Chapter 234: The End of the Matter

After dealing with Han Feng, Yao Lao fell silent, his eyes revealing a deep sadness.

Despite everything, he had once considered Han Feng to be his own son, having found him as an abandoned orphan and raising him, teaching him all his skills. This was the reason why he refrained from making Han Feng suffer.

Beside him, Xiao Yan watched Yao Lao with a heavy heart, uncertain of what to say. He knew little about Yao Lao's past, having only learned a bit from their recent conversation.

"Xiao Yan, there's something important I need to discuss with you," said Xiao Ming with a serious tone.

"During my recent visit to the clan, I had a conversation with your father. I am aware that you have been admitted to Jia Nan Academy, but with Venerable Yao Chen's soul body as your Master, I'm afraid that your purpose in entering the Jia Nan Academy wasn't solely for cultivation, right?"

Upon hearing this, both Yao Lao and Xiao Yan's faces paled.

Han Feng had also cultivated the Flame Mantra, and after he was captured, he must have revealed everything to Xiao Ming!

Xiao Ming continued, disregarding their reactions, "I found out about the Flame Mantra from Han Feng. This Qi Method can evolve with the help of a Heavenly Flame, and it is indeed a powerful technique. Xiao Yan, you practice this technique, don't you? I am concerned that your intention is to obtain the Heavenly Flame from Jia Nan Academy."

The faces of the master and disciple grew even uglier, and they intended to deny it, but they couldn't find a way to refute it.

"I don't mind if you take other people's Heavenly Flames, but when it comes to the Jia Nan Academy, I must warn you as an Elder of the Academy to abandon this idea. The current Jia Nan Academy is not something you can mess with."

"Han Feng also had the intention to attack the Jia Nan Academy, and that is why he fell into my hands. Despite his peak Dou Emperor cultivation, sixth-tier alchemist status, and the help of over twenty Dou Emperor and Dou King powerhouses, as well as two cultivators who could rival a Dou Ancestor, they all failed and met their death. If you two plan to take the Heavenly Flame from the Academy, even if Venerable Yao Chen's fame once shook the continent, the result..."

Yao Lao's reputation was great, but the Jia Nan Academy and Yao Lao had no interests involved, and if they were discovered, their fates would definitely not be much better.

Saying the last, Xiao Ming only smiled and shook his head, not continuing, leaving a lot of room for Xiao Yan and Yao Lao's imagination.

There was a long period of silence.

Seeing that the two did not respond, Xiao Ming waved his hand and said.

"Think about it on your own, and don't worry, I'll be there for the three-year agreement."

These words were a clear indication for them to leave.

Xiao Yan and Yao Lao also did not stay much longer and immediately left, as to whether they had listened to Xiao Ming's advice, only they knew.

If they had disregarded it, Xiao Ming wouldn't waste time trying to persuade them further. If they dared to venture to Jia Nan Academy, they would have to face the consequences.

As soon as Xiao Yan and Yao Lao left, Xiao Yi Xian stood up from her seat, her anger palpable. "Xiao Ming, I can't stand those two. Not only did they covet the Heavenly Flame you gave me, but they also dared to disrespect you."

How was she going to tolerate someone daring to press his aura on her man?

Xiao Ming approached Xiao Yi Xian and pulled her into his arms, whispering soothing words to calm her agitation. Despite the previous ambiguous atmosphere being ruined by Fa Ma's visit and the events that had just occurred, the couple was able to create a new, harmonious atmosphere.

They held each other for several minutes, and during this time, Yao Tian Huo returned to the ring in Xiao Ming's room.

...

After some time, Xiao Ming's daily routine returned to its previous calm.

On weekdays, he studied pill recipes and cultivated. He had already mostly completed the recipe for the Emperor's Stream Pulp and was only trying to solve the remaining challenging points. To be honest, the preparation of this recipe had been smoother than he had anticipated.

One day, while enjoying some tea in the courtyard, Xiao Ming was accompanied by a beautiful woman dressed in a red strapless brocade robe.

"Master Xiao Ming, these are the herbs you requested," Ya Fei's delicate voice with a hint of respect came through.

