Chapter 32: The Little Fairy Doctor Follows Close Behind

Chapter 32: The Little Fairy Doctor in Pursuit

"Haha, well done, young brother! To think you could take a direct hit from a Scorpion-Tailed Demon Wolf. That beast is incredibly fierce among Tier 1 magical beasts; it rarely meets its match at the same level."

"Such a young Dou Zhe, truly terrifying."

The surrounding mercenaries offered cheers to Xiao Se from time to time. Just moments ago, the herb-gathering team had been ambushed by a Scorpion-Tailed Demon Wolf. Facing a Tier 1 beast that possessed both speed and strength—not to mention a poisonous tail—several men had been struck and fallen into a poisoned coma immediately. Fortunately, Xiao Se acted in time, drawing his magic sword and sending the beast flying with a single strike, saving the mercenaries from a venomous fate.

Facing the praise of the mercenaries, Xiao Se merely smiled casually. Showing no signs of conceit or arrogance, he followed the team silently as they headed toward their destination. To him, if his Dou Qi had not been suppressed by the magic sword, he could have slain the wolf with one blow. Instead, he had chosen to rely on his restricted Dou Qi, his physical strength, and the sharpness of his blade to repel it. This, he reasoned, was part of his training.

"Everyone, we are still some distance from the gathering site. Let's take a short break!" After walking for a while longer, the girl’s ethereal voice suddenly rang out through the quiet team.

Hearing this, the group paused in their tracks, turned back to look at the girl with the gentle smile, and nodded in agreement. After a brief discussion, ten people were assigned to keep watch, while the others took turns resting to recover their expended Dou Qi.

Xiao Se had only struck once the entire time, and his energy consumption was negligible. Once fully recovered, he greeted a nearby mercenary and, under the guise of needing to relieve himself, slipped away from the team and into a small grove. He made his way along the edge of the cliffs, keeping an eye out for any useful medicinal herbs.

Passing through the grove, Xiao Se finally found a steep cliff. Below lay a lush, green forest, beautiful to behold. Standing at the edge, he ignored a nearby White Orchid Fruit and peered downward. Seeing nothing amiss at a glance, he asked in his heart, "Long Kui, is there a cave under this cliff? Please check for me."

"Understood, Brother." Long Kui’s voice resonated in his mind. A moment later, she replied, "Brother, there really seems to be a cave under the cliff."

Xiao Se felt a surge of joy; it seemed that following the Wanyao Pavilion’s team had been the right choice. He touched his storage ring, and a thick climbing rope appeared in his hand.

He tied the rope to a tree trunk as thick as a thigh. After giving it a firm tug to ensure it was secure, he tapped his toes against the ground and leaped straight down the cliff.

Shortly after Xiao Se descended, a lithe, pale-green figure emerged from the dim grove. She walked slowly to the edge of the cliff, observing a pale-white flower with bright red fruit—the White Orchid Fruit—and then looked at the climbing rope tied to the nearby tree. The girl murmured softly, "He didn't even pick the White Orchid Fruit, which is worth thousands of gold coins, but instead went down the cliff. Does he not recognize it, or is there something else down there?"

A breeze blew, scattering the clouds and letting warm sunlight fall upon her ethereal, delicate face. It was none other than the Little Fairy Doctor.

Meanwhile, under Long Kui's guidance, Xiao Se had reached the vicinity of the cave. As he gazed at the pitch-black entrance, before he could even catch his breath, the hair on his arms stood on end. His heart jolted as a faint whistling sound pierced the air, and a dark shadow lunged at him.

"A Rock Snake." In the sunlight, Xiao Se identified the attacker. He raised his free right hand, a cluster of cyan-white flames rising from it, and struck the snake. The flames collided with the beast; with a series of crisp pops, the Rock Snake struggled violently under the scorching heat of the beast-fire until it became charred and fell, crashing into the bottomless valley below.

Having dealt with the snake, Xiao Se relaxed slightly but kept his guard up. He radiated his spiritual perception, and once he confirmed the dark cave was clear of danger, he loosened his grip on the rope, kicked off the cliff face, and vaulted into the cave.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Long Kui’s melodious voice sounded in his mind again: "Brother, someone seems to be holding your rope and preparing to come down."

"Someone?" Xiao Se frowned. Just as he prepared to release his beast-fire to burn the rope, he saw a familiar pale-green figure appear at the top of the cliff. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes. "The Little Fairy Doctor?"

"Brother, shall I deal with her?" This time, it was the voice of the long-silent Red Kui.

Xiao Se shook his head. "No need. Her strength is no match for mine, and she is a kind-hearted girl; there is no need to kill her."

He walked toward the stone door inside the cave, groped around, and pressed the release mechanism. The door opened to reveal three boxes on a stone table and a skeleton seated in a chair beside it. Without hesitation, Xiao Se walked to the skeleton and retrieved the remnant map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame hidden within the hand bones. He then found the keys on the remains and opened the second and third boxes, stowing the flying Dou Technique "Eagle Wings" and the attack technique "Roaring Lion Chant" into his storage ring.

Only then did he run back to the cave entrance to check on the Little Fairy Doctor. He was met with a scene that left him both amused and exasperated.

The Little Fairy Doctor was clutching the rope desperately, her feet dangling in the air with nothing to brace against, scrambling in a panic. Under her pale-green tunic, a glimpse of her white undergarments was revealed.

Seeing this, Xiao Se couldn't help but feel curious: did the girls of the Dou Qi Continent really dislike wearing trousers? Xuan'er, Xiao Yu, and even the Little Fairy Doctor—they were all the same.

"Ah!" With a scream, the Little Fairy Doctor could no longer hold on. Her hands slipped, and she fell vertically toward the valley floor.

Xiao Se shook his head helplessly. He leaped forward, placing himself in front of her, and unceremoniously wrapped his right arm around the willow-thin waist that had left countless men in Qingshan Town infatuated, while his left hand gripped the rope.

The Little Fairy Doctor, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, threw her arms around Xiao Se's neck and shoulder, holding on tightly and afraid to open her eyes. The two hung against the cliff in an incredibly intimate posture.

"Hey, hey... it's alright now. You can open your eyes." Xiao Se shook her soft body gently to alert her.

Hearing his voice, the Little Fairy Doctor slowly opened her beautiful eyes. Looking at Xiao Se, who was holding her, her pale face flushed slightly. "Th-thank you..."