A sudden voice from behind made Xiao Yun nearly jump out of his skin. He had been growing increasingly frustrated, unable to find the Violet Spirit Flower. "When did someone sneak in here? I swear I was the only one who entered! And how did my soul sense not pick them up?"
Startled, his Dou Qi flared up like a reflex, pouring through his body. In a heartbeat, he slipped into combat stance and spun around, eyes wide with alarm.
But when he finally laid eyes on the mysterious intruder, his expression froze. His tightly drawn nerves slackened. The torrent of energy quickly dissipated back into his body, and the look of wariness on his face was replaced by one of baffled realization.
Standing before him was a girl—just a little taller than him—dressed in white. She looked to be around twelve or thirteen, with long, soft lavender hair cascading to her waist. Her skin was porcelain-smooth, her large black eyes shimmered with mischief, and her entire face looked like it had been sculpted from sugar and dreams.
In the inner compound, there was only one person with this kind of appearance who could sneak up on someone like Xiao Yun without being noticed. And judging by the situation, she was here to sneak a bite of medicinal herbs again.
Of course. Who else but Zi Yan?
"Hey, kid! Didn't you hear me talking to you? You trying to get smacked or something?" Zi Yan stomped up impatiently, raising a small, but very serious-looking fist.
"Uh... let's maybe put the fist down and talk like civilized people, okay?" Xiao Yun said, cold sweat forming on his forehead. "Also, I'm not a kid. My name's Xiao Yun."
That fist of hers was no joke—he knew from experience. And if she really hit him with it, he might just wake up next spring.
"Hmph! Then tell me, what are you doing here? You're not here to snack on herbs like me, are you?" Zi Yan huffed, lowering her fist but grabbing a nearby plant and chomping down like it was an afternoon carrot.
Xiao Yun's eye twitched.
That herb—he recognized it. A high-grade Tier 5 ingredient: Taiyi Bamboo Vine. The stuff was so tough it could survive regular beast fire without a scratch. Yet she had bitten straight through it like it was a breadstick.
He instinctively stepped back and said, "I'm not here to eat herbs. I need them to refine pills. Also, let's be honest here—this isn't gathering. This is theft."
"Thief?! Who're you calling a thief?" Zi Yan's face darkened as her childish voice echoed loudly through the room. "These herbs are for me to grow up strong! Letting them sit around is just a waste. I'm doing everyone a favor!"
"Okay, okay! You're not stealing. You're, uh, redistributing resources strategically. Happy now?" Xiao Yun quickly covered his ears, already regretting bringing up the 'T' word. If she threw a tantrum, he'd have no place to complain—except maybe the infirmary.
Zi Yan blinked her bright eyes, then suddenly stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from edging away. "So, you said you can refine pills, right? Then help me refine this one!" She held up the half-eaten Taiyi Bamboo Vine. "Pills taste way better than this nasty plant."
Xiao Yun's expression twitched again. You're eating priceless medicinal herbs like junk food, and then complaining they taste bad?! If he were stronger, he'd have long since snatched the plant back from her tiny hands.
"I could help you refine it… but what's in it for me?" he asked, tone calm but brain working overtime. Zi Yan was strong—scarily so. If he could strike a deal with her, exploring the inner mountain for rare herbs would be a whole lot easier.
"Hmph! I'll be your boss!" Zi Yan puffed out her chest proudly. "If anyone in the compound bullies you, I'll beat them up for you! Don't underestimate me just 'cause I'm a bit older than you. Not many people around here can take me in a fight!"
"I'll pass," Xiao Yun said with a grin. "I don't really need a boss, and no one dares mess with me anyway. Got any other skills?"
Though his face was smiling, Zi Yan could clearly sense the subtext: You're kind of useless, aren't you?
The smugness faded from her face. She glanced away, trying hard to think of something—anything—she was good at besides pummeling people. But after mentally flipping through her nonexistent résumé, she came up blank.
"Hmph! Fine then, you say it! Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!" she declared, refusing to be outdone in attitude even if she came up short in qualifications.
"Anything?" Xiao Yun's smile deepened, looking suspiciously like the kind a con artist gives a gullible mark.
"Obviously! I'm super awesome! There's nothing I can't do!"
"Great," Xiao Yun said, pulling out a scroll from his storage ring. "Help me find a medicinal herb that looks like this. If you can, I'll refine that vine into pills for you."
