Hai Bodong nodded and said gravely, "Indeed, I have gathered some information about the Heavenly Flame. However, I doubt you would have agreed to refine the pill for me solely based on such uncertain information. If that were the case, you would've taken my storage ring long ago without needing to ask further."
"Smart. For certain reasons, I will be attending the Alchemist Conference in the Imperial Capital in over a year. Once your strength is restored, I want to ask you to be my bodyguard for a while, at least until the conference ends. After all, having one more friend is better than having one more enemy, right?" Xiao Se said with a calm smile.
"A Dou Huang as a bodyguard? You must be joking," Hai Bodong sighed and pondered for a moment before relaxing slightly and smiling bitterly, "You've won. I really don't have much choice, do I?"
"Well then, let's have a pleasant cooperation. The pill in the jade bottle is a third-tier pill called the Restorative Pill. It's highly effective for healing bone and ligament injuries. Consider it a deposit from me," Xiao Se smiled as he casually tossed the pill in front of Hai Bodong.
Seeing the pill, Hai Bodong couldn't help but roll his eyes and mutter inwardly, "Who do you think broke my bones in the first place?"
"This is a map related to the Heavenly Flame, with three marked spots where it might be found. I advise you not to go to the westernmost point as it's dangerously close to Queen Medusa's territory," said Hai Bodong, who, after taking the Restorative Pill and regaining some mobility, handed a map to Xiao Se from his storage ring.
Xiao Se took the map, examined the three marked spots with fire symbols, and nodded in satisfaction. "Alright then, I'll be on my way."
As he turned to leave, a hoarse voice came from behind him, "Wait."
"What else is there?" Xiao Se asked, pretending to be surprised as he turned around.
"The seal in my body was placed by Queen Medusa, and it can only be undone with the Breaking Adversity Pill However, there is one crucial ingredient missing: the Sand Mandrake, which can only be found deep within the Tager Desert. Due to the seal, if I enter the desert, Queen Medusa will sense me immediately… so…" Hai Bodong trailed off, feeling embarrassed.
"You're afraid of Queen Medusa, but you think I'm not? Going deep into the Tager Desert to find the Sand Mandrake for you would put my life in serious danger," Xiao Se shrugged and replied with dissatisfaction.
Hai Bodong winced and muttered, "Once I recover, I'll not only protect you until the Alchemist Conference but also owe you a personal favor. A Dou Huang's favor must be worth that much, right?"
"Hehe, well said," Xiao Se chuckled and walked out of the chamber.
Watching Xiao Se's retreating figure, Hai Bodong spat on the ground and muttered, "Hmph, truly someone who won't act without seeing the rabbit first."
After a moment of contemplation, Hai Bodong's expression became serious. "That boy doesn't seem to be older than fifteen or sixteen, yet he's already a second-tier alchemist and can raise his power to the Dou Huang level with that mysterious technique. Just who is his master?"
Having obtained both the map with information about the Heavenly Flame and the incomplete map of the Purifying Lotus Flame, Xiao Se left the ancient map shop, content and ready to embark on his new journey.
"Brother, why didn't you just kill him and take his storage ring? Why go through all that trouble? And that Queen Medusa sounds dangerous," a gentle voice suddenly sounded in Xiao Se's mind.
"Haha, dangerous indeed. She's a peak Dou Huang expert and rarely has any equals among those of the same level. Even in your spiritual state, fighting her would be risky," Xiao Se said with a casual smile.
"Then why are you taking such a risk to help him find the Sand Mandrake? If it's about protecting you, I'm enough on my own," the voice of Hongkui pouted in dissatisfaction from the demon sword.
Sensing Hongkui's frustration, Xiao Se smiled and explained, "Sometimes, you don't need brute force to solve every problem. In this world, there is a powerful race called the Soul Clan. They collect souls to steal their essence. If they ever discovered you, Hongkui, we'd be in big trouble, and we'd have to run for our lives. By making a deal with Hai Bodong, I'm just trying to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, having a Dou Huang as a bodyguard sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it?"
"That's true, but I still don't trust Hai Bodong. Brother, when you make the Breaking Adversity Pill, let me add a little something extra," Hongkui said cautiously.
"Oh? What do you have in mind?" Xiao Se's eyes brightened. He had planned to add a sliver of the Green Lotus Core Flame to the Breaking Adversity Pill just in case, but if Hongkui had another idea, that was even better.
"Hehe, I once killed a Blood Demon in the Demon Locking Tower and learned a curse technique called the Blood Curse. This spell isn't too dangerous for most demons in the tower, but it's fatal to humans. Once afflicted by this curse, if the master triggers it, the victim's blood will reverse flow to their head, causing them to bleed to death," Hongkui explained with a sly smile.
"That sounds just like a demon's way," Xiao Se shuddered involuntarily. The thought of someone's blood rushing to their head, likely with eyes bulging out, made him wince.
After a while, Xiao Se arrived in the bustling part of Rock Desert City. He first visited a pharmacy to buy some snake repellents, then went to other shops to stock up on supplies, filling several low-grade storage rings to the brim. Following the directions from a passerby, he finally found an inn to settle down.
This journey to the Tager Desert would not be completed in a day or two. It might take several months or even a year to find the Heavenly Flame, so he needed to prepare enough food and water.
Otherwise, he might end up starving or dying of thirst in the desert before even finding the Heavenly Flame.
The long night passed quietly, and the scorching red sun once again bathed the earth in heat.
In the morning, Xiao Se woke up from his sleep, stretched lazily, woke Hongkui, put away the Sea Guardian Barrier, and left the inn.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly," he murmured.
Standing at the inn's entrance, Xiao Se checked his luggage once again, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, then tightened the demon sword on his back.
Under the awe-filled gazes of the city guards, he left Rock Desert City. Gazing at the endless golden desert, Xiao Se took a deep breath, donned his usual black robe, and began his journey into the desert.
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