Bai Ran gazed at the dense sea of living dead in the manor and asked calmly, "What are the casualties?"
Jing Feng raised his hand, forming a zero. "No one was injured. Before the Old Ancestor and those elders could get close, Vermillion Bird had already burned them to death."
Bai Ran lowered her eyes and chuckled softly. The senses of divine beasts were superior to humans, and they would detect any anomaly. Therefore, leaving Vermillion Bird behind was the most correct choice.
"Let's head back—"
.....
"Little Pig! The feathers on your head have increased!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, his eyes shining as if he had discovered a new continent.
Vermillion Bird shot him a disdainful look. "Don't be so surprised. This means I'm getting stronger."
Jiang Ye reached out to touch them, only to be ruthlessly slapped away by Vermillion Bird. He shook his hand and smiled foolishly.
"Are these feathers going to grow into a circle?"
Vermillion Bird blinked twice, and an image of feathers growing in a circle on her head immediately appeared in her mind...
"How ugly would that be!" Vermillion Bird was thoroughly displeased. In a fit of pique, she accidentally singed a tuft of Jiang Ye's hair.
"Flirting like that is bound to attract hatred, you know?" Jing Feng's voice drifted over. Vermillion Bird joyfully leaped into Bai Ran's arms.
Jiang Ye sniffed, looking a little shy. Flirting... was he and Little Pig...?
"Oh right, little master, your master has arrived. He's waiting for you in the room."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ran nodded and turned into the room.
After she entered, Jing Feng pulled Jiang Ye aside and looked around mysteriously.
Jiang Ye asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you? You look like you've done something wrong."
"Cough, cough!" Jing Feng cleared his throat, his earlobes flushing a suspicious red. "Uh... I wanted to ask you..."
"How do you express your feelings to the person you like?"
Jiang Ye froze, his eyes gradually widening. "Huh? You like someone? Who is it! It's not Little Pig, is it!"
His voice was so loud that Zhong Zi immediately turned his attention towards them. "Who?"
Dong Ling's lips curved into a beautiful arc. "I do too. Why don't you ask me, Lord Zhong?"
Zhong Zi was startled and glared at him. "I refuse to ask."
.....
"Keep it down!!!" Jing Feng, angered, punched Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye rubbed his sore head and muttered softly, "How would I know? I'm also troubled..."
Were they not both in the same predicament? Who could guide whom...
Suddenly, Jiang Ye's gaze shifted to Dong Ling, and he grinned mischievously. "Speaking of confessing, isn't there one right here?"
Jing Feng followed his gaze. Zhong Zi's face was flushed, while Dong Ling beside him smiled indulgently.
"Right! How could I have forgotten him?"
The two of them darted to Dong Ling's side, flanking him and slinging an arm around him. Jiang Ye looked at Zhong Zi and raised an eyebrow. "Borrowing him for a moment, will return him shortly."
And with that, in a flash faster than thunder and lightning, they "borrowed" Dong Ling.
"How do you express your feelings?" Dong Ling thought it was something trivial...
The two men in front of him nodded frantically, waiting for him to guide them.
Dong Ling smiled, looking exasperated. "It depends on the person. If it were Vermillion Bird, I don't think I would survive."
"You're absolutely right." Jiang Ye nodded in agreement. "I've been nearly roasted lately."
Jing Feng looked at the scorched hair on his head, his mouth twitching. "When others confess, they put their heart into it; when you confess, you risk your life?"
Jiang Ye felt like crying. "Who told me I like this kind of person?"
Jing Feng looked at Dong Ling, suddenly becoming a bit hesitant. "Then, for someone with a quiet disposition... how should one express themselves...?"
Dong Ling pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "If you ask me, you shouldn't say it."
"Not say it?"
"Yes, do it."
"Doing it... is it the kind of 'doing' I'm thinking of...?"
Jing Feng awkwardly scratched his head, momentarily choking Dong Ling.
"Wow~" Jiang Ye covered his mouth, laughing so hard his mouth couldn't close. "Is this the world of adults?"
Dong Ling sighed and patted Jing Feng on the shoulder. "If you can do it, I'll respect you as a man."
Vermillion Bird, observing from a distance, frowned. "What are those three whispering about?"
Zhong Zi shook his head in confusion. "Who knows."
.....
Inside the room, Xuan Qinghong stroked his beard and asked with a stern expression, "Little child, what is your level of alchemy?"
He was known as a master of the Dao of Alchemy, naturally possessing extraordinary skill in refining pills. If the child's talent was high, he would impart all his lifelong knowledge to her.
"I've learned some superficial knowledge." Bai Ran recalled that her master seemed to be an eighth-rank alchemist.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Qinghong took out a furnace lid from his storage ring. "Qi Gathering Pill, first-rank. Can you refine it?"
He also took out the spirit herbs needed for alchemy and placed them in front of Bai Ran.
Bai Ran scratched her cheek and picked up the spirit herbs, preparing to refine the pill.
"Little child, do you have a fire seed for alchemy? If not, your master can help you find one."
As soon as Xuan Qinghong finished speaking, a fiery light flared up, and a wave of heat instantly washed over them. "This!"
Crimson flames blazed fiercely, subtly shimmering with golden light. The dense spiritual energy contained within was incredibly astonishing.
Xuan Qinghong's pupils trembled, his heart filled with immense shock. "Is this the legendary Vermillion Bird Divine Fire!"
"You have contracted one of the Four Ancient Divine Beasts, Vermillion Bird!"
Nine attributes, contracted divine beasts, control of divine fire, top-tier talent. Any one of these would make Xuan Qinghong's heart pound!
Bai Ran smiled helplessly. "Master, the woman outside is Vermillion Bird's human form."
"She even transformed into human form!" Xuan Qinghong's voice rose, a pitch of disbelief. How could this world be so insane!
"You wouldn't say that your superficial knowledge of alchemy was just humility, would you??"
Bai Ran shifted her gaze, appearing somewhat guilty. "I suppose..."
Next, Xuan Qinghong directly took out the spirit herbs for a fourth-rank Blood Replenishing Pill and asked Bai Ran to refine it.
The effortless control of fire and the effortless fusion techniques made Xuan Qinghong's brow twitch. "You told me you only learned some superficial knowledge???"
The child could graduate immediately!!!
Fifth-rank pills, sixth-rank pills, seventh-rank alchemy were all successfully produced under Bai Ran's hands...
Xuan Qinghong rubbed his eyes vigorously. The Sect Master Xiong at that time hadn't mentioned that this child was also a seventh-rank alchemist!!!
He was profoundly shocked, but at the same time, a sense of pride and excitement surged within him.
After a long while, Xuan Qinghong calmed down and shook his head. "It seems I've made a wasted trip."
Bai Ran pursed her lips and picked up a spirit herb that was tens of thousands of years old. "Master, this spirit herb cannot be fused with the other herbs. Why is that?"
Xuan Qinghong looked at the most ordinary purple vine in Bai Ran's hand, his eyes moved. This little child was truly someone who made one both love and hate...