After the main character who took the blame retired, the female lead quit.

"I'll trade these three things for it."

The monk glanced down, gave it only one look, and then refused:

"No, it doesn't match. All three of your items are incomplete. What a piece of junk! The lamp is missing a wick, the string of beads is missing a bead, and only this dark blue talisman looks decent, but unfortunately it's not a talisman treasure..."

The bald monk belittled Xiao Yu's possessions, calling them worthless, but his eyes paused slightly as they glanced at the pearl string.

He didn't even glance at the talismans he had promised.

Xiao Yu scratched his head and took out the Cloud Ganoderma Fire Essence from the three items. "How about this?"

"It's still not enough..."

He lay back in the rocking chair, swaying back and forth like a leisurely old man sunbathing at the village entrance. "Let me be frank, these three things you have aren't enough to exchange for anything else. You could probably only get one of those wind chimes..."

Xiao Yu remained expressionless, quietly watching him ramble on. He subconsciously reached for his waist, but found nothing.

"However... I'm in a good mood today. If you add something similar to this bracelet, I'll give you the entire Cloud Ganoderma Fire Essence that you removed. That would be a great deal."

Snapped!

Xiao Yu thought about it and, too lazy to argue, slapped another talisman onto the pile of objects.

"what is this?"

The monk frowned and approached. Talismans were commonplace, something that was everywhere, and they weren't very useful.

The talisman remained perfectly still on the colorful treasure, as if it were an incantation pasted on the Five Finger Mountain. When the monk saw the talisman on the yellow paper, his pupils dilated.

Sword-Locking Talisman... A superior talisman specifically designed to counter a swordsman's innate swordsmanship.

Chapter 52, What a small circle!

Wow~

The curtain was lifted, and inside the small tent, a fire was lit, and an iron pot was placed on it, with something cooking inside.

A fragrant aroma of yam and goji berries wafted through the air, filling the entire tent.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, the accumulated gas seemed to find an outlet, rushing out of the opening and hitting Xiao Yu in the chest.

Xiao Yu sniffed lightly, his brows twitching involuntarily. Without pausing, he adjusted the bundle behind him and walked in.

"You're back? How's it going outside...?"

Long Wan didn't even lift the cigarette butt; the flickering flame cast a soft, gentle glow on her pale face.

Xiao Yu glanced down and saw the girl in crimson lying on the ground, her head resting on his lap. Long Wanyan moved gently, her fingertips tracing the corner of the girl's mouth, indicating that she had just been given medicine.

"Fortunately, we're stuck here for now, and we've made quite a few gains."

He sat down by the fire, his gaze passing over the soup boiling ever more vigorously in the pot, and looking at the peaceful and heartwarming scene of the two people in front of him.

Xiao Yu finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "What's going on here? How did Junior Sister get here?"

"Something happened next door. That disciple from Yanghua Valley had a fit of hysteria. She was burning things and smashing things, and almost dismantled the tent. So the pharmacist moved her here to avoid being affected. Once she's taken care of, he'll move her back."

You weren't there, so I had to feed him the medicine I had prepared. This guy has a tight lip; he spits out most of it after I give him a mouthful..."

Long Wanyan spoke softly, her expression showing no sign of distress, but rather a hint of concern and worry for the girl resting on her lap.

"I thank you on her behalf." Xiao Yu blinked, seemingly still remembering the dragon woman who commanded flames and thunder. He was a little disoriented and it took him a while to utter a sentence.

"It's nothing. She saved my life. I wasn't entirely confident I could escape the flames from the ring of fire. I owe her a lot of kindness. Without her, the current situation wouldn't have been possible."

Long Wanyan's gaze left the girl's face and looked at Xiao Yu. Her silvery eyes were deep and unfathomable, like a surging tide that seemed to envelop him from all sides.

Xiao Yu felt uncomfortable under that affectionate gaze. He shifted uncomfortably, still unsure of what to say.

Click~

The unconscious girl frowned, seemingly sensing Long Wanyan's unique scent. The last vestiges of Yin Hongniang's instincts were still present, and without any warning, she bit Long Wanyan's hand that was resting beside her face.

