Serves you right, big pervert."
She crunched her pill and made exaggerated smacking sounds.
Die, meanwhile, puffed her lips slightly, looking both helpless and envious.
She wanted to hold his hand too.
She wanted to lie in his arms again like she had in that cave.
Xiao Se glanced at his two wives and immediately realized that if he didn't change the topic, disaster was imminent.
"Ahem. Xian'er, has anything major happened in the Sea King Palace recently?"
"Nothing major," Xiao Yixian replied. "Plenty of minor annoyances. Some Black-Corner Region factions resent us monopolizing Feng City, the Earth Flame Sect, the Blood Sect, and the Eight Gates. They've tried to stir up trouble from time to time. But after I eliminated a few fools, things quieted down."
She hesitated slightly.
"Half a year ago, a black-robed man claiming to be a Protector from the Soul Hall came to see me. He tried to recruit the Sea King Palace. He even claimed he could solve my Woeful Poison Body."
Xiao Se's brows furrowed.
If he wasn't mistaken, that should be the Iron Protector who took Han Feng's soul in the original storyline.
"Where is he now?" Xiao Se asked.
"I refused him immediately," Xiao Yixian replied. "He left after saying, 'One day, you'll come begging me.' I haven't seen him since."
"You did the right thing."
Xiao Se's tone turned serious.
"There's not a single good person in the Soul Hall. They collect the souls of powerful cultivators for some unspeakable purpose. The force behind them is terrifying—arguably the strongest known faction on the Dou Qi Continent."
"Eventually, we'll have to face them."
"Are they really that scary?" Die asked curiously.
"Their Hall Master is a five-star Dou Sheng," Xiao Se said calmly.
Five-star Dou Sheng.
The moment those four words left his mouth, Xiao Yixian, Medusa, Die, and even Zi Yan—who was mid-bite—collectively sucked in a cold breath.
Their faces turned grave.
The weight of the words "Dou Sheng" was overwhelming.
In an era where Dou Di had vanished, a Dou Sheng represented absolute authority. Absolute power. With a single gesture, mountains could crumble and space could shatter.
Seeing their expressions, Xiao Se smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. At our current level, we won't come into contact with beings like that. But we'll likely deal with Soul Hall Protectors in the future. The one Xian'er met was probably a Human-Level Protector—roughly one to three-star Dou Zong in strength."
The tension eased slightly.
At their current strength, a low-level Dou Zong wasn't insurmountable.
"Xian'er, can you gather these materials?" Xiao Se handed her three slips of paper, smoothly shifting the topic again. "Some medicinal herbs can be substituted with seeds if necessary."
Xiao Yixian examined the lists.
Her brows furrowed.
"I've been collecting ingredients for the Po Zong Pill and the Transformation Pill ever since founding the Sea King Palace. We've gathered quite a few already. But the ingredients for the Heavenly Soul Fusion Blood Pill… that'll take time."
"They're extremely rare. Especially the blood essence of a seventh-tier magical beast or higher—that's practically priceless. Black-Corner Region powerhouses won't give something like that up easily."
Xiao Se smiled.
"For an alchemist, nothing is impossible."
"I'll refine a batch of high-tier pills. Then we'll hold a grand auction in Black Seal City. I guarantee many will be willing to exchange what we need."
"Perhaps we can even collect the remaining materials required to completely cure your Woeful Poison Body."
Xiao Yixian's eyes brightened.
"That's a good idea."
She smiled sweetly.
"I almost forgot—you're a seventh-grade alchemist now. If that news spreads, the monsters of the Black-Corner Region will probably trample over each other trying to curry favor with you."
(End of Chapter)
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