"Hand over the treasures you've obtained, and I might consider sparing you," said the Second Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
"Do you think we're fools? If we hand over the treasures in a situation like this, do you really believe you'd let us go?" Little Fairy Doctor sneered.
"You are indeed clever. In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless. You're right—what goes around comes around." The Second Leader waved his hand, and the members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, wielding their weapons, began to close in on Mu Chen and Little Fairy Doctor.
Thud
With a gentle tap of his finger, Mu Chen caused the body of the foremost member of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group to explode into a mist of blood.
Thud
Mu Chen's finger tapped again. With each tap, another member of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group met their demise. In no time, only the Second Leader remained.
"This…"
The Second Leader stared at Mu Chen in shock. The scene before him was truly terrifying.
Thud
The Second Leader, who had been so bold moments ago, now cowered. He dropped to his knees and begged, "Please, don't kill me! I beg you, spare my life!"
While pleading, the Second Leader continued to crawl forward on his knees. When he was within two or three meters of Mu Chen, he suddenly pulled out a dagger and lunged at him.
Thud
Mu Chen's finger tapped lightly once more, and the Second Leader's body exploded into a cloud of blood.
Little Fairy Doctor watched all of this unfold. Dozens of lives had been effortlessly erased by Mu Chen.
Mu Chen walked over to Little Fairy Doctor and gently patted her shoulder, encouraging her, "One day, you too will become as strong as I am. Come, let's see what the third stone box holds."
It took Little Fairy Doctor a while to recover, but her eyes soon shone with admiration. Seeing Mu Chen's immense strength ignited a desire to become strong within her.
Little Fairy Doctor approached the third stone box and inserted the black key into the lock. Inside was a scroll with a red hue.
"It's yours," Mu Chen said.
"Without even knowing what it is, you're already giving it to me?" Little Fairy Doctor opened the scroll and discovered it was a Battle Skill. Holding the scroll, she smiled and asked, "This is a high-level Battle Skill. Are you really willing to just hand it over?"
"It's just a Mystic Rank Battle Skill," Mu Chen said indifferently.
"How do you know that?" Little Fairy Doctor asked in surprise.
Mu Chen's heart skipped a beat, realizing he had almost revealed too much. He could never let it slip that he was familiar with the story's progression.
After a pause, Mu Chen replied, "Because… when your soul reaches a certain level, your soul perception becomes incredibly sharp. You can observe even the tiniest details, like ants ten miles away."
"Really?" Little Fairy Doctor asked with a look of longing.
"Yes," Mu Chen said, clearly wanting to change the subject. "Let's go. There's nothing else of value here."
"What about that?" Little Fairy Doctor pointed to a small mountain of gold coins piled inside the cave.
"In my eyes, those are just golden stones. I'm not really interested in money," Mu Chen said casually.
"…" Little Fairy Doctor looked at Mu Chen speechlessly.
This time, she didn't mock him. Mu Chen had shown no interest in rare treasures like the Ice Flame Spirit Grass or the rare flight Battle Skill, Wings of the Eagle, so it was no surprise he didn't care about mere gold coins.
Mu Chen was Mu Chen, and Little Fairy Doctor was Little Fairy Doctor.
Little Fairy Doctor had never seen so much money before, so she unceremoniously pocketed all the gold coins in the cave. With that, the only thing left in the cave was the fragment of the map leading to the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire.
Mu Chen, who knew the story well, was aware of where to find the other three fragments of the map. However, since he already possessed the Yin-Yang Dual Flames, he had no interest in the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire.
Following Mu Chen, Little Fairy Doctor left the cave. At the entrance, Mu Chen once again gave her a mischievous smile and wrapped his arm around her waist.
Perhaps because it wasn't the first time, Little Fairy Doctor didn't resist, though her fair cheeks still flushed red.
Mu Chen carried Little Fairy Doctor and, relying on his soul perception, found a mist-shrouded mountain valley.
The valley was filled with trees and a cascading waterfall, making it an excellent place for cultivation.
Mu Chen set Little Fairy Doctor down and, with a thought, commanded, "Rise!"
Four massive trees, each requiring five people to encircle, were uprooted from a kilometer away and floated over to Mu Chen.
"Wind, come!"
With a wave of his finger, a fierce wind sliced the four trees into hundreds of wide planks and dozens of thick blocks. Following Mu Chen's will, the planks and blocks assembled themselves into three houses.
"Rise!"
Mu Chen then commanded again, and a 1.8-meter-high earthen wall sprang up around the three houses. In no time, a simple courtyard had formed.
"Which room would you like to stay in? The one on the left is the kitchen," Mu Chen asked.
"Aren't we going back to Green Mountain Town?" Little Fairy Doctor asked.
"Not for now. We'll return after we've absorbed the treasures we've obtained," Mu Chen said.
"Alright," Little Fairy Doctor nodded. She had obtained the Seven-Colored Poison Manual and needed to concoct poisons. This secluded valley was the perfect place for such activities.
"Take out the Purple Cloud Wings," Mu Chen said.
"Purple Cloud Wings?" Little Fairy Doctor looked at Mu Chen in confusion.
"It's the flight Battle Skill, Wings of the Eagle. With your Woeful Poison Body, you need a place to store the poison within you. If it were to erupt, it would be catastrophic," Mu Chen explained.
"What Woeful Poison Body and poison? What are you talking about?" Little Fairy Doctor's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes flickered as she feigned ignorance.
"Are you sure you want to keep this hidden from me?" Mu Chen asked.
Little Fairy Doctor met Mu Chen's gaze and asked, "You… you already know?"
"Yes," Mu Chen nodded.
"When did you find out?" Little Fairy Doctor asked curiously.
"What if I told you I found out when I used my X-ray vision on you? Would you believe me?" Mu Chen teased.
"X-ray vision?" Little Fairy Doctor's heart raced, and she instinctively covered her chest. She suddenly realized that Mu Chen had the ability to see through her clothes… to see her body.
"Relax, it's no big deal. It's not like I haven't seen it all before," Mu Chen chuckled mischievously before urging her, "Take out the Wings of the Eagle scroll. There are some things I need to remind you about!"
(End of Chapter)