"So what's going on here?" puzzled, Chen Linlin's arm moved, gesturing in the direction of Moi Ca, who was kneeling in the center of the room, looking very determined.
Instead of answering, Xue Hui, who was wearing a troubled expression, rubbed his forehead and let out an exasperated grunt; he was too exhausted to deal with anything at the moment.
Chen Linlin, Ye Ziyun, and the trio of girls, who had been gone all day, all exchanged confused glances. They were out of the loop regarding what had happened at the shaman's circle.
So it was a head-scratcher to see Moi Ca, who looked like a stubborn little pixie, boring a hole into Xue Hui's face.
"Master, I'll do anything you say, just please teach me!"
"No," Xue Hui replied without missing a beat.
Jing Ya's eyebrow rose as she scanned the girl kneeling in front of them.
Moi Ca was the same age as them. She was very short, even shorter than Yue Ling. She had brown hair braided into twin tails.
Her complexion was tanned and marked with silver patterns similar to her father's. Although her face was small, she had sharp features, making her both cute and fierce, she was quite an exotic beauty.
With an appearance like hers, Jing Ya could easily see how fast any other guy would say yes if Moi Ca said those words to them.
"Ning'er, can you tell us what they were talking about?" Ye Ziyun asked, walking beside the equally troubled-looking Xiao Ning'er.
Xiao Ning'er shifted her gaze to her before giving a wry smile. An awkward laugh escaped her lips before she explained to everyone what they had missed.
"So, this little one wants Boss to be her alchemy master, but Boss isn't having any of it?" Mei Lin repeated, earning a nod from Xiao Ning'er.
"Ha, so that was the case," she exclaimed in understanding. Then her face turned skeptical.
"Wait, little one, how are you going to learn under Boss's tutelage? You do realize that once we're done exploring, we're all going to leave this place, right? What are you going to do about that? Come with us?"
"Yes!" Moi Ca answered quickly, surprising the girls with her decisiveness.
"No, you can't," Xue Hui retorted just as quickly.
"Why not, Master!?"
Xue Hui pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache forming.
"Because it's dangerous. Compared to your Ancient Furnace Clan, our home is always under the threat of annihilation from demon beast hordes. And even if you're okay with that, I don't have time to teach you. I don't stay home often. I'm always traveling in search of opportunities. I wouldn't be able to guide you in your training."
Xue Hui's words were like a knife, shaving away Moi Ca's resolve bit by bit. But she shook her head, making her twin tails swing in the air. She couldn't let this chance slip through her fingers.
She wanted to become an Alchemy Sage just like in the stories her mother once told her. Earlier, she had just discovered that there was another method of concocting elixirs, and those twelve-colored flames were like a key to achieving her dream. So how could she give up just like that, especially when the path was right in front of her?
"No. Even if it's dangerous, I'm still willing to follow Master no matter what. Even if Master doesn't show himself for years, as long as Master teaches me anything about alchemy, I'm fine with it."
Her pleading voice showed no sign of wavering, earning admiration from the girls.
Xue Hui met her gaze. Although he did not show it on his face, he inwardly praised Moi Ca for her relentlessness. But still, taking her as his disciple was too much of a commitment, even for him.
"Say, Moi Ca, can I know why you're so adamant about becoming Xue Hui's disciple? Even to the extent of leaving everything behind?" Ye Ziyun's question caused Moi Ca's expression to change. She bit her lip, contemplating whether she should tell everyone her reason.
But alas, she was desperate for Xue Hui's guidance, so she let out a shaky breath and told her story.
"I want to be an Alchemy Sage just like my mother, and I need Master's help to achieve it."
Her words brought silence to the room.
Chen Linlin, Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, and the trio of girls all had confusion written on their faces as they tried to understand what Moi Ca meant by becoming an Alchemy Sage.
This time though, Xue Hui failed to remain stoic. His eyebrows rose as his mind began recalling everything he knew about Alchemy Sages.
They were powerful existences that this world couldn't even imagine. Unlike normal cultivators, who cultivated through spiritual energy, Alchemy Sages strengthened their souls by increasing the power of their alchemy flames as they walked the path of the Medicine Dao.
So it surprised him that such existences were known to a little girl.
"My mother said that she was known as an Alchemy Sage. Then she left, leaving us behind. She said that if she stayed, she would bring calamity to me and my father. We don't know where she went, but she gave me this."
Moi Ca reached into her satchel, took something out, and showed it to everyone.
Xue Hui shot to his feet, his eyes widening. He immediately approached Moi Ca and snatched the object from her hands.
It was a translucent box containing golden amber. Wisps of flame flickered inside, looking weak, yet refusing to go out.
His action caused all the girls to look at him in shock. They had never seen Xue Hui act like that before; he was usually a very composed person.
"God Phoenix Flame... It's actually the God Phoenix Flame! How did you get this?"
Xue Hui's hands trembled. He blinked repeatedly, wondering if he was seeing things, but no. What he held was indeed a soul flame of God Phoenix.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would get his hands on such a heaven-defying treasure.
The God Phoenix Flame was so rare that even Emperor-level experts such as the Sage Emperor and Emperor Shen Jiao Dao couldn't obtain it despite using all their strength.
So one could only imagine the profound shock Xue Hui experienced while holding it.
