Lu Tian's figure flickered, and he used his most prized footwork, the 'Ethereal Steps,' like a wisp of smoke drifting towards Long Xiao.
With another bang, Lu Tian was also sent flying by Long Xiao's kick.
Before, Long Xiao kicking Ah Lin had only surprised Lu Tian. This time, being kicked himself, Lu Tian was shocked.
Although the Bian Que Sect was not of the highest strength among the hidden sects, it far surpassed worldly sects and aristocratic families.
Lu Tian had initially thought Long Xiao was no match for him, but to be kicked away by a single kick was utterly inconceivable.
"Who exactly are you?" Lu Tian asked as he got up.
"I'm just an ordinary doctor, the owner of Xinglin Grass Hall."
"The owner of Xinglin Grass Hall, are you... Mi..."
Before Lu Tian could finish his sentence, he realized he couldn't say any more, lest Long Xiao take his life.
Lu Tian took two steps back and said, "Let's go."
Watching Lu Tian leave Xinglin Grass Hall with his disciple, Xiao Ming happily said, "Boss, you're amazing."
"Xiao Ming, tell me, what is a medicine person?" Long Xiao asked.
Seeing he could no longer hide it, Xiao Ming said, "Boss, from birth, medicine people are fed various medicines according to their owner's needs. When the owner reaches adulthood, they consume the medicine person to enhance the owner's strength."
"You mean, the disciples of the Bian Que Sect eat people?" Long Xiao asked.
Xiao Ming nodded and said, "Yes. For every disciple the Bian Que Sect takes in, they cultivate a medicine person. This is the Bian Que Sect's special method of training disciples."
"These guys are too cruel. Don't let me encounter them again, or I'll slaughter them all," Long Xiao said indignantly.
He hadn't expected Xiao Ming to have such a tragic background. He had been snatched away by people from the Bian Que Sect shortly after birth. No one knew who his parents were except for those who had taken him.
Every time the Bian Que Sect accepted a new disciple, they would capture a newborn infant. The people who snatched the infants wouldn't deliberately remember where they came from or which family's child they took.
The disciples of the Bian Que Sect primarily cultivated medical arts and alchemy. What they needed most was vital energy. Vital energy was extremely rare; some people, throughout their entire lives, could not cultivate vital energy in their dantian.
From the time he was a baby, Xiao Ming was intentionally given various medicines in his milk to enhance his vital energy.
What the Bian Que Sect did not anticipate was Xiao Ming's special constitution. He had a penchant for eating all sorts of medicines from a young age. From the age of five, Xiao Ming began to steal medicines from the Bian Que Sect's medicine storehouse.
The Bian Que Sect had been established for three thousand years. Except for some particularly precious medicines, no one knew how much of the other medicines in the storehouse had been taken.
From the age of five until last year, no one discovered that Xiao Ming's vital energy had been growing at an extremely rapid pace.
Long ago, Xiao Ming realized that whenever a formal disciple of the Bian Que Sect had their coming-of-age ceremony, a companion would disappear.
Xiao Ming found this strange. Later, during a disciple's coming-of-age ceremony, he secretly observed. He finally discovered that consuming the medicine person was an important part of the ceremony.
From the moment he knew that medicine people would eventually be consumed, Xiao Ming lived in fear.
Last year, he found an opportunity to escape the Bian Que Sect. He stole a large quantity of precious medicinal herbs and the Black Iron Cleaver from the armory, and fled.
For a year, he wandered, constantly hiding, until he met Long Xiao. Discovering Long Xiao's ability to protect him, he settled down in Donghai.
Few people in the secular world knew about the existence of hidden sects. Although Long Xiao had heard of the Bian Que Sect from Mi Tianfu, he didn't know its specifics, nor that it was a hidden sect.
Hearing Xiao Ming recount his past, Long Xiao felt great sympathy for the child.
"Don't worry, Xiao Ming. You're no longer a knife-seller. You're my little brother now, and I've got your back," Long Xiao said, patting Xiao Ming's shoulder.
Xiao Ming nodded and said, "Okay, from now on, I won't call you boss, but Brother Long."
For Xiao Ming's safety, Long Xiao decided to teach him the remaining parts of the 'Chimei Xiaoyao Steps.'
After loading the newly purchased medicinal herbs into the car, they drove straight to Beimang Mountain after lunch. They drove into the deep mountains until the car could go no further, then parked.
Carrying the precious medicinal herbs from the car, they walked for a while longer. They found a secluded clearing in a valley. Long Xiao explained the complete 'Chimei Xiaoyao Steps' to Xiao Ming in detail.
Xiao Ming practiced the 'Chimei Xiaoyao Steps' in the clearing. Long Xiao carried the herbs and walked further into the deep mountains, stopping in a relatively open area.
He took out all the precious medicinal herbs, arranged them in a circle, and sat in the center.
Long Xiao had not used the 'Dragon Swallows the Four Seas' technique since he mastered it, as he feared he might accidentally harm someone.
Closing his eyes and calming his mind, Long Xiao quickly entered a profoundly mysterious state.
Half an hour later, Long Xiao opened his eyes. The precious medicinal herbs surrounding him were all withered, and even the vegetation within a hundred-meter radius had lost its vitality.
The vital energy in Long Xiao's dantian doubled. He walked back along the path he had come, sensing his internal condition.
After the surge of vital energy, it began to automatically convert into other forms of energy. In a short time, the five-elemental energy in Long Xiao's dantian returned to balance.
With a twenty percent increase in his five-elemental energy, Long Xiao performed the 'Chimei Xiaoyao Steps.' Afterimages of Long Xiao flickered all over the small path.
Long Xiao found Xiao Ming, who was diligently practicing the 'Chimei Xiaoyao Steps.'
Long Xiao found a spot and sat down cross-legged, beginning to temper his body with the five-elemental energy in his dantian.
They both cultivated until nightfall. Xiao Ming had basically mastered the 'Chimei Xiaoyao Steps.' Long Xiao's body had also undergone significant changes; even without using the five-elemental energy, his strength had increased considerably.
Returning to the Lin family, Long Xiao and Xiao Ming were in high spirits. They began to help Aunt Ling cook. Xiao Ming generously took out two roasted ducks from his room.
After dinner, Long Xiao returned to his room, and Xiao Ming followed him in.
"Brother Long, from now on, I'm not a knife-seller. If I cut my foot again, you won't get this roasted duck."
Long Xiao found Xiao Ming's behavior strange. This guy had never been this generous before.
"Xiao Ming, what's gotten into you today? Have you gotten too happy and burned your brain?" Long Xiao reached out and touched Xiao Ming's forehead.
Xiao Ming pushed Long Xiao's hand away and said, "You're the one whose brain is burned. I mean, from now on, I'm your little brother and should occasionally give me some pocket money so I can buy roasted ducks myself."
"Well, that depends on your future performance. Outstanding performance will be rewarded, and poor performance will mean you won't even get enough to eat."
"Don't worry, Brother Long. Your little brother will definitely perform well and be at the forefront of action."
"Xiao Ming, you're still young. Why don't you go to school?" Long Xiao asked.
Xiao Ming shook his head. "I'm not going to school. I want to follow you."
Long Xiao tried to persuade him for a while, but Xiao Ming refused to go to school. He said he had to stay by Long Xiao's side to protect him.
Long Xiao knew this was because he was worried the Bian Que Sect would come looking for him again, so he stopped trying to persuade him.