Chapter 26: Xiao Yi Xian’s Contact

Chapter 26: Xiao Yi Xian's Contact

Crack…

With a crisp sound, the thin black cocoon of impurities covering Lu Bu's body shattered as he moved. With a single leap, he plunged into the lake to bathe.

Xiao Yan's mouth twitched as he watched. "I think I'll never drink this lake's water again…"

After a while, Lu Bu jumped out of the lake, clean and refreshed. He wiped off the water droplets on his body and couldn't help but grin widely, feeling invigorated.

"Not bad!" Clenching his fists and sensing the energy coursing through his body, Lu Bu couldn't help but let out a howl toward the sky.

Forming a hand seal, he summoned the puppet from the cave. With a punch, Lu Bu struck the puppet squarely in the chest.

Bang!

The puppet flew backward, slamming into a cliffside, its chest bearing a clear fist imprint. Beneath its dark surface, the pale structure of its internal frame was faintly visible.

Nodding in satisfaction, Lu Bu thought to himself: with just his physical strength, he could now go toe to toe with a high level Dou Practitioner or even defeat one outright.

Not far away, Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. What terrifying physical strength.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Bu said irritably, noticing Xiao Yan's stare. "Get back to your own training!"

Xiao Yan exchanged a glance with Yao Lao before returning to the cave with the puppet and the Burning Blood Elixir. Lu Bu was right he had to keep training.

Lu Bu hummed to himself as he sat in the Spirit Gathering Array to cultivate. However, after forming a hand seal and beginning his practice, he quickly opened his eyes, his face showing a trace of surprise.

The previously unstable Dou Qi in his body, caused by the residual energy of the Companion Violet Crystal Source and Yun Yun's remaining Dou Qi, had now stabilized due to his recent body refinement. In fact, it was now even denser than before.

"Four star Dou Practitioner… not bad. That saved me a lot of time," Lu Bu murmured, surprised by the results. What shocked him even more was

Whoosh!

A tiny wisp of violet flame flickered at his fingertip.

"This thing… how did it end up inside me?" Lu Bu rubbed his chin. Could it be because of the Companion Violet Crystal Source?

But then, an inexplicable ripple stirred in his soul, causing Lu Bu to frown. What was going on?

After a moment of thought, Lu Bu quickly realized the source of this sensation Xiao Yi Xian. The soul jade slip he had gifted her to contact him was now being used.

Lu Bu had waited for a long time, expecting a message from Xiao Yi Xian. But over a year had passed since their treasure hunt together, and he had almost given up hope of hearing from her. To his surprise, she had contacted him now.

"Let's head to Qingshan Town…" Lu Bu muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. After a moment of deliberation, he grabbed his puppet, spread his Violet Cloud Wings, and took off toward Qingshan Town.

The situation in Qingshan Town had begun to stir about a month prior.

After a year of recuperation, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had largely recovered. He Meng, a nine star Dou Practitioner, had taken charge, while Mu Li had advanced to an eight star Dou Practitioner. Although they couldn't yet rival the unbridled dominance they had enjoyed under Mu She's leadership, they had at least avoided being absorbed by rival factions in the town.

Seeing this, other forces in Qingshan Town, such as the Blood Battle Mercenary Group, abandoned their ambitions to annex the Wolf Head Mercenaries and instead sought cooperation. The mercenaries began to work together as equals, banding together to make profits.

One night, Mu Li, acting alone, found the cave that Liffey had mentioned. Inside, he discovered nothing but a skeleton and three opened stone boxes completely empty.

It was clear there had been treasure, but someone had taken it already. After examining the cave, Mu Li secured a rope and descended to the bottom of the cliff, where he found the corpses of Vice Leader Gan Mu and twenty skilled mercenaries.

Though his father's body was not among them, Mu Li knew the chances of survival were slim.

"Xiao Yi Xian…" Staring at the skeletal remains, Mu Li clenched his fists, his face twisted with rage. "You will pay the ultimate price!"

The next morning, Xiao Yi Xian followed her usual routine. She opened her clinic in the morning and closed at noon, returning only the following day to resume her work.

"Xiao Yi Xian, I'm troubling you again," said a burly man with a full beard as he entered Wan Yao Zhai and removed the bandage on his right arm.

Examining the wound, Xiao Yi Xian nodded. "The recovery is going well. Another two or three days, and you should be fine. The claw marks from that Gale Demon Wolf were quite deep."

"Haha! Thanks to your medicine, I've healed quickly. If not for you, I'd have been bedridden for ages. My family of three would've run out of food by next week!" The man laughed heartily, clearly in good spirits.

Xiao Yi Xian smiled gently as she changed his dressing. The man paid her, but instead of leaving as usual, he leaned in conspiratorially and said, "Xiao Yi Xian, have you heard the rumors around town?"

"What rumors?" Xiao Yi Xian raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"They say there's a treasure cave beneath a cliff in the eastern valley," the man said, his tone mysterious.

"Oh? Is that so?" Xiao Yi Xian smiled faintly. "I'm not very interested in those things."

"Fair enough." The bearded man scratched his head awkwardly. "I suppose this is more of a tavern tale for the guys."

"How many people know about this?" Xiao Yi Xian asked casually, her expression calm.

"Quite a few," the man replied. "I heard it at the tavern myself."

Nodding, he left Wan Yao Zhai.

Xiao Yi Xian frowned slightly. The eastern valley cliff that was where she had found the cave. While the place was empty now, being discovered could still stir up trouble. Deciding not to dwell on it, she continued her clinic work.

Over the next two days, the rumor spread like wildfire. Eventually, some mercenaries couldn't resist the temptation and formed groups to search for the treasure, only to find the stone chamber empty.

Though disappointed, the mercenaries continued to discuss the matter avidly. For many, it became little more than a topic of idle conversation over drinks.

But just as the chatter began to die down, a new rumor emerged: Xiao Yi Xian was the one who had discovered the treasure and taken it all.

The townsfolk largely dismissed this as nonsense.

"Xiao Yi Xian? She's just a healer. How could she climb into that cave by herself?"

"Exactly! Even if it were true, how could a weak woman carry all that treasure out of the cave?"

"It's a funny joke, but that's all it is."

However, in the northwest corner of Qingshan Town, within the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's base, a different conversation took place.

"Young Leader, everything is ready," a middle aged man reported, bowing to Mu Li.

Mu Li nodded. "Good. Let's begin."

"When we take back the treasure Xiao Yi Xian stole, we'll restore the Wolf Head Mercenary Group to its former glory!"

Beside him, He Meng licked his lips and laughed. "Mu Li, you're quite the schemer. Who would've thought a hollowed out cave could stir up this much trouble? Hahaha…"

"Uncle He, I couldn't have done it without your support," Mu Li replied with a smile.

"Haha! Soon, we'll have that treasure, and we'll dominate Qingshan Town once more!" He Meng laughed, his voice echoing across the base.

(End of Chapter)

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