Zi Yan, The Brute Force Queen
Since gaining consciousness, Zi Yan had lived alone in the deep mountains. When other magical beasts bullied her, she could only escape. After consuming the shape-shifting flower, she had a chance encounter with Su Qian, who took her to the Inner Branch and named her Zi Yan.
Because she ate the shape-shifting flower at a young age, she retained the appearance of a child, which was why she always longed to grow up.
Zi Yan wiped the oil from her mouth and looked at Li Xiao sitting at the head of the table. She blinked and asked, "Old Su, who's this new face?"
"Be polite." Su Qian coughed lightly and lightly reprimanded her. "This is Pavilion Master Li of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion."
"Li Xiao?" Zi Yan repeated, unfamiliar with the name in the Black-Corner Region. However, she was more interested in the food on the table than the Heaven Ascending Pavilion.
Su Qian apologized, "Pardon her, Pavilion Master Li. Zi Yan has always been like this. Please don't mind her."
Li Xiao wasn't offended. Instead, he smiled warmly at the gluttonous Zi Yan. He reached into his storage ring and pulled out a tier-6 pill, offering it to her.
"I've heard that Miss Zi Yan of your academy enjoys eating all kinds of pills. This tier-6 pill is a gift for you."
Zi Yan's eyes lit up at this. Suddenly, the meat she was holding didn't seem as appealing. She quickly dropped the leg of meat and rushed over to Li Xiao.
Without hesitation, she tossed the pill into her mouth. The rich flavor spread through her, and a surge of dense Dou Qi filled her entire body.
"So delicious!"
Zi Yan's face lit up with happiness, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
A tier-6 pill was incredibly valuable to Canaan Academy. Seeing Zi Yan eat it so casually made some Dou King elders feel a pang of heartache.
What a waste...
Zi Yan wiped her mouth and extended her hand, "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Zi Yan, nice to meet you."
"Li Xiao," he replied, shaking her hand.
Zi Yan, feeling quite at ease, asked, "Brother Li Xiao, do you have more pills? I'm still hungry."
Great Elder Su Qian widened his eyes and scolded, "Zi Yan, don't be rude!"
The Pavilion Master of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion was not someone to be trifled with. Offending him could spell disaster for the entire Canaan Academy. Strong individuals were unpredictable, and a careless remark could lead to fatal consequences.
Zi Yan pouted, "I just want to eat some pills... I didn't do anything wrong..."
"It's fine," Li Xiao said, rubbing Zi Yan's head.
"Don't touch my head; it won't grow if you do," Zi Yan said, swatting his hand away. She might be the only one in the entire Northwest Region who dared to treat the Pavilion Master of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion like this.
The surrounding crowd was stunned. Was she crazy, swatting away Pavilion Master Li Xiao's hand? Did she have a death wish?
But Li Xiao didn't get angry. Instead, he found her even more intriguing. She was a peculiar girl indeed.
Had he not known Zi Yan's true identity, he might have been astounded by her demeanor and strength.
"No problem," Li Xiao said, waving his hand. "Since you enjoy eating pills so much, why don't you come with me to the Heaven Ascending Pavilion in the Magic Beast Mountain Range? You can have anything you want there."
"Really?"
Zi Yan's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Of course, it's true," Li Xiao adjusted his expression. "I never lie. If you wish to go, the gates of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion are always open for you."
Zi Yan was tempted and looked over at Su Qian.
Su Qian looked back at her with evident reluctance. Given her unique identity, if she left the academy, she might be targeted. At that time, not even the Heaven Ascending Pavilion might be able to protect her.
To convince Su Qian, Zi Yan pulled out a piece of Diamond Bamboo from her storage ring and took a bite. The Diamond Bamboo, as hard as wrought iron, crunched like fruit in her mouth.
Crunch. Crisp and clean.
Su Qian felt a pang of heartache but still said sternly, "Zi Yan should stay at the academy. Her unique identity might bring unnecessary trouble to the Heaven Ascending Pavilion."
"Rest assured, Great Elder. I naturally know Zi Yan's identity and wouldn't invite her to the Heaven Ascending Pavilion if I wasn't prepared. Staying here is more dangerous. It's better for her to leave Canaan Academy now and avoid future trouble."
Great Elder Su Qian's expression changed upon hearing this. He didn't expect Pavilion Master Li Xiao to know Zi Yan's identity right away, which explained his bold invitation.
After a moment of contemplation, Su Qian still wanted to refuse, but then he saw Zi Yan spit out the Diamond Bamboo she had bitten into.
Zi Yan grimaced and stuck out her tongue. "It's so bitter, it tastes awful."
"Oh, my little ancestor, that's Diamond Bamboo!" Elder Hao, who tended the medicinal garden, cried out in anguish. "You're wasting such precious herbs!"
Zi Yan put her hands on her hips defiantly. "So what? I ate it. What can you do about it?"
"You, you, you!" Elder Hao trembled with anger but couldn't do anything. The title of 'Brute Force Queen' wasn't given to Zi Yan for nothing. He could only bury his resentment and glance at the Great Elder with a pleading look.
Su Qian felt helpless. Zi Yan's appetite for rare herbs was enormous, and he feared she might consume all the academy's resources if this continued.
"Fine, since that's the case, I agree to let you go to the Heaven Ascending Pavilion in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. But you must write to me often to let me know how you are."
Su Qian stroked his small beard and gently reminded her, making a final stand.
"Got it, you're so nagging, it's annoying," Zi Yan replied irritably before sitting down and grabbing the remaining magical beast meat, devouring it voraciously.
"Sigh, this girl," Su Qian shook his head and continued drinking and chatting with Li Xiao, enjoying themselves thoroughly.
...
The next morning.
Li Xiao slowly sat up, glancing at the still-sleeping Yun Yun beside him. His face softened with affection. Last night, they had quite a battle, leaving no part of the bed untouched.
Only after they were both drenched in sweat did they finally stop and fall asleep.
Li Xiao felt a bit light-headed and exhausted, likely from the previous night's exertion. A half-hour's rest should help him recover.