Huang Xiaolong smiled, looking at Lin Xiaoying's smug and proud expression. He casually took out a level-ten origin spiritual pill, and popped it into his mouth, swallowing it down after a few bites.
As the level-ten origin spiritual pill that entered Huang Xiaolong's belly, the grandmist holy spiritual energy in his body automatically wrapped around the medicinal energy and assimilated with it. Every thread of energy was absorbed clean by Huang Xiaolong.
After watching Huang Xiaolong snacked on a level-ten origin spiritual pill like he was eating candy, the smugness on Lin Xiaoying's face was replaced by a strange expression. She had been observing Huang Xiaolong in the days she had been travelling with him, and he ate four level-ten origin spiritual pills every day!
One pill every few hours!
She couldn't figure out why Huang Xiaolong still had not exploded to his death from eating so many level-ten origin spiritual pills!
Those were level-ten origin spiritual pills ah, not level-one or level-two!
Even if those pills were level-one or level-two origin spiritual pills, didn't one need to sit down and circulate his cultivation technique to absorb the medicinal energies? But Lin Xiaoying had never seen Huang Xiaolong do anything of that sort.
To Huang Xiaolong, level-ten origin spiritual pills were seemingly no different than candies. Whenever his mouth felt bland, he just popped one in.
After getting along with Huang Xiaolong, Lin Xiaoying found out that she could not see through this young man.
There were many secrets on him, and everything about him was mysterious and baffling at the same time.
For example, how did he find so many holy herbs?
Or why did Huang Xiaolong not explode after consuming so many level-ten origin spiritual pills?
Why didn't he need to practice to absorb the medicinal energies within?
For example, why did Huang Xiaolong have so many level-ten origin spiritual pills?!!
Although Lin Xiaoying couldn't tell how many level-ten origin spiritual pills Huang Xiaolong had, it was clear that based on Huang Xiaolong's consumption rate of four pills per day, he definitely had a big stash.
"Who are you?" Lin Xiaoying asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
"You will know when the time comes." Huang Xiaolong blinked innocently at her.
Lin Xiaoying puffed up her cheeks in anger.
"Then, I'll call you Thirteen from now on!" Lin Xiaoying's eyes turned cold as she declared.
"Thirteen [1]?" Huang Xiaolong was baffled by her choice of name.
Lin Xiaoying grinned, "Because you like to pretend."
Huang Xiaolong felt like crying.
A brief pause later, Lin Xiaoying looked up and muttered, "I wonder if Senior Sister Tan Juan, Senior Sister Ji Xinyi, and the others are alright? I don't even have a clue where they could be."
When they were ambushed by the Devil Palace's Xie Bufan, Dou Rui's groups, she was separated from Tan Juan and Ji Xinyi while escaping.
Though she had persistently tried to get in touch with Tan Juan, Ji Xinyi, and the others during this time, she had failed to get a reply. Within the Profound River, one's communication symbol was only effective within a certain range as it was affected by the river's buoyant power.
Hearing her low mutter, Huang Xiaolong comforted, "Don't worry! Your Senior Sisters have long advanced to True Saint Realm. With their level of strength, equipped with Clear Snow Palace's saint artifacts, nothing will happen to them as long as they do not come across high-level True Saints."
Not to mention that even if you put all the high-level True Saints from the Holy Heavens, Holy Lands Alliance, and Devil Palace together, there are still not a lot of them.
Lin Xiaoying nodded, "I hope so."
Another two days went by.
In these two days, although Huang Xiaolong was not as 'lucky' as before, he still managed to find another two holy herbs. After adding that to the nine holy herbs Huang Xiaolong had gotten earlier, it was eleven holy herbs!
Lin Xiaoying could only look on enviously.
But since they had prior agreement that the holy herbs would belong to whoever found them, as the 'elder and stronger party', Lin Xiaoying couldn't cross her bottom line, and snatch them from Huang Xiaolong.
On this day, Lin Xiaoying suddenly screamed in joy, waving the communication symbol in her hands, "It's Junior Sister Li Li and a few others. I got in touch with Junior Sister Li Li!"
Li Li was one of the Clear Snow Palace female disciples who came to the Profound River this time. Though her strength was lower than Lin Xiaoying, she was a core disciple of Clear Snow Palace.
