“Because of Ling’er, I’ve spared you multiple times. Whatever debt I owed the Xiao Family for raising her is repaid. This time, I won’t kill you—but from now on, Ling’er owes your Xiao Family nothing! Hei Long, throw him out!”
With that, Qin Jiang waved his arm. A tremendous force blasted Xiao Fan straight out.
Hei Long sneered, grabbed Xiao Fan casually, and with a light toss, flung him off the mountain peak.
Ye Ling’er felt a tinge of pity at the sight, but she said nothing. In her heart, she was already starting to lean toward Qin Jiang.
Just then, Qin Jiang gently squeezed her small hand.
Ye Ling’er came back to her senses and looked at Qin Jiang’s warm smile, and her gloomy mood instantly lifted.
“Let’s see what we gained,” Qin Jiang said with a smile.
Ye Ling’er nodded. She was also curious about what treasures might lie in the treasure-hiding ground Qin Jiang had been so concerned with.
Xiao Fan had already cleared all the obstacles, and Hei Long had completely destroyed them afterward. Ahead of them stood a stone house that hadn’t been opened yet.
Qin Jiang’s gaze fell directly on it.
Looking at the stone house, he called out, “Hei Long.”
Hei Long understood immediately. He walked up to the stone house, estimated the thickness of the wall, and then struck out with a powerful punch, smashing through it entirely.
A surge of strength crushed the debris into powder, and a rough doorway appeared.
“Young Master, it’s ready.”
Qin Jiang nodded and led Ye Ling’er by the hand toward the stone house.
Before they even entered, a wave of heat hit them.
Inside the stone house, vibrant spiritual herbs swayed gently—at a glance, all of them were fire-attribute herbs.
“Fire-attribute…” Qin Jiang muttered.
For someone like Xiao Fan, who possessed the Fire God Body, these would have been heavenly treasures.
“So many herbs!” Ye Ling’er’s eyes sparkled.
The interior of the stone house was surprisingly spacious. Most of the space was covered in herbs, and at the center of the room…
There was a small pool of water.
Qin Jiang walked over and squatted beside it. The water was warm, like a hot spring.
Unfortunately, the pool was too small, barely enough for one person—otherwise, a couple’s bath might’ve been nice.
“Hei Long, go check it out.”
Hei Long peered in, took a deep breath, and then dove in with a splash.
“Is there something inside?” Ye Ling’er asked curiously.
Qin Jiang nodded and explained, “For such a place to grow this many fire-attribute herbs, it must be related to this pool. But the water itself is ordinary, so there must be a fire-attribute treasure hidden within.”
Hearing this, Ye Ling’er felt it made sense. She looked at Qin Jiang, her eyes shining with admiration. Not only was he strong, but also wise…
Much better than Xiao Fan.
But thinking of Xiao Fan made her mood drop again. Every time they met, he seemed increasingly hostile.
She didn’t understand why.
She had protected him more than once, yet he kept lashing out at her.
He’d changed.
Fortunately, now there was someone brighter beside her.
After about fifteen minutes, a splash rose from the pool—Hei Long burst out from the water.
“Young Master, I found it.”
He returned to Qin Jiang’s side, holding a fiery-red pearl in his hand.
Qin Jiang and Ye Ling’er looked over.
White flames flickered on the surface of the pearl, and the space around it seemed to distort.
Qin Jiang took it, and the intense heat surprised him. He quickly circulated his spiritual energy to isolate the heat.
This pearl had no name in the story, but Xiao Fan later called it the Fire God Pearl. It contained a sealed flame—though Qin Jiang didn’t yet know its origin.
All he knew was that the flame was extremely powerful. If fully released, it could burn even Yin-Yang Realm experts to ashes. It also aided in alchemy.
There were likely more hidden functions as well.
“This is the treasure hidden in the water?” Ye Ling’er looked at the pearl.
Qin Jiang nodded with a smile. “All these spiritual herbs, and even this hot spring, exist because of this pearl. But it’s purely fire-attribute, so it’s very limited. It’s not as valuable as it seems. Of course, for a pure fire-attribute cultivator, it’s a supreme treasure.”
Ye Ling’er felt a bit disappointed. None of them had a pure fire-attribute cultivation. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
She didn’t know that Xiao Fan was exactly such a cultivator—and this pearl was one of his greatest opportunities. But now…
[Major plotline altered.
Reward: Emperor Dao Law (refining it can advance one to the Emperor Realm);
Reward: Supreme Alchemy Technique (can refine Supreme-grade pills);
Reward: Emperor Art – Sky Shift Movement;
Reward: 360 Songstresses (a special squad; host will definitely like them);
Reward: Villain Points.]
Once again, the system’s voice echoed in his mind.
These rewards were even more lavish, confirming the immense value the Fire God Pearl held for Xiao Fan—more important than a female lead with high destiny!
And probably even rarer than Qin Jiang had expected.
“Not a bad haul,” Qin Jiang smiled and stored the Fire God Pearl.
Then, looking at the fire-attribute spiritual herbs around him, he thought for a moment and said, “Ling’er, how about we leave these herbs for Xiao Fan?”
“Ah?” Ye Ling’er was stunned.
At the same time, she felt deeply moved. Xiao Fan had provoked Qin Jiang several times, yet Qin Jiang, for her sake, not only spared him again but even intended to leave him some opportunities.
Ye Ling’er sniffled and reached out to hold Qin Jiang’s hand. “Qin Jiang, thank you~ But I don’t want you giving up what’s yours just for me.”
It was the first time Ye Ling’er truly thought of him.
Qin Jiang smiled, gently squeezed her hand, and said softly, “I’ll take some and leave some behind—as a form of compensation for Xiao Fan. After all, it was the Xiao Family that raised you. I don’t want you to feel burdened.”
His warm tone made Ye Ling’er’s cheeks flush. She lowered her head and nodded. “I’ll listen to you~”
After that, Qin Jiang took part of the spiritual herbs and left the rest for Xiao Fan. Only…
No one knew that among the herbs he left, Qin Jiang had quietly added a little something extra.
“Alright, let’s head back,” Qin Jiang clapped his hands in satisfaction.
Without hesitation, he took Ye Ling’er and returned to Qingcheng Town.
Originally, Qin Jiang had planned to visit Chen Ningbing. But then—
“Qin Jiang… can you stay with me tonight~” Ye Ling’er’s soft, shy voice made Qin Jiang change plans immediately.
The big bad wolf and the little white rabbit were destined to stir up a storm that night.