Chapter 121: Devouring the Demon Fire

Seeing Lin Xiaobao so aggressive, Yun Zhongtian’s expression turned somewhat unsightly. Qin Feng held a transcendent status in the Xuesheng Empire due to his identity as an alchemist; even the Xuanyang Palace treated him with great courtesy. If Qin Feng were to make trouble now, Yun Zhongtian would not know how to handle it.

However, glancing sideways, Yun Zhongtian noticed that the anger on Qin Feng’s face was only fleeting. Instead, Qin Feng said to Lin Xiaobao, "How about we make a wager?"

"What kind of wager? And what are we betting?" Lin Xiaobao hadn't expected Qin Feng to propose a bet at such a moment.

"It’s very simple. Let’s bet on whether you can cure Young Master Yun." Qin Feng’s gaze rested on the flames at Lin Xiaobao’s fingertips as he spoke. "If you lose, you will give me your natal true fire."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of both Yun Zhongtian and Yun Keke turned grim. The natal true fire was something Lin Xiaobao had cultivated with painstaking effort; if it were taken by Qin Feng, all of Lin Xiaobao’s efforts over the years would have been in vain.

"Don't get excited!" Seeing their strange expressions, Qin Feng explained, "Even if he loses, once he reaches the Dao Heart Realm, he will naturally form a new natal true fire. It won't have any major impact."

Lin Xiaobao smiled faintly. It seemed his natal true fire, imbued with the aura of strange flames, was truly a great temptation for an alchemist. He immediately replied, "And what if I win?"

Qin Feng was slightly stunned. He had never considered that he might lose; after all, even he was not confident about Yun Yuefei’s condition, and he did not believe Lin Xiaobao could cure him. But since it was a wager, both sides naturally needed to put up a stake. After a brief pause, he said, "If you win, I will serve as your medicine boy for three years!"

Clearly, Qin Feng felt his request of Lin Xiaobao was somewhat excessive, and proposing such a stake made him seem fair. However, this was only because he had absolute confidence in his victory; otherwise, he would never have risked such a heavy stake.

"To be able to discern the condition within Young Master Yun, you do have some skill. Winning three years of your time doesn't sound bad at all!" Lin Xiaobao laughed. "I accept this wager. However, I cannot be disturbed by the outside world during the treatment. To ensure the fairness of the bet, you must guarantee that no one will interfere with me. I believe that with your status in the Xuesheng Empire, you should be able to manage this, right?"

Qin Feng found this strange. Lin Xiaobao was treating the young master in the Yun residence, yet instead of asking the family for protection, he was asking him. He didn't fully understand the reasoning, but he agreed nonetheless. "Rest assured, even without you asking, I would stay here. I guarantee that during your treatment, no one will disturb you."

"Good. If someone interferes, I will take it as you being afraid of losing and intentionally sabotaging my treatment process!" Lin Xiaobao pressed his advantage.

"Very well, it's a deal!" Qin Feng had a certain level of confidence in the influence of the Yun family. He believed that for such a major event as curing the young master, the Yun family would protect him fully without needing his help.

Seeing Qin Feng agree, Lin Xiaobao said, "Then let's begin now!"

He then instructed Yun Keke to take Yun Yuefei and the demon core into a quiet chamber, as he needed to treat his injuries.

Yun Keke immediately went out to arrange for servants to prepare. Watching Lin Xiaobao, Yun Zhongtian felt a hint of fear; this youth seemed impossible to measure by his age, whether in terms of cultivation, insight, or schemes.

Inadvertently, Lin Xiaobao had lured Qin Feng into his trap. While Qin Feng was unaware of the implication behind the additional condition, Yun Zhongtian understood it perfectly. Lin Xiaobao knew that once he appeared, it wouldn't be long before people from the Xuanyang Palace came knocking. Given the Yun family's strength, they couldn't stop the Xuanyang Palace from demanding someone, so he was using Qin Feng as a shield. Such far-sightedness made even him feel inferior.

Because it concerned Yun Yuefei’s recovery, it was the top priority for the Yun family. Within the time it took to burn an incense stick, everything was ready. Accompanied by Yun Zhongtian and Qin Feng, Lin Xiaobao headed toward the quiet chamber.

"Remember what you said about not letting anyone disturb me," Lin Xiaobao reminded Qin Feng once more before entering.

"Playing the mystery!" Qin Feng said with disdain, though for the sake of the natal true fire, he didn't pursue it further.

Inside the quiet chamber, Yun Yuefei lay on the bed, still in a comatose state. After checking him, Lin Xiaobao opened the jade box at his side; the demon core rested peacefully within.

Lin Xiaobao sat by the bed, holding the demon core in his left hand while the fragment of the Chaos Mirror he had seized from the man in black robes rested in his right. As he channeled the Taiyi True Fire Technique, the fragment of the Chaos Mirror began to slowly sink into his palm. At the same time, the demon core began to dissolve into streams of energy flowing into his body.

The moment the fragment entered his body, the piece of the Chaos Mirror already stored in his dantian emitted a dazzling light, accompanied by a humming sound.

In the blink of an eye, the new fragment merged with the previous one in his dantian. A powerful suction force emanated from it, causing the spiritual energy in Lin Xiaobao’s body to be drained away instantly.

Fortunately, having the experience from last time, Lin Xiaobao was fully prepared. The energy from the demon core immediately took over the work of his internal spiritual power, continuously supplying the needs of the Chaos Mirror fragment.

The demon core was condensed from the lifelong essence of a demon-race cultivator equivalent to the Rongdao Realm. The energy contained within was immense, constantly feeding the fragment, though in the process, the size of the demon core began to shrink continuously.

Despite this, Lin Xiaobao felt much better than when he had refined the first fragment, where he had been drained empty in an instant.

At the same time, Lin Xiaobao placed his right hand on Yun Yuefei’s pulse, sending his spiritual energy into his body to locate the source of the Taixu Demon Fire. This was his method for curing Yun Yuefei.

Yun Yuefei’s current condition was due to the Taixu Demon Fire being too powerful, exceeding his body’s capacity. Meanwhile, Lin Xiaobao’s refinement of the Chaos Mirror fragment required a massive amount of energy.

One needed to be filled, and one needed to be drained. This created a perfect resonance between the two. As for the demon core, Lin Xiaobao had only asked the Yun family to provide it as a safeguard.

Lin Xiaobao had signed a master-servant contract with Yun Keke, so he could have just asked her to get it for him, but considering the Yun family wasn't decided by her alone, it was better to frame it as saving Yun Yuefei, which would prevent any objections from the family.

Furthermore, Lin Xiaobao felt that without the support of the demon core, what would he do if he fell unconscious halfway through? Thus, bringing out the demon core was an essential part of the treatment to ensure his own safety. Thinking of this, Lin Xiaobao felt much more at ease.

He even felt that he was being quite magnanimous by not asking the Yun family for a reward.

As expected, when Lin Xiaobao’s spiritual energy connected with the source of the Taixu Demon Fire in Yun Yuefei’s body, the Chaos Mirror fragment seemed to become even more excited. It abandoned the absorption of the demon core’s energy and began directly consuming the source of the Taixu Demon Fire.

Lin Xiaobao kept his focus, continuously rotating the Taiyi True Fire Technique to refine the energy entering the Chaos Mirror fragment. The entire process went exactly as he had predicted, without a single accident. It seemed now that completing the task was merely a matter of time.