Seeing Ye Tian refuse without hesitation, Xiao Wu covered her mouth and let out a chuckle.
The Ye Tian before her was really underestimating himself too much.
However, Xiao Wu did not press the matter further.
Although Ye Tian was an interesting person with exceptional talent in medicine, her friend might not necessarily share the same view.
After all, everyone had their own unique values.
"Alright, if you don't want to, then forget it," Xiao Wu said with a sweet smile, lightly waving her fair hand.
After speaking, she tapped her forehead as if something had just come to mind. A look of realization appeared on her face.
"I just thought of something—since you're here, Ye Tian, I can ask you to personally check on my friend's condition."
Ye Tian looked at Xiao Wu's upright bunny ears and felt a bit conflicted.
He didn't want to stay in the core area for too long—he simply wished to leave as soon as possible and reunite with the Sea Enchantress and the others.
Faced with Xiao Wu's invitation, Ye Tian spread his hands and politely declined:
"I'm truly sorry, Xiao Wu. I still have an important matter to attend to, so I'm afraid I can't accompany you to visit the patient."
As he spoke, Ye Tian pointed at the jade bottle in Xiao Wu's hand and explained:
"The Heavenly Blossom Sacred Pill is highly effective. If your friend only suffered external injuries, taking it will allow for a full recovery."
Finally, Ye Tian added with a gentle smile, "Even if I were to go, I'd probably end up prescribing the same pill."
Seeing Ye Tian's reluctance, Xiao Wu's ears drooped slightly.
However, her bright eyes still held a trace of expectation.
She sincerely pointed to the clear lake ahead and said, "It's not far, just on the small island in the center of the Lake of Life."
Hearing this, Ye Tian raised an eyebrow.
Following the direction of Xiao Wu's finger, he gazed at the mist-shrouded center of the Lake of Life.
He sighed inwardly—since it wasn't far, he had no excuse to refuse.
At the same time, another thought surfaced in Ye Tian's mind.
Beneath the Lake of Life's center lay a source of immense life energy.
Since Xiao Wu had invited him over, he had to take advantage of the opportunity.
Before entering the Star Dou Great Forest, he had promised Xiao Bai that they would soak in the Lake of Life.
Doing so would greatly enhance Xiao Bai's cultivation, allowing her to sustain longer periods of activity on land.
In reality, letting Xiao Bai bathe in the lake was merely a method to absorb its life essence.
Originally, his plan was to secretly bring Xiao Bai along and sneak into the lake.
After all, the Lake of Life was vast, covering nearly two-thirds of the core area.
With only the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape guarding it, they couldn't possibly watch over the entire lake at all times.
Letting Xiao Bai come over secretly to absorb the lake's essence would have been an easy task.
However, now he had a legitimate reason to obtain some of the life essence.
It was worth mentioning that the closer one got to the lake's center, the purer the life essence became.
A single drop from the center could be equivalent to an entire patch of water near the shore.
Letting such an opportunity slip away would be a huge loss.
Having thought it through, Ye Tian made his decision.
With a refined and gentle demeanor, he bowed slightly to Xiao Wu and said, "Since the journey isn't far, I'll accept your invitation."
"Ye Tian, you're such a good person!"
Xiao Wu's pink bunny ears perked up again, and her face returned to its previous sweet smile as she gave Ye Tian a thumbs-up.
The Sky Azure Bull Python, who had been silently observing their conversation, flicked its tongue before slithering to Xiao Wu's side. Leaning in, it whispered:
"The island in the center of the lake is an important place. Isn't it a bit excessive to let him go there?"
As it spoke, the Sky Azure Bull Python also cast a wary glance at Xiao Wu.
Seeing its heavy suspicion, Xiao Wu gently stroked its small head and giggled.
"You might doubt my judgment of Ye Tian's strength, but Da Ming, you are a two-hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Are you telling me you could be mistaken as well?"
"He's just an ordinary person. What danger could he possibly pose?"
"Besides, wasn't it you who brought him here in the first place?"
Hearing this, the Sky Azure Bull Python flicked its tongue once more and withdrew its cold gaze, choosing to remain silent.
To be honest, it had not detected anything unusual about Ye Tian.
Given its current level of strength, there was no disguise in the entire Douluo Continent that could escape its eyes.
Ye Tian's cultivation level was genuine.
With that thought, the Sky Azure Bull Python's doubts completely vanished.
An ordinary human, no matter how skilled in medicine, was still just an ant.
And an ant was not worth paying special attention to.
