Fights Break Sphere: Rock King's Leisurely Journey into the Mortal World

Chapter 20 Yao San
Zhongli walked out of Wanyaozhai slowly, and the scene before him was the hustle and bustle of people struggling for their lives.

Many of them wore tattered armor, most of them ordinary members of the mercenary group. Perhaps their once-pristine armor had been damaged somewhere in the numerous battles with monsters; perhaps they were short of money and could not afford to purchase a new set of armor; or perhaps it was left behind by a comrade who had tragically died on the battlefield.

The majority of those entering and leaving Wanyaozhai were elderly and young. Few families would send their children alone to get medicine or shop. After all, this wasn't Liyue or Teyvat, where strength reigned supreme and the rule of law was weak, allowing human animality to flourish unchecked.

"Big brother, what are you thinking about?" The little medical fairy jumped lightly from the steps in front of Wanyaozhai, playfully took Zhongli's sleeve, with a sweet smile on her lips.

Zhongli didn't turn around, for he had long since memorized the Little Medical Immortal's presence. He slowly raised his hand and pointed at a middle-aged man with a paunchy belly standing by the road, fanning himself with a paper fan. If that were all, it might not have caught Zhongli's attention, but the key point was that the armored mercenaries often gleamed with menacing eyes when passing ordinary people, yet they appeared respectful and even awkwardly polite to this seemingly ordinary middle-aged man.

"Who is that man?"

"Hmm?" The Little Medical Immortal looked in the direction of Zhongli's finger, and a hint of disgust flashed across her face. "He's Yao San, the eldest son of Mr. Yao of Wanyaozhai, a first-rank alchemist. Mr. Yao has tried to bring us together many times. If it weren't for my superb medical skills and Wanyaozhai's reluctance to lose me so easily, I'm afraid he would have used force on me long ago."

"Oh?" Zhongli slowly turned his gaze towards the Little Medical Immortal and said after a moment's contemplation, "However, from what I understand, even if your medical knowledge is profound and your medical skills are superb, it seems that you can hardly compete with an alchemist, right?"

Little Medical Fairy lowered her head helplessly and slightly disappointedly, and said softly, "Yes, ever since I learned last month that Yao San was going to the nearby main city to take the alchemist qualification exam, I already expected that this would probably be the last time I would deliver medicine to Wanyaozhai."

Little Medical Fairy looked back at Wanyaozhai, a hint of reluctance in her eyes. She wasn't nostalgic for Wanyaozhai itself, but rather for the joy she gained from practicing medicine and the patients who would need time to recover under her care.

Zhongli lowered his brows slightly, his gaze filled with a deep pity for the child's fate. After a moment, he asked softly, "After leaving Wanyaozhai, do you have a place to stay?"

Xiao Yixian's head drooped lower and lower, as if she was carrying a heavy burden. She just shook her head slowly and laboriously.

A touch of tenderness shone in Zhongli's eyes. As his gaze rested on the Little Medical Immortal, his thoughts drifted back three thousand years. Back then, the Demon-God War had just concluded, and on the Guili Plains, groups of children, their homes destroyed and homeless, their weeping figures left a deep impression on Zhongli's memory. At that moment, as the Little Medical Immortal's heart sank into endless darkness, Zhongli's voice, like a light of salvation, echoed through the silence: "In this situation, you might as well accept me as your disciple. I will teach you the precious Nine-Colored Poison Sutra to help you heal your afflicted body. Objectively speaking, I have fulfilled my duty as a teacher."

"Really?!" Upon hearing this, the Little Medical Fairy suddenly raised her head, her eyes sparkling like the stars in the night sky, full of joy that was hard to conceal, and she asked Zhongli anxiously.

"Of course." Zhongli's lips curled up slightly, revealing a gentle smile, and then he nodded gently. He gracefully supported his chin with one hand and spoke slowly, "As a guest of the Xiao family, the head of the Xiao family will naturally find a place for you to stay in the Xiao family for my sake. However, even so, you will still find it difficult to escape the situation of being dependent on others. When you face those Xiao family members alone, you will inevitably suffer grievances due to your lack of confidence. If you hope to live in the Xiao family with the attitude of a normal person, then you must provide the Xiao family with something they desire. Only then can you stand up straight and have enough confidence when facing the Xiao family members in your future life; and when you encounter difficulties and bullying from them, you will have the right to refute them with confidence."

Then, Zhongli slowly lowered his head, his eyes meeting Little Medical Immortal's. His gaze was gentle, yet tinged with a barely perceptible chill. He said softly, "However, I won't complete this for you. You'll have to pay the Xiao family yourself."

Zhongli truly hated to see such a quirky and kind little girl wandering the streets. He knew that the money Xiao Yixian had accumulated over the years was more than enough for her to stay in an inn or rent a house. If he were in Liyue right now, Zhongli would have felt completely at ease. However, this was the Dou Qi Continent, a world where strength reigned supreme.

The reason Xiao Yixian has remained safe and sound for so many years is because she skillfully maintains a delicate balance between the Wanyaozhai and the numerous mercenary monks behind her. Wanyaozhai values ​​Xiao Yixian's superb medical skills, while Xiao Yixian relies on Wanyaozhai's powerful influence for support. If this balance is disrupted, Xiao Yixian, without the protection of her backing, will be ruthlessly torn to pieces by the fierce clash between these two ferocious beasts, ultimately leaving her body untouched.

Even if she survived, her future life would probably be extremely miserable, as if she was in a dark abyss, a life worse than death.

Yes, reality is so cruel, and this is the true portrayal of the Douqi Continent.

Even so, Zhongli was unwilling to let Xiao Yixian develop a habit of unearned gains. He knew that Xiao Yixian could only offer a considerable amount of gold coins, and even though these coins might be insignificant in the eyes of the Xiao family, Zhongli would still privately compensate Xiao Zhan with some "expenses" without anyone noticing. These "expenses" could be precious martial arts techniques, rare elixir recipes, or fighting techniques. After all, Lei Dianzhen's notes contained all kinds of treasures that would make the Xiao family covetous.

The Little Medical Fairy frowned slightly, lost in thought. At that moment, the highly respected first-class alchemist standing by the roadside slowly turned his gaze in their direction. "Hey, look who's that? It's the Little Medical Fairy! What's up? You're not seeing patients today?" Yao San walked over with a leisurely pace, his round belly swaying like the Maitreya Buddha's, looking comical and making everyone laugh.

(End of this chapter)