Ya Fei was in the Imperial Capital due to Hai Bodong, who had seen her abilities, so when he returned to the Jia Ma Sacred City, he casually brought her back.

With Hai Bodong's support, she gradually took control of the Miteer family.

Xiao Ming had been searching for medicinal herbs to refine the Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill and the Emperor's Stream Pulp. The Miteer Family was the largest business in the Jia Ma Empire, so it was only natural for him to look for Ya Fei.

He took the storage ring from Ya Fei, and after a quick inspection with his soul power, he noticed that there were only a few herbs, causing his brows to furrow.

Ya Fei, who had been observing him, quickly noticed the change in his expression and hurried to explain.

"Master Xiao Ming, the herbs you requested are difficult to find. I sent a message to all of our Miteer Family's auction houses in the Jia Ma Empire, and only found these few."

"Oh, I see. In that case, there's nothing that can be done about it." Replied Xiao Ming, knowing that Ya Fei's words were truthful. It was already challenging to obtain medicinal herbs to refine a sixth-tier pill, let alone a seventh-tier one. With a sigh, he transferred the herbs to his own storage ring.

Then, he returned the storage ring to Ya Fei.

Seeing Ya Fei respectfully accept the storage ring with both hands, Xiao Ming asked, "How long has your Supreme Elder Hai Bodong been in seclusion?"

"About forty days or so." Ya Fei mentally did the math before answering.

'More than forty days, then I guess he'll be out of seclusion soon.' Xiao Ming said secretly in his heart.

At this time, the days before Xiao Yan's ascent to the Misty Cloud Sect were quickly approaching, meaning that Hai Bodong's seclusion had lasted for an extended period.

Being a Dou Emperor, it would not take Hai Bodong long to consume the pill and regain his strength. Therefore, most of the time he spent in seclusion would have been used to take the Mighty Huang Pill and breakthrough to a higher star.

'I wonder what specific realm Hai Bodong's strength will be able to reach this time.'

Xiao Ming briefly wondered, but he didn't dwell on it for long.

Ya Fei soon left, and Xiao Ming was left alone in his courtyard sipping tea.

"Xiao Ming, I'm back!" Zi Yan's voice echoed in the courtyard, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.

Xiao Ming raised his gaze and saw a white figure fluttering towards him and finally landing on the chair next to him.

Glancing at the cheerful Zi Yan, Xiao Ming took a sip of tea and coldly replied, "Oh, look who decided to come back. You've been gone so long that I was beginning to think you didn't want to come home anymore."

Recently, Zi Yan had been spending more and more time outside, sometimes staying out for two or three days in a row. Although her strength ensured her safety, it was still not a good habit to spend several days outside.

"He he he, who says I don't want to come back? I just want you to come out and play with me," Zi Yan replied with a chuckle.

Xiao Ming shook his head without saying anything; he was too busy to have time for playing.

Besides, Zi Yan's idea of playing was essentially searching for medicinal herbs, which was arduous work.

Looking at Zi Yan who was in high spirits, Xiao Ming chose not to continue the conversation, not wanting to dampen her mood. Instead, he sniffed the air and detected a faint medicinal fragrance.

"Bring out the herbs," he said.

"Heh heh, Xiao Ming, your sense of smell is still as sharp as ever," replied Zi Yan, scratching her cheek.

She then gestured with her hand, and several intricately shaped jade boxes appeared in front of her. She quickly passed them to Xiao Ming and said, "You can keep some for your own pill refining, but don't forget to refine the rest into pills for me. You can't keep them all!"

"These herbs... why don't they look like they were just collected from the wild...? it's because you didn't, right?" Looking at the medicinal herbs in the jade boxes, Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Didn't I tell you not to take other people's medicinal herbs?"

"H-Heh... heh" Hearing this, Zi Yan laughed awkwardly as she whispered, "Sister Medusa said it was a waste for those people to keep them in storage anyway, so we took them secretly…"

"... I figured as much. This Medusa is quite daring, not afraid of being surrounded and beaten by the powerhouses of the Empire after being caught."