Breaking the Masked Man

This wasn't meant to fool Cai Die; his medicine cauldron really had exploded, but not because of refining pills. It was caused by the Bone Spirit Cold Fire. Obviously, there was no need to tell Cai Die, this silly girl, the latter part of the truth.

Upon hearing this, Cai Die immediately carried Ling'er to Yao Yan's side, slightly swaying her waist to lower her height, tilting her head, and looking at Yao Yan with concerned eyes, softly comforting him, "Young Master, don't be discouraged. It's common to fail at alchemy. Just keep trying next time!"

She clenched her fist and gave Yao Yan a thumbs-up, her beautiful, unadorned face showing her seriousness.

"I don't need your comfort."

Yao Yan smiled slightly and reached out to tap Cai Die on the head, but she twisted her waist to dodge it.

Cai Die stuck her tongue out at Yao Yan, looking adorable: "I knew Young Master was going to hit me~"

"嘤嘤~"

Ling'er, however, could not bear the pressure from the colorful butterfly. She waved her little paws and protested, wanting to return to her master Yao Yan's arms, because the colorful butterfly liked to oppress her so much that it was almost impossible for her to breathe.

Yao Yan reached out and took Ling'er from Cai Die's arms, then gently rubbed her slightly enlarged belly and chuckled, "You've been taking good care of yourself these past few days; your belly has grown quite a bit."

Ling'er lazily brushed away Yao Yan's hand, seemingly disliking Yao Yan touching her stomach like that.

"An ungrateful wretch, no, a white-eyed fox!"

Cai Die watched this scene with a hint of jealousy. She had been very kind to Ling'er during this time, but Ling'er didn't bother her at all and only cared about Yao Yan.

"She can tell the difference between one full meal and a full meal."

Yao Yan jokingly said something.

He then patted Ling'er's head and continued, "Get ready, we'll be heading back to the Tagor Desert soon, and we'll also visit your sister in the Snake People's tribe."

"Huh? Why are you looking at my sister?!"

Cai Die was taken aback upon hearing this and asked in surprise.

Yao Yan pondered for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "Your sister is really beautiful. I fell in love with her at first sight last time. I'd like to see if I can marry her."

"??"

Cai Die stared wide-eyed at Yao Yan in disbelief.

P.S.: One more chapter. My update schedule has been a bit irregular lately, sorry.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 84 Jia Xingtian's Request for an Audience

The young master wants to marry my sister?!

Yao Yan's words struck Cai Die like a thunderbolt, leaving her head buzzing and her heart filled with mixed emotions, a bittersweet feeling, as if something that originally belonged to her had suddenly become someone else's... and it just so happened to be her own sister.

In an instant, the butterfly's bright peach blossom eyes dimmed, as if it had lost its vitality, and its tail, which had been wagging happily, hardly moved anymore.

She looked at Yao Yan with complicated emotions and muttered softly, "...Young Master, you'd better not. My sister has a terrible temper. If you say that, she'll beat you to death."

Cai Die didn't know what she was feeling at the moment, but there was one thing she was very certain of: her sister didn't like humans, and even hated them. She had once crushed more than a dozen human mercenaries to death with a single slap and melted them into blood with her poisonous fighting spirit.

If Yao Yan said this in front of her sister, she felt that her sister would treat Yao Yan the same way.

Yao Yan frowned, seemingly hesitant. After a moment, he stared at Cai Die and said, "It's okay. If your sister hits me, I'll hit you!"

"?!"

Cai Die was shocked to hear this. She hadn't expected Yao Yan to say such a thing. Her lips moved, but after a long while, she finally managed to choke out a sentence with a wronged expression: "Young Master, how could you do this!"

"I've been so good to you, and you don't help me. Do you think that makes sense?"

Yao Yan was clearly shameless, speaking without hesitation and completely controlling Cai Die.

Cai Die was almost bullied to tears. Her charming peach blossom eyes were misty. She glared fiercely at Yao Yan, her cheeks puffed out, and she huffed, "...At most, I can guarantee that Young Master won't be beaten to death."

Clearly, she still couldn't bear to see Yao Yan beaten to death by her own sister, even though Yao Yan didn't act like a good person at all.

But for Cai Die, Yao Yan was the most important person in her life besides her sister.

"Silly."

Seeing this, Yao Yan couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and pinched Cai Die's cheek, his eyes instantly softening. He didn't continue the topic.

Cai Die paused for a moment upon hearing this, then seemed to realize something, rolled her eyes at Yao Yan, and said reproachfully, "Young Master, this joke is not funny at all!"

“I never said it was a joke.”

Yao Yan smiled and said softly.

Cai Die's breath caught in her throat. She was being pulled around by Yao Yan and didn't know how to answer him. She could only purse her lips to express her turbulent emotions. Her mind was indeed in turmoil. Looking at Yao Yan's ambiguous smile, she said angrily, "If you really like my sister, then go ahead. If you need any help, I will help you."

"Don't you know what 'love me, love my dog' means? You and your sister look exactly alike. Is it possible that I like your sister because I like you?"

Yao Yan's smile deepened. He reached out and took Cai Die's soft little hand, looking at her beautiful face that seemed both angry and reproachful, and said softly.

"..."

