"Speak your piece!" Lu Man wheezed, her breath faint.
"Your runaway pal got caught. Someone's coming to keep you company soon," Xiao Heng said with a grin. Killing this woman and snake would be simple, but it would draw the Heavenly Snake Mansion's attention. Controlling them was the smarter play.
Lu Man glanced at the distant horizon, where a powerful aura approached—a clear Dou Zong presence. Old Black, the puppet, emitted no Dou Qi aura, making him undetectable.
"If you want to live, swallow this," Xiao Heng said, pushing a wisp of blue flame toward her.
"What are you scheming?" Lu Man eyed the flame warily.
"Eat it or don't—your choice. Ten breaths to decide," Xiao Heng replied.
Lu Man glanced at the blue sky, then at Xiao Heng. Finally, she swallowed the flame. A warm sensation spread as it merged with her dantian through her meridians.
"Congrats on making the smart call. Take any healing pills you have, or gather herbs for me to refine," Xiao Heng said.
He'd traveled from the Chu Yun Empire to the Tagore Desert without high-grade herbs. His best healing pill was only a mid-tier fourth-grade one.
"My healing pills aren't great either. I'll recover a bit and then gather materials," Lu Man said, swallowing a white pill. Her pallor improved, but her internal injuries lingered, requiring higher-grade pills or a long recovery.
"We need to move. The Yun Lan Sect and Jia Ma royalty's experts are closing in," Xiao Heng said, wrapping an arm around Qing Lin and flying toward the powerful aura. Old Black followed, clutching Lu Man like a limp fowl.
Five minutes after their departure, two streaks of light arrived. A mature woman in an ornate pale blue robe flew beside a white-haired man with a youthful face clad in yellow. They traded flattery mid-flight. The yellow-robed man, Jia Xing Tian, was the Jia Ma Empire's strongest, a peak Dou Huang and arguably its top expert.
A peak Dou Huang exchanging pleasantries with the three-star Dou Huang Yun Yun was an odd sight. Neither had sensed Lu Man's aura before, and only Yun Yun had encountered Xiao Heng's. A flicker of curiosity crossed Yun Yun's eyes, quickly masked. I have a feeling I'll meet that young, vigorous figure again soon, she thought.
Old Black, relying solely on physical prowess, was invisible to their senses unless seen directly. Finding nothing, the duo descended toward Yan City below, hoping for clues.
___
Xiao Heng, holding Qing Lin, and Old Black, carrying Lu Man, flew for half an hour. A massive black serpent reappeared, its aura feeble, its body marred by toxin-corroded wounds. The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor, Bai Ya, lay like a dead dog on a mountaintop boulder. A man in purple robes sat cross-legged atop it, while a stunning woman in a purple skirt gazed toward Xiao Heng.
"Come, Qing Lin, sit on Old Black's shoulder," Xiao Heng said, placing her there before streaking toward the purple-skirted woman.
The purple-robed man sensed Xiao Heng's approach and stood, ready to strike. At the woman's gesture, he relented, retracting his purple Dou Qi.
Xiao Heng, a pale blue streak, embraced the purple-skirted woman, inhaling her faint, intoxicating fragrance. "It's only been a short while, and I've missed you," she said, her pink lips brushing his cheek.
"Xiao Yi Xian, these months have felt like years," Xiao Heng said, tightening his grip on her slender waist.
"Oh? Looks like you've been living quite well," Xiao Yi Xian said, her tone sharpening as she eyed the green-clad girl on Old Black's shoulder.
"Heh, heh, heh!" Xiao Heng laughed awkwardly. "This is Qing Lin, my new disciple, more or less." He pointed to her as she hopped down.
"And this is Xiao Yi Xian."
"Qing Lin greets the Young Mistress!" Qing Lin bowed respectfully, her adorable demeanor tugging at the heart.
"Qing Lin, just call me Sister. Who told you I'm the Young Mistress?" Xiao Yi Xian said, a smug smile flickering across her face.
"Um, Sister Xiao Yi Xian, I just guessed," Qing Lin said nervously.
"Don't be scared, Qing Lin. Your Sister Xiao Yi Xian is easy to get along with," Xiao Heng reassured her, then briefed Xiao Yi Xian on Qing Lin's background.
"No need to fear, Qing Lin. We're your family now," Xiao Yi Xian said, pulling her into a warm embrace.
"Mmm!" Qing Lin hugged her back. Both women, shaped by hardship, found solace in each other.
Xiao Heng moved to join the embrace but was stopped by Xiao Yi Xian's glare. "Go check on that black snake."
"Right away!" Xiao Heng approached Bai Ya, with a partially recovered Lu Man trailing behind.
"Bai Ya, weren't you quick to flee? Why're you lying here like a dead dog now?" Lu Man taunted, gloating.
"Hmph, you traitor!" Bai Ya snarled, instantly grasping how she'd survived.
"Interested in being a traitor yourself?" Xiao Heng asked casually.
"Traitors? Not even dogs would stoop so low!" Bai Ya growled defiantly.
A beat later, it added, "But I sincerely wish to serve you, my lord." Its tone was earnest, almost reverent.
"Good, good, good! Swallow this," Xiao Heng said, conjuring a blue flame and offering it to Bai Ya.
Without hesitation, Bai Ya gulped it down. "Release it," Xiao Heng told the purple-robed man.
The man stepped off Bai Ya and took his place behind Xiao Yi Xian. His aura suggested he was the Black Scale Poison Mosquito from the Nether Poison Swamp, likely having reached Dou Zong—seventh-tier beast status—under Xiao Yi Xian's aid, allowing him to take human form.
Xiao Heng tossed his mid-tier fourth-grade healing pill into Bai Ya's mouth. Its dying aura began to strengthen. "Keep doing whatever you were doing before," Xiao Heng instructed.
"Yes, sir!" Lu Man and Bai Ya responded in unison.
"Here's the list of herbs for a fifth-grade healing pill. Find them yourselves and bring them to me for refining. Once you're healed, escort a group to the Black-Corner Region, then infiltrate the Heavenly Snake Mansion. If you're exposed, head to the Black-Corner Region. I'll be there, taking control of a faction," Xiao Heng ordered. Bai Ya and Lu Man departed to gather the herbs.
"Xiao Yi Xian, you and Qing Lin wait here. I'm heading back to Stone Desert City, then we'll go straight to the Black-Corner Region," Xiao Heng said.