Chapter 92: Sister's a Bit Unhinged
Yao Yan naturally noticed the odd look on Hai Bodong's face and asked curiously, "What's this? Just hearing Caidie's sister's name is enough to scare the Ice Emperor pale?"
He chuckled as he said it, clearly not thinking Hai Bodong was someone easily frightened. If he were truly timid, he would've never cultivated to the Dou Huang level. Hai Bodong wasn't some shortcut-taking, pill-dependent Dou Huang either—his many battle scars spoke volumes about his experiences.
Caidie also looked at Hai Bodong with curiosity. Tilting her head slightly, her twin ponytails dangled on either side, adding a touch of innocence and charm.
Meanwhile, Ling'er had already hidden herself in Yao Yan's arms—she really didn't like the environment of the Tagor Desert.
Hai Bodong glanced at Caidie and said slowly, "Your sister's gone a little mad lately. She's wiped out over a dozen mercenary groups recently—some of which were even led by Dou Lings. All annihilated. Not even corpses were left—just pools of blood. Things have escalated to the point where no one in the Jia Ma Empire dares step foot in Snake-People territory. Their relations are now ice-cold. Judging by the situation, some forces might pressure the empire into a full-scale war with the Snake-People."
Though the Tagor Desert was barren and lacked resources, the rare materials it did contain were incredibly valuable due to the harsh environment. This naturally attracted many adventurers.
And that, in turn, gave rise to many mercenary groups.
But Queen Medusa had gone ahead and wiped them all out. Unsurprisingly, the factions that had ties to those mercenaries were now furious.
Individually, they might not amount to much, but combined, they were enough to make the Jia Ma Empire take notice. After all, no empire would tolerate being trampled on indefinitely.
"Big Sis… really doesn't like humans~"
Caidie smiled awkwardly after hearing that, stealing a glance at Yao Yan and whispering softly.
Yao Yan didn't mind. If her sister had massacred those mercenary groups, it likely meant they'd crossed a line—perhaps by engaging in the snake-person trafficking trade. He didn't comment on that. What mattered more to him was the map fragment: "Where is it?"
Hai Bodong replied, "It hasn't been confirmed yet, but a mercenary reportedly saw it in the Moxie Tribe of the Snake-People."
"That's Mobas's territory. He's pretty strong."
Caidie picked up the thread, clearly remembering him.
She paused.
Then, tapping her chin with a finger and eyes slightly glazed in recollection, she added, "I think he had a thing for my sister. Used to bring her gifts to the palace. Eventually, Sis got annoyed, so I met with him a few times instead. Bit of a dopey guy."
Three seconds of sympathy for Mobas... Yao Yan couldn't help but glance at Caidie and said, "No one asked you to share all that."
Caidie rolled her eyes—he was the one who said he liked her sister, wasn't he?
Hai Bodong, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all by Caidie's words. "Mobas does admire Queen Medusa. It's common knowledge in the Moxie Tribe. He even built a giant statue of her—it stands right in the middle of the tribe."
Caidie blinked in surprise—she clearly hadn't heard about that before.
Respect, my dude.
Yao Yan was impressed too. Only in the fantasy world would someone simp with this much flair. That alone would put all the bootlickers of his past life to shame. Unfortunately, Mobas had chosen the wrong person. Caidie's sister wasn't the type of woman that could be chased. Only someone stronger than her—so strong that it left her in awe—could possibly win her over.
"Alright, enough gossiping... Elder Hai, thanks for the intel. I plan to head to Snake-People territory shortly. You coming with me?"
Elder Hai?!
Hai Bodong felt that title was a bit much. He wasn't that old, really. But ever since Yao Yan and Caidie started calling him that, following Teng Shan's example, he hadn't been given a chance to protest.
He paused for a moment, then shook his head and politely declined. "Forget it. I'll pass. If you two don't need anything from me, I'll return to Jia Ma Holy City to continue cultivating."
The Tagor Desert was a terrible environment for someone who practiced ice-element Dou Qi. Now that he'd broken through his bottleneck, there was no reason to keep tempering himself here.
Hai Bodong had decided—he would go all out and push for the peak of Dou Huang!
"…Fine. Once I've taken care of things here, I'll come find you. I promised Teng Shan I'd refine three Dou Ling Pills and one Royal Extreme Pill for the Miteer Family. If the intel about the map fragment proves true, I'll also throw in a Breaking Zong Pill for you."
Yao Yan thought for a moment, then agreed, also mentioning his prior commitment to Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong was visibly shocked. He clearly hadn't known Yao Yan could refine sixth-tier pills yet. His lips trembled as he exclaimed, "Young Master, you can refine sixth-tier pills now?!"
"I managed it once by sheer luck. If I find and refine a heavenly flame in the Tagor Desert, becoming a true sixth-tier alchemist shouldn't be a problem."
Yao Yan nodded and admitted it directly.
Hai Bodong changed his mind on the spot, face unblushing, voice unwavering: "In that case, I'll stay. Let me know if there's anything I can help with."
He figured—why struggle in seclusion when he could just tag along with a sixth-tier alchemist like Yao Yan? If he still couldn't break through to Dou Zong under these circumstances, then something was seriously wrong with him.
"Alright."
Yao Yan didn't refuse. He was more than happy to have Hai Bodong tag along. The man had good strength and potential—he just lacked luck and backing. If he had access to an Earth-rank cultivation method, his progress would be even faster. If needed, Yao Yan could consider grooming him.
He did have ambitions of building his own force. Hai Bodong and the Miteer Family were perfect stepping stones. Whether it was searching for heavenly flames or other resources, their help would be invaluable.
As for the Soul Hall and Soul Clan—
They were inhuman. They made good allies for killing—but not for trust.
When it came to consolidating resources and forces, Yao Lao inside his ring was actually a better candidate than Hai Bodong. But Yao Lao was incredibly shrewd. Yao Yan wasn't confident he could win him over. A Dou Zun wasn't easy to manipulate—especially one with a grudge against Soul Hall.
For now, he'd take things one step at a time. First, raise his strength.
Caidie glanced at the nervous Hai Bodong and couldn't help but giggle. "Relax. If my sister tries to kill you, I'll just hug her and give you a chance to run."
Hai Bodong twitched at the corner of his mouth. He didn't think he was that helpless. Queen Medusa might be scary, but she hadn't beaten him yet.
(END CHAPTER)
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