Chapter 13: Two Years

The bright sun shone high as the two young people, having rested for the night, walked out of the mountain cave.

On the face of the young girl walking behind, there was still a flush that had yet to fade.

Do not misunderstand; the two of them did nothing. It was simply that the young and innocent girl could not yet accept sleeping with a man, especially when a certain bastard's hands and feet were always restless.

She glared fiercely at Xiao Yan, who was currently feeling refreshed, and unwillingly climbed onto his back once more. They were still on the cliff; to get down, she had to rely on this scoundrel.

Her jade-like legs were warm and smooth, her delicate body soft, driving away the last trace of Xiao Yan's grogginess from waking up and filling him with energy. Soon, he dashed down from the cliff, continuing toward the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

In the dense forest, water sources and caves are always scarce.

In a verdant valley, a waterfall cascaded from the west and flowed toward the east, nourishing a patch of fertile land in the center of the valley. All kinds of medicinal herbs and flowers grew in competition, covering the valley's fertile fields.

Little Fairy Doctor could hardly move her feet the moment she arrived here.

Young girls love flowers, physicians love medicine; with both medicinal herbs and flowers gathered in the valley, was this not a blessed land for Little Fairy Doctor?

Although there was no cave in the valley to dwell in, so what? She could just dig one herself.

No sooner said than done!

Xiao Yan condensed his powerful Heavenly Flame into a fire shovel, easily inserting it into the mountain face. With a forceful pull, a large pile of earth was brought out. Repeating this, half a day passed in a flash, and the orange-yellow sunset already shone into the cave Xiao Yan had dug, revealing a one-bedroom, one-living-room dwelling. As for why it was one-bedroom and one-living-room instead of three-bedroom and one-living-room, that was nonsense—why would two people need a second room? Xiao Yan expressed that he could not understand.

At this time, Little Fairy Doctor walked in from outside, carrying wild vegetables and fresh fish. Looking at the walls that revealed a texture similar to basalt after being scorched by the Heavenly Flame, as well as the excellent lighting facing the sun, Little Fairy Doctor could not help but nod. But when she saw the bed, which was the only one and already covered with quilts and pillows, she still spat in her heart. She could guess the thoughts of that bad egg even with her heels. She really didn't know how she had been tricked into coming out in the first place.

Because they had long planned to live in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Yan had certainly brought all the necessary pots, bowls, and seasonings. After finishing a fragrant fish soup, Xiao Yan leaned against the newly built bed, holding Little Fairy Doctor. The two of them discussed how to add a bathroom, a cultivation room, and other such issues, while drifting into dreamland. The first day in the valley thus passed in peace.

Time flies like a white horse passing a crack, and two years passed in a flash.

In the cloudless high sky, a figure with purple eagle wings spread wide soared through the firmament.

Suddenly, the purple-winged figure stopped, hovering in the void. Scorching flames condensed on their hands, merging into a large bow. The bowstring was drawn like a full moon, and the fiery arrow was aimed at a patch of dense forest below.

In the dense forest below, a Stone-Armored Beast was foraging as usual. The immense pressure unique to a Tier 3 Magical Beast caused the surrounding creatures to flee or hide. Suddenly, an intense sense of crisis swept over the Stone-Armored Beast's entire body. Its scales tightened instantly, and the surrounding earth elements gathered rapidly, forming an indestructible armor around it. Such a double-layered defense would give even a Tier 4 Magical Beast a headache, but at this moment, it could not bring the beast the slightest sense of security. The beast's instinct told it that the danger had not yet passed. Its thick limbs moved rapidly, trampling everything in front of it as it fled at high speed.

"Red Flame Arrow!" Xiao Yan shouted explosively. His voice was like a booming bell, exploding in the silent sky.

Boom!

The string vibrated like thunder, and the crimson fire arrow carried the might of the Heavenly Flame as it pierced through the air.

Although the Stone-Armored Beast had tried its best to flee, the scorching fire arrow pursued it relentlessly as if it had eyes.

The hard stone armor and tough scales were easily pierced like a thin, brittle piece of paper under the burning of the Heavenly Flame and the impact of the Red Flame Arrow. A violent explosion destroyed the Stone-Armored Beast's life from the inside out.

When Xiao Yan descended from the sky, he saw a charred corpse three meters high and over ten meters long lying on the ground.

Gathering flames into a sword, he waved his hand, and a brown magic core the size of a palm was collected into his palm.

Over these past two years, Xiao Yan had not only completely refined the Volcanic Stone Flame, pushing his cultivation directly to the level of a Seven-Star Great Dou Shi, but he had also mastered the general principles of Dou Techniques and created many unique Dou Techniques of his own. The previous Red Flame Arrow was one of them. Xiao Yan estimated it could reach the level of a Profound-tier Intermediate technique, but if the power of the Heavenly Flame were added, it would be a solid Profound-tier Advanced Dou Technique; even when facing Earth-tier Dou Techniques, Xiao Yan had the confidence to put up a fight.

