Xiao Meng, these two words pulled Xiao Yan's spirit back from its desolate and gradually self-isolating state.
He jolted, sitting up from the ground with a whoosh, and a glimmer of light appeared in his dim eyes.
"Xiao Meng, you know Xiao Meng's whereabouts?" Xiao Yan asked with a hint of excitement.
"Mm, I guess you could say I do." Hun Xiao quickly devoured the pig's trotters in her hand, picked up the white towel on the table, and wiped her mouth.
"Where is she?"
Hun Xiao looked at Xiao Yan, smiling but saying nothing.
The latter paused slightly, regaining his composure: "Miss Xiao, what will it take for you to tell me her whereabouts?"
"Still calling me Miss Xiao? You should know my identity by now... Hehehe..." Hun Xiao's lips, colored dark red, almost black, like dried blood, parted slightly, emitting her characteristic laugh.
Xiao Yan hesitated, then asked with a mix of certainty and inquiry: "Protector Xiao?"
"It's me... My real name is Hun Xiao, and also, I'm no longer a Protector; I've been promoted to Honored Elder."
They had been in Starfall City for several days, and Hun Xiao had guessed from some details that Xiao Yan had already discovered her identity, so she simply stopped pretending and revealed it directly.
"I'm a Soul Hall Honored Elder, you know, deeply valued by the Hall Master. Because of my excellent performance, even the Clan Leader specially summoned me..."
"Soul Hall is like my home; it's my spiritual haven, my guiding light. You want me to betray Soul Hall..."
Hun Xiao drew out her words, paused slightly, then continued: "Beg me!"
Xiao Yan, without any hesitation, humbly and sincerely pleaded in a low voice:
"I beg you, Miss Hun Xiao, please tell me Xiao Meng's whereabouts."
Finally, he said with a slightly blank expression: "Do you want me to kneel and kowtow to you?"
"Ah? That humble?" Hun Xiao was stunned for a moment. She could feel that Xiao Yan was a very proud person, but at this moment, he was so unhesitating, so without dignity.
Xiao Yan gave a self-deprecating laugh: "As long as I can save her, what does it matter if I'm a little humble?"
The mental impact of Little Fairy Doctor dying in front of Xiao Yan was undoubtedly immense, especially when the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's magic core, which he had previously sought in vain, appeared right before his eyes immediately after her death.
What made it even harder for him to accept was that Little Fairy Doctor had previously unsealed her Calamity Poison Body to help him deal with Elder Mu Gu, which caused the outbreak of her Calamity Poison Body to happen much earlier.
If she hadn't unsealed it that time, would Little Fairy Doctor have been saved? Such thoughts repeatedly surfaced in his mind, gnawing at his heart like ants, making him wish he were dead.
If I had been more cautious, not so arrogant, and had invited two Dou Venerate guest elders from Starcloud Pavilion to accompany me when I went out; if I had worked harder and broken through to Dou Venerate; if I had fully upgraded the Earth Demon Puppet to a Heavenly Demon Puppet earlier... If any one of these had happened, Little Fairy Doctor would not have died!
He had already made a mistake regarding Little Fairy Doctor, so this time, he would not hesitate again, lest he regret something even more.
"Tsk..." Seeing his resolute attitude, Hun Xiao lost the idea of teasing him. She lightly coughed, cleared her throat, put on a serious expression, and said in a low voice:
"Then I'll mercifully tell you. Don't say I leaked it. It would be very troublesome if others found out I casually revealed secrets. This would become a reason for the elder factions to attack me."
Xiao Yan nodded solemnly: "I will never reveal this to anyone. If I violate this, may I not die a good death."
Hun Xiao nodded and said: "As far as I know, Protector Wu, who you met in the Jia Ma Empire, has been transferred to the Earth Hall among the Three Heavenly Star Halls. He seems to be guarding someone."
"It's a woman... I don't know the specifics, but it's most likely your Xiao Meng."
