Chapter 114: An Unexpected Encounter

  Yang Tian stared at the door for a moment, his eyes flickering with unease. He took a deep breath, calming his slightly tense nerves, and softly said, "Come in."

  *Creak...* The door slowly opened, revealing a pair of elegant, jade-like hands pushing it aside. The hands were flawless, like lotus roots, smooth and enticing.

  A figure Yang Tian never expected walked in, her hips swaying like a water snake. She wore a playful smile, her red lips slightly curved, exuding an irresistible charm that hadn't diminished in the slightest.

  "Why is she here?" Yang Tian was momentarily stunned, his lips twitching. It was Meng Yunxi. He hadn't expected to see her again so soon after their last encounter.

  "Little brother Yang Tian, surprised?" Meng Yunxi glided over and sat gracefully on the bed, her alluring eyes fixed on the black-robed figure. Her smile was both teasing and seductive.

  "Very surprised. What are you doing here?" Yang Tian replied, trying to avoid her gaze. Her eyes seemed to have a magnetic pull, and he didn't dare look at her for too long. He turned his head slightly and smiled faintly.

  "Little brother, you're being hunted, so I came to check on you. I didn't expect you to escape from so many pursuers. You're quite impressive," Meng Yunxi said, her voice dripping with charm as she scanned Yang Tian.

  After a moment of silence, Yang Tian clenched his fists slightly, his voice tense as he asked, "Have you found my brother yet?"

  Hearing this, Meng Yunxi rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by Yang Tian's lack of romantic awareness. She huffed, "Our agreement was for three years. It hasn't even been half that time yet. Why are you in such a hurry?"

  "Ah, I was just worried. That's all," Yang Tian muttered, glancing at Meng Yunxi's face and pursing his lips.

  "For now, just stay here and focus on your cultivation. There are many people looking for you outside. Don't reveal your identity. From now on, you're Meng Tian, not Yang Tian. If you slip up, I can't guarantee your safety," Meng Yunxi said, twirling a strand of her hair as she smiled.

  "Thank you, Sister Meng Yunxi," Yang Tian said, feeling a warm sense of gratitude.

  *Giggle...* Hearing Yang Tian willingly call her "sister," Meng Yunxi covered her mouth with her hand and laughed, her chest heaving with amusement.

  "By the way, little brother Yang Tian, about that Vitality Springwater..." Meng Yunxi hesitated, her lips pursing as if she were too embarrassed to continue. Yang Tian was taken aback. Was this really the same Meng Yunxi?

  Before she could finish, Yang Tian shook his head vigorously, refusing outright.

  "You're so stingy! I just want a bit of the byproduct for alchemy. Don't tell me you don't have any," Meng Yunxi said, slapping her thigh in frustration, her cheeks puffing out.

  "You know alchemy?" Yang Tian was surprised, his gaze lingering on Meng Yunxi. He hadn't expected a young lady like her to be an alchemist.

  "Let me tell you, I'm a fourth-tier alchemist, almost reaching the fifth tier," Meng Yunxi said proudly, her eyebrows arching as she glared at Yang Tian for doubting her.

  Yang Tian gave her a skeptical look. "I can give you some of the byproduct, but I need something in return. Consider it an exchange."

  Seeing Yang Tian's unwillingness to give anything for free, Meng Yunxi rolled her eyes but eventually agreed. Yang Tian listed some low-level spirit herbs, a few pill recipes, and a decent alchemy cauldron.

  "Little brother Yang Tian, are you planning to learn alchemy?" Meng Yunxi asked, brushing a few strands of hair from her shoulder and giving him a teasing look. "Alchemy isn't something you can just pick up. I suggest you give up before you blow yourself up with a failed cauldron."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Blow myself up?" Yang Tian stared at her, his face darkening. "Don't worry about that. Who knows? Maybe I'll surpass you someday."

  "We'll see. If you ever surpass me, I'll call you 'big brother.' Just you wait," Meng Yunxi said with a smirk, her hips swaying as she hurried out the door, clearly eager to get her hands on the Vitality Springwater.

  "Blow myself up? I refuse to believe I can't become an alchemist," Yang Tian muttered, pacing the room with a determined look. Rare pills were hard to come by on the continent, and even the Xuan Yuan Nurturing Pill that Dan Qu had offered was rarely seen on the market.

  Pills above the sixth tier were even rarer, and even the Wanxiang Auction House seldom had access to such treasures.

  About fifteen minutes later, Meng Yunxi returned and tossed a spatial ring to Yang Tian. "Little brother Yang Tian, let's make a bet. If you can refine a first-tier pill within a month, I'll do something for you. How about it?"

