area51novel 447. Coping Choices
447. Coping Choices
In the Starfall Pavilion residence in Saint Dan City.
Qinglin lay flat on her bed, breathing evenly. She was still unconscious, but a faint emerald light still lingered in her eyes.
Xiao Yan had previously heard Qing Lin explain that the cultivation technique she was currently practicing was the same one Ming Mei had primarily used. The difference was that this technique underwent its first modification when Ming Mei advanced to the Dou Sheng realm, and another modification after she had some free time in the Myriad Beasts Space of the Northwest Region. Ming Mei was confident that even within the entire Dou Qi Continent, this technique was absolutely among the top-tier.
Qinglin's eyes underwent a second enhancement using the bright, three-flowered green snake pupils. Therefore, even though Qinglin was unconscious, her cultivation technique continued to operate automatically, healing her injuries. Thus, Xiao Yan simply sat to the side cultivating, without any particular tension.
As time passed and the cultivation technique took effect, Qinglin slowly opened her eyes. At first, Qinglin was somewhat dazed, but upon seeing the figure beside her bed, she subconsciously blinked her beautiful emerald eyes. After clearly recognizing Xiao Yan as the one protecting her, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. She then remained silent, as if afraid of disturbing Xiao Yan's cultivation.
However, Xiao Yan's soul power was extremely sharp, and he soon sensed something amiss. He stopped cultivating and looked at Qing Lin on the bed, asking gently, "Qing Lin, how are you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Upon hearing this, Qinglin shook his head, recalling the scene before he fainted, and a hint of guilt appeared in his eyes: "Young Master, it's my fault, I didn't keep that person here..."
Xiao Yan immediately waved his hand to stop Qing Lin from blaming herself and comforted her, saying, "No one expected that the Dou Sheng would make a move in the end. What worried me the most was that you clashed with her head-on, which was really dangerous. It's already great news that nothing bad happened."
"Young Master," Qinglin gritted her teeth, her eyes showing genuine concern, "With the Dou Sheng's intervention, is everyone alright?"
"Lei Jingxiao was sent flying immediately, though he looked a bit disheveled. Little Fairy Doctor and I were spared much damage because we were far enough away. Only you were injured first." Xiao Yan sighed. Qing Lin was injured because she was too concerned about what he had said. She must have sensed the danger at the time, but he had stated that he was determined to kill Elder Mu Gu, and she wanted to try even if a Dou Sheng appeared. But judging from the final result, the gap between a Dou Sheng and a Dou Zun was too great; in terms of the scene, it was a one-hit kill. If that person had even intended to kill, the situation wouldn't have ended with only Qing Lin injured.
Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then patted Qing Lin's head and instructed, "If there's nothing else, you should rest well and make sure you don't develop any hidden illnesses because of this."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to leave, Qing Lin tugged at his shirt and pleaded, "Young Master, next time you go back to the Northwest Region, can you take Qing Lin with you?"
Xiao Yan nodded without hesitation: "Sure, but why did you suddenly think that way?"
Qinglin smiled slightly: "This was also Grandma's request; I only recently learned about it."
Mingmei left a lot of information in Qinglin's mind, which could only be unlocked when Qinglin's strength reached a certain level. This included cultivation insights, combat techniques, and some instructions for Qinglin, indicating that Mingmei had arranged a very clear and specific growth path for Qinglin.
Xiao Yan didn't dwell on this too much. Since it was Mingmei's request, there must be a reason for it. Although Mingmei's attitude towards him wasn't very good, her arrangements wouldn't really have any bad intentions towards Xiao Yan. At most, it would just be like when she made Xiao Yan hunt eighth-tier magical beasts, making him suffer a bit.
After confirming that Qing Lin was alright, Xiao Yan left her room. Too many things had happened tonight; he had just broken through and already faced such a test. He hadn't expected that Elder Mu Gu, his nemesis who shared a sect with Master Yao, would come looking for him. If he had been better prepared, he was sure he could have captured him. Xiao Yan was already considering his strategy for their next meeting. Elder Mu Gu came from the Soul Palace, and his methods were indeed somewhat unpredictable; he couldn't possibly trap him every time like he had today.
Looking at the mansion now, Xiao Yan was filled with deep worry. There was actually a Dou Sheng in Saint Pill City who could act so casually. Although this person had only rescued Elder Mu Gu without causing any real harm, what about next time? Rescuing Elder Mu Gu basically confirmed that the visitor was an enemy, not a friend.
Xiao Yan also took a jade pendant from his storage ring, feeling the spatial power and wind-attribute Dou Qi emanating from it. He was somewhat tempted. Regardless, the safety of his group was paramount. To guard against a sudden attack from that Dou Sheng, he did have a few options: either he could provoke the Lei Clan behind Lei Jingxiao, as Jiang Yunyan's strength was definitely at the Dou Sheng level; or he could crush the jade pendant and ask Mu Yaoyin to come and protect him.
The person behind Lei Jingxiao is powerful, but once summoned, he probably wouldn't be willing to stay here specifically to wait for him. The one-year agreement with Jiang Yunyan has already expired, and it's hard to say when the Lei Clan will take Lei Jingxiao away. Xiao Yan didn't really place his hopes on this.
Mu Yaoyin could indeed be summoned. Originally, Xiao Yan felt it was inappropriate to allow magical beasts to appear in Saint Pill City. However, now that his group was under such great threat, how the Pill Tower viewed it was no longer the most important matter.
Just as Xiao Yan was about to crush the jade pendant to summon Mu Yaoyin, he sensed two auras. He immediately stopped what he was doing, instinctively realizing that he might have a third option.
He recognized both auras. One of them was Xuan Yi, a powerful figure in the Pill Tower who was his trump card and whose relationship with his teacher, Medicine Venerable, was somewhat unclear.
He didn't know who the other aura belonged to; he had only sensed its presence in the starry sky not long ago. Of course, the aura from last night was somewhat ethereal and unstable, so it shouldn't have been the real person in the starry sky.
But the aura emanating from that figure is thick and vast, indicating that they must be an extremely powerful individual. Given how quickly such a group has arrived, Xiao Yan believes the Pill Tower must be aware of what happened last night.
"That's fine then, let's see how the Pill Tower reacts first," Xiao Yan murmured.