Chapter 61: with translation of chapter title

"Strange Fire!"

Bringing up this term, Xiao Ding noticed Xiao Yan's eyes light up; he scratched his head in some puzzlement, and Xiao Ding looked at Xiao Li, "This Strange Fire thing is extremely rare; I've been here two years and haven't heard any news about it, ah!"

Xiao Li chuckled, "Listen to me first: I'm already a Fighting Spirit, my sensitivity to energy is sharper than yours, plus I've had some fortunate encounters, so I noticed something as soon as I arrived here."

As soon as Xiao Li's words fell, Xiao Yan's face lit up with ecstatic joy; the second brother had been a first‑rate talent since childhood, and Xiao Yan trusted his father and elder brothers most—since they said so, it must be correct.

Xiao Yan was eagerly waiting for Xiao Li to continue when Xiao Li shifted the topic, "Hey Xiao Yan, you've always said you have a teacher; we haven't met him yet—I wonder if we could meet him."

Xiao Yan blinked; the topic shifted rather quickly, but it seemed inevitable that they'd meet eventually—finding a Strange Fire would be impossible without a teacher's help.

Xiao Yan took off the ring on his hand and, without the slightest hesitation, handed Yao Lao over.

Yao Lao, who had been listening intently: ……

This kid trusts his family unconditionally—ah! Yao Lao felt somewhat helpless, no longer hiding it; come to think of it, the three Xiao brothers have practically grown up under his watch, their character is assured, so let's just meet.

Yao Lao emerged from the ring, smiling, and greeted the two of them, "Hey there, little guys."

Seeing Yao Lao's forced smile, Xiao Li almost burst out laughing, quickly maintaining a look of shock.

"Little Yan, this is……"

Xiao Yan pressed his lips together and began to recount Yao Lao's story……

To cut a long story short, Xiao Li and the other basically understood.

Xiao Li feigned sudden realization, "Oh, that's how it is—I was wondering why I couldn't see Xiao Yan's teacher."

Yao Lao, hovering nearby, saw that neither of them showed anything unusual, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, what exactly is the Strange Fire you mentioned earlier, Xiao Li?" Yao Lao's expression grew grave; the importance of Strange Fire to Xiao Yan went without saying, and he truly cared about this.

Understanding Yao Lao's mood, Xiao Li gave a solemn nod, "When I first arrived here, I sensed strong fire fluctuations in the eastern part of Shimo Cheng; if I'm not mistaken, there should be a Strange Fire there."

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao exchanged a glance; it matched the map description they'd obtained from Hai Bodong—there was a Strange Fire near Shimo Cheng.

"Second Brother, do you have any way to find it?" Xiao Yan asked nervously.

Xiao Li shook his head, "I can only vaguely sense that it's buried underground; probably the area where fire element is strongest."

Xiao Yan felt a bit disappointed, but quickly perked up—finding a Strange Fire isn't easy, so knowing the approximate location is already pretty good.

"Xiao Li, I can sense a violent blood‑kill aura on you—has your cultivation run into any trouble?" Yao Lao suddenly asked.

Xiao Li startled, a sour feeling rising; this tone really reminded him of his father Xiao Zhan, "It's fine, Yao Lao—I happened to obtain a Strange Lightning and have completely subdued it."

Now it was Yao Lao's turn to be stunned, "Strange Lightning, huh—what luck, kid! This stuff is even rarer than Strange Fire, no wonder you can sense the Strange Fire."

Xiao Li smiled, not elaborating further, "Yao Lao, I wonder if you need any soul‑replenishing medicinal herbs……"

Yao Lao paused mid‑motion; before he could speak, Xiao Yan was already excited—Xiao Li had given him plenty of surprises today, "Of course we need it, Second Brother—do you have any information on such herbs?"

Xiao Li nodded, producing a Purple Clear Spirit‑Binding Vine; its gentle yet powerful energy fluctuation almost made Yao Lao's breath catch.

"Little guy, tell me—what do you need me to do?"

Yao Lao was very sensible; he knew that even as Xiao Yan's teacher, he couldn't just take such a precious item—a sixth‑tier medicinal herb, still a rare soul‑replenishing material, its value nearly on par with a sixth‑grade pill.

Xiao Li gave a faint smile, "Then I'll speak frankly, junior: I've founded a force called the Lightning Sect in Heijiao Yu; I need to borrow Yao Lao's reputation, and also occasionally have Yao Lao help me refine a few fifth‑grade pills. Of course, my compensation isn't limited to this herb—whenever Yao Lao has need, I and my sect will give our full assistance."

Yao Lao nodded, not paying much attention to Xiao Li's last remark; with Xiao Yan as the link, whether it's Yao Lao or Xiao Li, if either runs into trouble, the other will do everything to help.

"Alright, I agree." Yao Lao didn't hesitate long; this was an easy choice—having this sixth‑tier herb would let him unleash Fighting Sect strength, and refining a few fifth‑grade pills was trivial for a peak eighth‑grade alchemist.

Xiao Li's face lit up with joy; without hesitation he handed over the Purple Clear Spirit‑Binding Vine, and Yao Lao felt a growing fondness for him.

Seeing the win‑win situation, Xiao Yan felt glad, "Once the teacher recovers, we'll go look for the Strange Fire."

Xiao Li naturally wouldn't object—Queen Medusa could find a Strange Fire with peak Fighting Emperor strength, and Yao Lao's soul perception is even sharper; if he recovered to Fighting Sect level, he'd surely find one too.

"By the way, Big Brother, aren't there other mercenary groups inside Shimo Cheng?" Xiao Li asked Xiao Ding beside him.

Xiao Ding nodded, "That's right—since we just arrived, some folks are still rather hostile toward us; if we launch a large‑scale search for the Strange Fire……"

Xiao Li's expression remained calm, "Got it—Yao Lao should go recover his strength first; I'll head out for a bit."

"Wait, Xiao Li, why are you going out with your gun on your back?"

……

In the middle of the night, Xiao Li returned to the base covered in blood, followed by a group of dazed mercenaries.

These mercenaries had vacant stares, still muttering, "Too terrifying—everyone's dead."

"A Great Fighter‑level Luo Bu couldn't even withstand a single move from Brother Li's hands."

"Those few mercenary bands in Shimo Cheng that held grudges against us are all dead."

"Brother Li even had me check the roster one by one—everyone's dead, not a single one escaped."

"And that's not all—even their disciples, sons, and family members, none managed to escape."

The mercenaries watched Xiao Li's back as he wiped his Thunder‑Scale Spear, their eyes filled with great fear as well as admiration.

"Those mercenary bands have been opposing us for a long time; now they're wiped out—does that make our Iron Desert the top force in Shimo Cheng?"

Suddenly a voice piped up, and the others looked at him speechlessly, "Of course—you didn't see any other mercenary bands fleeing overnight on the road, did you? Anyone who'd had even a bit of friction with us automatically brought their related people along before running."

"Is this what it feels like to have backing? This feeling is truly damn satisfying……"

Dear readers, since I've been updating too slowly, I'll recommend some friends' books in the upcoming chapters—because my last book was a fanfic of Quanzhi Fashi, I know quite a few authors of that series.

This book was written by an old writer from the group; it should be able to secure a stable contract, and since it's the start of the month, everyone can go invest a bit.

【Formula to Turn the Silver Superman into an Ancestor】: Be his friend, accompany him through the failures of his growth journey, until he pushes the Heaven‑Launching Star with his hands, stands atop the world, and have someone toss his shredded corpse before him.

(End of Chapter)