Chapter 57 Inviting a Powerful Expert to Seize the Strange Flame, Discussing Ancient Poetry with Little Fairy Doctor

In front of the pill room, on the open ground, the Dragon Qi had not yet dissipated.

Seeing the continuous glints of wonder in their eyes, Gu He controlled his facial muscles well, his expression very serious.

"Elder Yun and Sect Master, you have both worked hard and achieved much. These two Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pills are for you!"

Gu He seemed to recall the past.

"Without the Cloud Mist Sect, how could I, Gu, have achieved what I have today!"

Yun Shan looked at Gu He's sincere expression and realized for the first time that Gu He was no longer the high-spirited youth of the past. Now, his eyes held the calmness of one who had weathered many storms, as well as a subtle, calculating smoothness.

He naturally accepted the gesture.

"Fine! I accept your kindness!"

Not just Yun Shan, but Yun Yun also smiled and took the ice box Gu He handed over, which contained a Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill.

Suppressing her surprise and wonder, she said happily,

"Gu He, thank you!"

With his hands behind his back, Gu He finally spoke of his true purpose.

"You two should know that I went to the Tagor Desert some time ago and obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, which is famous on the strange fire ranking list. My successful advancement to the seventh tier this time was also thanks to it."

Yun Shan waited quietly for him to continue, while Yun Yun's beautiful eyes already showed a look of approval in advance.

"In a few days, I plan to set out for the Jia Nan Academy in the Black-Corner Region to find the renowned Fallen Heart Flame."

Jia Nan Academy is a famous institution on the Fighting Qi Continent, located in the center of the Black-Corner Region, with a profound foundation.

And the Fallen Heart Flame was actually inside Jia Nan Academy!

A defensive shield that could block out sound and sight had automatically activated around the three of them.

Yun Shan frowned, initially a bit puzzled. "How did you know the strange fire was at Jia Nan Academy?"

There aren't many strange fires on the Fighting Qi Continent, only about twenty or so on the strange fire ranking list. Gu He not only knew about the Green Lotus Core Flame and took it, but now he even knew the location of another strange fire. This was simply astonishing!

"This is an Alchemist's secret," Gu He said softly, his expression carrying a hint of mystery.

Yun Shan's face chilled slightly, but the cold air emitting from the bottle in his hand made him realize that the current Gu He was no longer the sixth-tier pill king of the past.

He could now be considered the number one Alchemist in the Northwest Region. If he were to leave the Cloud Mist Sect, he would be like a bird in the vast sky, with countless experts flocking to curry favor with him.

He forced a smile. "I naturally respect that." He stopped probing into Gu He's source of information.

After all, if Gu He intended it, a single seventh-tier Medicinal Pill could naturally make the experts of the Jia Ma Empire turn against each other.

Gu He smiled faintly. "Then, would Elder Yun like to go on an adventure to the Black-Corner Region with me? And perhaps witness the prestige of Jia Nan Academy while we're at it?"

Yun Shan smoothed his robes and sighed softly. "Can I even refuse at this point?"

There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world; what you eat, you must spit back twofold...

However, as the former Sect Master, he was willing.

"What about you, Yun Yun?"

At some point, Yun Yun's cheeks had flushed like sunset clouds. Her delicate brows curved as she said, "Since Teacher has agreed, how can I, as his student, not follow?"

"Naturally, I must go with Teacher!"

"Heh, smooth talker!"

Yun Shan looked at the tall stone tablet of the Cloud Mist Sect near the Sect entrance, and his eyes unknowingly reddened.

The stone tablet towered into the clouds, complementing the thousand-meter staircase; it was a sight every Sect Disciple would see when ascending the mountain.

And the glory of the Cloud Mist Sect from a hundred years ago finally had hope of being restored through him and Yun Yun's generation.

Perhaps they could even return to the Central Plains, witness the shifting clouds of the four directions, and see the legendary figures who shook the world...

*Sizzle...*

The phenomenon brought about by Gu He's Medicinal Pill had actually not yet ended.

Sparse arcs of electricity streaked across the horizon, faint yet distinct.

Yun Shan looked at the arcs of electricity and nodded.

...

After inviting the two experts, Gu He returned to his residence.