For a moment, Xue Hui was tempted to take the God Phoenix Flame for himself, knowing that his strength would rise by leaps and bounds if he fused it with his soul realm.
But as soon as that temptation crept into his heart, his soul, tempered by the space of the [CREATION ORIGIN ANCESTRAL MANUAL], crushed the thought, preventing him from corrupting his Martial Dao.
Plundering from a fallen enemy was perfectly acceptable, but stealing a little girl's memento from her mother was not.
He was someone forging his own cultivation path; such an action would cast a shadow of guilt over his heart, which would undoubtedly hinder his growth.
Letting out a shaky breath, Xue Hui placed the God Phoenix Flame back into Moi Ca's hands and immediately headed outside.
That treasure would bring an even greater disaster if an expert like the Sage Emperor ever found out about its existence. He needed to do something to fuse that amber with Moi Ca's soul and conceal it completely.
"Master, I-"
"I know... I know. I'll just go and talk to your father. Depending on our conversation, I'll decide whether I'm going to take you as my disciple. So just stay here and wait for me."
Moi Ca was about to follow him when she felt a tug preventing her from leaving. Looking behind her, she saw Xiao Ning'er holding her arm.
"Xue Hui wants to have a private talk with your father. It would be better if you stay here and wait for him. Whatever the outcome of that conversation is, I'm sure Xue Hui will choose what's best for you."
Xiao Ning'er's words made her stop. She looked at the translucent box in her hand, watching the golden wisps dance inside.
As usual, the heat emanating from it never failed to bring her comfort. It gave off an indescribable warmth that she associated with her mother's love.
It was a gift from her mother, given to her before she disappeared. Earlier, Moi Ca had fully intended to use it as a bargaining chip to convince Xue Hui to take her as his disciple.
But with how quickly Xue Hui had seemingly lost interest in it, she was at a loss as to what to do next.
She missed her mother, and she wanted to find her. But in order to do that, she first needed to become Xue Hui's student.
Deep in the night, Moi Bailu could be seen looking at the night sky. There was a trace of longing on his face.
In his hand was a pill bottle containing a single high-grade Meridian Detoxifying Pill given to him by Xue Hui. He had just finished studying the pill. Despite having the complete recipe and a sample, he surmised that it would take years before his people could recreate the formula, especially since none of them could use an alchemy flame like Xue Hui.
Xue Hui was the second person he had seen capable of using an alchemy flame.
The first was his...
A deep, long sigh escaped his lips.
If it weren't for Moi Ca, he would have long since believed that everything that had happened between him and his wife had been nothing more than a beautiful dream.
He was interrupted from his musings when he heard footsteps behind him.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Xue Hui standing not far away.
"Boy, what brings you here? Do you need something from me? Just say so. You helped my daughter, so don't be shy about asking."
Moi Bailu spoke in a cheerful tone. He was quick to hide his true feelings behind the broadest grin he could muster.
Xue Hui shook his head, a serious expression appearing on his face.
"Your daughter wants me to take her as my disciple. She won't accept no for an answer. She's a pretty stubborn, brave, and careless person. Quite a character, I must say. I wonder if she got it from you or her mother."
Moi Bailu's mask slipped the moment Xue Hui mentioned his wife. He sighed and dropped the act, knowing that Moi Ca must have already told him their story.
"So my daughter told you about my wife, huh?"
Xue Hui shook his head again.
"No. She just showed me something that shouldn't exist in this world."
Moi Bailu grimaced, inwardly reprimanding his daughter for being too reckless. Fortunately, she had only shown that treasure to Xue Hui and his friends. They were trustworthy people in his book, so it was fine.
"Boy, you can use an alchemy flame just like my wife. Do you perhaps know her whereabouts?"
"No. And even if I did, it's impossible for you to see her."
Although his words were a bit too blunt, Moi Bailu didn't take offense. The moment he learned that his wife was not from their world, he already knew that their time together was over.
Taking Moi Bailu's silence as a sign that he had finished asking his questions, Xue Hui explained why he had come.
"I'm willing to take your daughter as my disciple. She possesses something far too dangerous to leave in her hands. I'm afraid this matter concerns not only your daughter's safety but the safety of the entire world as well. The only way to remove that threat is to let her fuse that treasure with her soul. Only then will we be able to conceal it. And the only person who can help her do that is me."
Moi Bailu sucked in a cold breath. He knew that treasure wasn't ordinary, but he never imagined it carried such danger.
"But I want you to know that the moment she joins me and walks the path of the Medicine Dao, you might never see her again."
Moi Bailu's breath hitched.
Losing his wife was one thing, but losing his daughter was a completely different matter.
Moi Ca was his only child and the only link connecting him to his wife. If she left as well, then he would truly lose everything.
But he was also a father.
Children would eventually spread their wings and fly.
Moi Ca wanted to find her mother, and unlike him, she had a greater chance of doing so, especially with Xue Hui there to help her.
It would be sad not to see her again, but she couldn't stay by his side forever.
With that in mind, he looked straight at Xue Hui, his gaze both firm and resigned.
"Boy, as long as you promise me that you'll take care of her and teach her properly, then I'm okay with it. She's already at the age where she has to walk her own path, so please..."
Moi Bailu straightened himself before bowing deeply.
"...please be her teacher."
End of Chapter 86
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