Despite his head full of white hair, the old man's large hand holding the black pen was steady and powerful, slowly drawing lines on the animal skin.
"Hiring guards for merchant caravans? Go out the door and turn right. I don't have any other special information."
Li Xiu looked directly at him and asked: "Oh? If I want to hire a Dou Huang, can I find one there?"
The old man had been focused on the map, and his hand trembled imperceptibly, causing the carefully drawn route to deviate and rendering the animal skin useless.
The old man slowly raised his head, and a cold light suddenly flashed through his originally cloudy old eyes. The terrifying scar at the corner of his left eye added a bit more ferocity to his gaze.
With a push of his hand under the counter, the originally open shop door slammed shut with a bang, and his sharp aura exploded. His white hair moved without wind, and the icy Dou Qi wrapped around his body, causing the temperature in the room to drop suddenly.
"Who are you? You seem to know something you shouldn't know?"
Under this imposing aura, Xiao Yan found it difficult to breathe, but there was a faint excitement between his eyebrows. It seemed that this person was going to make a move against his master. Would he have a chance to see his master's true strength?
Li Xiu just stood there quietly, completely ignoring the old man's questioning, as if he didn't care about the icy Dou Qi that surrounded the old man.
Seeing Li Xiu's indifferent attitude, the old man's expression became even more ferocious. With a step on the ground, he shot out like an arrow from a bow, and the icy Dou Qi condensed into a rapier in his hand, aiming straight for Li Xiu's throat with a vicious and cruel intent.
The cold air also quickly spread, and in an instant, most of the room was covered with a layer of thin ice.
As the deadly attack approached, Li Xiu simply waved his sleeve indifferently. The old man was struck with great force and flew back even faster than before. His body crashed into the solid stone wall behind him, causing cracks to spread and the entire shop to tremble as dust and debris rained down.
The old man fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. A hint of fear and confusion flickered in his eyes as he wondered where this young man, whose strength was not inferior to his own before he was sealed, had come from.
"Hai Bodong, do you want to lift the seal on your body?" Li Xiu asked calmly.
Hai Bodong was taken aback and asked eagerly and cautiously: "Do you have a way to lift the seal on my body?"
Beside him, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel shaken. The name Hai Bodong was extremely familiar.
The "Ice Emperor" was one of the top ten powerhouses of the previous generation in the Jia Ma Empire. He once fought against the former leader of the Yunlan Sect at the peak of Yunlan Mountain, and although he ultimately lost, his strength was not far from that of his opponent. He disappeared suddenly twenty years ago, but unexpectedly appeared in a remote small town, appearing to have some kind of physical problem.
Hai Bodong stood up and reminisced, saying: "Twenty years ago, for some reason, I fought against the Queen of the Snake-People race, Medusa, in the Tager Desert. Although I escaped, I was cursed by her Curse of the Snakes Seal, and my Dou Qi was sealed into Dou Ling level. My body also rapidly aged."
"As long as you can lift the curse, restore my Dou Qi and extend my lifespan, you can propose any conditions and we can negotiate."
Hai Bodong clutched his chest and said anxiously, because if the seal was not lifted soon, he would not have much time left to live.
"Of course, it's possible." Li Xiu nodded decisively.
A hint of joy appeared on Hai Bodong's face, and he continued: "During these past twenty years, I obtained a formula that is extremely effective in breaking the seal. As long as-"
Suddenly, Li Xiu interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said: "No need to go through all that trouble."
Then, he aimed at Hai Bodong from afar, and the latter floated up in shock and horror. In the next moment, a massive force as mighty as a river surged into his body.
Before Hai Bodong could say anything, he had already fallen back to the ground. The seal that had trapped most of his strength had been shattered, and he now surged with an intense aura, like a wild lion let loose from its cage.
Hai Bodong was still a bit dazed, and it took him a moment before he burst into wild laughter.
After a few breaths, Hai Bodong looked at Li Xiu with a mix of awe and admiration. To be able to easily break the Curse of the Snakes Seal that the peak Dou Huang-level Medusa had cast was a testament to Li Xiu's strength, which must have been among the top in the Dou Zong level.
A Dou Zong-level expert could likely sweep through the entire Jia Ma Empire. Even though Hai Bodong had regained his strength, he knew he couldn't hope to match him. How could he not feel reverence towards such a powerful figure?
"Thank you, Your Excellency, for breaking the seal for me. I don't know how I can repay you." Hai Bodong bowed slightly and said respectfully.
Xiao Yan watched on the side and couldn't help but inwardly sigh. As expected, powerful experts were always respected wherever they went.
Li Xiu beckoned Xiao Yan over and said: "This is my disciple. I have some matters to attend to and will be leaving for a while. I want you to take him into the Tager Desert to hunt the Snake-People and undergo a life-and-death experience."
"When a Snakemen appears with strength exceeding his level, you need to step in to protect him, but you don't need to bother with the rest."
Hai Bodong hesitated for a moment and showed some reluctance and apprehension on his face before bowing and saying: "Your Excellency, it's not that I'm unwilling. It's just that after repeatedly invading the Snake-People tribe, sooner or later, it will attract Medusa's attention. Although I have broken the seal, my strength is still damaged and only barely reaches the level of a Dou Huang."
"Medusa, the Queen of the Snake People, was already a peak Dou Huang expert over twenty years ago. If she were to make a move, to be honest, I'm not confident that I can escape with your disciple. It's one thing for me to die, but I'm afraid that it might cause your disciple to lose his life as well."
Li Xiu seemed to have anticipated this situation early on. He clenched his hand and a pale-golden fan appeared, which he handed over to Xiao Yan.
Respectfully receiving the fan with both hands, Xiao Yan watched as Li Xiu slowly opened his mouth and said to Hai Bodong: "This is the Mountain River Fan. Inside, I have stored three attacks that will kill anyone below the strength of a Dou Zun with a swing of the fan."
"If Medusa makes a move, all you need to do is protect my disciple and give him enough time to swing the fan."
Hai Bodong suddenly looked up and stared at the Mountain River Fan in Xiao Yan's hand, his mind shaking with immense fear and shock. If what Li Xiu said was true, he was now talking to a Dou Zun powerhouse.
"I, Hai Bodong, have the honor of meeting a Dou Zun in this life. I greet you, Your Excellency."
Hai Bodong's face turned red and his expression was stirred up as he respectfully bowed to Li Xiu once again and spoke quickly.
In the days since Xiao Yan had become Li Xiu's disciple, he had seen many rare treasures, such as the Heaven-tier Body Refining Technique that he practiced day and night, as well as the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils in his eyes.
However, it was different at this moment. He had never been so close to such a powerful force before. Holding the Mountain River Fan was like holding a piece of hot red iron, which made him feel hot and his heart even more burning.
According to his master's words, if he had the opportunity to swing the fan, he could easily defeat the ten strongest experts of the empire bound together, which was truly terrifying.
The next day, Hai Bodong took Xiao Yan towards the Tager Desert, while Li Xiu flew in the opposite direction towards the sky.
"I noticed that you were quite devoted to your disciple. Why did you suddenly part ways with him?"
Yao Chen was inside the storage ring and asked curiously to Li Xiu.
In mid-air, Li Xiu smiled lightly and replied: "My alchemy skills have reached a certain level, and it's time to start practicing the Flame Mantra. But practicing the Flame Mantra without a Heavenly Flame is impossible."
"Well, you need to be prepared for a long search. It took me a lot of time and effort to find my Bone Chilling Flame."
Yao Chen reminded him with a somewhat nostalgic tone.
Li Xiu just chuckled and flew directly in a certain direction without saying anything.