"Master~~" Even though they hadn't seen each other for just a day, Xiao Yi Xian eagerly came forward to greet him.

She looked as if she had just eaten her fill; her belly was round, like she was three months pregnant, yet it was exceptionally elastic.

Her small frame lunged at Gu He, and he immediately caught her.

"Just how much did you eat?" Gu He asked with a smile.

Xiao Yi Xian could now increase her cultivation just by eating poison, and without side effects—something countless people would envy.

However, poison was relatively unpleasant to eat, so her daily routine involved using various poisonous ingredients to make delicious food and desserts.

Xiao Yi Xian giggled, "Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roasted duck, roasted spring chicken, roasted young goose..."

The long string of dish names left Gu He stunned. Had she not seen her Master for a day just to perform a crosstalk routine for him?

Xiao Yi Xian shyly lowered her head, her small hands constantly fidgeting inside her wide sleeves.

"Just a few big chicken legs, a few seaweed rolls, a few..."

Gu He quickly covered her mouth, which still carried the aroma of food. "I get it!"

Xiao Yi Xian gave Gu He a resentful glance.

Gu He laughed helplessly; after all, if he let Xiao Yi Xian continue, she could talk until dark.

He didn't know how he had done it, but he had accidentally triggered Xiao Yi Xian's foodie attribute.

And strangely, this girl ate a lot but didn't gain weight.

Not gaining weight or getting fat was a good thing, but the feeling of holding her wasn't as soft as the clouds in the sky.

"Master, come in quickly! Qing Lin is waiting for you too!" Xiao Yi Xian smiled.

Gu He suddenly realized that these two girls had a strong dependence on him.

"I won't go in."

"I came this time to say goodbye."

Xiao Yi Xian stood right across from Gu He. Lifting her head, she could see his eyes, dark as night. The previously warm spring breeze now seemed to carry a boundless chill.

She lowered her eyes, hiding her emotions, her voice faint.

"Is it that the two of us have made Master annoyed with us?"

A figure dressed in green, fragile as a willow in the breeze and coughing blood every ten steps, flashed through Gu He's mind instantly.

Disciple, why are you stealing Lin Daiyu's lines!

"No!" Gu He said firmly.

"Besides saying goodbye, I have a task for you." He changed the subject, and two bottles appeared by his hand.

He handed two clear glass bottles to Xiao Yi Xian. "These are things I came across by chance. For every day that passes, a star-shaped candy will appear inside the bottle."

They weren't any rare treasures. Gu He had once guessed that they were used by a father, who went out to kill Demonic Beasts for monster cores to support his family, to coax his daughter.

"When the candies inside are full and can no longer fit, I will return."

Gu He habitually rubbed the familiar crown of her head.

Xiao Yi Xian didn't say a word as her head was being rubbed, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long time, she gripped the two palm-sized bottles in her hands and said slowly,

"I promise you, and Qing Lin promises you too."

"But I have one condition."

Xiao Yi Xian looked up with sparkling eyes, bright and radiant,

"I snuck into Master's room before and saw one of Master's notebooks!"

Gu He's expression changed. "The one with the black cover or the yellow one?"

Xiao Yi Xian was taken aback. "There's a yellow one too?"

Gu He waved his hand, seemingly nonchalant. "That's not important... Tell me what you saw."

Inside the yellow-covered one were classics he had treasured for several months. Whenever he stayed in his room on a dark and windy night, he would read them carefully.

After enjoying them to the fullest, he would reflect on the world.

As for the black-covered one...

"I didn't expect you to be so talented, Teacher! You're practically a half-step Literary Saint!"

Xiao Yi Xian recited the sentences she had already memorized word for word,

"In the White Jade Capital of Heaven, twelve towers and five cities.

The Immortal strokes my head; my hair is bound, and I receive eternal life.

By mistake, I chased worldly pleasures, exhausting myself in the chaos of reason and emotion.

..."

The small black-covered book contained modern transcriptions of ancient poems he had written when he was bored.

As the saying goes, one must not forget their roots. Even in this world where Fighting Qi is supreme and literature counts for little, he would not stop reviewing the old to know the new, let alone the essence of the Chinese treasure trove.

...

I've caught a cold (but I'll keep updating)... It's the change of seasons, everyone take care of your health, eat more fruit, and exercise more!