Xu Zifan could tell that Shi Yunxuan was sincere, and he smiled at her, which was rare for him. "Okay, thank you in advance."
Shi Yunxuan smiled and looked into his eyes, jokingly saying, "Brother Xu, you should smile more. You look so scary when you're serious." After saying that, she added soup to Xu Zifan's bowl and asked casually, "Brother Xu, did you come from the forest near the Seeking Immortals Sect?"
Xu Zifan instantly became alert, but shook his head with a calm expression. "There's nothing good in that forest, I didn't go."
Shi Yunxuan smiled and said, "That's a pity. A rare treasure appeared over there recently. I heard it was obtained by a Golden Core cultivator who likes leather cloaks. But no one saw it with their own eyes. I thought I could hear some news from Brother Xu."
"What kind of rare and precious treasures?" Xu Zifan asked, pretending not to know. Anyway, he didn't experience tribulation lightning when he advanced in the space, so no one could be sure that the Golden Core cultivator had become a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Shi Yunxuan thought for a moment, "It is said to be the Snow Crystal Fruit, which takes five hundred years to mature. It is crystal clear and can cleanse the marrow and bones, broaden the meridians, and most importantly, increase the infinite potential of the divine sense. I have not seen it myself. It was a few alchemists who recognized it when they saw the spirit tree. They regretfully said that they could not refine it into Snow Crystal Pill. If it is taken directly, its medicinal effect will be half that of the pill."
As she spoke, she subtly observed Xu Zifan's expression. Xu Zifan felt regretful, but his expression remained unchanged. "It seems I really need the pill formula urgently. I've never even heard of this Snow Crystal Pill before."
Shi Yunxuan didn't see anything wrong and smiled, "Brother Xu, don't worry. Alchemy requires not only self-study but also guidance. You can refine a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill on your own, so you'll surely be able to refine top-grade pills or even immortal pills after learning from someone."
"Thank you for your kind words."
During the meal, the two probed each other several times. Although they didn't uncover anything, Shi Yunxuan trusted her intuition more. A cloaked man who suddenly appeared in that forest, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, disappeared along with the Snow Crystal Fruit. An unnamed male cultivator who suddenly appeared in the boundless forest afterward, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator obsessed with alchemy—how could such distinctive individuals never become famous? It was too much of a coincidence. At least, after spending time with Xu Zifan, she sensed from his every move that he had a secret, a secret that was very likely related to his identity. Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, she felt as if she had seen Xu Zifan before, an inexplicable feeling that made her want to figure out who he really was.
They rested in the medicinal herb field for the night, and at dawn, Xu Zifan asked her, "Where do you get the pill formula? Is it from your sect?"
Shi Yunxuan shook her head. "Although my sect does have quite a few, I can't make that decision. The pill formula I mentioned is in this forest, the place where I was seriously injured. Brother Xu, it's a dangerous place. Do you want to go?"
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked at her. "You mean you want me to risk my life to get the pill formula? What if I unfortunately perish and my cultivation is extinguished?"
Shi Yunxuan looked at him with clear eyes, "Brother Xu, this is the best thing I can give you in return. How can learning alchemy from a master compare to obtaining the inheritance of a great master? There is an underground palace in the western mountains. I saw an alchemy inheritance inside, left by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator a thousand years ago. If Brother Xu could obtain his inheritance, wouldn't that be better than learning from anyone else? Moreover, he has countless pill formulas, even the number one sect, Xuantian Sect, can't compare. This is a rare opportunity."
Xu Zifan naturally knew he would definitely go. He recalled the vow Shi Yunxuan had made and chuckled inwardly. She had said she would help him find medicinal fields and pill formulas, but he had assumed she wanted the Hehuan Sect's formulas, so he had been careless. However, such an opportunity was even better, just like when he took the Snow Crystal Fruit. If he could overcome it, he would reap great rewards. Wasn't alchemy what he most wanted to learn lately? Even if someone tried to stop him, he would go!
After they reached an agreement, Shi Yunxuan led the way towards the palace. Neither human cultivators nor demonic beasts could fly in this forest, so Xu Zifan used his divine sense to observe his surroundings, avoiding the demonic beasts and moving very quickly. When he couldn't avoid them, he would fight swiftly and decisively, each move ruthless. Shi Yunxuan would seize opportunities to help. After three days of walking, their teamwork had become increasingly seamless; together, they could kill a level six demonic beast in less than fifteen minutes, which greatly increased their prey.
Shi Yunxuan cooks three meals a day. She loves to cook and finds it delicious, so Xu Zifan naturally supports her. He also started to wonder if he should learn to cook. That way, he could prepare delicious meals when he's alone. But he really doesn't like cooking. What can he do? He even reflected on his past. He used to be someone who only liked doing business and making money, and didn't care about food or pleasure. When did he change and become someone who likes many things and loves learning?
He racked his brains but couldn't figure out when the change occurred. It could only be due to the passage of time—several lifetimes, such a long stretch of time, and so many people—that had unknowingly changed him. He couldn't even remember why he initially loved doing business so much. Now he had more hobbies he enjoyed, and his life seemed more complete. Each mission also made life more interesting, which was good.
After traveling for two more days, Xu Zifan and Shi Yunxuan encountered an eighth-order demon beast. This demon beast was very strong and could transform into human form with just a little more power. It noticed that Shi Yunxuan was still recovering from serious injuries and would attack her from time to time. Since Shi Yunxuan was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, Xu Zifan naturally had to protect her. The fight lasted for half an hour and was still going on, with the intention of continuing the stalemate.
