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**
"Father has mentioned you many times in his letters, Mister Wei, and he repeatedly reminded me and my brothers that if we ever encounter you in the future, we must treat you with the utmost respect!"
"My third brother, Xiao Yan, also greatly admires you. Every time he speaks of you, it's always with deep reverence. As for me, I've longed to meet you in person—if only I could have done so sooner."
"I never expected that today, I would finally get to meet Mister Wei... but under such awkward circumstances."
Xiao Ding's words were full of flattery, but by the end, even he looked a bit embarrassed. He cupped his fists respectfully and said, "I didn't know this was your secluded cultivation cave, Mister Wei. It was rude of me to disturb you like this."
"No harm done. Since we're acquaintances, it's fine." Wei Yang waved his hand casually. "This is just one of my temporary residences anyway—I haven't returned here in a long time."
Xiao Ding seemed relieved and once again cupped his fists in gratitude.
The heavy stone in his heart was finally lifted.
At that moment, Xian'er asked curiously, "You just said your brother is beneath the magma lake. Is he... that Xiao Yan?"
"Yes. My third brother, Xiao Yan," Xiao Ding replied awkwardly with a nod.
That brat Xiao Yan wouldn't listen. He insisted on taking the risk and going down there.
And now? He was caught red-handed by the actual owner of this place.
How was he supposed to explain this?
Good thing it turned out to be an acquaintance.
Still, this was really embarrassing. When Father hears about this, who knows how he'll scold him?
"So it's Xiao Yan down there, huh..." Wei Yang chuckled in disbelief.
He never thought he'd run into him here, especially after already handing over the Green Lotus Core Flame.
By the timeline, it made sense—this should be about the time Xiao Yan ventured into the Tagore Desert for training.
That old man and this youth must have already come into contact with Hai Bodong.
Thinking of Hai Bodong, Wei Yang shook his head. He had over a dozen Sand's Datura and a Heavenly Flame—he wasn't far off from reaching a Tier 6 alchemist. He had been considering reaching out to Hai Bodong himself.
But now, Xiao Yan beat him to it.
Oh well. It's just a fragment of a map.
Besides, he already had a copy of it.
Seeing these two come all the way here, it was clear—they didn't want to miss even the slightest trace of information about a Heavenly Flame.
He couldn't help but wonder: when they discover that the Green Lotus Core Flame they're looking for came from right here, what kind of expressions would they make?
A glimmer of amusement and anticipation flickered in Wei Yang's eyes as he turned to gaze at the magma lake.
Hmm?
Just as Wei Yang was lost in thought, he keenly sensed a familiar aura quickly rising toward the magma's surface. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"He's coming up," Wei Yang said with a soft chuckle.
"Oh?" Xian'er and Qing Lin both looked over with curiosity.
"Little Yan is finally coming out?" Xiao Ding turned as well, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Splash!
A splash echoed through the slightly tranquil magma chamber.
A figure cloaked in icy-white flames burst forth from the molten lake.
Huff—
Breaking through the thick magma, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. His face showed a mix of frustration and dishevelment.
"Little Yan!" Xiao Ding immediately stood up on the platform, hurrying to the edge and waving.
Xiao Yan looked up at him, smiled and raised his hand in greeting. With a powerful stomp on the magma's surface, his body shot up like a cannonball.
His figure paused slightly in midair before his back twitched—a pair of black wings, lined with faint, mysterious purple markings, unfurled. With a gentle flap, he glided gracefully onto the platform.
The moment Xian'er saw the wings, her expression turned a little strange. She glanced sideways at Wei Yang.
Wei Yang was speechless as well. Those wings—he had used them himself for quite some time.
Xiao Yan landed, his feet stepping onto solid ground. The white flames cloaking his body gradually faded, and with a small twitch of his back, the wings folded away.
As his gaze swept across the platform, his expression froze.
Behind a low table, Wei Yang sat cross-legged, resting his chin on one hand while absentmindedly stirring his tea with the lid in the other. He blinked playfully at Xiao Yan.
