Zi Yan

"What... what do you want to do? I'm not afraid of you!"

The purple-clad loli hiding behind the tree glanced warily at the huge pit burned by the Netherworld Poison Flame. Secretly, she was already prepared to run away at any moment.

"A child?"

Seeing the purple-clad loli, who looked about the same age as Qinglin, Xiao Yixian showed no intention of making things difficult for her.

Hearing Xiao Yixian's words, the purple-clad loli couldn't help but place her hands on her hips and angrily retort, "I'm not a child! I just haven't grown up yet."

"A Dou King?"

Sensing the aura emitted by the purple-clad loli, which had reached the Dou King level, Xiao Feng's expression changed slightly. He cupped his hands in a probing gesture and said, "My name is Xiao Feng. May I ask for your name, miss?"

"I'm Zi Yan!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng wasn't too surprised and instead revealed an expression of "as expected."

After all, finding someone as young as Qinglin with the power of a Dou King was exceedingly rare on the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Encountering another Dou King of similar age in the Black-Corner Region could only mean one thing: Zi Yan, the gluttonous little dragoness, was here.

"So, it's Miss Zi Yan. I apologize for Xian'er's earlier rudeness. Please accept this bottle of pills as a token of apology."

After speaking, Xiao Feng took out a white jade bottle and tossed it to Zi Yan.

Zi Yan instinctively caught the bottle and curiously opened the cap.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."

As soon as the cap was opened, a wave of irresistible fragrance hit Zi Yan, causing her to swallow several times in quick succession.

This reaction was due to the ten pills inside the bottle, which Xiao Feng had refined using the Ice Dragon Scale Fruit. The Ice Dragon Scale Fruit had a powerful allure for magical beasts with dragon bloodlines. And Zi Yan, being an undisputed foodie, couldn't resist it.

"Gulp!"

Though she had initially planned to show restraint, the tempting aroma activated Zi Yan's cravings. She immediately took out a pill and swallowed it.

"Mmm... mmm..."

As she savored the candy-like texture and the potent medicinal power within, Zi Yan closed her eyes in pure enjoyment.

This is too delicious~! Those spiritual herbs I ate before can't even compare to this!

After finishing the pill, Zi Yan, still craving more, smacked her lips and glanced at the remaining pills in the bottle. She then shifted her gaze to Xiao Feng.

This guy makes such delicious pills... I need to figure out how to befriend him, so I can get a steady supply of these.

Her eyes twinkled with cunning as she flashed a sweet, adorable smile and said, "I accept your apology. Since you're such a reasonable person, we're friends from now on."

"Sure! We're friends."

Xiao Feng didn't point out her little ploy and went along with it, nodding in agreement. Then, pointing to Xiao Yixian and the others, he said, "Let me introduce you. This is Xiao Yixian, and her name is Qinglin."

Zi Yan skipped over to Xiao Yixian, extending her hand in a friendly gesture. "We got to know each other through a little scuffle, so it's nice to meet you."

"Hello."

Seeing Zi Yan's charming and lovable demeanor, Xiao Yixian smiled as she shook her hand.

Although Xiao Yixian wasn't aware of Zi Yan's true identity, she could tell from her power at such a young age that her background must be extraordinary.

Unless it was a life-or-death grudge, Xiao Yixian had no desire to make an enemy out of someone with such a mysterious background, avoiding any unnecessary trouble.

"Um..."

After greeting Xiao Yixian and the others, Zi Yan tugged on Xiao Feng's sleeve. "Xiao Feng, since we're friends now, could you make me more of these delicious pills in the future?"

"Of course."

Xiao Feng nodded with a smile. "But even among friends, we must settle things fairly. I can make pills for you, but you have to compensate me. For instance, you could help me find spiritual herbs or assist me in fights."

"Deal!"

Zi Yan agreed without hesitation, proudly raising her small fists. "I'm the best at finding herbs and fighting."

"Great! Then it's settled."

Xiao Feng grinned and added, "By the way, Zi Yan, we're headed to Fallen Eagle Gorge next to hunt for a sixth-tier snake magical beast. Want to join us?"

"You're going to Fallen Eagle Gorge? Why didn't you say so earlier? I've been there a few times. I know that place well. Come on, I'll lead the way!"

Due to her noble bloodline, Zi Yan needed to consume vast amounts of rare treasures to grow stronger. She often wandered the Black-Corner Region, searching for them.

Unfortunately, the more precious the treasure, the stronger the magical beasts guarding them. Zi Yan couldn't defeat those powerful beasts, so she could only drool over the treasures from a distance.

With Zi Yan leading the way, the group rode the Wind God Winged Snake at top speed and soon reached the outskirts of Fallen Eagle Gorge.

The Wind God Winged Snake was a wind-type snake magical beast covered in palm-sized green scales. It measured about ten zhang in length and had large scale-covered wings, flying at incredible speeds.

This particular Wind God Winged Snake had been subdued by Xiao Feng a few days ago. Its strength was equivalent to a seven-star Dou Emperor, and it was faster than the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor.

After watching Xiao Feng and his companions use the Green Serpent Three Flower Pupils to subdue the sixth-tier snake magical beasts, Zi Yan couldn't help but show a look of awe.

It seemed her new friends were extraordinarily powerful!

Recovering from her shock, Zi Yan eagerly suggested a partnership with Xiao Feng and the others.

Zi Yan knew the locations of many rare treasures, but she lacked the strength to defeat the sixth-tier magical beasts guarding them.

So, she proposed a deal: she would lead them to the treasures, they would handle the guardians, and they would split the spoils equally.

Faced with Zi Yan's expectant gaze, Xiao Feng readily agreed.

The magical beasts in Fallen Eagle Gorge soon fell victim to their partnership. Some fled quickly, losing only the treasures they guarded, while the more stubborn ones, who chose to resist, ended up becoming top-tier crafting materials.

Before long, Xiao Feng and his group had raided all the fifth- and sixth-tier beasts in the gorge.

True to his word, Xiao Feng gave Zi Yan half of the herbs they found and even kindly refined them into pills for her.

Seeing that Xiao Feng had honored his promise, Zi Yan breathed a sigh of relief and fully accepted him as a friend.

(End of Chapter)

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