"Hai Bodong?"
Queen Medusa's lips curved slightly, her gaze turning playful.
"When entering Desert City, this Queen sensed a familiar energy fluctuation, but I wasn't very interested in investigating it."
"I didn't expect it to be you, the former Ice Emperor. That familiar energy fluctuation is the sealing power this Queen left in your body."
"More than ten years have passed, yet you still haven't resolved it. Your strength is still stuck at the Dou Spirit level. So this is the standard of the Ten Strongest of the Jia Ma Empire."
As she spoke, Medusa raised her hand. Battle Qi surged from her body and condensed into a blood-red longbow.
"More than ten years ago, after you obtained something in the desert and luckily escaped, it was this Queen's negligence for not keeping you here."
"Now that we've met, I can make up for it!"
As she spoke, a red energy arrow began to condense, emitting a terrifying aura.
At this moment, countless memories surged into his mind, along with scenes from years of nightmares. Hai Bodong was so frightened that his legs went weak.
If he hadn't been leaning against the wall, he would have already collapsed. He couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.
"Queen, wait a moment." Xiao Ting appeared in front of Medusa and raised his hand to stop her.
It was only because Medusa was willing to listen to what he had to say; otherwise, Hai Bodong would already be a corpse.
"You want to protect him?" Queen Medusa's gaze turned cold.
"I wonder what deep grudge this Ice Emperor has with Queen?" Xiao Ting smiled noncommittally.
"There's none! Absolutely none!" Hai Bodong's somewhat flustered voice rang out.
Xiao Ting's back looked incredibly tall and majestic to him.
The moment this person stood up to block Queen Medusa for him, he became Hai Bodong's future faith.
Hearing that Xiao Ting seemed willing to speak up for him, he immediately said, "How could I possibly have a grudge against Queen Medusa?"
"More than ten years ago, I heard that a map merchant from the Central Plains had appeared in the desert, so I went to find him. By coincidence, I witnessed him and a Snake-People tribe leader fighting to their mutual deaths."
"I stepped forward and obtained their belongings. At that time, Queen Medusa led people over and attacked me without a word. I was no match for her and could only flee in a sorry state."
"She chased me for seven days and seven nights. Just as I was about to escape near Rock Desert City, she placed the Snake Seal on me, forcing me to only display Dou Spirit strength for all these years. I've been neither human nor ghost, suffering unbearably."
"So you're dissatisfied with this Queen?" Medusa's gaze sharpened. "You must resent this Queen. You truly deserve to die."
"No, no, no!" Hai Bodong was so scared he started stuttering. "I don't resent you. It was my fault for entering Snake-People territory. It was my fault for taking those two people's belongings. I should have handed them over to you."
"This small grudge isn't worth taking a life, right, Queen?" Xiao Ting lightly coughed and smiled as he tried to mediate. "If we're going to fight and kill over this, then on that day outside Rock Desert City, Queen would already be a corpse by now."
"Are you threatening this Queen?" Queen Medusa was somewhat angry.
She was currently cooperating with Xiao Ting in a play—one playing the red face, one the white face—to force Hai Bodong to submit obediently.
This damn man actually turned around and threatened her instead.
"No, no, no. I'm just stating an objective fact. How could I threaten Queen over such a small matter?" Xiao Ting quickly waved his hands. "I think this is fine. Let the Ice Emperor hand over what he obtained back then. He has already paid the price for offending Queen by being sealed for so many years. What do you think?"
"Hmph!" Medusa pretended to glance at Xun Er, then casually dispersed the longbow in her hand. "For the sake of you buying so many things for this Queen today, I'll give you this face."
"Queen is magnanimous." Xiao Ting immediately turned to Hai Bodong. "Ice Emperor, hand over everything you obtained back then. Don't play any tricks."
"Yes, yes, yes." Hai Bodong was still immersed in the fear of suddenly seeing Queen Medusa and the confusion caused by the fact that she actually listened to Xiao Ting. He instinctively obeyed.
