Xiao Family, a brightly lit small courtyard.
Inside, in the reception hall, the room was quite spacious. The floor was covered with intricate, mysterious patterns, collectively forming a yellowish circular array.
At the center of the array, a girl in green sat cross-legged with her eyes tightly shut. Her delicate face was pale, and her usually rosy lips appeared slightly cracked. The expression between her brows was filled with pain, and in her dazed state, she muttered something that was almost inaudible.
Qing Shuang stood beside, watching the faint golden light occasionally emanating from Xun'er's body. She dared not even breathe loudly.
This breakthrough of her young lady had been arranged by the clan leader, and although Qing Shuang knew there was no life-threatening danger, seeing the painful expression on her face still made her nervous.
However, every now and then, when she heard her young lady muttering that particular name, Qing Shuang couldn't help but grind her teeth, feeling very dissatisfied.
After a while, Qing Shuang turned and walked out of the courtyard. There was nothing she could do inside except to worry.
"Master Lingi, haven't you found that person yet?" Qing Shuang asked when she saw Ling Ying sitting in the courtyard.
She and Ling Ying had noticed that the young lady kept mentioning that person and had planned to disobey orders to find him. Even though he might not be of any help, at least accompanying her as before and offering some emotional comfort would be better. But to their surprise, they hadn't seen a trace of him.
"No, we still haven't found this Young Master Xiao Bai. It's said he left ten days ago and hasn't returned since!" Ling Ying replied with irritation.
He silently prayed that nothing would happen to that guy, or else, when the young lady found out, it might cause a huge uproar throughout the Jia Ma Empire.
"That despicable man, so heartless! How dare he treat our young mistress like this after all she's done for him!" Qing Shuang muttered angrily through gritted teeth.
She suspected something unpleasant might have happened between them, but never expected him to disappear for so many days without apologizing or even showing up. Now, he couldn't even be found.
The young lady, with her proud and aloof character, seemed to have been completely bewitched by that man. Qing Shuang couldn't understand what kind of charm he had that made her unable to forget him like this!
"Be careful with your words!" Ling Ying said sharply, giving her a glance before saying indifferently, "No matter what, his place in Young Miss's heart is beyond comparison for people like us. Be careful not to speak carelessly."
"Hmph!" Qing Shuang snorted, but remembering the young lady's attitude towards that man, she ultimately didn't say anything further.
Just then, Ling Ying suddenly stood up and looked in a certain direction. Qing Shuang, somewhat confused, seemed to sense something and looked in the same direction.
A moment later, a streak of crimson-purple light shot across the dark night sky, rapidly heading toward them.
Seeing the familiar hue, Ling Ying immediately recognized who it was, and his tense heart finally relaxed.
The streak of light descended, revealing a pale-faced young man in their line of sight. His expression was filled with urgency.
"Ling Lao, how is Xun'er doing?" Xiao Bai asked directly as soon as he saw Ling Ying.
"The young lady is fine. It's just that this time the pain is more severe than usual!" Ling Ying said, noticing Xiao Bai's expression and sensing that he had already known about the young lady's current condition. He couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
As he spoke, Xiao Bai walked inside without hesitation, and neither of them stopped him.
"Xun'er!"
Seeing her current state, Xiao Bai felt a pang of heartache. He had witnessed her endure the torment of the Heavenly Flame burning within her before, but never had it been as severe as it was now.
"Big Brother… Xiao Bai!" Xun'er seemed to hear his voice and weakly called out his name in a barely audible whisper.
Hearing her call, Xiao Bai felt a sharp stab of pain in his chest. Although anxious to rush to her side, he refrained from moving recklessly when he noticed the array on the ground.
He wasn't well-versed in arrays, but he could roughly tell that this was an earth-attribute array designed to suppress the fire energy within Xun'er's body and alleviate her suffering.
"This is the Earth Spirit Flame Suppression Array, which gathers the energy of the Earth Spirit to suppress the fire element. The young lady has not yet broken through to the Dou Zhe stage, and her meridians are too fragile. We can only use the gentle and stabilizing properties of the earth element among the five elements to ease her pain." Ling Ying seemed to notice Xiao Bai's confusion and explained from the side.
Xiao Bai immediately understood.
Xun'er was currently in the Dou Zhi Qi realm, unlike Xiao Yan in the original story, she couldn't rely on things like the Ice Spirit Cold Spring or the Heavenly Cold Qi during the process of subduing a Heavenly Flame.
Instead, they had to use the earth element, which countered fire but remained relatively mild and stabilizing. This not only alleviated her pain but also protected her meridians, which otherwise wouldn't be able to withstand the strain.
Among the five elements, earth and water are the ones that counter fire. However, using Water Element to suppress a Heavenly Flame in this situation would only intensify Xun'er's pain.