"Earth Hall?" Xiao Yan repeated.
Hun Xiao subconsciously reached for the platter, felt nothing, and then realized the pig's trotters had been eaten. She retracted her hand regretfully and continued:
"The Earth Hall is located in the Fallen Canyon, within a space opened by a Dou Saint, and is overseen by the Soul Hall Deputy Hall Master."
"The Deputy Hall Master is incredibly powerful, a true Dou Saint expert. Besides him, there are many Honored Elders in the Hall."
"If an emergency occurs, they can also notify the Soul Hall Master, and with his strength, it wouldn't take much time for him to rush from the Heavenly Hall to the Earth Hall."
"So if you want to rescue someone, you must act fast. Either Sealed Artifact off the space in advance to isolate inside from outside, preventing them from calling for help from the Hall Master, or finish the battle quickly, rescue the person before the Soul Hall Master arrives, and then retreat."
"The Deputy Hall Master is a Dou Saint expert, huh..." Xiao Yan felt immense pressure.
"Actually, the Great Heavenly Reverence is also a Dou Saint."
"Great Heavenly Reverence?" Xiao Yan showed a hint of confusion.
"It seems you don't know much about Soul Hall... Let me tell you about the composition of Soul Hall personnel."
"Soul Hall is led by the Hall Master, beneath whom are the Deputy Hall Master, the Nine Great Heavenly Reverences, numerous Honored Elders, and a large number of Protectors and Soul Envoys."
"The Great Heavenly Reverence is the strongest among the Nine Great Heavenly Reverences, usually responsible for guarding the Human Hall." Hun Xiao briefly explained to Xiao Yan.
"Thank you." Xiao Yan said solemnly, then he stood up from the ground, looking as if he was about to leave.
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"Where are you going?"
"To save her... I can't wait another second."
Hun Xiao hesitated, thought for two seconds, then said in a low voice: "One last reminder, it's best not to go save her. It might backfire."
Xiao Yan shook his head: "I must go. Xiao Meng is still waiting for me."
"Then I wish you good luck." Looking at the re-energized Xiao Yan, Hun Xiao shrugged and stopped trying to persuade him.
Starfall City was not too far from Starcloud Pavilion, and Xiao Yan quickly returned to Starcloud Pavilion.
Yao Chen sighed when he saw Xiao Yan like this. The commotion caused by Little Fairy Doctor's Calamity Poison Body outbreak was huge, and it was impossible for Yao Chen not to receive the news.
He rushed to the scene immediately and, after a brief search, confirmed Xiao Yan's whereabouts.
These past few days, Yao Chen had always known Xiao Yan's location, but he hadn't come to find him, giving him space to think for himself.
"It seems you've emerged from the shadows." Yao Chen said softly: "Life can't always be smooth sailing. On the path of growth, we gain much and lose much. I hope you can be more open-minded."
Xiao Yan returned a stiff smile: "But she can never come back..."
He adjusted his emotions, calmed himself down, and said with a hint of pleading:
"Teacher, I want to ask for your help... I shouldn't ask, this is very dangerous, but I truly have no one else I can turn to."
Yao Chen had a kind expression and said with a smile: "Silly child, I am your teacher. Isn't it only natural for me to help you? Tell me, what is it?"
Xiao Yan's eyes welled up. He pondered for a moment, organized his words, and told Yao Chen the news he had received in its entirety.
He only concealed Hun Xiao's existence, not revealing it. Xiao Yan took vows made in certain specific contexts quite seriously.
However, even if Xiao Yan didn't say it, Yao Chen knew perfectly well; he knew that Hun Xiao had been with him these past few days!
The despondent Xiao Yan of these past few days clearly couldn't have gathered information himself, so the source of the news was very clear.
"Soul Hall, huh? Good, this will also be revenge for that arrow I took back then!" Yao Chen nodded in agreement without hesitation.