Hai Bodong's eyes gleamed as the seal was lifted, and he slowly turned his gaze toward Gu He.
'Is this old man planning to….'
Sensing Hai Bodong's sharp stare, Gu He's lips curled slightly before he raised his head, meeting the gaze with an unreadable calm.
The atmosphere between the two grew tense, charged with unspoken tension.
Leaning casually against his chair, Gu He mused inwardly:'Old Hai, I hope you don't make a mistake here.'
His decision to rescue Hai Bodong had been partly selfish, yes—but more than that, it had been driven by lingering sentiment.
He couldn't bear to see the once-mighty Ice Emperor, a man of such pride and power, reduced to silence and stagnation.
Yet now, it seemed this old man wasn't particularly grateful.
Hai Bodong's earlier skepticism had already eroded Gu He's goodwill. If the Ice Emperor dared to act recklessly now, Gu He wouldn't hesitate to sever their past ties.
Even if Hai Bodong had regained most of his strength, Gu He could still end him with a single move.
The tension thickened as Hai Bodong's piercing eyes bore down on Gu He from above. A faint chill emanated from his palms, the icy aura of his restored power swirling around him.
After more than a decade of suppression, his emotions surged uncontrollably.
And then there was the matter of the half-scroll of the mysterious map—originally his, now in Gu He's possession. A cold glint flashed in Hai Bodong's eyes at the thought.
The Ice Emperor of the past had been ruthless and unyielding.
No one had ever dared to seize anything from him by force. Yet Gu He had taken that remnant map—something Hai Bodong had treasured—without hesitation.
Back then, with his strength still sealed, Hai Bodong had suppressed his hostility. But now, with his power returning, other thoughts stirred within him.
He still didn't fully understand the significance of that fragmented map. But Gu He's obsession with it suggested it held a great secret.
Why else would a sixth-tier alchemist like Gu He risk his life venturing into the Great Tagore Desert in search of the Sand Mandala?
Hai Bodong hadn't forgotten—he had been hunted for thousands of miles by Queen Medusa for that very remnant map, ultimately leading to his sealing.
All his suffering traced back to that single scrap of parchment.
And now, after enduring so much, he was expected to hand it over without resistance?
Unacceptable.
Suspended mid-air, wreathed in frigid dou qi, Hai Bodong's gaze remained locked onto Gu He's impassive face as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
He believed he understood Gu He's strength.
The man was known as the "Pill King" precisely because his cultivation had once been at the DouKing level. Even if Hai Bodong hadn't fully recovered, dealing with a Dou King should have been effortless.
But when he extended his spiritual sense to probe Gu He's cultivation—
'Huh?' His brow furrowed.
He couldn't sense anything.
'Strange.'
'Is Gu He using some technique to conceal his cultivation?'
Gu He's calm, inscrutable demeanor sent an inexplicable prickle of unease down Hai Bodong's spine.
That silence, that unfathomable presence—it finally tempered the Ice Emperor's swelling arrogance.
Narrowing his eyes, Hai Bodong suddenly recalled something: Gu He had ventured deep into the Tagore Desert… and returned unscathed.
Back then, Hai Bodong himself had been detected by Queen Medusa, leading to his sealing.
Yet Gu He had gone in and come back alive.
That realization gave him pause.
And then there was that strange purple flame Gu He had wielded—a cold shiver ran through Hai Bodong.
'I almost forgot. This man possesses a Heavenly Flame!'
Though not an alchemist himself, Hai Bodong was well aware of the legends surrounding these heavenly flames.
Even a Dou Emperor expert would be lucky to survive refining one.
Yet Gu He had succeeded.
That alone spoke volumes about his capabilities.
As the chill of realization settled in his heart, the frosty expression on Hai Bodong's face softened. A stiff but amiable smile tugged at his aged features.
After weighing the risks, reason finally subdued his overconfidence.
'This man is not to be trifled with.'
With that thought, Hai Bodong's demeanor shifted entirely. The oppressive aura around him receded as he nodded at Gu He with forced geniality.
Noticing the sudden change, Gu He twirled the ring on his finger, his tone light but edged with meaning:
"Old Hai, how is your recovery? Earlier, you seemed… unsettled. Was the seal not fully broken?"
"Ah… yes," Hai Bodong replied hastily, seizing the offered excuse. "At the critical moment of breaking the seal, I lost control momentarily. My apologies for the disturbance."
He knew better than to provoke a sixth-tier alchemist—especially one whose strength he couldn't gauge.
If he couldn't kill Gu He here and now, letting him escape would only invite endless future troubles. The influence of a high-tier alchemist was not something to underestimate.
Seeing Hai Bodong's compliance, Gu He rose from his seat and extended a hand, his smile faint but firm.
"Now that the seal is lifted, our agreement is complete. That remnant map…"
At the mention of the map, Hai Bodong's face twitched. But he had no room to refuse—not when Gu He's expression had turned dangerously placid.
'Fine.'
He hadn't deciphered the map's secrets in all these years. Perhaps it was never meant to be his.
With a resigned sigh, Hai Bodong touched his storage ring. A small, aged piece of yellowed parchment appeared in his palm.
Stroking it reluctantly, he muttered, "This map is… peculiar. I tried replicating it, but every copy deviated wildly from the original. In the end, I had to abandon the idea. Perhaps it's due to its incompleteness."
Gu He stared intently at the fragmented map, then glanced at Hai Bodong's face.
Though he vaguely understood some of the reasons behind his hesitation, he chose not to voice his thoughts to dispel the man's doubts.
When he first obtained a piece of the map in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Gu He had discovered that these fragments were imbued with an immense, yet deeply concealed, soul power.
This dou qi was so obscure that it was nearly impossible for others to detect.