In addition to the Red Flame Arrow for long-range attacks and the Eagle Wings for flight, Xiao Yan also created the lower-level Wave-Devouring Ruler based on Yao Lao's Flame-Splitting Wave-Devouring Ruler. After all, although Earth-tier Dou Techniques were strong, Xiao Yan could not use them at will at his current level; every time he used the Flame-Splitting Wave-Devouring Ruler, more than half of his Dou Qi would be drained, which was very inconvenient. Therefore, he usually used the lower-level Wave-Devouring Ruler against enemies, which was also Profound-tier Low-level. Although its power was much weaker, it had the advantage of being sustainable. Of course, Xiao Yan naturally had not neglected the Earth-tier Flame-Splitting Wave-Devouring Ruler, having practiced it to the Great Completion stage as a trump card.

Finally, there was the Flame Emperor Armor. On the Dou Qi Continent, as long as one reached the Great Dou Shi level, one could release Dou Qi externally to form Dou Qi Armor. Xiao Yan combined this feature, further strengthening the Dou Qi Armor and incorporating the power of the Heavenly Flame to create the Flame Emperor Armor. Its defensive power was three times that of ordinary Dou Qi Armor, and it came with the effects of isolating poisonous gas and enhancing other Dou Techniques, though the consumption of Dou Qi was also increased by two times. The biggest advantage of the Flame Emperor Armor was that its power could increase with the addition of Heavenly Flames. Although it could not evolve autonomously like the Burning Mantra and required Xiao Yan to deduce it himself, as a Dou Technique highly bound to the Burning Mantra, it was no problem to maintain the same level as the Burning Mantra with the latter being a gem. At this time, like the Burning Mantra, it had reached the Profound-tier Intermediate level. However, the current level of the Flame Emperor Armor was still too low, and Xiao Yan felt he should keep a low profile, so he temporarily called it the Flame Sovereign Armor.

Calculating the time, he had been out for a while. It was time to go back, otherwise Xian'er would be worried. Thinking this, Xiao Yan flapped his wings and soared into the air again, rushing toward the side of the forest.

In the valley where the cave dwelling was located, the most obvious change compared to two years ago was the addition of a medicinal field. Ever since Xiao Yan officially started practicing alchemy two years ago, the demand for medicinal herbs had surged. Moreover, Little Fairy Doctor's cultivation also required the preparation of a large amount of poison, so the two of them opened up this medicinal field together. In addition to planting some common auxiliary herbs, many main herbs that were not yet mature when found were also transplanted here by the two.

At this time in the medicinal field, a white figure was busy among the fields. It is said that a girl changes eighteen times; in two years, the once immature girl had grown into a graceful young woman. Little Fairy Doctor was clearly taller than two years ago, having grown to nearly 1.7 meters, about 1.68 meters. Although Xiao Yan had returned to Green Mountain Town several times to buy clothes for Little Fairy Doctor, they still couldn't keep up with the growth rate of her body. Her white dress was bulging at the top and bottom, front and back, making the girl's beautiful, curvaceous figure fully visible. Her long, black hair was draped casually, fluttering with her dress in the clear, gentle breeze. Only her willow-like waist remained as slender as it was two years ago.

The purple figure landed quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the beautiful scenery of the mountains, but the girl still felt the young man's arrival.

She lifted her pretty little face slightly, looking in the direction of the young man, and the two smiled at each other; such a scene had long been a daily routine for the two.

"You're back?" the girl's voice was crisp and melodious.

"I'm back," the young man's voice was deep and powerful.

"Come over and lend a hand; we have to harvest all the herbs in the field before we leave."

"Alright," Xiao Yan replied, walking to the other end of the field.

At this time, although Little Fairy Doctor was worried that ingesting too much poison would lead to a loss of control, she had reached the Dou Shi level with Xiao Yan's help.

With the combined efforts of one Dou Shi and one Great Dou Shi, the small medicinal field was soon harvested.

Returning to the cave, they lit the stove, and before long, a dinner of pan-fried Stone-Armored Beast meat with vegetable soup was ready.

After the two were full of food and wine, Little Fairy Doctor went into the bathroom to wash first. Accompanied by the sound of water while the girl bathed, Xiao Yan practiced his commonly used Dou Techniques one last time for the day and sat in meditation to circulate his Qi for several cycles. Although the growth of cultivation for both Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor did not actually rely on this method of meditation, it was, after all, the foundation of cultivation, so the two still kept this habit.

After completing the daily evening practice, Little Fairy Doctor had also finished bathing and returned to the room.