After realizing this, Xiao Bai knew how he could help her. When it came to understanding the five elements, he now considered himself somewhat of an expert as he practiced the interaction of the elements in his body daily.
He carefully sensed the flow of energy within the array. In the past, given his currently depleted soul, he wouldn't have been able to perceive much. But after activating the rune on his forehead, his connection with the surrounding world became incredibly attuned, and the flow of energy was sharp and clear to him.
This formation wasn't large, and in an instant, the entire operation of the array was clear in his mind.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Bai turned to Ling Ying and said, "I need to go in!"
"No!" Before Ling Ying could speak, Qing Shuang coldly opposed, adding, "You won't be able to help at all, and you might even cause more trouble for the young lady. Just stay here and watch!"
Xiao Bai frowned. He hadn't seen this woman before, but he guessed she was one of Xun'er's guards. After thinking for a while, he patiently said, "I have a way to ease Xun'er's pain!"
"Hmph!" Qing Shuang sneered without saying anything, but feeling somewhat disdainful in her heart. This arrangement was made by the clan leader, whose cultivation level was far beyond what Xiao Bai could help with.
"Mr. Xiao Bai, why don't you tell us your method first?" Ling Ying asked, his face darkening. He gave Qing Shuang a helpless look, thinking she was being foolish, and quickly intervened.
Xiao Bai didn't bother with the woman any further. Xun'er's condition was more important right now. But this did make him realize just how proud the people from the Eight Ancient Clans were.
What was written in the original text was just that—words. Now Xiao Bai truly understood that if he ever met someone from the Gu Clan again, with his temper, it was certain there would be some confrontations.
Shaking off his thoughts, Xiao Bai took out the Lotus Platform of the Green Lotus Core Flame from his ring. Instantly, the entire room was bathed in a greenish glow.
The Heavenly Flame had already been handed over to Yao Lao, but Xiao Bai had kept the Lotus Platform. The old man was quite displeased, but Xiao Bai didn't care. He had already made plans for the platform. It was meant to be a gift for Xun'er.
However, the atmosphere that night had been awkward, so he hadn't brought it out, delaying until now.
"This... the Lotus Platform of the Green Lotus Core Flame?" Ling Ying hesitated, recalling that he hadn't entered the Heavenly Flame space that day. Later, though, he learned that Xiao Bai had obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame.
"Correct!"
"But although this thing can contain and restrain a Heavenly Flame, it inherently possesses fire attributes. Will it really be helpful?"
Ling Ying was skeptical. Wouldn't this end up making things worse?
Xiao Bai didn't respond. Instead, he inserted the Wu Earth Dark Thunder into the Lotus Platform. Xiao Bai's face paled again as his internal balance was disrupted, causing the Geng Metal Tribulation Lightning to become active, which made the pain even more unbearable.
At this moment, the previously green Lotus Platform, transformed into a brownish-purple hue. The Wu Earth energy within the pedestal instantly suppressed the green fire attribute, making it appear to anyone as a treasure saturated with earth energy.
"Mr. Xiao Bai, are you alright?" Ling Ying noticed that Xiao Bai's body was trembling and asked with some concern. This guy couldn't afford to get hurt!
"I'm fine! Is it alright now?" Xiao Bai asked calmly.
"Yes, yes!" Ling Ying quickly nodded. The young lady wasn't in any life-threatening danger, and the formation was only there to alleviate her pain. Now, if they could place her on the Lotus Platform, it would be even more effective!
Moreover, he keenly sensed Xiao Bai's growing impatience. If Xiao Bai decided to hold a grudge, life might become difficult later. Unlike Qing Shuang, Ling Ying had been warned by Young Miss about such behavior.
Following his intuition, Xiao Bai stepped into the array without disrupting its operation. Approaching Xun'er, he felt a pang of heartache at her pale, pitiful face.
Seemingly sensing his presence, Xun'er's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
"Don't be afraid, Xun'er. Xiao Bai Brother will help you!" Xiao Bai gently patted her little head and whispered softly, inwardly exasperated with the unseen "cheap father-in-law."
Carefully lifting her, a searing heat radiated from her body, but Xiao Bai paid it no mind.
Placing the Lotus Platform at the center of the formation, he mentally activated it. Instantly, Little Wu connected with the entire array, allowing Xiao Bai to cautiously place Xun'er onto the Lotus Platform.
Immediately, the Wu Earth energy and the Yin energy suppressed the Heavenly Flame on Xun'er's body. Her once tense, delicate face relaxed, and a faint expression of relief appeared.
"Just a subsidiary flame?" Sensing the intensity of the golden flames on Xun'er's body, Xiao Bai mused internally.
