Chapter 49: Stone Chamber

Xiao Yi Xian kept sneaking glances at Xiao Bai as he got closer, her heart growing more excited.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly as she imagined forcing this cold and serious guy to say all kinds of nice things to her before she reluctantly agreed to help.

But to her shock, Xiao Bai didn't stop in front of her. Instead, he walked past her and stopped a short distance behind her.

He's not coming to ask for my help?

Did he find the mechanism's switch?!

Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly turned around and saw Xiao Bai stepping on something on the ground.

"Creak."

A sound echoed through the silent cave.

The stone door, which had been glowing faintly yellow just moments ago, suddenly lost its glow and returned to its original grayish-blue color. Then, it slowly began to rise.

As the door lifted, a soft radiance seeped through the growing gap.

Xiao Yi Xian's enticing red lips parted in astonishment. That bastard actually opened it?!

When the stone door fully opened, the bright light from inside pushed away the surrounding darkness. Xiao Bai waited for the air inside to mix with the outside before stepping in.

Seeing him enter, Xiao Yi Xian quickly got up and followed.

The moment they stepped past the doorway, their vision widened.

Inside was a spacious stone chamber, ancient and empty in appearance. The stone walls were embedded with dozens of Moonlight Stones, illuminating the room with a clear, bright glow.

At the very center of the chamber stood an elevated platform, upon which sat a chair. A skeleton was seated there, though its head had fallen onto its lap. Its empty eye sockets faced directly toward the entrance, giving the entire room an eerie and unsettling aura.

In front of the platform was a wide, finely crafted green stone table. Resting neatly on top were three stone boxes, each bearing a visible keyhole.

Apart from these, the chamber had a golden shimmer to it, giving the cave a rich and luxurious atmosphere. Xiao Bai turned his gaze toward the corners of the room.

Except for the far-right corner, the other three were piled high with gold coins and jewelry. The golden light in the cave was a reflection from these treasures.

"Ice Spirit Flame Grass!"

Two exclamations rang out simultaneously—one aged and wise, the other young and crisp.

Yao Lao had used soul transmission, so Xiao Yi Xian didn't hear him.

After her sudden cry, the girl immediately dashed toward the far-right corner, paying no attention to the dazzling treasures.

In that corner, a small flowerbed made of packed soil had been carefully arranged. Various herbs and flowers grew within it, their fragrance mingling into an intoxicating scent of medicine and blossoms.

"Purple Bluegrass, Hundred Spirit Ginseng Fruit, Snow Lotus Seeds, Ice Heart Flower…"

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes sparkled with excitement as she crouched beside the flowerbed, eagerly naming the rare herbs one after another. These were all high-grade medicinal ingredients that were incredibly difficult to find outside.

"Xiao Bai, my boy, can you give me that Ice Spirit Flame Grass in the center of the flowerbed? I can trade you something in return!"

At this moment, Yao Lao's voice rang out from within the ring, sounding rather urgent.

Xiao Bai shifted his gaze to the herb Yao Lao had mentioned.

This particular plant had two distinct colors—red and white. Its white stem was covered in tiny ice-like crystals, while its flaming red crown emitted a faint, misty glow, resembling a flickering flame. The combination of two opposing elements in a single plant made it an extremely rare and mystical sight.

Xiao Bai knew that Ice Spirit Flame Grass, much like the Blood Lotus Essence he had previously obtained, was a crucial ingredient for refining Blood Lotus Pills, which were essential for devouring Heavenly Flames.

"Alright," Xiao Bai nodded in agreement.

"Haha! Good, good! What do you want in return? As long as it's not too unreasonable, this old man will agree!"

At this moment, Yao Lao was overjoyed.

Originally, he had only planned to help Xiao Bai search for a Heavenly Flame, never expecting to stumble upon such valuable gains along the way.

With this, the ingredients for the Blood Lotus Pill were nearly complete!

How could he not be thrilled?

"I don't have anything in mind for now. Just owe me one. When I think of something in the future, don't go back on your word, Senior!" Xiao Bai replied calmly.

Xiao Bai wasn't uninterested; it was just that the timing wasn't right yet. For instance—Poison Pill Method.

If he asked for it now, Yao Lao would definitely give it to him. After all, to Yao Lao, it was nothing more than a chicken rib—something of little value.

But with a Calamity Poison Body standing right in front of him, if Yao Lao learned about it in the future, he might start to suspect something.

So, Xiao Bai decided to wait. There was no rush—this wasn't something that could escape.

"You can rest assured, this old man never goes back on his word! But when the time comes, don't go too far and make things difficult for me!" Yao Lao half-joked, half-seriously.

"Senior, you should know by now—I, Xiao Bai, am not someone who lacks a sense of propriety." Xiao Bai replied with a faint smile.

Just as he finished speaking, he felt something tugging at him.

Looking down, he saw a small hand clutching his robe, and a pair of large, watery eyes staring up at him.

"Young Master… Can you share some of these herbs with me?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, looking pitiful.

Xiao Bai scoffed inwardly.

When she needs something, it's 'Young Master.' When she doesn't, it's 'bastard.'

Still, looking at her adorable expression, he almost agreed.

Instead of answering, he took out several jade boxes and a small jade shovel from his ring—items he had prepared back in Wutan City.

Handing them to Xiao Yi Xian, he neither said yes nor no.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian assumed he had agreed. Overjoyed, she quickly took the jade boxes and shovel from his hands.

She patted her ample chest with her small hand and solemnly promised,

"Don't worry, Young Master! I swear I'll dig up every herb intact—not a single one will be damaged!"

Xiao Bai calmly nodded, but inside, he was laughing like crazy.

Go on, work hard! Work, little laborer!

Seeing Xiao Bai's nod, Xiao Yi Xian's enthusiasm soared.

To a herb-loving person like her, obtaining a rare medicinal plant was far more exciting than the piles of gold coins nearby.

At the same time, she felt a little bitter.

If it weren't for this bastard, all of these would have been mine! Mine!

Now, I have to act cute and beg just to get a little bit…

For a moment, she felt like crying.

"Damn bastard!"

She secretly cursed him in her heart, gritted her teeth, and carefully started digging up the precious herbs, placing them into the jade boxes one by one.

Seeing that she had started working, Xiao Bai turned away and walked toward the green stone table in the center of the chamber.

He examined the three stone boxes on top of it.

Lifting one slightly, he found that they wouldn't budge—they were fixed to the stone table.

His fingers traced the keyholes on the boxes. Then, he lifted his gaze toward the skeletal remains seated in the chair.

Sweeping his eyes over the skeleton, he soon spotted something—

Hanging from its bony hand were three dark keys, contrasting sharply against the white bones.

Walking up to the chair, Xiao Bai clasped his hands together and gave a respectful bow.

"Senior, forgive my offense," he said softly.

With that, his soul force gently swept forward.

Without disturbing the skeleton in the slightest, the three keys floated from its hand and hovered before Xiao Bai.

Taking them into his hand, he turned and walked slowly toward the green stone table at the back of the chamber.