When Xiao Se agreed without hesitation, Elder Hao's aged face instantly bloomed with delight.
He casually tossed over a white jade token and said cheerfully, "This is the room key. Just place it into the groove on the wall beside the door and it'll open. The Earth Spirit Fruit seeds are stored in the area reserved for the rarest materials. Go take a look first — once you find what you need, we'll complete the exchange."
Xiao Se accepted the jade token and nodded.
Leading Xiao Yixian with him, he pushed open the heavy doors of the medicinal storage vault.
After passing through a long corridor, they arrived before a chamber wrapped in a faintly glowing energy barrier. Xiao Se glanced around and quickly spotted a shallow indentation carved into the wall.
Stepping forward, he pressed the jade token into the groove.
Buzz—
The energy barrier dissipated like rippling water.
Xiao Se pushed the door open and entered together with Xiao Yixian.
Inside, the room shimmered beneath soft, milky light.
The entire chamber was lined with white jade, each surface faintly luminous. Several branching corridors extended inward, and along both sides stood massive medicinal cabinets.
Within the cabinets lay countless herbs and materials rarely seen in the outside world.
"So many…" Xiao Yixian said softly, eyes widening. "Their collection is impressive."
"Well, this is Canaan Academy," Xiao Se replied with a smile. "Their foundation runs deep."
He then turned his gaze toward the second corridor and said gently, "Xian'er, the seeds and herbs we need should be in that section. I'll head over there and take a look around."
"Alright." Xiao Yixian waved him off casually. "Go on."
Among the materials Xiao Se requested, several were also of interest to her, so she was more than happy to search independently.
Xiao Se walked alone down the quiet jade corridor.
That was when Long Kui's gentle voice sounded in his mind.
"Brother… there's a little girl over there. Is she the one you're looking for?"
"Yes," Xiao Se replied inwardly.
"She's very special. Her true form is a Void Ancient Dragon with royal bloodline — an ancient beast even stronger than the Seven-Colored Devouring Python. I need a drop of her essence blood to cultivate a secret technique I obtained back in the Jia Ma Empire."
As he spoke, the small figure came into view.
The girl stood barely to his waist.
She wore simple white clothes and looked around twelve or thirteen years old. Long pale-violet hair cascaded down her back, soft and glossy. Her skin was delicate and fair, almost glowing, and her face looked as if it had been sculpted from jade — adorable enough to make one want to pinch her cheeks.
A pair of pitch-black, lively eyes blinked with mischievous intelligence.
At the moment, she was holding a massive fruit with both hands and chewing fiercely.
The fruit was Ice-Fire Dragon Beard Fruit — a high-grade medicinal material as hard as metal.
Crunch.
Crunch.
She merely glanced at Xiao Se once, then continued eating without concern.
"…Isn't that bitter?" Xiao Se asked with a smile as he approached.
The little girl froze.
She glanced left, then right.
Only after confirming no one else was around did she tilt her head and ask suspiciously, "Are you talking to me?"
Xiao Se raised an eyebrow.
"Is there anyone else here?"
"Grrr—"
She took another huge bite and chewed noisily.
"It's bitter," she admitted while chewing. "But I need the energy inside to grow stronger."
"What if I made it taste good for you?" Xiao Se said casually.
She stared at him.
Clearly unconvinced.
But curiosity won out.
She tore off a small piece from the fruit and handed it to him.
"If you can really make it taste good, I'll believe you."
Xiao Se stared at the chunk of fruit — still glistening with suspicious saliva.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
It's fine. It's fine.
Loli saliva is… fragrant.
Loli saliva is fragrant…
After mentally hypnotizing himself, he lifted his hand and drew the fragment toward his palm.
Pink flame rose silently.
Without hesitation, he tossed the fruit piece into the fire.
The girl's eyes widened.
In just a few breaths, the hardened fragment melted into liquid, condensed, rotated — and finally formed a smooth golden-orange pill resting quietly on Xiao Se's palm.
"Try it," he said.
She leaned closer and sniffed.
Then she licked it.
Her eyes exploded with light.
Without hesitation, she popped it straight into her mouth.
Chewing slowly, her expression changed instantly.
"…Mmm!"
Her small face lit up in pure delight.
"That's delicious!"
She swallowed happily, then looked up at Xiao Se with shining eyes.
"My name is Zi Yan! What's yours?"
"Xiao Se," he replied with a faint smile.
"Xiao Se… Xiao Se…" she murmured, repeating it several times.
Then she shoved the half-eaten fruit toward him.
"I remember your name now! You're a good person! Can you turn the rest of these into tasty pills too?"
"Of course."
Xiao Se accepted the mangled fruit.
Then, with a slight grin, he took out several brightly wrapped candies he had bought earlier from Douluo Continent, tossed them together with the fruit into his flame, and refined them simultaneously.
Moments later, more than ten golden-orange pills floated gently in his palm.
These weren't true medicinal pills — merely half-refined energy pellets.
To humans, they would be impossible to absorb.
But for Zi Yan…
They were perfect.
"Try one more," Xiao Se said, handing her another.
She popped it into her mouth.
A sweet strawberry flavor burst across her tongue, followed instantly by a surge of immense energy.
Her body shuddered slightly, eyes nearly rolling back in bliss.
"So good! Sooooo good!"
It was as if she had discovered a whole new world.
"If you like them, keep these," Xiao Se said with a chuckle, transferring the pills into a jade bottle and handing it over.
"Thank you!"
Zi Yan hugged the bottle tightly.
In her simple worldview, anyone who gave her tasty food was unquestionably a good person.
"If you ever want more," Xiao Se added gently, "just bring the ingredients yourself. I'll help you turn them into pills."
Her eyes sparkled.
"You really are a good person!"
She clenched her tiny fist enthusiastically.
"From now on, we're friends! If anyone bullies you, I'll beat them up!"
Xiao Se barely managed to suppress his laughter.
"Then I'll be counting on you."
After chatting excitedly for a while, Zi Yan suddenly asked, "Where do you live? Can you take me there? When my pills are gone, I'll come find you!"
"Sure," Xiao Se replied. "But I've got a friend with me. Let me call her first."
"Okay!" Zi Yan nodded eagerly.
A short while later, the three arrived at Xiao Se's small pavilion.
Zi Yan looked around carefully, memorizing every detail.
"Got it! I won't forget!" she said brightly.
"When I run out of pills, I'll bring herbs and come find you again!"
With a cheerful wave, she dashed off down the path.
Xiao Se watched her go, shaking his head with a smile.
"What a ridiculously adorable little creature."
Beside him, Xiao Yixian stiffened.
"…Why did that sound so suspicious?"
She hugged her chest protectively, glaring at him with open disdain.
"I'm starting to seriously suspect my boyfriend might be a closet loli-lover."
Xiao Se: "..."
Some accusations truly hurt more than any attack.
(End of Chapter)
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