The prospect of obtaining a high-level alchemy inheritance was indeed tempting, but Xiao Ming was wary of Yao Lao's intentions. It was clear that Yao Lao had a plan in mind if he was willing to offer the inheritance so readily.
With this in mind, Xiao Ming merely smiled noncommittally and gestured for Yao Lao to continue speaking.
When Yao Lao saw that Xiao Ming did not seem to be moved by the high-level alchemy inheritance he had mentioned and acted calmly, he could not help but praise him inwardly.
As expected of an Alchemist genius who had reached the sixth tier at a young age, let alone anything else, his mentality was really good.
After a moment of appreciation, Yao Lao continued, "This matter of mine is a bit complicated. Can you tell me first, what is your relationship with the girl beside you?"
"Xian'er is my partner." There was nothing to hide, so Xiao Ming spoke straightforwardly.
Xiao Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He was grateful that Yao Lao was being rational and taking a transactional approach instead of a violent one. If a fight broke out, whether they could defeat her or not was another matter, but one thing was for sure: they would offend Xiao Ming in the process.
The Dou Qi Continent was still quite conservative, and for Xiao Ming to openly declare that woman as his partner was essentially the same as announcing her as his future wife.
Although Xiao Yan wasn't particularly fond of the family, he had to admit that Xiao Ming brought a breath of fresh air to the Xiao family. He had given much to the family over the years, and his father had even sought his help on several occasions. And if he really had to face him, his father would be the first to slap him.
Stroking his beard, Yao Lao said with a smile, "Since it's like this, then it should be easier. The condition for giving you the high-level alchemy inheritance is simple. I assume there is some kind of Heavenly Flame in that girl, correct? If you give that Heavenly Flame to Xiao Yan, I will give you the inheritance. Don't worry, I won't let this little girl suffer. I have accumulated many good things over the years, so feel free to ask for something."
Hearing Yao Lao's words, the smile on Xiao Ming's face gradually faded.
Even in his current state, Yao Lao was able to detect the Heavenly Flame within Xian'er's body, which was unexpected.
Upon further consideration, it was understandable, as Xian'er needed to control the toxins in her body through the use of the Heavenly Flame, the Nether Poison Flame was always in a fluctuating state. And although for other people it might be difficult to detect, for someone like Yao Lao, who had possessed another Heavenly Flame for many years, this fluctuation would be very eye-catching.
Xiao Yi Xian, who was sitting to the side, did not expect that the matter would involve her in this way, and upon hearing that Yao Lao was getting ideas with her Nether Poison Flame, which preserves her life, her eyebrows lifted, and she felt a surge of anger rising within her, threatening to boil over.
Looking at Xiao Yan, who was clenching his hands tightly beside Yao Lao, Xiao Ming first gave Xiao Yi Xian a reassuring look, signaling her to calm down. Then, he turned to Yao Lao and spoke in a harsh tone.
"Not to mention that the Nether Poison Flame is essential for Xian'er's life, even if it wasn't, I wouldn't agree to exchange it. As a Master Alchemist, Venerable Yao Chen, you should know that extracting a refined Heavenly Flame from someone is a significant loss of vitality and may even damage their future cultivation. So, this proposal of yours... heh."
After saying this, Xiao Ming shook his head with a slight sense of undisguised wryness.
And this was only because he and Xiao Yan belonged to the same Clan, if another person with strength found out about Yao Lao's condition, it would be a miracle if he was not mocked for a long time.
To exchange an already refined Heavenly Flame, was this something a normal person could accept?
Of course, Yao Lao knew that other people would not exchange their Heavenly Flames, and even if they willingly wanted to extract their Heavenly Flames, it would take them a long time to recover.
In Central Plains, those who had a Heavenly Flame would not exchange it for a high-level alchemy inheritance, as alchemy inheritances could be obtained in various ways, especially since Pill Tower existed.
But a Heavenly Flame, instead, was actually an extremely rare existence!
On the other hand, in the North-Western Region, there were very few high-level Alchemists, and Xiao Ming came from the Alchemy Department of Jia Nan Academy, which was not originally high in level. So, Yao Lao felt that the alchemy inheritance would be very attractive to Xiao Ming, who currently had limited access to high-level alchemy inheritances.
Yao Lao's face had thickened for an unknown number of years, so Xiao Ming's words had little effect on him.
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, felt his face turn red, and it was uncertain whether it was out of embarrassment or something else. After a moment, Xiao Yan said, "Master, we should leave now. This Heavenly Flame is a treasure that the woman uses to preserve her life, we can't force it."
The other party had already stated that it was a life-preserving treasure, so it would be foolish to keep insisting on it.
Moreover, the relationship between Yao Lao and Xiao Ming had become strained. Originally, Xiao Yan had wanted to ask for Xiao Ming's help during the three-year agreement, but now that was no longer an option.
"This..." Yao Lao hesitated, as he was aware of the location of many Heavenly Flames, but most of them already had owners. Dealing with these owners would be much more challenging than with the current Xiao Ming and Xiao Yi Xian.
Moreover, the Jia Nan Academy that Xiao Yan was about to attend was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, not to mention some elders from the Central Plains.
Besides, there was still a Heavenly Flame that preserved life? Yao Lao didn't even know there was any Heavenly Flame that had that function! So he suspected that it was Xiao Ming who was dissatisfied with the exchange.
When he saw that Xiao Yan was ready to leave, Xiao Ming immediately spoke up to stop him.
"There's no need to be in such a hurry. Although I have no intention of exchanging the Heavenly Flame, we can still discuss the high-level alchemy inheritance."
Hearing this, Yao Lao sensed that things did not seem to be so simple, and immediately frowned.
"What do you mean? Besides the Heavenly Flame, you shouldn't have anything else of value that would interest me, right?"
"It's difficult to say," Xiao Ming replied with a noncommittal smile.
With a wave of his hand, a special jade bottle appeared in front of everyone in the room.
Seeing the thin invisible fire covering the mouth of the jade bottle, Yao Lao's pupils shrank dramatically. Could it be that Xiao Ming also possessed another kind of Heavenly Flame?
Xiao Ming then spoke, "Rumor has it that Venerable Yao Chen died under mysterious circumstances and that there might be a connection to his first disciple, Han Feng. Am I correct?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Lao's expression changed, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
He no longer cared about the possibility of Xiao Ming having a Heavenly Flame and his soul power surged forward, pressing towards Xiao Ming. In a chilling voice, he demanded, "How do you know this? What else do you know!?"
This matter was only known to himself, his rebellious disciple Han Feng, and the people of the mysterious Hall of Souls. How could Xiao Ming know about it? Yao Lao's mind raced with thoughts, his eyes flashing with undetectable murderous intent.
It appeared that Han Feng was indeed Yao Lao's Achilles' heel and even his long-cultivated mentality could not withstand being touched in this area.
Xiao Yan, meanwhile, looked at Yao Lao who had lost his composure in shock.
Who was this first disciple Han Feng? Was there an older brother before him, and did he also kill his Master? Why had his Master never mentioned it to him?
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Title: Yao Lao's Rage
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A/N:
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