The winding paths of the Magical Beast Mountains still hid their secrets; the cave Chen Guan sought remained elusive. His hunt was not entirely fruitless, however. He encountered a pair of Fire Foxes, though a flicker of disappointment passed through him when he realized neither was the culprit from the day before.
After a hearty meal over a crackling fire, Chen Guan pocketed the two Magical Beast Cores left behind by the foxes. He was discovering another reason to hunt them: unlike other beasts, they had a surprisingly high drop rate for cores.
Putting aside his search for other prey, Chen Guan turned and headed straight for the territory of the Red-Ice Snake King.
Just as he could remember the scent of the Fire Fox, the great snake could remember his. He didn't even need to search for it. The moment he entered the area, the massive serpent burst from the dense forest, its eyes burning with a desire to wash away the shame of their last encounter.
This time, however, Chen Guan was prepared. Rested and at the peak of his power, he felt no fear. Gripping his broadsword, he moved to meet the beast's charge.
With a flicker of movement, he executed the Wanderxing Cloud Step to evade a spray of foul-smelling venom. Dou Qi surged through him as he activated his Boundless Sea technique, meeting the charging beast head-on in a ferocious collision of flesh and steel.
The first clash sent him staggering back dozens of steps, but Chen Guan only grinned. He met the beast's relentless assault with his own, each wave of his broadsword attack stronger than the last. By the twentieth exchange, they were fighting on even terms. The cost, however, was staggering; the exchange had already drained a tenth of his Dou Qi reserves. He gave a silent thanks for his Xuan-level cultivation technique. If he were using a common Huang-level one, he would have been completely spent after just two or three such powerful attacks.
"Haha, again!" Chen Guan's spirit soared.
To him, the Red-Ice Snake King was the perfect adversary—an opponent that could push him to his limits without utterly crushing him. Every strike was a genuine attempt to kill, with no mercy shown on either side. An opponent like this was a rare treasure.
Because of this, Chen Guan temporarily set aside any thoughts of landing a fatal blow. He would use the snake as a whetstone to sharpen his skills.
For nearly two hours, man and beast clashed. They fought back and forth across the territory, resting when exhausted, their battle throwing the entire region of Rank 2 Magical Beasts into chaos.
As dusk began to settle, Chen Guan swallowed a Rank 2 pill to restore his Dou Qi, disengaged from the fight, and fled toward the edge of the mountains.
"See you tomorrow!" he called back over his shoulder.
The Red-Ice Snake King gave chase for a short distance before stopping. Perhaps it understood the boy's words, or perhaps it was simply too tired to continue. There was always tomorrow to settle the score.
Leaving the mountains behind, Chen Guan headed directly for the Wanyao Pavilion. After such a prolonged battle, it was impossible to escape completely unscathed, but fortunately, his injuries were all superficial. He could have treated them himself, but why bother when a perfectly good doctor was available for free? Professional help was always better.
The familiar storefront, the familiar staircase. Seeing Chen Guan, whose injuries appeared minor, making for the stairs again, a few hot-tempered mercenaries moved to block his path. Before they could speak, a firm hand landed on one of their shoulders.
"Mister Chen is an honored guest of our Wanyao Pavilion," Manager Chang said, his grip conveying a clear warning.
"Honored guest? This pretty boy?" one of them sneered.
"Fine," another grumbled. "We'll give the Wanyao Pavilion face. But don't let us catch him outside."
Manager Chang simply chuckled without another word. He knew better than to argue. No one understood the power behind this young man better than he did. Just today, he had personally escorted a batch of rare herbs to the nearby city of Jieji. He had expected a routine handover, but was shocked when the City Lord himself came to receive the shipment, treating the seemingly ordinary transaction with the utmost importance. It was then Manager Chang realized the boy's identity was anything but ordinary. While blatant flattery might be unwelcome, ensuring the young man's comfort within the Wanyao Pavilion was the least he could do.
Upstairs, Chen Guan arrived at the Little Fairy Doctor's clinic. It was busier than yesterday, and he had to wait for half an hour until the last of the other patients had departed.
"Just some scrapes today," he said, gesturing to his arms. "Could you help me apply some medicine?"
"Take off your shirt," she replied, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Did you really go after the Fire Foxes?"
Seeing his slightly sheepish expression, Xiao Yixian already knew the answer.
"Of course," he declared proudly. "A man has to keep his word. Unfortunately, I didn't find the one from yesterday, but I did find two of its brothers. I roasted them both. Here," he said, producing a perfectly cooked Fire Fox from his storage ring. "I saved one for you, as promised. Don't worry, I dealt with the gamey smell."
When the young man actually placed a glistening, golden-brown roasted fox on her table, the corner of the Little Fairy Doctor's mouth twitched. She had assumed he was joking.
But... it did look incredibly delicious. The crispy skin practically made her mouth water.
"Ahem, I'll pass," she said, forcing herself to look away. "Fire Foxes smell terrible. You can never get it out." Despite her words, she had to swallow discreetly.
"I'm giving it to you for free today," he said with a shrug, seemingly unfazed by her rejection. "I'll just have to bring you something even more delicious next time."
"You don't have to," she said, her tone softening. "And thank you again for the notebooks. They've been more helpful than you can imagine."
After she sent him out the door, the Little Fairy Doctor returned to her seat. Her eyes fell upon the roasted fox. She hesitated for a long moment, then couldn't stop her hand from stretching out.
Is it really as good as he said? Just one bite. Just a taste...
She tore off a piece of leg meat and slowly brought it to her lips. A rich, savory aroma bloomed on her tongue. It was... actually wonderful. And there was no gamey smell at all.
Her hand reached out for another piece, then stopped. She shot up from her chair, hurried to the door, and peeked her head out into the hallway. Seeing no one, she quickly shut the door and slid the lock home with a decisive click.
The next day, Chen Guan ate, trained, fought the snake king, and then visited Xiao Yixian for treatment, this time bringing her a steamed Fire Fox.
The day after, the same routine, but the offering was a spicy, braised Fire Fox.
Then came a secret family recipe for stewed Fire Fox.
Then a sizzling stir-fry.
For more than ten days, Chen Guan's life fell into a predictable rhythm, and he made steady progress on all fronts. After dozens of hours of combat, he had completely mastered the Red-Ice Snake King's attack patterns. He no longer felt the immense pressure from their initial clashes and could now handle the beast with ease.
He would visit the Wanyao Pavilion every single day, rain or shine. Even on the few days he escaped his spar without a scratch, he still showed up, his creative Fire Fox dishes proving to be a powerful tool for building their friendship. He and Xiao Yixian were now close friends, their conversations flowing easily from culinary techniques to strange tales from across the Dou Qi Continent. They shared gossip about the mercenaries in town and exchanged harmless jokes, both of them cherishing the easy, comfortable atmosphere they had created.
But while they were enjoying themselves, the manager of the Wanyao Pavilion was growing deeply concerned. For the past two weeks, the Little Fairy Doctor seemed to have contracted a strange illness. Her appetite had vanished. She barely touched the meals delivered to her room each day, and it was starting to worry him. It wasn't just personal concern; Xiao Yixian was the golden signboard of his establishment. If something happened to her, the Pavilion's business would plummet by at least twenty percent.
How could he not be worried?
Meanwhile, in a quiet room at the inn, Chen Guan sat in deep meditation. A soft, internal pop echoed from within his body.
His eyes snapped open, shining with a brilliant light. A wide grin spread across his face.
"Finally," he breathed, feeling the new wellspring of power within him. "A Four-Star Dou Zhe."
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