The communication symbol in her hands shook again a second later. Lin Xiaoying lowered her head and when she saw the message, she yelled, "Junior Sister Li Li and the others encountered that Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast. They are in danger!"
That holy beast class Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast? Huang Xiaolong raised an eyebrow.
"Go, we have to hurry over!" Lin Xiaoying shouted and sped away on the golden pig before Huang Xiaolong could utter a sound.
Watching this, Huang Xiaolong smiled helplessly and yielded to fate. He quickly followed Lin Xiaoying.
Before, Lin Xiaoying had almost patted her chest and guaranteed that they would exchange rides only for a day, just one day, but for the past six days, Lin Xiaoying's arse had barely moved away from the golden pig.
….
Two hours later.
Lin Xiaoying and Huang Xiaolong arrived at a stretch of black mountain range.
Suddenly, they sensed violent energy fluctuations up ahead.
"They are injured, hurry up!" Lin Xiaoying's face tightened, and she accelerated forward with an anxious heart.
Soon, the two of them reached the location and saw the Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast attacking Li Li, and several others. There were more than one Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast.
Li Li and the others were desperately hanging on as they fought against them.
"Junior Sister Li Li, I'm here!" Lin Xiaoying shouted as she slashed with the Snow Sword in her hand towards the profound beasts. White snow rays of sword qi shot out like angry snowstorm, causing significant harm to the profound beasts and forcing back the main Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast.
Huang Xiaolong nodded in appreciation inwardly at the power of Lin Xiaoying's attack.
She deserved her reputation as the second ranked expert on the Saint Fate List. That Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast was also a peak Ninth Tribulation half-True Saint Realm, yet she was able to force it back with one attack. This spoke volumes about her strength.
"Senior Sister Lin, you're finally here!" Upon seeing Lin Xiaoying, Li Li and other Clear Snow Palace's female disciples were literally overjoyed.
"Watch out!" Lin Xiaoying suddenly shouted.
The Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast that she had forced back just now appeared behind Li Li's group in a flicker. Its sharp claws were aimed at Li Li's back. Despite the Clear Snow Palace's ice element divine armor Li Li had on chance to escape as the Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast's sharp claws were more than enough to tear through the divine armor's protection, and tear Li Li into shreds!
Li Li's head turned and saw the Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast's lethal claws growing bigger in her sight and her face was instantly drained of blood.
As the Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast's claws were just split seconds from tearing Li Li into shreds, it suddenly grunted and drew an arch into the distance. It seemed to be heavily injured, as it let out a snarl before it turned and fled, giving up on the fight.
Lin Xiaoying, Li Li, and the others were dumbfounded, and utterly baffled.
By this time, other Dual-Pupiled Profound Beasts had split up and run away.
"Senior Sister Lin, quickly go chase it! Don't let that Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast run away!" Li Li shouted anxiously.
If they let that Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast escape this time, it would be harder to catch it later.
Lin Xiaoying hesitated but decided against it, she shook her head and said, "Forget it, I'll help you all heal first."
She was more concerned about Li Li's and the others' injuries.
Huang Xiaolong too didn't chase after the Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast. He was the one who had attacked and successfully injured the Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast with his holy soul's soul force, and he had already marked it with his grandmist holy spiritual aura. Therefore, he wasn't worried about the Dual-Pupiled Profound Beast escaping.
Huang Xiaolong contemplated for a few seconds, and then took out four Vitality Rejuvenating Pills. He gave them to Lin Xiaoying, and indicated he to use them to heal Li Li's and the others' injuries.
"Vitality Rejuvenating Pill!" Li Li and the other three Clear Snow Palace's disciples exclaimed when they saw the four pills.
"Lin Xiaoying explained to them, "This is my newly recruited little brother, Thirteen!"
"Little brother? Thirteen?" Li Li and the rest were surprised. Although the Clear Snow Palace did not prohibit disciples from accepting followers, the four of them knew very well that Lin Xiaoying had never accepted any followers. Not to mention, a male follower.
Lin Xiaoying smiled like the cat who had caught the canary, "He likes to pretend to be mysterious, so he's called Thirteen."
Huang Xiaolong opened his mouth to object but closed it back speechlessly. Fine, at least, Thirteen sounds better than Fourteen.
[1] Thirteen, originated from Shanghainese slang for pretentious, superfluous