"Mm-hmm." Xiao Yixian gave a soft smile and quietly stepped behind Goku.
He opened the first stone box. Inside was an ancient, multicolored scroll. Xiao Yixian's eyes immediately lit up as she eagerly pulled it out. The moment she unfurled it, her face broke into a radiant smile.
"What is it? You look so happy." Goku asked casually, a curious glint in his eye. Not that he needed to ask—he already knew what it was.
"It's a poison manual—one that details the recipes and techniques for crafting all kinds of poisons," Xiao Yixian said with a bright smile, flipping the scroll around to show him.
Goku glanced at the title written on the edge of the scroll. "Rainbow Poison Manual? You're a fairy-like doctor, and now you're dabbling in poison?"
His tone was teasing, but he didn't expose her secret. Goku knew very well that Xiao Yixian possessed the Woeful Poison Body, and this manual was likely the key to rapidly increasing her strength.
He had no intention of stopping her. That poison body? It wasn't a threat to someone like him. When the time came for its eruption, he could deal with it easily. For now, this was the perfect tool for her to improve her power.
"Mind your own business!" she said, rolling her eyes at him—but the joy in her expression was undeniable. She cheerfully tucked the rainbow Poison Manual away.
Next, they opened the second stone box. Inside was yet another scroll, just as Goku had expected—it was the flight-type Dou Technique, Purple Cloud Wings.
"Purple Cloud Wings? A flying Dou Technique? What even is that?" Xiao Yixian tilted her head, confused.
"You practice it, and it lets you fly."
"Fly? But that kind of ability only unlocks when someone reaches Dou Ling level, and even then, only barely…" she said, clearly astonished.
"That's why this technique is so rare and valuable. With it, you can fly even now," Goku replied with a grin. He handed her the scroll. "This isn't of any use to me—you take it."
"You're really giving me all this? Be honest—do you have some ulterior motive?" Xiao Yixian narrowed her eyes suspiciously, staring him down.
"Of course I do," Goku smirked. "I'm hoping you'll become my bride one day."
"Dream on! You think giving me a few treasures is enough to win my heart?" Xiao Yixian huffed, waving the Wings of the Hawk scroll in her hand. "Are you really sure you don't want this?"
Goku nodded. "It's not useful to me. You might as well keep it—it'll be a good way to protect yourself."
After thinking it over, Xiao Yixian accepted it without protest. Given Goku's mysterious and overpowering strength, it was no surprise he wasn't impressed by a flight technique like this.
They moved on to the third stone box. Inside was yet another Dou Technique—a rare sonic-type skill of the High rank.
"Another one that's not much use to me. Take it," Goku said without even glancing at the scroll, passing it over to her.
"Okay, I'm convinced now. You must be some rich young master from an ancient clan. Only someone like that would treat such rare treasures like they're worthless." Xiao Yixian shot him a look, then grabbed the scroll without hesitation. "You're a noble heir, I'm just a poor girl. If you don't want it, I'll take it!"
Just then—tap tap tap...—the sound of footsteps echoed from deeper in the cave. Xiao Yixian's face shifted, and she instinctively ducked behind Goku.
"Sounds like someone's coming!"
"They are," Goku replied calmly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And it's someone we know."
"Someone we know?" Xiao Yixian looked toward the entrance, confused.
Moments later, over a dozen figures emerged from the shadows and blocked the stone door. Leading them was none other than Mu Li.
"Mu Li?! What are you doing here? Were you following us?" Xiao Yixian's face turned grim.
"Following you? Now, now, Xiao Yixian, don't make it sound so ugly," Mu Li replied with a smile, as if everything was under control. "I was just making sure you were safe. I didn't expect you to find such a big secret, so I thought I'd come along and take a look."
Then his expression darkened as he turned to Goku. "Boy, you don't have Niu backing you up this time. Heh… Now we can settle our little grudge. But I'll be generous—join our Wolf head Mercenary Group, hand over everything you just found, and kneel to apologize. Do that, and I'll let bygones be bygones."
"You might just be the dumbest person I've ever met," Goku replied flatly, his gaze calm. In his eyes, Mu Li and his men were already dead.
"Heh… Still talking big? Don't worry—I'll make sure you regret ever being born." Mu Li sneered before looking at Xiao Yixian again. His tone turned gentle. "Xiao Yixian, give me those things. As long as you follow me, once I take control of the Wolfhead Mercenaries, I'll make sure you're treated like a queen."
"Follow you?" Xiao Yixian laughed coldly. "If you can walk out of this chamber alive, maybe I'll consider it."
She shook her head with pity. Mu Li really had no idea who he was dealing with. This was the same Goku who had killed a rank 2 magical beast with a flick of his finger. Did he think the Wolfhead Mercenaries could handle someone like that?
"Really?!" Mu Li lit up with excitement, totally missing the sarcasm. Even his men began to sense something was wrong, but he was completely oblivious.
"Hopeless…" Xiao Yixian sighed and returned to Goku's side.
"You're playing me?" Mu Li's face darkened, his tone turning murderous. "Fine! Kill him! But don't hurt Xiao Yixian—she's mine. I still plan to take her back and break her in properly!"
"Yes, sir!" Five burly mercenaries charged at Goku with murderous intent.
"Idiots," Goku muttered.