He took out a storage ring and tossed it to Xiao Ting. "The things inside are more than what I… what I obtained back then."
"The items include a remnant map I couldn't understand. A few years ago, using my map-making skills, I split it into two parts. One part is already in your hands."
Xiao Ting swept it with his soul power. Sure enough, he found the other half of the quarter remnant map of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame inside the storage ring.
…
[Remnant map obtained
[There are four remnant maps in total. Two are in my hands, and the other two will appear in the future at an auction in the Black-Corner Region and at the Central Plains Spatial Auction House. I'll find a way to obtain them later.]
[If I can successfully persuade Xun Er to cultivate the Flame Mantra, this Pure Lotus Demon Flame remnant map can be given to her first to raise the grade of the Flame Mantra.]
[With the Gu Clan's resources and since she is the Dao Companion I have chosen, she might be more suitable for the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. Afterward, I can obtain the Nihility Devouring Flame to become Dou God and slowly help Brother Yan.]
…
With a thought, he uploaded the idea directly.
It sounded long, but it all happened in an instant.
Xiao Ting looked at Queen Medusa. "Queen, I'm interested in this remnant map. Could you give it to me?"
"Something that can catch your attention must be quite valuable. You want it for free just by opening your mouth?" Medusa slightly raised her chin, clearly wanting Xiao Ting to trade something for it.
Hai Bodong: Clearly it's my remnant map.
"As far as I know, after the Snake-People tribe becomes pregnant, they can use a certain pill combined with a secret technique to improve the child's talent." Xiao Ting decisively stated his offer. "The one Queen used is the sixth-grade pill Snake Marrow Bone Shedding Pill, paired with a medium-level secret technique. It ensures there are no bottlenecks up to Dou Emperor."
"For a superior secret technique, a seventh-grade pill called Heaven Soul Blood Bone Pill is required."
"I promise that when Queen needs it, I will give you one seventh-grade Heaven Soul Blood Bone Pill. How about it?"
In Xiao Ting's view, even the superior secret technique was only average.
If Medusa gave birth to his child, he would have to find a way to use eighth-grade or even ninth-grade pills to create a super-grade secret technique.
"You're also an alchemist?" Medusa asked with slight surprise, her gaze changing a little.
Of course, it was all an act. She knew Xiao Ting's situation like the back of her hand.
"That's right." Xiao Ting summoned the Purple Beast Flame. "Half a month ago I came into contact with alchemy. I'm now almost a second-grade alchemist. My teacher said I may reach eighth-grade in the future."
"As for me, my teacher is an eighth-grade alchemist. Even if I can't do it, my teacher can help me fulfill the promise."
"Fine." Medusa went along with the flow and agreed.
Beside them, after hearing Xiao Ting's words, Hai Bodong's expression changed again.
Once Xiao Ting finished speaking with Medusa, he rubbed his hands and said, "Little friend, could you ask your teacher to help this old man refine a sixth-grade pill?"
"What pill does Elder Hai want to refine?" Xiao Ting put away the storage ring without any intention of handing it to Medusa.
He had spent money shopping for Medusa, and now he was getting it back a thousandfold.
"It's a pill called Breaking Adversity Pill." Hai Bodong smiled awkwardly, not daring to look at Queen Medusa. "It can help this old man break the seal in my body and restore my Dou Emperor strength."
"As repayment, this old man can act as your guard for a period of time. Three years—no, five years. How about it?"
"This proposal is very tempting. Having a Dou Emperor powerhouse as a guard would allow me to walk sideways in the Jia Ma Empire." Xiao Ting showed a thoughtful expression.
Just when Hai Bodong thought he was going to agree, Xiao Ting continued, "But I will be going to Jia Nan Academy soon. By the time I graduate, I definitely won't need Dou Emperor protection anymore."
Hearing this, Hai Bodong immediately became anxious.
Was he going to refuse?
…