.
Upon hearing Xiao Ling agree to the deal he had proposed, Hai Bodong was delighted at first, then, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked a little embarrassed. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again, looking embarrassed.
Seeing Hai Bodong's expression, Xiao Ling guessed that he was embarrassed to mention that he still needed the Sand Mandragora as a medicinal material, and found it somewhat amusing. So he decided to give him a way out and asked, "Could it be that Mr. Hai has only recently obtained this prescription and hasn't gathered all three ingredients yet?"
Seeing there was a way out, Hai Bodong took it, touched his beard, and said helplessly, "Indeed, I have almost prepared all the ingredients on this prescription. The only thing missing is an ingredient called Sand Mandragora, which grows in the Tagor Desert. Unfortunately, my strength has not yet recovered. I am practicing ice-attributed exercises and have been sealed by Queen Medusa. She will sense me if I get close to the depths of the Tagor Desert. I originally planned to use my previous relationship to find a few plants. Now that Master Xiao Ling is here, if you can help find the Sand Mandragora, I'll owe you a favor."
Xiao Ling's mouth twitched. The number of Sand Mandragora is controlled by the Snake People. If you really go to the Tagor Desert to look for it, you will have to be very lucky to find one. So he said, "As far as I know, the Sand Mandragora is firmly controlled by the Snake People. Could it be that Mr. Hai wants me, a mere Dou Wang, to go against Queen Medusa, who is at the peak of Dou Huang?"
Hai Bodong felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, but he still asked, "Master, do you have any good ideas? As long as you can refine this Evil-Breaking Pill, I can let you choose any medicinal materials after I return to the Mitel family."
Xiao Ling nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, I am confident that I can obtain a Sand Mandragora. I will accept the medicinal materials with pleasure. After my people move to the imperial capital, I will not stay in the family often. After I recover my strength, Mr. Hai will have to look after me." Hearing Xiao
Ling's answer, Hai Bodong couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Evil-Breaking Pill could still be obtained, and he could finally recover to the level of Dou Huang. As for taking care of the Xiao family, even if Xiao Ling didn't ask, Hai Bodong would definitely take care of them. Not to mention that Xiao Ling, a young sixth-grade alchemist, had a promising future, and making friends with him in advance would definitely not be a disadvantage. Besides, after he obtained the Evil-Breaking Pill, Xiao Ling would have done him a great favor. Although Hai Bodong was arrogant by nature, he was very sentimental, so it was only natural for him to take care of Xiao Ling's family members.
Nodding with a smile, Hai Bodong said, "Don't worry. When I regain my Dou Huang strength and return to the Imperial Capital, I'll definitely help you take care of the family. You can just focus on your training."
Xiao Ling stopped talking and asked Hai Bodong, "I've heard rumors of a strange fire appearing in the Tagor Desert. Mr. Hai has lived in seclusion here for many years. Have you gotten any leads?"
Hai Bodong was puzzled by Xiao Ling's mention of the strange fire. After all, Xiao Ling already possessed a strange fire and couldn't absorb another at the same time. For this reason, although he had information about the strange fire, he hadn't offered it as leverage. But since he was curious, he decided to share it.
"I'm very interested in mapping. I once traveled through the Tagor Desert and luckily came across some information about strange fire. I've traced the locations and routes found in these reports. While I'm still not entirely sure where the strange fire is, I can roughly determine where it's most likely to be found," Hai Bodong said with a smug smile.
After saying this, he pulled a map from the counter drawer and handed it to Xiao Ling, saying with a smile, "In my research, there are three places in the Tagor Desert that are most likely to contain strange fire."
Xiao Ling took the parchment and spread it out, discovering that it was an extremely detailed map of the Tagor Desert. This map was completely different from the maps on the counter. Not only did it accurately mark the locations of water sources in the desert, but it also carefully marked the snake tribes scattered throughout the desert.
"Do you see the three flame symbols on the map?" Hai Bodong reminded him with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling scanned the map and indeed, spotted conspicuous flames in the east, west, and north directions.
"These three locations are the most likely locations for the hidden Strange Fire in the Tagor Desert." Pointing to the three flames, Hai Bodong smiled and said, "Of course, these are just my deductions based on my research. My accuracy isn't 100%, but it's undoubtedly much better than asking you to grope around blindly." Xiao Ling nodded
slightly. Although he possessed the Strange Fire and his spiritual perception had reached the spiritual realm, the Tagor Desert was vast, making it extremely difficult to locate a single location of the Strange Fire. Hai Bodong's detailed map would undoubtedly save him a great deal of time and effort. Furthermore,
having read the original novel, Xiao Ling knew all too well that if he searched the eastern area, he would likely find the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire beneath the ground. Medusa hadn't yet visited that area, so she could easily destroy both the Strange Fire and the Lotus Platform.
Xiao Ling placed the map in his ring, clasped his fists towards Hai Bodong, and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Master Hai! My companions and I will go find the Sand Mandala first. After I refine the Evil-Breaking Pill for Master Hai, I'll go look for this strange fire." He then took Zi Yan's hand and left the map shop. Watching
the two depart, Hai Bodong stroked his beard and said, "I hope your journey returns safely. By then, I can regain my Dou Huang cultivation. I, Hai Bodong, don't want to be constrained forever." After leaving the shop, Xiao Ling and Zi Yan unfurled their Dou Qi wings and soared deep into the Tagor Desert. Passersby gasped at the sight, having never imagined two Dou Wang masters could exist in this desert city. Once in the air, Xiao Ling awoke the recently slumbering Rayquaza and lifted Zi Yan onto its back. Looking at the map in his hand and stroking Zi Yan's smooth purple hair, Xiao Ling said with a smile, "Whether I can get the Sand Mandala by then will depend on your contribution." (End of this chapter)