Lord of Fire

Chasing the Wind's body had really recovered well. The soft, mochi-like state only lasted for a day. After resting overnight, he turned back into that small sturdy white tiger the next day, the kind that could devour a whole basin of beast pills in one meal.

But he was still recovering from his major illness after all. Qin Ran couldn't bear to make him work, so he let him play on his own.

With nothing to do now, the tiger lay on the old locust swing under the tree, manipulating the wind to push himself back and forth.

After consuming the Plundering Wind, ordinary winds were like obedient children before him. He could order them around however he wished, and using them to swing on the swing was most suitable.

Long Qiqi pulled a cart of gravel to the ground. Seeing Chasing the Wind over there leisurely swinging on the swing, she felt very imbalanced. She transformed into human form and asked Qin Ran, who was reading by the pit, “Why doesn't he have to work?”

“Who?” Qin Ran didn't notice.

“Him!” Long Qiqi pointed at Chasing the Wind on the swing.

“Oh...” Qin Ran lifted his head from the illustrated guide on spell formations. “He was heavily injured. He’s a patient recovering from injuries!”

“Where does he look injured?!” Long Qiqi was annoyed.

This girl is a snake demon, stingy, petty and extremely jealous. Qin Ran had no intention of entertaining her further. He continued browsing his illustrated guide on spell formations, pretending not to see her at all, even taking out a pen to read while making sketches.

“Humph!”

Seeing that Qin Ran ignored her, Long Qiqi pouted. She walked over to Chasing the Wind and huffed, “This is my swing!”

Chasing the Wind looked at her blankly and asked, “Is it......yours?”

“Can't even speak clearly...” Long Qiqi said disdainfully. He's still at the seventh rank, but she nodded. “I said so!”

Hearing that, Chasing the Wind crawled up from the swing, wanting to make space for Long Qiqi. But swinging made him feel very comfortable and he was a little reluctant to stop. He sat there rocking for a while, then suddenly spoke, “Come... It's not...... Don't falsely accuse...... good people. My beast pills are round!”

Although it was gibberish, Long Qiqi reacted guiltily as if her tail had been stepped on. She understood instantly and got agitated, saying repeatedly, “I'm human. I eat human food. Only demonic beasts eat beast pills! I don't eat beast pills!”

“Beast pills, delicious!” Chasing the Wind said.

“Not delicious! Delicious my a**!” Long Qiqi retorted.

“Delicious......”

And so the two entered infinite loop bicker mode, one insisting delicious, the other insisting not delicious.

At this moment, someone flew over on a sword.

Long Qiqi took a look in the midst of arguing and found it was that girl called Tian Wenjin. She came unsteadily on her flying sword, her face pale, clearly injured.

“Give it...... back!” Taking the chance, Chasing the Wind pulled them out of the argument loop to ask Long Qiqi for his treasures back.

“Thick tongue...” Long Qiqi shot back casually at Chasing the Wind as she watched Tian Wenjin land by the pit.

"You're...... the one...... with the thick tongue!"

Qin Ran looked at Tian Wenjin who landed before him and asked, "What happened?"

"I was guarding the mining cave. Underground Demon Beasts attacked and then the miners rioted," Tian Wenjin replied. "I was hit by the miners' techniques."

Qin Ran tossed her a bottle of premium Great Recovery Pill. "The mining cave didn't sustain any damage right?"

"No..." Tian Wenjin caught the pill bottle, opened the jade seal, and found extremely high quality Great Recovery Pills inside. She silently closed it again and placed the bottle on the table. From her interspatial pouch she took out 500 spirit stones, stacking them on the table as well, and said to Qin Ran, "This is 500 spirit stones. Still lacking 4,000 spirit stones."

Qin Ran looked at the spirit stones on the table and the pill bottle in silence for a bit. Finally he just said, "Take care of yourself... Don't die."

"Mm." Tian Wenjin nodded.

She also asked, "Has Senior Brother Huang woken up yet...? Has the first phase been completed?"

"It hasn't been completed yet. Looks like his subconscious is resisting," Qin Ran said. "The situation does not look optimistic."

Tian Wenjin's expression turned worrying. She urgently said, "I'll go take a look at him!"

Qin Ran put away his pen and notes, accompanying Tian Wenjin to the entrance of the Earth Flame Chamber.

Outside the entrance of the Earth Flame Chamber, the two of them could see inside through the spell formation. Huang Feiyu's body floated in the flames, surrounded by other spell formations continuously supplying medicinal pills with healing properties into his body.

Watching this, Tian Wenjin dared not imagine the actual value of those medicinal pills. She gritted her teeth, shook her head, and steeled her resolve. Pushing open the door to the Earth Flame Chamber, she said, "I'll go try persuading him!"

"Be careful..." Qin Ran reminded, "Don't touch the spell formations or get burnt by the flames."

"Mm!" Tian Wenjin nodded and closed the door to the chamber.

The temperature inside the Earth Flame Chamber was extremely high. She had to rely on magical energy to protect herself to barely maintain. She walked as close to Huang Feiyu as she could. Separated by the raging flames, gazing at Huang Feiyu within, thinking of everything she had gone through recently, sorrow welled up and she began to cry.

"Senior Brother Huang..." she wept. "I'm still waiting for you to wake up!"

Qin Ran leaned against the door with his back facing the interior.

Actually he should leave, since he didn't like this kind of sob fest. But he had to prevent Tian Wenjin from getting too emotional and getting burnt by the flames or the Lion Heart Mad Flame Beast. He also needed to monitor Huang Feiyu's condition.

Huang Feiyu should be in a state of clear consciousness. He could perceive things happening externally but couldn't wake up. So Tian Wenjin speaking to him, he might react.

What a good girl Tian Wenjin is, Qin Ran thought back to first meeting this cheeky, competitive girl, who would even consume Accumulating Spirit Pills for cultivation.

But ever since Huang Feiyu was injured, she never left his side...

Even adding his past and present lives, Qin Ran had only seen this kind of love in works of fiction.

"Senior Brother Huang, no matter how you change, I will always be by your side..." Inside the Earth Flame Chamber, after telling him about everything that happened recently, Tian Wenjin continued crying, "As long as you wake up...

"We can cultivate together and improve together. Don't you remember you said before, we have to walk this path together to the end, become immortals and seek the Dao together?"

Suddenly, the earth flames surged violently.

Tian Wenjin instantly became emotional, crying loudly, "Senior Brother, it's me Wenjin..."

Sensing the activity inside the chamber, Qin Ran hurriedly opened the door and pulled Tian Wenjin back.

"You go out first, let me help him." He said to Tian Wenjin.

So Tian Wenjin had no choice but to leave.

"Sigh..." Watching the melting medicinal pills dripping out healing essence to blend into the flames for Huang Feiyu to absorb together, Qin Ran couldn't help sighing.

Tian Wenjin had already said so much, but Huang Feiyu showed no reaction until she mentioned becoming immortals and seeking the Dao.

The inner meaning was hard for Qin Ran to articulate.

He circulated his magic power to help Huang Feiyu absorb the pills...

Soon, Huang Feiyu completed the first phase of transformation. Qin Ran then placed the mad flame crystals in the spell formation to help Huang Feiyu enter the second phase.

"When successful, you will become the Fire Master!" Knowing Huang Feiyu could hear him, Qin Ran deliberately added that last line.

Then, the flames inside the Earth Flame Chamber raged wildly!