He vanished in a blur. The next moment—bang bang bang!—all five attackers were sent flying, crashing into the stone walls, blood splattering everywhere. None of them got up.
Xiao Yixian barely flinched. She had grown up in Qingshan Town. She was no stranger to death.
"What the hell?!" Mu Li's expression twisted in disbelief. The arrogance drained from his face, replaced by dread. "You're… strong. Fine. You two, go!"
Two more men stepped forward—these were the ones who'd fought the Fire Python earlier.
Calling them Dou Shi was a stretch—they were barely holding their rank using some forbidden technique. Their power was unstable, and their Dou Qi shallow. Against a real Dou Shi, they were nothing.
Sure enough, Goku glanced at them with mild annoyance. He threw a single punch—BOOM!—and the force alone sent both men crashing into the walls. Bones shattered. They didn't move again.
Mu Li's eyes widened in horror.
"Who… Who are you?! This can't be real! My father is the leader of the Wolf head Mercenaries! He's a Two-Star Dou shi—you can't just kill me!"
"Oh? Trying to use Daddy's name now?" Goku mocked, shaking his head. "Too bad. Your dad is nothing but an ant to me."
With that, he raised one finger. A beam of light pierced Mu Li's forehead before he could even scream.
The remaining mercenaries fell to their knees, trembling and begging for mercy.
"You've followed Mu Li for so long—I doubt your hands are clean. Time to go join him."
A ki blast formed in Goku's hand—and with a flick, it flew toward the kneeling men.
After dealing with Mu Li and the rest, Goku walked back toward the skeleton that had been sitting on the stone throne.
If his memory served him right, there should still be a fragmented map hidden on that skeleton—a partial map to the legendary Pure Lotus Demon Flame. Though Goku already knew the flame's true location, since he was here, he might as well retrieve the map.
"Goku, what's so interesting about a skeleton? Let's head back already," Xiao Yixian called out. Her brow furrowed as she glanced around at all the corpses now littering the stone chamber. Being surrounded by so much death was hardly pleasant.
"I just want to check if there's anything else on the body," Goku replied quietly.
Sure enough, as he examined the gap between the bones of the right forearm, he spotted a small, aged scroll tucked into the cracked joint. A faint smile touched his lips. "Found it."
With a flick of his mind, the scroll vanished into his world ring. Then, he retrieved it and unrolled it in his hand.
"You actually found something?" Xiao Yixian asked, a little surprised. Curiosity sparked in her eyes as she walked over. Goku didn't hide anything—instead, he held the scroll out so they could look at it together.
It was an aged, yellowed piece of parchment. No one could tell what kind of material it was made from, but its texture was coarse and ancient. Strange, seemingly meaningless patterns were drawn across it. Tracing one of the lines with a fingertip led only to confusion—it extended off the scroll with no obvious path or end.
But Xiao Yixian's eyes suddenly lit up. Her voice trembled slightly with excitement: "This... this looks like a treasure map! But it's incomplete… What a shame!"
Goku, however, smiled faintly as his gaze fell on a blurred lotus-like symbol in the corner of the scroll.
" So it really is the map fragment."
Though this piece was of little use to him now, having it was still better than not.
"You recognize it?" Xiao Yixian's eyes widened with curiosity as she looked up at him.
Goku didn't hesitate. There was no need to hide anything. Besides, he'd long ago decided that every one of his girls would get their own Heavenly Flame. Let them refine it, become stronger—that was all part of his plan.
"It's a map fragment pointing to a Heavenly Flame—the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, to be exact. It ranks third on the Heavenly Flame list."
Goku's voice was calm, but Xiao Yixian's eyes flew open in shock. Her hand instinctively covered her mouth.
'Heavenly Flame? And not just any, but the third-ranked Pure Lotus Demon Flame? That's impossible…'
She understood full well the value of a Heavenly Flame—they were the sacred treasures of alchemists. Every time one appeared in the world, it would cause a bloodbath of competition. Pure Lotus Demon Flame? That was practically legendary.
"You… you could've just kept this for yourself," she said softly, her eyes fixed on him. "Why show it to me?"
Goku chuckled. "A mere Heavenly Flame isn't more important than a friend. If you want it, it's yours."
He handed the map fragment to her, just like that—without hesitation, without drama.
Xiao Yixian's vision blurred. Her eyes grew misty.
How could any girl not be moved when someone handed her something so rare—something countless others would kill for—and said it meant nothing compared to her?
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions. Then, with a soft smile, she handed the map back to him.
"Thank you. What you said means a lot to me. But… I'll never become an alchemist. A Heavenly Flame wouldn't be much use to me. You should keep it."
"It's just a map fragment—it's not a big deal," Goku said with a casual wave of his hand, tossing the scroll back into his world ring. Then he looked at her, his expression growing a bit more serious. "When I get the real Pure Lotus Demon Flame one day, I'll give it to you."
Xiao Yixian smiled, taking his words as a lighthearted joke. But even if she didn't believe it fully, it still made her happy inside.
"Come on. Let's get out of here. Otherwise, Captain Niu and the others might start to worry."
Goku nodded. The two of them turned toward the cave exit, walking side by side.
"Xiao Yixian," Goku said suddenly, glancing sideways at her. "Want me to hold your hand again on the way back?"
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🎉 Shoutout to Muhammad Sharfaraaz! 🎉
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