While the soul power itself posed no direct harm, anyone attempting to copy the map's intricate routes and markings would unknowingly have their sanity eroded.
The result? A reproduced map that bore almost no resemblance to the original.
On his end, Hai Bodong reluctantly traced his fingers over the remnants of the map.
After a long silence, he sighed in frustration. "Fine, take it. I suppose this map must be divided into several pieces. Holding just this fragment is useless—finding the others is practically impossible anyway."
With a faint smile, Gu He reached out and took the silken remnant.
As he examined it, a wave of ancient, weathered dou qi seemed to emanate from it. The fragment had clearly endured countless years, carrying with it an aura of timeless history.
Holding the small piece, Gu He retrieved another portion—the one he had taken from Hai Bodong during their last encounter—and carefully aligned the two. When they fit seamlessly, he gave a slight nod of satisfaction.
"Gu He," Hai Bodong rubbed his hands together, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, "now that the map is in your hands, can you at least tell me its purpose? What do you hope to gain by collecting all the fragments?"
"Old Hai, to be honest, I'm just as curious as you are," Gu He replied with a casual shrug.
Hai Bodong let out a dry chuckle, though inwardly, he scoffed: "As if you don't know. If you were truly clueless, why would you risk so much to venture into the desert?"
But he understood the unspoken message—Gu He had no intention of sharing the map's secrets.
With a resigned sigh, Hai Bodong shook his head. After all, the fragment was already in Gu He's possession. What could he do?
Forcing the issue would only earn him the enmity of a sixth-grade alchemist, and that was a fool's gamble.
Besides, despite the map's mysteries, he had spent years studying it to no avail. Even if he snatched it back now, he lacked the means to decipher it.
Moreover, he owed Gu He his freedom. The thought of betraying the man who had freed him from his seal left a bitter taste in his mouth. Swallowing his curiosity, he forced himself to let it go.
Tucking the fragment away, Gu He spoke again: "Old Hai, now that your strength has returned, I doubt you plan to remain a mere shopkeeper here, do you?"
"Originally, I stayed to study the map and find a way to break the seal," Hai Bodong admitted bluntly. "Now that the seal is gone and the map is out of my hands, there's no reason to linger."
He shot Gu He a questioning look. "Why do you ask?"
"Heh, there's something I'd like your help with," Gu He replied, the corner of his lips curling slightly.
Hai Bodong chuckled. "I do owe you a favor this time. If I assist you, we'll be even."
"I suspect you'll owe me more favors in the future," Gu He said smoothly. "Not for any grand reason—simply because I'm an alchemist. And not just any alchemist, but one capable of refining sixth-grade pills."
"Arrogant words… but not untrue," Hai Bodong conceded with a sigh.
"A sixth-grade alchemist is someone even a Dou Emperor would eagerly befriend—myself included." He nodded in agreement.
In this world, high-ranking alchemists were always sought after by the strong.
And the man before him was none other than the famed Pill King Gu He, a name that resonated across the Jia Ma Empire.
"Go on, then. What do you need? As long as it's within my power, I won't refuse." Stroking his short beard, Hai Bodong waited expectantly.
Gu He rose to his feet, his smile faint but assured. "Don't worry, Old Hai. What I ask will be well within your capabilities."
"Oh?" Hai Bodong raised an eyebrow. "Then enlighten me."
Without hesitation, Gu He retrieved a slip of paper from his spatial ring and handed it over. "All I ask is for you to gather the medicinal ingredients listed here."
"Medicinal ingredients?" Surprised, Hai Bodong took the list and skimmed through it.
Cold Marrow Branch. Exquisite Fruit. Blood Soul Grass…
His eyelids twitched. The further he read, the more his expression darkened. Each item was a rare treasure—some so obscure he'd never even heard of them.
By the end, his face had turned grim. "Gu He, you overestimate me. These ingredients are all priceless. Even I don't have the means to collect them."
"Old Hai, you sell yourself short," Gu He countered, his tone confident. "You managed to gather the materials for the Breaking Adversity Pill—a feat that speaks volumes about your connections."
"And let's not forget your status. As the Supreme Elder of the Miteer Family, with the Miteer Auction House's branches spanning the empire, securing these shouldn't be impossible for you."
"Nonsense!" Hai Bodong's temper flared.
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to gather the Breaking Adversity Pill's ingredients? The cost? The effort?" he snapped. "The items on your list are even rarer! Change your request—this one is beyond me."
Unfazed, Gu He merely smiled. "Old Hai, what's your current strength? Two-star Dou Emperor, correct?"
"Yes. Why?" Hai Bodong's voice was guarded.
"And before the seal?" Gu He's grin turned foxlike.
"Five-star."
"Ah… so despite breaking the seal, you've yet to fully recover." Gu He feigned sympathy. "It must be frustrating."
Hai Bodong scowled. "After decades of being sealed, it's impossible to bounce back immediately. Given four or five years, I'll naturally return to my peak."
"Heh. Do you truly believe that?" Gu He shook his head. "We both know that recovering lost strength often takes longer than the original cultivation."
"What's your point?" Hai Bodong's patience was thinning.
"Simply this: I can restore your full strength within a year—no lasting side effects."
Hai Bodong's eyes flickered with interest, though he remained wary. "How?"
"Have you heard of the Spiritual Recovery Purple Pill?" Gu He's fingers tapped lightly against the table.
"A fifth-grade pill. Not the highest rank, but its ingredients are exceedingly rare. Its effect? It completely restores strength lost to seals or injuries." He paused. "Perfect for you, wouldn't you say?"
"Spiritual Recovery Purple Pill…" Hai Bodong murmured, a spark of hope igniting in his gaze.
Then his expression hardened. "So this was your plan all along?"
…
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