  "A month? That's more like three months..." Yang Tian thought, a sly smile forming as he agreed to the bet.

  After Meng Yunxi left, Yang Tian sat cross-legged on the bed and emptied the contents of the spatial ring. There were a thousand spirit herbs for practice, a red alchemy cauldron, and a small, delicate jade slip that emitted a faint fragrance.

  "This must be an advanced Earth-tier cauldron. She's quite generous," Yang Tian said, examining the cauldron before turning his attention to the jade slip. The scent on it was strikingly similar to Meng Yunxi's.

  He infused a strand of spiritual sense into the jade slip, and a flood of information poured into his mind. As he absorbed the contents, a look of delight spread across his face.

  "That 'sister' wasn't in vain. This is actually alchemy knowledge!" Yang Tian chuckled, stroking his chin. This was exactly what he needed most.

  Although he believed his Thunder Dragon Flame Control Technique was advanced, alchemy was a difficult field to master without guidance. This alchemy knowledge would save him a lot of trial and error.

  Inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring, Yang Tian examined two spatial rings, both reinforced with spiritual energy. One was broken, belonging to the deceased disciple, while the other belonged to Gu Mo. Yang Tian had spared Gu Mo's life, feeding him a drop of Vitality Springwater, but now Gu Mo was suffering inside the Golden Crow Divine Furnace.

  *Clatter!* Yang Tian emptied most of the contents of the rings, his spiritual energy quickly sifting through the items. "Only about thirty thousand mid-tier blood stones? For a core disciple of the Ancient Holy Land, he's surprisingly poor."

  Yang Tian scoffed, storing the blood stones in his spatial ring. He then sorted through the pills, most of which were healing pills.

  His attention was soon drawn to a small green seal on the ground, surrounded by divine runes. It emitted a faint green light, and the spirit of a small green dragon seemed to pulse within it.

  "This Dao artifact must be at least mid-tier. The Ancient Holy Land really spares no expense, giving such treasures to even ordinary disciples," Yang Tian muttered, clicking his tongue in admiration.

  After admiring it for a while, Yang Tian turned his attention to the other spatial ring.

  He sent a strand of spiritual energy into the ring, where a faint trace of spiritual energy lingered.

  "Yang Tian, let me go! If you dare harm me, the Ancient Holy Land will never let you go!" The weak spiritual energy trembled, a voice filled with venom echoing in Yang Tian's mind.

  "Gu Mo, you're in no position to threaten me," Yang Tian sneered, his spiritual energy surging and shattering the weak trace of energy.

  *Clang!*

  "Bastard, let me out!" A loud noise erupted from the Golden Crow Divine Furnace inside Yang Tian's body, like the clashing of metal.

  Sensing the disturbance, Yang Tian sent his spiritual energy into the furnace. Gu Mo's body had recovered, but he was in a pitiful state—naked and covered in burns, smoke rising from his skin.

  "Keep yelling, and I'll crush your dantian and sell you to a brothel," Yang Tian said with a cold smile.

  "You..." Gu Mo's face turned red with rage, his eyes filled with hatred.

  "Enjoy your stay. Maybe I'll let you go if the Ancient Holy Land withdraws their forces," Yang Tian said, amused by Gu Mo's expression.

  "Dream on!" Gu Mo screamed.

  Yang Tian closed the furnace lid and turned his attention back to the spatial ring. The ring was of high quality, with a space of two thousand feet, mostly filled with items.

  "Huh?" Yang Tian picked up a pill, its aura reminiscent of ancient pills but weaker. The ring was filled with such pills.

  "These must be unique to the Ancient Holy Land. No wonder they weren't interested in Martial Mountain. Gu Mo must hold a high position in the Holy Land," Yang Tian mused, storing the pills.

  "How does he have so many high-tier blood stones?" Yang Tian's eyes gleamed as he counted nearly two hundred high-tier blood stones.

  Legend had it that blood stones were formed from the blood of powerful beings, crystallizing over time. While Yang Tian had heard of this, he had never seen it proven. There were even legendary supreme-grade blood stones, but they were as rare as peak-tier Dao artifacts.

  The energy within high-tier blood stones was vast and pure. It would take Yang Tian at least a month to absorb it all.

  "What's this... lingerie?" Yang Tian's gaze fell on a nearly transparent piece of fabric, a faint fragrance wafting from it.

  "My goodness, even a piece of clothing is a semi-finished Dao artifact. The Ancient Holy Land really spares no expense," Yang Tian exclaimed, spreading out the fabric and sensing the powerful energy within.

  "Wait... what's this?" Yang Tian noticed an image on the fabric. He quickly flipped it over, and when he saw the portrait of a woman embroidered on it, his expression froze.