Before he began practicing his cultivation technique and considering the seal placed by Gu Yuan, he hadn't known whether Xun'er possessed a complete Heavenly Flame or just a subsidiary flame.
He wanted to examine Xun'er's current condition further to see if he could assist her, but he hesitated. He feared that Gu Yuan might have left some sort of contingency within the seal in Xun'er's body
If there was a hidden trap, and he triggered it, Xun'er might end up a widow!
At the moment, he didn't dare to let Xiao Yi treat her. Who knew if the Golden Emperor's Burning Heaven Flame, combined with the Yi Wood energy, would go out of control?
Instead, he sat down nearby, closed his eyes, and focused on recovering his soul power while directing Xiao Bing and Xiao Yi to suppress the restless Geng Metal Tribulation Lightning.
—
A streak of light flashed across the night sky and landed at the Xiao family's residence, catching the attention of some people there.
Yao Lao sensed his presence and instantly floated out of his room. He saw Xiao Bai landing near the mysterious young girl's residence and then paid it no further mind.
"What's going on, Master?" Xiao Yan, wearing only pants and with his upper body bare, ran out in a hurry and asked.
When he saw Yao Lao suddenly emerge, thinking something had happened. In his haste, he jumped out of the bathtub and ran out wearing just a pair of pants.
"It's nothing. Your long-awaited Brother Bai is back!" Yao Lao stroked his beard, glanced at him, and said casually.
"Really!"
Xiao Yan jumped up in excitement. He had gone to find Xiao Bai a few days ago, but the door was tightly closed, and he couldn't find him.
"Hmph... You really dissatisfied with the elixir I refined, are you?" Yao Lao looked at him with a dangerous glint in his eyes, ready to kick him out if he said something wrong.
"Haha, The foundation-building elixir you refined is, of course, excellent—top-notch! But…..." Xiao Yan started to speak but hesitated.
Seeing Yao Lao's face, which had slightly softened, immediately harden again at the word "but," Xiao Yan swallowed nervously and quickly retracted what he was about to say.
"Go on... Why stop? What were you saying? Continue, I'm listening!" Yao Lao's tone remained calm, but his eyes glinted coldly.
"Haha, it's nothing, nothing at all. Master's pills are the best!" Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and laughed awkwardly, muttering inwardly: *No wonder the old man's mood has been so unpredictable these past two days.*
"Hmph!" Yao Lao snorted disdainfully, too lazy to argue with this brat. He knew exactly what Xiao Yan was thinking.
The boy believed that the foundation-building liquid Yao Lao had refined wasn't as effective as the ones Xiao Bai made, so he secretly went to find Xiao Bai behind his back. Unfortunately, Xiao Bai wasn't around, and he sheepishly returned to use Yao Lao's elixirs instead. And this brat thought he didn't know!
"What an ungrateful fellow!" Yao Lao thought bitterly.
He, Yao Chen, a dignified 8th-tier Alchemist, never thought the pills he made would ever be looked down upon. Just thinking about it made him feel a bit dejected.
No, absolutely not! He couldn't let this kid keep following Xiao Bai. If this continued, his disciple would be ruined. He needed to teach him the hardships of life. Three years of trials clearly weren't enough!
Once Xiao Yan broke through to Dou Zhe, he'd have to take him out for some practical training, see some blood, and broaden his horizons. Otherwise, staying in Wutan City would make this kid's perspective far too narrow!
After this trip, Yao Lao realized he needed to change how he trained Xiao Yan.
Looking at Xiao Bai—that brat was only a couple of years older than Xiao Yan, yet the difference between them was staggering. Yao Lao had just sensed that Xiao Bai had broken through again— and was now a Dou Ling!
He remembered that Xiao Bai had advanced to Da Dou Shi during their time in Stone Desert City. How much time had passed since then? That brat truly was a monstrous talent!
"Let's go, let's go, continue with your cultivation. Last time, you were boasting that when we return, you would be a Dou Zhe, and yet you're still stuck in Dou Zhi Qi realm. Aren't you embarrassed?" With a wave of his hand, Yao Lao dragged Xiao Yan back into the room.
"Master, I just finished cultivating!" Xiao Yan's face fell, and he groaned pitifully.
—
Dawn broke, and the night quietly passed.
Xiao Bai felt a gentle gaze fall on him, and he couldn't help but open his eyes. In front of him was a slightly weary but smiling face.
"Xun'er!" Xiao Bai looked at the girl lying on the Lotus Platform, her head resting near him, his face filled with joy. "Do you feel better now?"
Xun'er's delicate eyebrows curved into crescent moons, and her usually crisp voice was slightly hoarse as she softly replied: "Brother Xiao Bai, don't worry. Xun'er feels much better now."
Xiao Bai gently stroked her head with affection: "That's good."
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