Battle Through the Heavens: Reap the Red Lotus Karmic Flame at the Start

20. Leisure time amidst a busy schedule

As time went by, Xiao Yan gradually became bored, since many things were dispensable to him. For example, the Earth-rank Dou Technique currently being auctioned was quite competitive, but it didn't hold much appeal for him. He already had the Flame Devouring Wave Ruler, which was quite good enough, not to mention that Xun'er had secretly given him a scroll of Ancient Emperor Seal, which, although incomplete, was already incredibly powerful.

Bored, Xiao Yan glanced at the three women. Qing Lin sat upright. Since Xiao Yan arrived, she had always acted as a maid. In fact, at the beginning, she even secretly brought a basin of water to her room to wash her face. Xiao Yan's eyelids twitched whenever he saw it.

If those guys from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion found out that their precious Holy Maiden had been serving Xiao Yan's grooming all this time, who knows what kind of problems would arise. Xiao Yan went to great lengths to explain to Qing Lin that he could do his own washing and grooming, and that he absolutely did not have a problem with her.

But that time, Xun'er also came to see him. When Xun'er saw Qing Lin's slightly red and swollen eyes and himself next to her, Xiao Yan almost couldn't hold his breath.

After much persuasion, Qinglin has finally transitioned from being a mercenary group's maid to a servant, but she still obeys Xiao Yan's every word.

Zi Yan, unusually, was cultivating with her eyes closed. Through her relentless efforts and daily requests for pills from Xiao Yan, she was finally just one step away from becoming a Dou Huang. Recently, she had even been able to occasionally settle down and cultivate with focused concentration. Xiao Yan was very curious about the terrifying strength Zi Yan, with her incredible magical beast talent, would possess after advancing to Dou Huang. After all, Zi Yan was already capable of holding her own against some ordinary Dou Huangs.

As Xiao Yan looked at Xun'er, he noticed she was also secretly glancing at him. Their eyes met, but Xiao Yan didn't seem to notice. Xun'er turned her head away as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, her slowly reddening neck betrayed her secret thoughts. Xiao Yan then took Xun'er's hand in his own. However, due to the lighting in the VIP room, no one noticed Xiao Yan's subtle actions. Although Xun'er's neck became increasingly red, she didn't make any move, letting Xiao Yan hold her hand.

"Xun'er? Should I buy you something?" Xiao Yan transmitted his voice.

Xiao Xun'er was overjoyed to hear Xiao Yan say this, and said with a smile, "Brother Xiao Yan has already given you a gift, so let me give you the gift instead."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan chuckled, "Hehe, how could I accept something from you, little girl? I still owe Xun'er money."

Xiao Xun'er understood the implied meaning in the zither music and knew that Xiao Yan was referring to the time in Wutan City when she paid for the medicine for him. Her eyes softened, and that time was also precious to her. Of course, in Xiao Xun'er's eyes, any time spent with Xiao Yan was precious.

"Alright then, it seems Brother Xiao Yan isn't interested in the Blood Essence Demon Fruit either. Looks like I've wasted my time." Xiao Xun'er pouted, but her eyes were full of teasing.

"Really?" Xiao Yan exclaimed in surprise, completely losing his voice. The other five people in the room were all startled by Xiao Yan's outburst. Seeing Xiao Yan holding Xun'er's hand, Xu Chengze and Su Zhang turned their heads away as if they hadn't seen anything. However, the sharp-eyed Xiao Yan still noticed a slight change in the corners of their mouths. Xu Yingwu grinned at Xiao Yan, making a knowing look on his face.

Qing Lin looked completely bewildered, while Zi Yan said indignantly, "What the hell is going on? Xiao Yan, be quiet!"

Xiao Yan scratched his head with his right hand, not taking it to heart, and then asked in a low voice, "Is it true, Xun'er?"

Xiao Xun'er's face was already flushed with shyness, but she still nodded and handed a storage ring to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan accepted it with both hands, and upon sensing it, he found that it contained the Blood Essence Demon Fruit needed for Yao Lao's resurrection.

Xiao Yan thought to himself with joy, "Teacher, we've gathered another ingredient. We're getting closer and closer to your resurrection."

The old herbalist said, "Yes, your girlfriend's background is truly terrifying. But if you're going to take the medicinal herbs, then just take the herbs; why did you let go of your girlfriend's hand?"

Xiao Yan was taken aback to realize that in his excitement, he had unconsciously let go of Xun'er's hand. With so many people watching, Xun'er hadn't reacted at all, yet he had taken the initiative to let go. Looking at Xun'er, who had turned her head away and wasn't looking at him at all, Xiao Yan could only say in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Xun'er, I was just excited just now, it was definitely not intentional."

Xun'er handed over her hand and said, "Brother Xiao Yan is an idiot, you can't let go this time."

Xiao Yan then took Xun'er's hand, prompting Yao Lao to sigh repeatedly, "You're really lucky, kid..."

Xiao Yan then asked, "Teacher, we're only missing one of the main ingredients, and we've collected two kinds of strange fire. When will you be able to revive it?"

Xiao Yan chose to use the Burning Blade Technique for two reasons: first, what he sought was not easy and required immense power; second, he genuinely wanted to help Yao Lao revive. The longer they spent together, the stronger this desire became, as he would never have reached this point without Yao Lao.

The old doctor also fell silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "I have lost my physical body for many years and almost dared not hope for the day of resurrection. I never thought that it would be so close now."

He continued, "I'll give you this Ancient Spirit Cold Flame sooner or later. Combined with the Red Lotus Karmic Flame and the Sea Heart Flame, it's already enough. However, your body has only recently become perfect, so you'll have to wait until after the Ten Thousand Beasts Gathering to absorb the Sea Heart Flame. After that, there will only be one main ingredient left. Add the corpse of a Dou Zong expert, and I can complete the process."

"A Dou Zong, huh?" Xiao Yan thought to himself. "If only I could capture someone from the Soul Palace."

After all, a Dou Zong is usually the leader of a sect, and Xiao Yan is not someone who is willing to kill innocent people indiscriminately, even for the sake of reviving Yao Lao. However, the Soul Palace is not only the murderer of Yao Lao, but also has its eyes on the Xiao family. It can be said that they are almost irreconcilable enemies, so Xiao Yan feels no pressure at all when it comes to killing them.

"Instead of worrying about the physical form, you should hurry up and find the third main ingredient, the Evergreen Vine, otherwise your little girlfriend will find it for you first."

Xiao Yan also had a wry smile on his face. After all, he couldn't refuse the resurrection of Yao Lao, but deep down he didn't want to be a gigolo.

"I still need to work hard myself; I can't owe Xun'er too much," Xiao Yan thought to himself.

Of course, without Xiao Yan's knowledge, the forces behind Xiao Xun'er had already happily accepted the ancient jade. Even if a certain man surnamed Gu was dissatisfied with Xiao Yan, his yet-to-be-met son-in-law, he was dissuaded by an elder who said, "The young people are in love, so don't interfere."