He handed the scroll over. "One herb for one herb. Fair trade, right?"
"Totally unfair!" Zi Yan huffed, glancing at the image on the scroll. Her big eyes lit up slightly, but Xiao Yun didn't catch it. "Do you know how much time it takes to find herbs? And you're just refining them, which you enjoy anyway! If I find one, you have to refine twenty herbs for me. That's fair."
"Who told you refining pills is easy?" Xiao Yun shot back, rolling his eyes. "Do you know how much mental effort it takes to extract essence? You think this is like frying dumplings or something? Only someone completely clueless would think refining is easy!"
Zi Yan raised her little fist again.
"Okay, okay!" Xiao Yun said hurriedly. "One herb for five, that's my final offer. Doesn't matter the grade—I'll refine five for every one you bring back. Deal?"
"Now we're talking." Zi Yan nodded approvingly. She flipped her hand, and a small violet flower appeared in her palm. "Here, this is what you're looking for, right?"
No wonder I couldn't find it—you already took it! Xiao Yun thought, barely keeping his expression in check. Smiling through gritted teeth, he took the flower and tucked it into his storage ring. "Just one? I'll need more eventually."
"You can have more after you refine this for me," Zi Yan said defensively, handing him the half-eaten vine like a customer returning bad takeout. "Now get to work!"
"Whoa, slow down. This place is full of rare herbs—I'm not about to start tossing fire around in here. Let's go register these with Elder Hao first, then we'll find a quiet place to work," Xiao Yun said carefully. "Preferably somewhere that won't explode if I sneeze wrong."
"Tch. That old guy? I usually just walk out with stuff." Zi Yan muttered, but still followed him out of the herb vault.
"…So yeah, this is theft. Don't hit me! I didn't mean it like that!"
"Then stop saying I'm stealing!"
Inside a quiet room, Elder Hao sat in a chair, flipping through a book as he sipped tea. Without even looking up, he called out, "Did you find what you needed, kid?"
"Found it, Elder. And I also found… someone else," Xiao Yun said, rubbing a new lump forming on his head. He glanced nervously at Zi Yan beside him—only stopping when she raised her fist again.
"Someone else? But you went in alone—" Elder Hao finally looked up, spotting the feisty little girl who had taken up position beside Xiao Yun.
For a moment, he stared in disbelief. Then he sprang to his feet, shouting, "You again?! How many times do I have to tell you not to come here? If you want herbs, go pick some in the mountains! These are for alchemists!"
"They help me grow! I'm part of the compound too, why can't I have some?" Zi Yan shot back. "Keep yapping and I'll beat you up next!"
Elder Hao trembled in frustration, visibly fuming, but held himself back. After a long pause, he growled, "Fine! But I'm reporting this to the Head Elder! See what he thinks about your little 'growing diet'!"
"Oh please. Tell him! I'm not scared of that old fogey either!" Zi Yan barked back, voice louder than it needed to be. Though she faltered for a second, a glance at Xiao Yun seemed to recharge her confidence.
Realizing Elder Hao might actually blow a fuse, Xiao Yun hurriedly stepped between them. "Elder Hao, these are the herbs I need. Could you register them for me?"
With a flash from his storage ring, a small mountain of herbs appeared on the table.
Grumbling, Elder Hao turned his attention to the task. "How'd you even run into her? Did she hurt you?"
"Not… too badly," Xiao Yun said vaguely.
"Be careful. That little firecracker's got a mean streak. I don't know anyone in the compound who hasn't taken a punch from her at some point," Elder Hao muttered, patting him on the shoulder in sympathy.
Tell me about it, Xiao Yun thought, rubbing the bump on his head.
"What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and finish! You've got pills to refine!" Zi Yan snapped.
Elder Hao shook his head as he finished tallying the ingredients. "That's quite a haul. Altogether, it'll cost you 400 Flame Credits. Swipe your card."
Xiao Yun complied. Considering he'd taken materials not only for the Violet Barrier-Breaking Pill but also a few others, the price was absurdly low. Outside, this would cost tens of thousands in gold—but here, it was a bargain.
After paying, Xiao Yun turned to Zi Yan and said, "We need a place with plenty of fire energy to refine your herbs. Let's head to the Qi Refining Tower."