Central Region — Ye City.
This large city, far more expansive than Wu Tan City, was naturally the domain of the Ye Family. As one of the five major families affiliated with the Pill Tower, the Ye Family had once basked in glory thanks to an illustrious alchemy master ancestor. However, since that generation, no one in the Ye Family had managed to break through to the rank of an eighth-tier alchemist. The clan's former prestige had long faded, and they now even faced the risk of being removed from the ranks of the five great families.
Even so, the Ye Family still held considerable influence within the Central Region. In Ye City, any local force that dared to offend the Ye Family would face a grim fate—though that was provided no young masters from powerful outside forces happened to be passing through on their training journeys. Fortunately, Ye City wasn't known for anything particularly rare, so major powers rarely came here.
At this moment, inside one of the Ye Family's medicine shops, a young girl in green was slumped behind the counter, yawning in boredom. Though she wasn't very old, her figure was dainty and charming. While her features were still youthful, they already showed signs of a vibrant beauty. Give her a few more years, and she would no doubt grow into a stunning woman who could bring down nations.
"When the hell is this kind of life going to end?" the girl muttered, yawning again as she sliced medicinal herbs. She still couldn't believe her father had actually sent her off to this godforsaken place. Sure, she'd been a bit lazy and sneaky back home, but was that really enough to deserve this?
As a member of the Pill Tower's affiliated Ye Family—one of the five great alchemist clans—the family had always emphasized cultivation of alchemical talent. All clan members with talent for alchemy were expected to study it diligently. But Ye Lingyu, the daughter of the current clan head, was a complete outlier.
Though she possessed decent talent, she found alchemy too tedious and refused to take it seriously. Even when guided by master alchemists, she would study three days and slack off for five. As a result, despite several years of training, she hadn't even qualified as a first-rank alchemist. At best, she was a fumbling apprentice.
Her complete lack of enthusiasm had finally pushed the clan head over the edge. He had banished her to this small medicine shop under the guise of "experience," forcing her to work with the herbs she disliked most. He even put her in charge of a small herb field and gave her a challenge—unless she could identify every herb there, she would not be allowed to return to the clan proper.
But Ye Lingyu? Just looking at herbs gave her a headache. She'd been here nearly a month and had only memorized a dozen or so types. At this rate, she wouldn't return home until pigs flew. She now missed her cozy bed more than anything in the world.
Just then, the doorbell rang as someone entered the shop. Without even looking up, Ye Lingyu lazily called out, "Welcome. Just grab whatever you need. Prices are flexible."
"Everything I want is up for grabs?" came a soft, pleasant voice.
Ye Lingyu blinked. For some reason, that voice seemed familiar. She looked up instinctively.
A young man with black hair stood before her. His features were neat and composed, but what caught her off guard was the extraordinary aura that radiated from him. There was something utterly refined and serene about him—enough to make her unconsciously fixate on him.
She stared until he gently placed a bundle of herbs on the counter and smiled. "Shopkeeper, please wrap these up for me."
"Oh, right!" Ye Lingyu snapped out of her daze. She quickly packed the herbs, then hesitated before asking, "Sir, have we met before?"
Xiao Yan paused briefly before shaking his head with a polite smile. "I don't believe so. This is my first time in this city."
"Oh..." Ye Lingyu shrank her neck in embarrassment. She silently scolded herself. Why would I ask something so inappropriate to a stranger? He must think I'm rude...
"The prices here are very fair," Xiao Yan added with a warm smile. "I'll definitely come again next time."
He said he'll come again! That single line made Ye Lingyu light up inside. When Xiao Yan left the shop, she clutched her forehead with regret.
"Ugh... I forgot to ask his name. What a failure!"
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan made his way to a small inn he had reserved in advance. As soon as he stepped into his room, Xiao Yao popped out from within him and giggled. "Hehe, Master, your charm is something else. One look and that girl was smitten!"
"Cut it out." Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "Did you sense anything?"
"I did!" Xiao Yao nodded seriously. "That girl does have the aura of the Life Spirit Flame on her. But based on her strength, there's no way she could refine it. She must have come into contact with it recently, or perhaps she encountered a medicinal plant transformed by the flame. That would explain the lingering trace."
"Hmm... looks like we'll need to spend more time with her." Xiao Yan murmured, then mused aloud, "There's a medicinal field behind that shop. Could the Life Spirit Flame be hiding in there?"
"Very likely."
"Then maybe we should sneak in tonight to take a look?"
"No way." Xiao Yao instantly shook her head. "Master, although I can detect the Life Spirit Flame, it can also sense me. And you've got a ton of Heavenly Flames inside you—it'll pick up on that too. Right now, with some distance, we're fine. But if you get too close, it'll definitely detect us. Once that happens, it'll burrow deep into the earth, and catching it will become a nightmare."
"That's troublesome..." Xiao Yan frowned slightly.
Under normal circumstances, the Life Spirit Flame wouldn't be so elusive. But now, with sixteen types of Heavenly Flames merged within him, any approach would trigger the flame's instinctive fear. While Xiao Yan could seal off space to trap it, a top-five Heavenly Flame like the Life Spirit Flame likely had its own escape methods that might bypass spatial barriers altogether.
"Hehe, but I've got an idea!" Xiao Yao beamed. "That girl has the flame's aura on her. If you stay close to her for a while, your body will gradually pick up the same aura. When the time comes, the flame won't be so afraid of us."
"Looks like we don't have a choice then..." Xiao Yan sighed.
"Oh! I just thought of a faster way!" Xiao Yao's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Forget spending time building up her aura on you. That girl already likes you, right? Just sleep with her, and—ow!"
Before she could finish, Xiao Yan flicked her hard on the forehead.
"One more suggestion like that," he warned, "and you're getting locked in the little black room for a month."
(End of Chapter)
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