"I'll take you both there," it said.
With its wariness set aside, the Sky Azure Bull Python's body expanded, growing into a massive serpent over ten meters long.
Its sharp and deep eyes locked onto the mist above the Lake of Life.
It spoke in a cold tone:
"This mist has a strong mind-bewitching effect. Without a guide, reaching the central island is impossible."
"I see," Ye Tian thought to himself, making a mental note of this information.
The next time he came to the core area, he could head straight for the lake's center.
"Hop on, Ye Tian," Xiao Wu said as she gracefully leaped onto the Sky Azure Bull Python's back. She extended a slender finger and beckoned him over.
But Ye Tian hesitated.
The Sky Azure Bull Python's back was at least two meters above the ground, and its scales were incredibly smooth.
With his abilities, he simply couldn't jump that high.
After struggling twice and failing both times, Xiao Wu couldn't help but laugh at Ye Tian's clumsy attempts.
This Ye Tian was truly amusing.
"What a hassle," the Sky Azure Bull Python muttered coldly. Unable to watch any longer, it flicked its tail and sent Ye Tian flying onto its back.
"Hold on tight. The Lake of Life is deep, and there are ten-thousand-year-old giant fish that could swallow you whole in one bite," Xiao Wu warned, her pink ears standing upright in mock seriousness.
The Sky Azure Bull Python, already gliding into the lake, retorted, "Xiao Wu, my movements are extremely stable."
"Ah, come on, I was just joking. You're no fun at all," Xiao Wu pouted before splashing some water at the massive serpent.
Da Ming, while not as reckless as Er Ming, was still quite dull.
He took everything too literally, behaving in a way that still carried traces of his soul beast instincts.
This made Xiao Wu tug at her ears in exasperation. Perhaps this was the fundamental difference between humans and soul beasts.
After all, for a soul beast to become human, it had to sacrifice its entire cultivation.
And in exchange, it would gain a truly useful tool—its mind.
"Oh, right! Ye Tian, you said you recently came down from the mountains. Have you thought about which empire you want to live in?" Xiao Wu asked eagerly.
Ye Tian smiled faintly. "I practice medicine and travel the land, never settling in one place."
"But if you're asking about my immediate plans, I'm considering heading to the Heaven Dou Empire."
He saw no need to tell Xiao Wu the truth.
After all, once they parted ways, they were unlikely to meet again.
"Really?" Xiao Wu's big, sparkling eyes shone with excitement.
"That's great!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight.
Then, realizing her reaction was a bit excessive, she quickly composed herself and asked in a more formal tone:
"Can I ask you for a favor? Could you deliver a letter for me?"
"…The address is Shrek Academy in Heaven Dou City."
"Do you know about Shrek Academy? The academy that won the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament years ago?"
Xiao Wu's face was full of pride as she reminisced about a certain group of teenagers… particularly one blue-haired youth named Tang San.
It had been five years since they last met.
Were the other six still doing well?
"Sorry, I don't know about it," Ye Tian replied calmly, keeping up his act.
Hearing this, Xiao Wu smiled awkwardly.
"Well, that makes sense. You just came down from the mountains, so it's normal not to know about the outside world."
With that, her eyes sparkled with excitement again.
"Would you like to hear about the Advanced Soul Master Tournament from back then?"
"As a matter of fact, I, Xiao Wu, graduated from Shrek Academy!"
"Back then, my teammates and I worked together, overcoming countless obstacles. We consecutively defeated the representative teams of several major sects and triumphed over the Five Great Elemental Academies, advancing to the finals."
"And in the final match, we defeated the strongest team of Spirit Hall's so-called 'Golden Generation'—the Spirit Hall Academy representative team—and were ultimately crowned champions of the Advanced Spirit Master Tournament."
As Xiao Wu spoke, her expression was filled with pride.
"So, you're really that amazing!"
Ye Tian feigned surprise and clapped in admiration.
But inside, he felt nothing.
"Of course! After all, I'm Xiao Wu!"
Xiao Wu flicked her bangs with a smug look, tilting her chin proudly, exuding an air of arrogance.
At last, there was someone who could appreciate the glory of her past.
Over the past five years, she had mentioned the tournament championship more than once to Da Ming and Er Ming, but neither had any interest in listening.
Thinking about it, Xiao Wu felt an even stronger urge to share.
She moved a little closer to Ye Tian and said with a triumphant smile:
"Winning the championship wasn't a big deal. It's a shame you weren't there—you didn't get to see the furious yet restrained expression on that old hag, the Pope of Spirit Hall. It was absolutely hilarious!"
