Hai Bodong was delighted to see Xiao Bai agree so readily. His impression of the young man greatly improved—he found him worthy of befriending.
Young, talented, and with a good character—he could have easily used threats or coercion but instead chose to negotiate fairly.
If he weren't worried that Xiao Bai might find it awkward, he would have suggested swearing brotherhood on the spot.
Laughing heartily, he said:
"Hahaha! Good, good, good! I still don't know your name, young friend?"
"Xiao Bai."
"Alright, Xiao Bai, no need to keep calling me 'Ice Emperor'—just use my name."
"Then I'll call you Hai Lao." Xiao Bai nodded.
Hai Bodong then asked, "Xiao Bai, you came to my little shop that sells maps earlier—were you looking for a map of the Tagor Desert?"
He didn't believe Xiao Bai was interested in that fragmented map—that must have been a coincidence.
But since he was buying a map, it meant he was planning to enter the Tagor Desert—which was now critical to his alchemy plans.
He had to confirm the details.
"That's right. Hai Lao, do you have a detailed map of the area around Stone Desert City?"
"Stone Desert City?" Hai Bodong was puzzled.
What did he need that place's map for?
He was already planning to give Xiao Bai the most detailed internal map of the Serpent Tribe to make it easier for him to obtain the medicinal ingredient.
But instead, Xiao Bai was only interested in a small border city?
Stone Desert City was just a minor settlement—a gathering place for mercenaries.
Despite being called a "city", it was barely larger than a small town in the inner regions of the empire.
As he recalled details about this place, something suddenly clicked in his mind.
Muttering under his breath, he repeated, "Stone Desert City… Stone Desert City…"
Then, he hurriedly took out an ancient-looking sheepskin map from his storage ring.
Spreading it open, he revealed a network of winding lines, with three flame symbols marked at different locations.
Pointing at one of the flame symbols, his expression turned to shock.
"Are you going to Stone Desert City to search for a Heavenly Flame?!"
He was sure of it—there was no other explanation.
With Xiao Bai's strength, there was no reason for him to visit such a desolate place unless something there had piqued his interest.
"That's right! I'm searching for a Heavenly Flame."
Seeing that Hai Bodong had guessed correctly, Xiao Bai wasn't surprised.
He suspected that the map in Hai Bodong's hands was the same one from the original story—the one he had given to Xiao Yan.
In the original story, the location of the Heavenly Flame was uncertain.
It was only confirmed after Qing Lin sensed Queen Medusa's aura.
All that was known was that it was located somewhere in the southeastern region—so Xiao Bai needed a detailed map for reference.
"No wonder you're so confident about convincing a Rank Six Alchemist to help. But this place only has a possibility of a Heavenly Flame. What if you don't find it?"
Hai Bodong suddenly felt uneasy.
This was too important—it concerned his alchemy hopes. He couldn't afford to take chances.
"No need to worry, Hai Lao. Your pill has nothing to do with this. Even if I don't obtain a Heavenly Flame, I can still help you refine the pill!"
Seeing Hai Bodong's nervous expression, Xiao Bai reassured him.
"Alright then! If you need a map for finding a Heavenly Flame, this is the most detailed one. Take it!"
Hearing this, Hai Bodong felt relieved.
As long as his Breaking Calamity Pill wasn't affected, he didn't mind anything else.
Xiao Bai accepted the map and stored it away.
Glancing around, he then smiled at Hai Bodong and said:
"Hai Lao, I imagine you don't have much patience for hiding away anymore. Would you care to accompany me on this journey?"
"Absolutely not!"
Hai Bodong nearly jumped in shock and immediately refused.
Although Stone Desert City was technically still within the Jia Ma Empire, it was too close to Serpent Tribe territory.
If he went there, there was a risk that Queen Medusa would sense his sealed energy.
And that was a gamble he wasn't willing to take.
Once that ruthless woman found him, with his current strength, just thinking about it made his heart tremble.
Xiao Bai looked at Hai Bodong's reaction and felt speechless. How afraid of Queen Medusa is Hai Bodong? What exactly happened to him back then that he's still haunted by the memories after more than twenty years?
Hai Bodong, noticing the way Xiao Bai looked at him, knew he had overreacted. He forced a smile and said awkwardly, "If, I this old man go to Stone Desert City, Medusa will sense the seal on me!"
"Can I take a look at your seal?" Xiao Bai asked, intrigued. He wasn't familiar with Dou Qi seals, but he had always studied soul seals.
He wanted to see if he could add an extra soul seal over Medusa's seal to lock the aura of the mark. That way, the seal shouldn't be detectable.
"Sure, go ahead!"
Hai Bodong wasn't on guard at all. If Xiao Bai wanted to kill him, he would have done so already. His Dou Qi was sealed, but his soul wasn't. With Xiao Bai's powerful soul, even if he recovered, the outcome of a battle between them would probably be the same. Besides, he had no way of knowing Xiao Bai's true strength!
Who knew what else this mysterious young man could do besides his soul power and the faintly dangerous crimson thunderfire? It was better to be more generous and open-minded, so he wouldn't be underestimated.
Seeing Hai Bodong's agreement, Xiao Bai unleashed his soul power and reached into Hai Bodong's Dantian. The Dantian was surrounded by a dim green energy. The moment his soul power touched the dim green energy, Xiao Bai felt a screeching sound in his soul.
The energy seemed to be triggered, and a snake-like shadow appeared above it, hissing at Xiao Bai's soul power.
"Hmph!" Xiao Bai snorted coldly, ready to strike at the snake shadow, but suddenly, Hai Bodong let out a pained groan.
Xiao Bai looked at his face and saw that Hai Bodong was sweating profusely, as if he was enduring some kind of pain. A dim green snake shadow had even appeared on his forehead.
"Hmm?" Xiao Bai let out a light sound of realization. He noticed that the snake shadow on Hai Bodong's forehead was emitting faint waves, as if it was transmitting some kind of information.
"Is this the reason why Queen Medusa can sense it?" He sensed that the seal was quite remarkable. Even though it sealed Dou Qi, it was still emitting faint soul fluctuations.
Seeing Hai Bodong's painful expression, Xiao Bai decided not to take action against the snake shadow in his Dantian for now.
"Xiao Bai, young friend, are you… done?" Hai Bodong gritted his teeth and asked. He felt like the seal was siphoning his vitality, and the effect was stronger than usual.
"Hai Lao, please bear with it for a moment. Let me first seal the snake shadow on your forehead. That way, Medusa shouldn't be able to sense the location of the seal!" Xiao Bai said while quickly forming hand seals.
"Alright, please hurry!" Hai Bodong endured the pain and replied.
"Don't worry, it'll be done soon!" Xiao Bai had already finished the hand seals. Carefully sensing the core position where the snake shadow was emitting waves, his finger shot out.
In an instant, a sharp screech echoed in the room, then gradually faded away.
Xiao Bai sensed again and noticed that the faint waves that had been spreading outward were now gone. He breathed a sigh of relief, though his mind felt slightly exhausted.
Sealing him twice in one day took a toll on his energy. Rubbing his forehead, he said to Hai Bodong:
"Alright, as long as you don't stand directly in front of Medusa, she won't be able to sense your location!"
Hearing this, Hai Bodong checked his internal condition and, sure enough, there were no more faint waves as Xiao Bai had said. He couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
For so many years, he had suffered. While searching for the Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Desert, he also had to avoid Medusa sensing the seal. He had been stuck in this border town between the desert and the mainland.
Now, he was finally free. He felt like his old bones were rusting from being cooped up for so long!