Driving Away the Wolf and Chasing the Tiger
"What's going on?!"
Xiao Yan was suddenly startled. Qing Lin's eyes flashed with an eerie cyan light, and the severely injured, violent Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake strangely calmed down upon seeing the cyan light.
When Xiao Yan looked closely, he realized that the snake pupils of the massive Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had also turned cyan, just like Qing Lin's!
Beside the cyan snake pupils of the giant Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, three small green dots suddenly and abruptly appeared.
This time, the three green dots were very clear. Upon closer inspection, one could even discern that these three green dots seemed to be like three tiny flower buds.
Similarly, Qing Lin's eyes also changed to resemble the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's, with three identical azure-green flower buds appearing in her eyes in an eerie manner.
Finally, the two small green flower imprints appeared on the two heads of the Fire Spirit Snake.
After the flower imprints appeared, the faint light in Qing Lin's eyes gradually disappeared. After a moment, the tiny flowers in Qing Lin's pupils rapidly receded, and her eyes returned to their usual emerald green.
Xiao Li quickly caught Qing Lin, who had collapsed, weak and limp. Xiao Yan, not bothering with the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, flew to the cave entrance to check the situation.
"What's wrong with Qing Lin?" Xiao Ding asked.
Xiao Yan examined Qing Lin's eyes and sensed her with his Soul force, then said, "It's nothing serious, just excessive Soul force consumption. She'll be fine after a while."
Xiao Yan turned his head to look at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, lying motionless like a puppet, with the flower imprint on its forehead, his expression somewhat grave.
Xiao Yan had once heard of a peculiar physique in the anecdotes and ancient books in his Storage Ring: the Azure Snake Three-Flower Pupils. This peculiar physique could cause hallucinations and even control opponents.
"This isn't just a hallucination." Xiao Yan looked at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake that he had violently beaten. This couldn't be explained by hallucinations. If it were a hallucination, Qing Lin would have already fainted, and the hallucination should have been dispelled. However, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's expression was dull, as if its mind had been completely invaded.
This was definitely not just a hallucination.
...
Not long after, Mao Wu, with the Azure Lotus's roots in its mouth, strutted along the magma, chest puffed out.
"Meow! ψ(*｀ー)ψ" "Alright, the Fire Lotus Seed will be shared with you. This isn't the place to enjoy it. We'll talk about it when we get back."
Only then did Mao Wu contentedly hand the entire Azure Lotus to Xiao Yan. After all, the Fire Lotus Seed couldn't be swallowed directly. It would be better if Xiao Yan, the Alchemist chef, processed it first! "Xiao Yan, how is it? Did you get the Strange Flame?" Xiao Ding asked with concern.
"Sigh." Xiao Yan spread his hands and shook his head, his sigh explaining the situation.
"It should have been taken by the Medusa Queen, but luckily, I got a consolation prize back."
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li patted Xiao Yan's shoulders to show their comfort.
However, a hint of a different color in Xiao Yan's eyes proved that he was not as willing to give up as Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had imagined.
Not long after, Qing Lin woke up, but after Xiao Yan's questioning, Qing Lin herself didn't know what had happened.
She only knew that she had established a contractual connection with the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake before her, and through this connection, she could control the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's actions.
"A contract? Does the Dou Qi Continent have such a thing?" This was Xiao Yan's blind spot. None of the ancient books and scrolls in the Storage Ring had any records of contracts.
From Qing Lin's description, Xiao Yan roughly guessed that it should be related to the Soul to some extent, and it might also be related to blood. However, he couldn't draw a definitive conclusion about the specific situation.
Records of the Azure Snake Three-Flower Pupils' special physique were even scarcer than those of the Little Fairy Doctor's Calamity Poison Body.
"Let's go back."
Hearing Xiao Ding's words, Qing Lin quickly whistled towards the magma lake. Immediately, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake climbed up the rock layer and cleared the way for everyone.
When they were about to reach the exit, a flash of cyan light appeared on the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, and its size rapidly decreased, burrowing into Qing Lin's sleeve.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were amazed by this scene. Xiao Li said with emotion, "It seems that the strongest person in our mercenary group now is Qing Lin."
"Qing Lin wouldn't dare. Big Boss, Second Boss, and Young Master Xiao Yan are the most powerful."