In the bathroom, the gurgling hot spring washed away the fatigue on Xiao Yan's body from top to bottom.

Coming out of the bathroom and into the room, on the bed spacious enough to sleep five or six people, Little Fairy Doctor had just finished her evening meditation and opened her eyes. The two had been living together for more than two years, and this bit of tacit understanding had long been cultivated.

Because it was midsummer, Little Fairy Doctor was only wearing a bodice-like garment, and Xiao Yan only had a pair of underpants on.

"Xiao Yan," on the bed, Little Fairy Doctor's jade hand stroked Xiao Yan's chest: "After leaving the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where do you plan to go?"

"I plan to go to the Tagor Desert," Xiao Yan toyed with Little Fairy Doctor's hair, although he had done it many times, he just couldn't get tired of it: "I told you before, I have two brothers there, and I want to take you to meet them. And..."

"And what?"

"And I suspect there will be a Heavenly Flame there."

"A Heavenly Flame!" Little Fairy Doctor sat up in astonishment, her full jade-like breasts appearing and disappearing under the illumination of the Moonstone, making Xiao Yan exclaim that his eyes were feasting.

"Is this true?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel there should be one. You know, I have always had a connection with Heavenly Flames." Xiao Yan certainly knew that there was the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame there, but such things were really hard to explain, so Xiao Yan could only claim it was a premonition or something similar.

"It would be great if there really is one," Little Fairy Doctor said with some hope.

"Why, are you so impatient to marry me?" Xiao Yan hooked Little Fairy Doctor's fair chin with his right hand and smiled wickedly.

Previously, in the cliff cave, the two had agreed that after Xiao Yan helped Little Fairy Doctor resolve the Woeful Poison Body, Little Fairy Doctor would marry him.

"Dream on! Even if you collect all the Heavenly Flames, there are still two other materials. The Pill Tower you mentioned before isn't that easy to get into!"

Although she said that, Little Fairy Doctor didn't actually think the Pill Tower would be that unreachable for Xiao Yan. Although Xiao Yan had spent nearly half of his energy over the past two years refining Heavenly Flames and practicing Dou Techniques, he had still used the other half of his time to reach the level of a Tier 3 Alchemist, and he was not far from a Tier 4 Alchemist. With such talent, even if Little Fairy Doctor was not very clear about the recruitment standards of the Pill Tower, she could almost be certain that Xiao Yan would definitely be able to get in.

Gently patting away Xiao Yan's right hand, Little Fairy Doctor lay back down: "Let's sleep. We have to leave tomorrow, so we need to get enough rest tonight." After saying this, she didn't care about Xiao Yan and closed her eyes directly.

Xiao Yan grinned, pulled Little Fairy Doctor closer to himself, covered her with the quilt, and soon fell asleep as well.

The next morning, the two packed their luggage and put it into their Storage Rings.

Taking one last look at this place where he had lived for two years, Xiao Yan spread his Purple Cloud Wings, supported the Little Fairy Doctor's back with one hand, hooked his other arm under her calves, and lifted her into a horizontal embrace, while the Little Fairy Doctor naturally draped her arms around Xiao Yan's neck.

The purple wings flapped violently, carrying the two of them into the air like an arrow released from a bowstring. The scenery beneath them shrank rapidly, turning into a patch of mottled color.

Riding the purple wings, the two sped toward the east of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, gradually drifting further away into the horizon.

Over the vast, boundless desert, the scorching sun poured down, illuminating the sands in a golden hue. High above the desert, a purple figure was moving at high speed.

Crossing over layers of sand dunes, upon seeing the city in the distance, about ten-plus miles away, Xiao Yan slowly descended and retracted the Purple Cloud Wings.

Transforming Dou Qi into wings is the privilege of a Dou Wang level expert; in such a small border city, a Dou Wang expert is an incredible big shot. To avoid trouble, Xiao Yan chose to land in the wilderness outside the city.

Gently setting the Little Fairy Doctor down from his arms, he took two cloaks from his Storage Ring, handed one to the Little Fairy Doctor, and draped the other over himself. When traveling abroad, one must always be a little careful.

Holding the Little Fairy Doctor's hand, the two walked the final ten-plus miles, and a massive yellow city appeared before them.

A crowd with bronze-colored skin moved in and out of the city gate. Most of the men were bare-chested, and while the women were slightly better off, most also wore tight, skin-revealing leather outfits. By comparison, the attire of Xiao Yan and his companion was somewhat conspicuous. However, Xiao Yan would not change it; neither his own toned physique nor the Little Fairy Doctor's jade-white skin was something for these people before them to covet or gawk at.

"Desert City." Reciting the name of this city, Xiao Yan smiled, thinking of someone who should count as an old acquaintance. Afterward, he led the Little Fairy Doctor slowly toward the city gate.