Cai Die froze, her fair face visibly flushing red. No longer caring about what Yao Yan had said, she forcefully pulled her small hand away from Yao Yan's grasp and turned to run towards her room. She clearly didn't know how to answer Yao Yan's question.

She can be very bold at times, but also very timid at others, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Not everyone is as experienced as Yao Yan.

Most people feel helpless, shy, nervous, and even experience a lack of oxygen to their brain when facing their first romantic relationship.

Love is such a wonderful thing.

This is why most people only love one person in their lifetime.

Yao Yan is different; his soul is already that of an adult, while only children talk about love.

He watched the butterfly flee, a fleeting smile playing on his lips. Perhaps it was because he had obtained the Burning Technique and the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, but he was in an extremely cheerful mood. In Hai Bodong's words, he had never felt so refreshed.

From this day forward, he will determine the final outcome of this game called "Battle Emperor." He does not agree to the end of this game, and no one can end it prematurely.

The feeling of going from being a chess piece to being the one who wields the pieces is something outsiders cannot comprehend.

"Life cannot consist of nothing but cultivation..."

Yao Yan chuckled inwardly. Having transmigrated, he had many desires. Before, he lacked the strength and time to strive for and enjoy them, but now he could slow down a bit and no longer need to be so tense. He could play this game at his own pace.

There was a pause.

His gaze turned to the outside of the courtyard, and in his spiritual perception, he sensed a familiar person had arrived.

Hai Bodong was not in the capital of the Jia Ma Empire. In order to help Yao Yan find the fragments of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame map, he had already gone to the Tagor Desert again. So the familiar person who came this time was Teng Shan, the current patriarch of the Mit family. The two had dealt with this person several times before.

Yao Yan lived in this small courtyard and obtained a lot of medicinal herbs and supplies from the other party, all of which were free.

Tengshan had no objection to this and delivered the items as quickly as possible.

It can only be said that they are indeed the most investment-savvy family in the Dou Qi Continent. From Hai Bodong to Ya Fei, they have always been the same. All they lack is an opportunity and someone worth investing in, and Yao Yan has undoubtedly become their first choice at present.

The Gama Empire was far too remote, and for Tengshan and the others, Yaoyan was something that could change the fate of their families.

However, the arrival of the other party also disrupted Yao Yan's offensive against Cai Die. Teasing a stunningly beautiful Medusa Queen is quite an interesting thing; anyone who has done it knows.

Yao Yan pushed open the door and went to greet him. He was never a cold-hearted person. If someone gave him face, he would naturally give them face in return. This had nothing to do with strength, but only with personal upbringing. Soon, he saw Teng Shan outside the courtyard looking troubled. The other party seemed to be hesitating about something.

When Tengshan saw Yao Yan, his expression changed slightly. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Young Master, have you finished refining the pills?"

"This time it failed, even the medicine cauldron exploded..."

Yao Yan shook his head and repeated the words he had used to deceive Cai Die. At the same time, he looked at Teng Shan and asked, "What brings you here?"

"The current emperor of the Jia Ma Empire, Jia Xingtian, wishes to meet with you, young master. I wonder if you would be willing to see him?"

Upon hearing this, Tengshan said with a sense of helplessness.

Yao Yan was somewhat surprised. Looking at Teng Shan, she asked, "How did he know I was here?"

Teng Shan hesitated for a moment before recounting the last time Jia Xingtian met with Hai Bodong. He didn't hide anything because he knew that integrity was crucial to getting on the good side of someone like Yao Yan. Once he was deceived, it would cause an irreversible change in the relationship between the two parties, which was clearly not what he wanted.

"Then let's meet."

Yao Yan pondered for a moment, then chuckled, saying that he felt it was necessary to send a betrothal gift to Cai Die's sister.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 85: The picture shows the dagger

Add punishment to Heaven.

The guardian, ruler, and emperor of the Gama Empire's royal family, known as "Old Man Gama in Hemp Robe," possesses the strength of a peak nine-star Dou Huang. He is undoubtedly in the top tier of the Gama Empire, and his age is even older than Hai Bodong's. He belongs to the generation of strongmen like Yunshan and Fama, a true old man.

Perhaps due to his advanced age, he became indecisive and lacked the courage to take drastic measures. In the original work, he was also a fence-sitter, siding with whichever side was stronger.

This is a stark contrast to Hai Bodong and Tengshan.

But it's understandable.

As the ruler of the Jia Ma Empire, Jia Xingtian had to consider the entire empire in everything he did, unlike Hai Bodong and others who dared to gamble. The more responsibilities he carried, the more carefully he had to think about everything he did and said.

Information about Jia Xingtian surfaced in Yao Yan's mind, and she began to speculate about their upcoming meeting.

He didn't have to wait long before Tengshan led an old man into the courtyard.

The other person had gray hair, wore close-fitting clothes, and stood up straight, which was quite incongruous with his age. He also walked with a powerful stride, clearly someone who had been in a high position for many years and had developed an extraordinary temperament. However, this aloof temperament quickly disappeared.

The once dignified, aged face softened into a gentle smile the moment he saw Yao Yan, and he said kindly, "This must be Young Master Yao."

As the other person greeted him, their shrewd eyes darted around Yao Yan, clearly plotting something.