Long Wanyan froze, and Xiao Yu's gaze drifted upwards.

Her upper and lower jaws snapped shut, and she seemed to be biting very hard. Long Wanyan tugged at it, but couldn't pull it out. Her expression remained normal, but her other hand touched the girl's fair and delicate face.

"She's quite pretty, and has the looks of a natural beauty, but unfortunately... she has an extra mouth."

A faint voice came.

In response, Xiao Yu kept his eyes down, looking up at the top of the tent, seemingly lost in thought.

The firelight cast shadows, and through the firelight, one could vaguely see figures moving about in the adjacent tent, bustling about. It seemed another patient had arrived, and Pharmacist Xuanding would be quite busy.

Long Wanyan used her slender, pale fingers to pry open the girl's mouth and managed to free her hand. She wasn't about to hold a grudge against a patient; in her eyes, this was nothing more than a desperate last stand by a spendthrift.

After settling the girl in, the two sat facing each other in front of the pot cooking over the fire.

The woman gazed quietly at the man opposite her, her gentle eyes seeming to speak volumes, shimmering in the flickering firelight.

After the two established their relationship last time, Xiao Yu ran off without stopping, and the two didn't have much time alone together.

This time was different. Because of the ring of fire, the two of them, like the other cultivators, were temporarily stuck here.

Living under the same tent meant the two spent far more time together, and Xiao Yu had nowhere to hide.

"Cough cough..."

Xiao Yuqing coughed a few times and suggested, "I acquired quite a few things during my recent scouting trip. Would you like to come and take a look?"

"Okay." Long Wanyan nodded.

Xiao Yu untied the bundle he had carried back, and the gold-inscribed black cloth unfolded, revealing a pile of strange and wonderful treasures inside.

Xiao Yu had a small success with this exchange. The bald monk seemed to really like the sword-locking talisman on his back. He was in a great mood and not only agreed to the initial exchange request, but also gave him a few more items, as if afraid that he would change his mind.

However, upon closer inspection, Xiao Yu found that the items given to him were all useless junk.

Ultimately, there were only a few items that were truly useful and caught the eye of Xiao Yu and Long Wanyan:

A wind chime with a flawless, glassy surface and an antique bronze appearance; a cloud-shaped fire spirit; a Buddha statue that is transparent and resembles white jade; and a piece of black iron that is burned red like a tile.

After observing for a moment, Long Wanyan stared at the items and said:

"These Yunzhi Fire Essence and Wax Iron are both excellent forging materials, and are not commonly seen. Keep them. If you encounter a skilled swordsmith in the future, you can entrust them to him and he will forge a flying sword for you."

The Buddha statue is probably not a product of this secret realm; it was likely brought by the monk himself. Its function is unclear, but it is certainly a good thing.

I can see some tricks to the wind chimes; I guess they're designed to break through the wind and follow the flow, so wearing them can increase movement speed.

Finally, keep this glass surface safe. It's an absolute treasure, but it's entangled in many karmic connections. That monk probably pretended to misjudge it and gave it to you at a low price.

"Really..." Xiao Yu lowered his head, so focused on picking up the scraps that he hadn't thought of this.

The "Go Through Fire and Water" effect on the mask, while powerful, is only average. To avoid flames, you just need to use a fire-avoidance technique.

It's said to be a matter of cause and effect; wearing this mask might attract the attention of those who want to collect the complete set of the Glass Armor, who might come knocking on your door demanding it.

It will indeed be a big problem in the future, but we don't need to think about it too much now that we're in the secret realm.

Ultimately, Xiao Yu valued it not for its willingness to go through fire and water, but for other reasons.

Thinking it over, Xiao Yu pinched the edge of the mask and handed it to Long Wanyan opposite him: "Here you go."

Long Wanyan was taken aback, but she still took the mask. "What? You think this is a hot potato and you don't want it?! I'll take care of it for you. Once you've collected them all, don't even think about going back..."

