Long Xiao and Old Daoist Xiao were both in low spirits after failing to catch the Fire Qilin.
Returning to the Qilin Cave, Long Xiao glanced at the entrance exuding cold air and sighed, preparing to leave.
"Let's go in, Long Xiao," Old Daoist Xiao said. "I know the Fire Qilin isn't your real target."
Long Xiao looked at Old Daoist Xiao and asked, "You figured it out."
Old Daoist Xiao nodded. "I saw it from the start. If the Fire Qilin were your goal, I wouldn't have cooperated with you."
"Compared to you and Xiao Ming, my strength is too low. Why did you cooperate with me?" Long Xiao asked directly.
Old Daoist Xiao smiled. "We have a connection, so I cooperated with you. I've never been one to reason things out. I judge people by my feelings. If I feel comfortable with someone, I'll lend them a hand."
Long Xiao didn't believe Old Daoist Xiao. He must have had ulterior motives for cooperating with him.
His own strength was far inferior to Old Daoist Xiao's, and Old Daoist Xiao didn't seem like a greedy person. Long Xiao couldn't figure out what he was after.
Long Xiao looked at the Qilin Cave. "Then thank you, Daoist Xiao."
Long Xiao and Xiao Ming entered the Qilin Cave, while Daoist Xiao and Meiling waited outside.
After the two disappeared into the cave, Meiling asked, "Master, do you want to take Long Xiao as your disciple?"
Old Daoist Xiao shook his head. "Long Xiao is no ordinary person. I don't have the ability to teach him. I want to be his friend. If there's an opportunity, I'd be content to receive his guidance."
Meiling didn't understand what Old Daoist Xiao meant and asked again, "Master, your strength is far greater than his. Why do you still need his guidance?"
"I've cultivated for one hundred and twenty years to reach my current strength. He's cultivated for less than two years."
"Impossible. I've been cultivating for ten years. If he's cultivated for less than two years and his strength is similar to mine, if he cultivated for ten years, wouldn't he surpass you, Master?" Meiling asked.
Old Daoist Xiao nodded. "You're right. If he cultivates properly for ten years, he'll definitely surpass me after a hundred years of cultivation."
"Master, let's follow them back to the East Sea. Perhaps we'll have a chance to obtain his cultivation method," Meiling said.
Old Daoist Xiao nodded. "You're right. Let's follow them back to the East Sea. Even if we don't get his cultivation method, receiving his guidance would be good."
While the two were chatting, Long Xiao and Xiao Ming had already ventured deep into the Qilin Cave.
The cave wasn't very large, and they had to stoop to walk. It grew colder inside, and both Long Xiao and Xiao Ming shivered uncontrollably.
"Brother Long, I'm freezing! Quickly, let the 'Crimson Flame Worm' out," Xiao Ming chattered, teeth chattering.
Long Xiao nodded, patted his shoulder, and said, "Little guy, come out for a stroll."
The 'Crimson Flame Worm' emerged from Long Xiao's collar, its small eyes surveying the surroundings before reluctantly perching on Long Xiao's shoulder.
Soon, the 'Crimson Flame Worm' flew ahead, flapping its wings, and a hint of warmth appeared in the Qilin Cave.
The Qilin Cave was long, its walls covered in frost, and the ground was thick with ice. Where the 'Crimson Flame Worm' flew, the ice melted into puddles, making walking uncomfortable.
After walking over a hundred meters, they felt the chill begin to dissipate. Long Xiao said in a low voice, "Xiao Ming, we're almost there."
Soon, the cave began to widen, the frost on the walls completely disappeared, and the ground became exceptionally dry.
After walking a few dozen more meters, Long Xiao and Xiao Ming arrived in a massive cavern. Just as Long Xiao was about to survey the cavern, his foot tripped over something.
Looking down, he saw two corpses lying on the ground. Long Xiao recognized these two men: the bearded man and his companion.
The bodies were contorted in death, covered in blood. Their clothes were torn, and their legs were mangled, as if they had been mauled by a large animal.
"Xiao Ming, there might be other animals here. Keep an eye on your surroundings," Long Xiao said.
Xiao Ming cautiously scanned the area. In the flickering light from the 'Crimson Flame Worm,' the surroundings were clearly visible.
The vast cavern was filled with strange rock formations, and various bones, both human and animal, were scattered on the ground.
Without Old Daoist Xiao nearby, Long Xiao comfortably released his spiritual energy to observe the cavern. He quickly located the source of the fire element.
"Found it, behind that cluster of rocks in the southeast corner," Long Xiao said.
They approached the rocks in the southeast corner. Behind them, the ground was covered with black thatch, and scattered around the thatch were a few bean-sized stones with extremely pure fire elemental energy.
"Xiao Ming, we're too late. The 'Fire Elixir Stones' have been taken," Long Xiao said, looking at the thatch with disappointment.
Picking up a few bean-sized 'Fire Elixir Stones' from the ground, Long Xiao looked at the black thatch and suddenly remembered that this grass was called 'Fire Thatch,' which could remove any cold from the human body when used as medicine.
Illness arises when cold, heat, dampness, and heat enter the body, negatively affecting it. The first step in treating illness is to remove excess cold, heat, dampness, and heat from the body.
"Xiao Ming, this 'Fire Thatch' is a rare and valuable medicine with great effects. Let's collect it all," Long Xiao said happily.
Although they didn't get a large quantity of 'Fire Elixir Stones,' obtaining a large amount of 'Fire Thatch' was still a significant gain.
Xiao Ming's backpack was too small to hold much. He took off his shirt and tore it into strips to tie up all the 'Fire Thatch.'
There were about one hundred and thirty to one hundred and forty pounds of 'Fire Thatch.' If only used at Xinglin Caotang, it would last for thirty years.
While Xiao Ming was bundling the 'Fire Thatch,' Long Xiao used 'Dragon Swallowing the Seas' to absorb all the fire elemental energy from the few bean-sized 'Fire Elixir Stones' in his hand.
The temporary imbalance of the five elemental energies in his dantian posed no harm to his body. The absorbed energy wasn't much this time; he could refine it in a few hours that evening.
The two emerged from the Qilin Cave with the 'Fire Thatch.' Daoist Xiao asked, "Long Xiao, did you find any fire element spiritual energy?"
Long Xiao shook his head. "We were too late. Someone took it."
Daoist Xiao glanced at the 'Fire Thatch' on Xiao Ming's back. "Long Xiao, why did you bring back a bundle of grass?"
Long Xiao told Daoist Xiao that the grass was medicinal. He had opened a medical clinic in the East Sea, and bringing back these herbs would save a lot of money.
As dawn approached, Long Xiao and his group returned to the campsite. Lin Wei was drinking and chatting with the four ruffians. Seeing them return, the four ruffians quickly took out paper cups and poured them drinks.
Daoist Xiao, a heavy drinker, downed a cup in one gulp and placed it before Big Bad, waiting for him to pour more.
They drank and chatted, discussing another attempt to find the Fire Qilin that night.
The Fire Qilin had been startled, and the chances of finding it again were slim. No one was very confident.
Long Xiao sighed. "If we don't find it tonight, I plan to return to the East Sea."
Lin Wei said, "Long Xiao, we definitely won't find the Fire Qilin. Why don't we leave today?"
Long Xiao pondered for a moment and nodded. "Alright. After we've eaten, we'll head down the mountain."
Since the 'Fire Elixir Stones' had already been taken, even finding the Fire Qilin would have little value. Long Xiao didn't want to waste any more time on Phoenix Mountain.