Shi Yunxuan was very unhappy that she was dragging Xu Zifan down. Her gaze towards the eighth-tier demonic beast grew colder and colder. When the eighth-tier demonic beast attacked her again, she dodged to the side, risking her life...
Despite being slashed so deeply that the bone was visible on her arm, she pressed forward instead of retreating, managing to plunge the dagger into the eye of the eighth-tier demon beast! The eighth-tier demon beast roared in agony, violently throwing her aside. Xu Zifan rushed over to catch her, and at the same time, taking advantage of the demon beast's excruciating pain, threw out her Xuan Iron Fan, slicing open its belly!
Sensing its life slipping away, the eighth-tier demonic beast flew into a rage, charging towards them with a suicidal intent. Xu Zifan narrowed his eyes and hurled his Xuan Iron Fan again, this time imbued with lightning, aiming for the demonic beast's throat. Simultaneously, a fire dragon attacked the beast, and as the Xuan Iron Fan cleaved its throat, the fire dragon also scorched its belly, emitting a burnt smell. The eighth-tier demonic beast collapsed to the ground with a thud, its eyes wide open, lifeless.
Xu Zifan looked down at Shi Yunxuan in his arms and asked, "How are you?"
Shi Yunxuan shook her head, but before she could speak, a joyful female voice rang out, "Chongjun! It's dead! You're amazing!"
She frowned, then looked up to see a man and a woman approaching. It was Huo Chongjun and Xiang Yushuang, a couple from the Xuantian Sect. Xiang Yushuang also saw her and asked with concern, "Are you Junior Sister Yunxuan from the Hehuan Sect? Are you injured? I have some medicine here." She took out a bottle of medicine and handed it to her. Seeing that Shi Yunxuan was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, she reassured her, "Don't worry, Chongjun has already killed that demonic beast. No other demonic beasts will come anytime soon."
Shi Yunxuan glanced at the porcelain bottle in her hand and scoffed, "Do you want me to thank you for the medicine and then thank your junior brother for saving my life?"
Shi Yunxuan helped Xu Zifan to his feet, her back straight. Xu Zifan had wanted to speak, but stopped when she retorted. Xiang Yushuang, holding the porcelain bottle, looked back at Huo Chongjun somewhat helplessly, then smiled at Shi Yunxuan, "Junior Sister Yunxuan, you misunderstand. We just happened to be passing by, so of course we had to help. We didn't expect you to thank us."
Shi Yunxuan nodded. "So you mean you don't want this demon beast? Then why were your eyes shining when you were staring at it? Not only you, but your junior brother, oh, I mean your Daoist partner, also seems to want it very much."
"This…this is a training expedition, so whoever kills the monster should keep it," Xiang Yushuang hesitated, glancing at Huo Chongjun. Seeing that Huo Chongjun didn't speak, she could only bite the bullet and say, "We just want the demon core."
Shi Yunxuan looked at her like she was an idiot. "I was being sarcastic, didn't you realize? Look at that demon beast, its eyes, belly, and throat were all damaged by our heavy blows. You came here, set a fire, cooked a piece of meat, and then wanted the demon core? What's the difference between you and robbers?" She suddenly realized, "Look at my memory, wasn't it your junior brother who stole it? It seems that's your true nature."
Huo Chongjun said coldly, "It seems the Hehuan Sect didn't teach you how to speak."
Shi Yunxuan was still irritated from her injuries and had no patience for people she disliked. She immediately retorted, "Our Hehuan Sect never steals from others or breaks up engagements. Everyone knows who killed this demon beast. What, do you two not care about your reputation and want to take it by force?"
Shi Yunxuan leaned closer to Xu Zifan and glanced at him. Xiang Yushuang stepped forward and examined the demon beast. She saw that the demon beast had indeed died from Xu Zifan's final attack and had nothing to do with Huo Chongjun's fire dragon. She immediately blushed with embarrassment and said, "I'm sorry, Junior Sister Yunxuan, I didn't see it clearly."
Shi Yunxuan smiled: "You watched for so long before making your move, and you still didn't see it clearly. You should rest your eyes."
While they were fighting the demonic beast, Huo Chongjun and his wife watched from a distance. The battle was fierce, and they couldn't pay attention to anything else. But wasn't Huo Chongjun's final move just to try and get a share? The fire dragon, seeing its aggressive approach and the demonic beast's death, really did look like it was the one who did the killing. Then it kept quiet and made Xiang Yushuang ask for it—how shameless! It's unclear whether Xiang Yushuang is truly innocent or pretending. This has nothing to do with her. She fought for so long, even risking her injuries to kill the demonic beast; she absolutely cannot give it away, not even a single hair!
Huo Chongjun saw that she was difficult to deal with and did not want to say more. He only said coldly, "Miss Shi is sharp-tongued. Be careful that you don't suffer in the future."
Shi Yunxuan said dismissively, "Then you don't need to worry about it."
Huo Chongjun turned and left. Xiang Yushuang hesitated for a moment, then asked Shi Yunxuan, "Junior Sister Yunxuan, do you... do you have any news about my senior brother?"
Shi Yunxuan raised an eyebrow, glanced at Xu Zifan out of the corner of her eye, and said with a half-smile, "Whether it's true or not, why should I tell you? If Master Zhengyang doesn't want you to find him, then it means he doesn't want to see you, right?"