She held the mask in her hand, her eyes flashing, and she joked, which was rare for her. However, she was still thinking that if someone came to her door, she could give the complete set to Xiao Yu.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu waved his hand, seemingly understanding Long Wanyan's thoughts, "This thing looks like it's fire-oriented, so I, who plays with ice, can't use it. If you want to avoid fire, ice will do. If you collect them all, that's fine, keep them for yourself."

However, the main issue is that you're currently within the secret realm, and it's not advisable to show your face in public. With this mask on, you can conceal your identity and avoid having to be so stealthy and cautious in the secret realm. It wouldn't be good if word got out that the Qingyun Floating Sect Master was wandering around the secret realm.”

As he spoke, he also stuffed the Yunzhi Fire Essence and the tile-like scrap iron into her hands.

"You can hold this for me too. Even if I run into a skilled swordsmith, he won't listen to me and I won't be able to make a flying sword."

"it is good."

Long Wanyan put her things away and looked at the man in front of her. Knowing that he cared about her, a surge of warmth rose in her heart.

The Taoist crown that Long Wanyan used to conceal her identity when she came down to the secret realm was casually torn off by her and thrown near a cave on the outer edge of the secret realm. The fire circle came, and she was in a hurry to leave, so she didn't have time to look for the whereabouts of that thing.

They must have turned to ashes by now. Without this thing to cover them up, Long Wanyan would have to be much more careful in her actions within the secret realm.

Otherwise, when Xiao Yu went out to change his things, she would have followed him at least a little, instead of hiding in the tent like she is now.

Although the mask was not as effective as the Taoist crown in terms of concealment, it was still the first thing Xiao Yu had given her, and it was something he had thought of for her. Long Wanyan, who had never experienced love before, was very touched.

A slight upturn at the corners of her lips brought a touch of rosy color back to her face, which had been somewhat pale from the dragon essence.

“Xiao Yu… I’m so happy that you’re thinking of caring about me. I thought that after what happened before, you would feel resentful or afraid, and thus distance yourself from me and become cold.”

During his second dragon transformation, his almost insatiable demands were limitless. Although Xiao Yu could easily generate the essence of Taiyin, excessive loss would still damage his foundation.

Therefore, Long Wanyan, having regained her senses, was also prepared for a rift to develop between her and Xiao Yuxin.

There may be a second time, but not a third. No matter how many benefits she offers, if she continues to act recklessly, she will eventually cross the line.

"Um... I've taken quite a few benefits from you, so if I don't reciprocate, I'll just look like some kind of scumbag who takes advantage of you and then does nothing. Besides, isn't our relationship pretty normal now...?"

Long Wanyan's reaction was somewhat beyond Xiao Yu's expectations. This girl... unexpectedly, how should I put it, was rather innocent.

Xiao Yu turned his head away, and Long Wanyan's moved expression made him feel a little embarrassed.

"Ahem... Actually, to be honest, as a man, it was quite enjoyable, of course, only the first few times."

If you need the essence of Yin to calm your bloodline, you don't need to take such an extreme approach. I can lend you Yue Li, and since you already possess some of the Mirror Flower Snow Moon technique, you can simply obtain the essence of Yin from the heavens if you wish.”

"..."

Upon hearing this, Long Wanyan lowered the corners of her mouth slightly. Xiao Yu did not notice this. He turned his head back, and Long Wanyan's eyes did not change. She just pursed her lips and nodded.

"I understand, indeed. It seems I was being too reserved. In that case... Xiao Yu..."

Long Wanyan looked at Xiao Yu, her hot breath escaping her nostrils, her cherry-colored, glossy lips giving off a soft and sweet feeling.

She moved closer and closer, and before they knew it, their noses were touching. In the flickering firelight, the girl lying down frowned.

Wow...

Before Xiao Yu could respond, the tent flap was suddenly lifted, and a girl with red eyes walked in, rubbing her eyes. She happened to face the two people inside the tent.

The girl's clothes were disheveled, and her dusty face was still streaked with tears, as if she had just been crying.