Alchemy Master

Chapter 165, Strange Stone

Translator: Silavin

“I hope nothing goes wrong…” Qin Yichen’s prayer did not come true. This journey was destined to be an eventful one.

They had not walked far when they were attacked by a second wave of Demonic Beasts, even more ferocious than the first. Even Xiang Wu received a moderate wound on his chest.

*Bang!* Members of the Dawn Mercenary Group huddled tightly together. Around them, fierce Demonic Beasts occasionally rushed out from the darkness with a nauseating stench. However, before they could get close, they were shattered by several swords infused with powerful Yuan Energy.

“These accursed Demonic Beasts, why won’t they leave us alone!?”  A bearded giant among the mercenaries cursed as he panted heavily, killing a charging Demonic Beast with one slash.

Clearly, after several waves of attacks, the members of the Dawn Mercenary Group were already exhausted.

“We just need to get out of Misty Forest.” Xiang Wu was also slightly out of breath, with traces of sweat on his forehead.

Although he was a second level Peak Martial Grandmaster, he could not withstand the relentless attacks of these fearless Demonic Beasts.

At this moment, he was also puzzled. After all, this was not their first time traversing Misty Forest. They had never encountered such strange phenomena before.

This unusual situation made Xiang Wu worry.

Moments later, the Demonic Beasts left behind another pile of carcasses and hastily retreated. But this time, the mercenaries didn’t even have the mood to clean up. They all sat down heavily, some even lying down, gasping for air.

Obviously, their stamina had been severely depleted. If this continued, they really would not be able to make it out of Misty Forest.

“Did you attract the Demonic Beasts?”  Xiang Ya, with a cold face, walked unsteadily towards Qin Yichen with her sword, her tone very unfriendly. She was showing signs of being ready to stab him.

After several battles, she was also drenched in sweat. Her clothes were clinging to her body, making her graceful figure even more visible. Now, she looked wild and sexy.

Qin Yichen rolled his eyes. [What did this have to do with me?]

But in Xiang Ya’s view, he was the prime suspect. After all, before this, the Dawn Mercenary Group had always experienced a relatively smooth ride.

Qin Yichen was also puzzled. [Actually, could those Demonic Beasts really be coming for me?]

“Ya’er, don’t make trouble.” Xiang Wu came over and stopped her.

Although she was stopped, Xiang Ya still glared at Qin Yichen resentfully, looking as if she wanted to teach him a lesson, making Qin Yichen sigh.

In fact, Qin Yichen had also been trying to find out what the problem was, but he had no clues. However, he could be certain that within this group, there must be something attracting the attention of the Demonic Beasts. Otherwise, such a thing would not have happened.

“Uncle Xiang, here are some Healing Pills.”

After scanning the condition of the Dawn Mercenary Group members, Qin Yichen took out a box of Healing Pills and handed it to Xiang Wu.

“This is… Fourth Grade Healing Pill?” Opening the box and seeing the smooth, round Pills inside, Xiang Wu’s pupils dilated slightly as he exclaimed.

He had not expected Qin Yichen to be so generous as to offer a box of Fourth Grade Pills.

This box of Pills was valuable, worth at least several thousand silver coins. For the Dawn Mercenary Group, it was already a considerable income.

“Thank you, Little Brother!” Xiang Wu was not the type to hesitate. He directly accepted the Pills and distributed them.

Seeing this, Xiang Ya, who had been looking at Qin Yichen unfavourably, pouted and turned her head away without saying anything.

On the other hand, little Xiang Xuan became closer to Qin Yichen.

“Big Brother, are you really an Alchemy Master?” Xiang Xuan looked at Qin Yichen curiously with her big eyes.

“What, does Little Xuan want to become an Alchemy Master too?” Qin Yichen’s lips curled into a faint smile. He genuinely liked this innocent little girl. Looking at her, Qin Yichen could not help but think of his Daughter, Little Ling’er. His smile became even gentler.

Perhaps it was because of the kindness he showed at this moment that the vigilance in Xiang Ya’s beautiful eyes slightly eased.

“Hmph! Don’t think you can buy everyone with a few Pills. I won’t fall for your tricks!” Xiang Ya’s tone was still icy cold. After speaking, she walked towards Xiang Wu.

Qin Yichen shook his head and smiled bitterly. [Do I really look like that much of a bad person?]

“Little Brother, don’t mind her. Ya’er is actually not a bad person. It’s just that too many unexpected things have happened on this trip, so her temper has worsened…” The speaker was the second-in-command of the Dawn Mercenary Group, a first level Peak Martial Grandmaster, Liu Zhen.

“It’s alright.” Qin Yichen naturally did not take it to heart. He just focused his attention on Xiang Xuan.

He always felt that there was something unusual about Xiang Xuan. In fact, he had been standing beside Xiang Xuan all along. He felt that if the Demonic Beasts’ target was not him, it would be Xiang Xuan.

However, the little girl’s aura was very normal, with no anomalies. This was what puzzled Qin Yichen.

“If there’s another wave later, help me keep an eye on those two girls.” Liu Zhen patted Qin Yichen’s shoulder, speaking meaningfully.

“Don’t worry, Brother Liu.” The seriousness on his face made Qin Yichen not dare to relax his vigilance. He slowly moved closer to the two Sisters, ready to help if anything happened.

“Big Brother, we’ll be alright, won’t we?” Xiang Xuan looked up at him, her bright eyes showing a hint of fear. After all, she was just an eleven or twelve-year-old girl without much ability to protect herself. If it were children from other Families, they probably would have been frightened out of their wits after seeing such bloody battles.

“Of course we’ll be alright.” Qin Yichen smiled slightly, squatted down, and patted Little Xuan’s little head to comfort her.

However, in the next moment, his hand paused, and his gaze fell on her neck.

On her neck, a thin thread held a small white stone.

Upon seeing this white stone, Qin Yichen’s gaze immediately froze.

“Big Brother, do you like this kind of stone too?” Seeing him staring at her pendant, Xiang Xuan proudly took out the white stone and showed it off in front of him.

After she took out the stone, Qin Yichen finally saw the full appearance of this so-called ‘stone’. It was white, but inside it seemed to have a moving mist, floating unpredictably, which was very peculiar.

“I like it.” Qin Yichen certainly liked it.

After seeing the stone hanging around her neck, he finally understood why they had been constantly attacked by Demonic Beasts. Because it was not a ‘stone’ at all, but a ‘Beast Soul’!

[So this is the true culprit!]