The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 71 Master-Disciple Conversation

"I'm going out to deal with that old guy first, otherwise he'll get suspicious," Fama said.

"Hmm!" Xiao Yan nodded.

Xiao Yan watched Fa Ma's departing figure and breathed a sigh of relief.

No one could have imagined that Xiao Yan would encounter Gu He and the royal family simply by selling pills. This forced Xiao Yan to change his original plan, revealing his identity to Fa Ma and asking Fa Ma to protect him.

Without Fa Ma's protection, Jia Xingtian would have been after Xiao Yan, not Fa Ma, today. Facing a peak Dou Huang expert, and without a powerful protector like Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan would definitely have been taken away by Jia Xingtian unless Yao Lao was exposed.

As for why Jia Xingtian didn't care about the powerful figure behind Xiao Yan.

"Hehe, I'm just inviting your disciple for tea to show my hospitality. I don't have any bad intentions." Xiao Yan had already thought of the right words for Jia Xingtian to say.

"You brat, when did I say I had already taken Fa Ma as my disciple?" After Fa Ma left, Yao Lao suddenly appeared from the ring.

"I had no choice, did I? If I hadn't said something nice, I probably would have been completely finished this time," Xiao Yan said embarrassedly.

"Who told you to show off when you weren't strong enough? Who can you blame when something goes wrong!" Old Yao rolled his eyes and said irritably.

"It's not my fault! I just wanted to sell some pills, who knew it would cause so much trouble! I didn't want to be in the limelight, but my strength wouldn't allow it!" Xiao Yan said helplessly.

Xiao Yan genuinely only intended to honestly sell some low-grade pills, cure Nalan Jie's poison, obtain the Seven Illusions Azure Spirit Saliva, and then leave the capital. However, plans often go awry! He unexpectedly encountered two princesses and the Pill King Gu He—something Xiao Yan hadn't anticipated.

"That's really not your fault. But although you've encountered quite a few things, I'm truly surprised by how you handled the crisis. You were able to face these things so calmly and resolve them perfectly in the end." The old doctor nodded and then praised you.

Even Yao Lao was deeply impressed by Xiao Yan's shrewdness. He saw none of the impulsiveness typical of youth in Xiao Yan; he remained calm and collected in the face of adversity, unlike a typical young man, more like an old monster like himself. Faced with his fiancée, Nalan Yanran, who had broken off their engagement, most others would have been furious, but Xiao Yan remained composed. He skillfully defused Nalan Yanran's repeated suspicions and tests, revealing not a single flaw in his defenses.

When interacting with important figures like Fa Ma, Gu He, and the princess of the Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Yan, a young master from Wu Tan City, remained remarkably calm and fearless. Even young people from prominent families in the capital could not achieve what Xiao Yan did.

Moreover, Yao Lao had a feeling that if they were to truly discuss shrewdness, he probably couldn't compare to Xiao Yan. This was because he had once been betrayed by someone he had painstakingly taught.

No one knows how many secrets and thoughts Xiao Yan has in his mind, which is similar to his disciple who betrayed him.

However, Yao Lao was not worried about being hurt by Xiao Yan again, because Xiao Yan's actions towards Xiao Xun'er showed that he was a person who cared a lot about feelings.

Moreover, Xiao Yan is very grateful, as can be seen from his trip to the capital. Although Xiao Yan has never said why he came to the capital, Yao Lao knows that it is likely because of him, since Xiao Yan said he wanted to give him a surprise when he first arrived in the capital.

"I'm so embarrassed by all the praise!" Xiao Yan said shyly after being praised by two old men in a row.

"You're embarrassed? Your face is more beautiful than all the city walls of the entire Jia Ma Empire combined." Yao Lao got goosebumps when he saw Xiao Yan's shy appearance.

"I'm very thin-skinned, okay!" Xiao Yan retorted.

"Alright, stop being so cheeky," Yao Lao said, rolling his eyes.

"Hehe, would you like to meet Fa Ma, teacher?" Xiao Yan put away his joking thoughts and said seriously.

"It's not appropriate for me to see him now. Give this to him when he comes back, consider it his apprenticeship gift! Besides, do you really want to see him now?" Yao Lao said jokingly after casually tossing a scroll to Xiao Yan.

After catching the scroll, Xiao Yan chuckled awkwardly. It was indeed not a good time to meet.

"What is this?" Xiao Yan asked, looking at the scroll in his hand.

"These are some insights I've gained from alchemy over the past few days. If you give them to Fa Ma, he should advance to the sixth-grade alchemist," the old alchemist said slowly.

"I've already prepared the apprenticeship ceremony for them, and now you're blaming me for acting first and asking questions later?" Xiao Yan muttered to himself, pursing his lips.

"I can't stay out for too long. Those two outside are not simple. After Fa Ma returns, just give him the scroll. I don't need to teach you how to say it, right?" After instructing Xiao Yan, Yao Lao transformed into a beam of white light and entered the ring once again.

After putting away the scroll, Xiao Yan casually toured the secret room, since so many rare medicinal herbs were not commonly seen.

Outdoors, after exuding his aura, Jia Xingtian waited for Fa Ma to appear.

"Hehe, what brings you here, you old codger?" Fa Ma asked with a smile as he left the secret chamber and stepped out of the room.

"Didn't I hear there's a gifted young man here? So I wanted to come and meet him, and also to bring over the medicinal herbs I need for refining pills," Jia Xingtian said with a smile.

"I was originally planning to bring that kid here, but he had to leave halfway through because he seemed quite anxious, so I didn't force him to come," Fama said with a smile.

"Old fox! It seems you really have a close relationship with him!" Jia Xingtian thought to himself, his eyes narrowed.

"Old friend, it's been so long! Won't you invite me in for a seat?" Jia Xingtian continued with a smile.

"Hehe, please come in!" Fama said politely.

Fa Ma led Jia Xingtian into the room. After they sat down, Jia Xingtian said, "I heard from Yue'er and her sister that the old man and that young man have a close relationship. Could you tell me about his background?"

"I wouldn't say we have a very close relationship! It's just that when I was traveling, his master gave me some pointers, which benefited me greatly. To repay his master's kindness, I took extra care of his disciple," Fa Ma said calmly.

"Do you know his master? Can you tell me who he is?" Jia Xingtian asked hurriedly.

"I don't know his name either, since we only met by chance while traveling and didn't exchange names. I only know that he came from Zhongzhou and that his strength was unfathomable. This feeling didn't disappear as my strength increased; on the contrary, it became even stronger." Fa Ma recalled the scene when he met Yao Lao and slowly spoke.

(End of this chapter)