Xian'er and Qing Lin both widened their eyes, curiously examining the young man.
So this was the one—the boy with the mysterious ring and the old man inside it, the one who once made a deal with Brother Yang. The Old Fox?
"Brother Wei!" Xiao Yan exclaimed in surprise.
"You alright?" Xiao Ding quickly stepped forward, concern written all over his face.
"I'm fine," Xiao Yan replied with a wry smile and a shake of his head. When he saw Wei Yang, everything instantly clicked.
He had been wondering earlier—when he saw all the furnishings on this platform—who this cave residence had once belonged to.
"Little Yan, this is Mister Wei. I don't think he needs much of an introduction for you," Xiao Ding softly reminded.
"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded in acknowledgment.
Wei Yang also returned the nod with a warm smile.
"You got the item, right?" Xiao Ding first glanced subtly at Wei Yang, then shot Xiao Yan a meaningful look before asking.
"Nope." The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched slightly. He glanced at Wei Yang with a wry smile and said, "Someone beat me to it!"
"Uh…" Xiao Ding froze for a moment. He hadn't caught the deeper meaning behind Xiao Yan's words and muttered, "Was it that mysterious presence you mentioned earlier?"
Xiao Yan shook his head, then stepped forward with a smile. "Brother Wei, never expected to run into you here."
"This is one of Mister Wei's cave residences," Xiao Ding quietly added.
Xiao Yan nodded with a bitter smile.
Wei Yang waved his hand, and a meditation cushion flew over. He chuckled, "It's been a while—what, nearly two years? You've reached Dou Shi now. Come, sit."
Beside him, Qing Lin quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it over.
Xiao Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He casually sat down cross-legged, took the tea from Qing Lin with a word of thanks, and raised his head to gulp it down in one go.
After draining the cup, he set it down and let out a long sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Xiao Ding finally relaxed completely.
Smiling, he walked over and first gave Qing Lin an apologetic glance, then lightly scolded, "Little Yan, don't be so rude."
Qing Lin giggled and didn't seem to mind. She simply refilled Xiao Yan's cup.
Xiao Yan gulped down a second cup before turning to Wei Yang with a somewhat frustrated look. "Brother Wei, I didn't expect you got that thing from here."
Thinking back to all the time he spent recently—with his big brother and the men from the Desert Metal Mercenary Group—digging around the desert, only to discover that the target had already been in his own possession the whole time, Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh at the irony.
But thinking about it, it made sense. A Heavenly Flame was a rare treasure bestowed by the heavens. Encountering even one was already a miracle. How could he be so lucky as to stumble into a second one by sheer coincidence?
Back beneath the magma, when all he found was a bare stem, even his master had muttered with a beard-bristling huff: "So that brat Wei got the Green Lotus Core Flame from here…"
Although Xiao Yan didn't know what price his master had paid to exchange for the Green Lotus Core Flame from Brother Wei, he could imagine it couldn't have been cheap.
At this point, Xiao Ding also realized—the thing Xiao Yan had been looking for had already been obtained by Mister Wei.
Well, it made sense. After all, this was his cave residence.
Wei Yang smiled as he took the teapot from Qing Lin and personally refilled Xiao Yan's cup.
Then he turned to Xiao Ding and said, "Brother Xiao Ding, could I trouble you to head back up first? Take your men outside with you and either collapse or destroy the tunnel entrance. I have some things I'd like to speak to Brother Xiao Yan about, privately."
Xiao Ding paused for a moment. He looked at Xiao Yan, who calmly nodded. Only then did Xiao Ding stand and respectfully cup his fists. "Then I'll take my leave first. Don't worry, Mister Wei. Once I'm out, I'll immediately give the order. Everyone will keep this place a secret."
Wei Yang nodded.
Xiao Ding then walked to the newly opened tunnel entrance. With a stomp, his figure leapt up and quickly disappeared into the passage.
Wei Yang gave a brief glance toward the additional tunnel and asked, "This passage... you opened it, Brother Xiao Yan?"
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