Xiao Yan gently patted Qing Lin's small head without saying anything.
After everyone left, this vast magma cave once again fell into eternal silence.
Stepping out of the Underground Cave, Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, you and Qing Lin go back to Mo City Rock first. I have something to do and need to go to Mo City."
"Mo City? What are you going to Mo City for?" Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged glances. Why was Xiao Yan inexplicably going to Mo City?
Xiao Yan revealed a bright smile and said, "To visit an old friend."
The Eagle's Wings unfolded, and Xiao Yan, aiming in the right direction, transformed into a streak of fire and flew straight to Mo City.
In Mo City, Xiao Yan didn't have any old friends. The only person he knew was Hai Bo Dong.
Xiao Yan needed to find Hai Bo Dong to confirm some things.
Xiao Yan hadn't given up on the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. Since the Snake-People Race didn't need Strange Flames—their race was inherently cold-blooded, and Strange Flames were like poison to the Medusa Queen—there was room for negotiation.
Outside Hai Bo Dong's shop, Xiao Yan stepped closer and said with a smile, "Buying something."
Hai Bo Dong, still engrossed in making a map, didn't even look up as he blurted out, "Closed."
"Old Hai, if you do business like this, can you afford the rent?" Xiao Yan casually closed the door and walked up to Hai Bo Dong.
Hai Bo Dong looked up, only then realizing it was Xiao Yan. Hadn't Xiao Yan just left a few days ago? Why was he back already? Frowning, Hai Bo Dong asked, "Problems with the medicinal herbs?"
"Haven't even gone to find the herbs yet. I found the location of the Strange Flame based on the clues you gave me," Xiao Yan said with a grin.
Hai Bo Dong suddenly jumped up, a look of disbelief on his face. "This... you really found it?!"
"Found the location, yes, but the Medusa Queen took it away half a year ago," Xiao Yan said, spreading his hands.
Hearing this, Hai Bo Dong suddenly understood. No wonder Gu He couldn't find it no matter how hard he searched; it turned out the Medusa Queen had intercepted it.
"So, what's the purpose of your visit?" Hai Bo Dong frowned. He knew that Xiao Yan was not one to visit without a reason, and when he did, it was never good news.
"I want to ask you about all the Medusa Queen's activities in the past six months. I think you're probably the one who pays the most attention to the Medusa Queen," Xiao Yan said bluntly, hitting Hai Bo Dong where it hurt.
If anyone was most concerned about the Medusa Queen, it was definitely Hai Bo Dong, who had been sealed by her for over twenty years.
"You want to inquire about the Medusa Queen's information? You wouldn't be trying to find out the whereabouts of the Strange Flame, would you? You want to snatch it from the Medusa Queen?!!!" Hai Bo Dong's eyes widened in shock.
However, after thinking about the forces behind Xiao Yan, Hai Bo Dong felt relieved.
"Wait a moment, let me find it." Hai Bo Dong took out a thick stack of information and began to flip through it. There was no doubt that Hai Bo Dong had been keeping an eye on the Medusa Queen's affairs.
"But now that you mention it, the Snake-People Race has been much quieter in the past six months. There haven't been any large-scale wars in the past six months!"
"And I heard that the tribal leaders of the Snake-People Race went to the Chuyun Empire half a year ago to seek elixirs, probably to help Medusa recover from the injuries caused by the Strange Flame. Also, three months ago, two tribes went on an expedition to the Northern Cold Lands and only returned half a month ago. Rumor has it that they went to find the Ice Spirit Cold Spring."
!!!!!
Xiao Yan's expression immediately turned serious. He seemed to understand why the Medusa Queen wanted to find the Strange Flame.
Xiao Yan sat in the chair and pondered for a long while, then suddenly narrowed his eyes, looked at Hai Bo Dong, and smiled.
This smile made Hai Bo Dong's back feel cold.
"Old Hai, you also want to get the medicinal herbs as soon as possible and break the seal, right?"
"What do you want to do? Just say it. I'll listen first."
"I want you to find Gu He and tell him that the Medusa Queen has obtained the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame and will soon use the Ice Spirit Cold Spring to devour the Strange Flame and seek the path of bloodline evolution."
Hai Bo Dong suddenly stood up from his chair and exclaimed, "Holy crap?! You're trying to set wolves against tigers?!"
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