"Amazing. But… who is the Pope of Spirit Hall?"
Ye Tian clapped again with a serious expression, pretending not to know.
"You don't even know the Pope of Spirit Hall?"
This stumped Mai for a moment, but then she recalled that Ye Tian was just an innocent young man with little experience in the world.
She could understand his lack of knowledge outside of medicine.
However, she wasn't troubled for long.
She quickly asked Ye Tian for some paper and began sketching.
Before long, a figure resembling a classic witch or wicked stepmother from fairy tales took shape on the paper.
Staring at the drawing of the Pope—holding a scepter, with a crafty gaze, a plump figure, and a face as wrinkled as an old crone—Mai felt deeply satisfied.
She put away her quill, then cheerfully handed the drawing to Ye Tian.
With a serious expression, she introduced it:
"Look, this is that old hag. Her name is Bibi Dong."
At first glance, Ye Tian almost burst into laughter.
If Bibi Dong ever found out, Xiao Wu would probably turn into a spirit ring on the spot.
"Incredible. So, this is what the Pope of Spirit Hall looks like."
Studying the drawing, Ye Tian clicked his tongue in amazement.
He truly admired Xiao Wu's imagination. If not for being a spirit master, she could definitely become a horror artist.
"That's right! Bibi Dong looks exactly like this. Not only that, but she's extremely ruthless and unpredictable."
To help Ye Tian understand, Mai even raised a fist menacingly and imitated Bibi Dong in a sharp voice:
"The food today does not satisfy this Pope's tastes. You—drag him out and castrate him!"
After her performance, Xiao Wu solemnly added, "See? This is the despicable Pope, Bibi Dong."
"It's not just the Pope—Spirit Hall as a whole is detestable."
"Ye Tian, if you ever encounter people from Spirit Hall, it's best to stay away. And if they come to you for treatment, don't help them."
"A doctor…" Ye Tian instinctively wanted to object, but Xiao Wu cut him off.
"A doctor heals the world, right? I know."
Mai waved her hand dismissively and sighed:
"Ye Tian, you're as pure as a blank sheet of paper."
"Someone like you, wandering the world, will probably be scammed out of everything—even your clothes."
"Not every patient in this world is a good person."
"I think you should stay on the mountain a few more years and have your master teach you some life lessons."
Hearing her lecture, Ye Tian chuckled lightly and said:
"My master sent me down the mountain so that I could learn those lessons myself."
"He told me that he had taught me all there was to know about medicine, but the human heart is complex—something he could not teach me. I had to experience it for myself in the world."
"Before I left, his last words were: 'Never trust others so easily.'"
Ye Tian spoke seriously.
After finishing, he glanced at Xiao Wu.
A faint smile played on his lips.
Silly little rabbit—her own head wasn't exactly sharp, yet she wanted to lecture him.
Some people really thought they could be teachers, huh?
"So, your master really did teach you everything."
Xiao Wu propped her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful.
"Probably. He said he had, and I didn't dare ask further." Ye Tian nodded.
"Haha, you're so adorable."
Mai chuckled, winking as she teased:
"Aren't you afraid your master lied to you?"
"If he did, so be it. He's my master, after all," Ye Tian replied seriously.
"Xiao Wu, stop chatting. We're almost at the Heart of the Lake Island,"
The Sky Azure Bull Python up ahead spoke.
"And the letter you wanted Ye Tian to deliver? You haven't written a single word yet."
At these words, Xiao Wu's expression became slightly embarrassed.
She had been holding things in for too long and just wanted to chat with Ye Tian.
"No rush, I'll be done soon."
Xiao Wu defended herself.
Then, she quickly picked up the pen.
But soon, she hesitated.
She didn't know what to write—there was simply too much she wanted to say to the Seven Devils.
A few small sheets of paper weren't enough to hold her thoughts.
"I really wish I could go to our five-year reunion now!"
Xiao Wu ruffled her hair and sighed.
But unfortunately, she still needed half a year to reach the Spirit Saint level.
Before reaching that stage, she couldn't leave the Star Dou Forest.
Thinking of this, a trace of melancholy appeared on her face.
Unsure of what to write, she looked up and half-jokingly said:
"Ye Tian, if only you could make a pill that could boost spirit power in a short time."
"That… is actually quite simple." Ye Tian blurted out without thinking—then immediately regretted it.
(End of Chapter)
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