132: Golden strange fire! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

She actually started pushing the two of them away, as if they were some kind of fierce beasts.

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er exchanged glances, both seeing a deep sense of helplessness and… confusion in each other's eyes.

What exactly was this little girl hiding?

The two tried both gentle and tough approaches, talking for a long time, but the little girl was as stubborn as if she had eaten a steelyard weight, refusing to reveal another word.

Finally, Ling Ke'er sighed.

"Forget it, if she doesn't want to tell us, there's nothing we can do."

Although Xiao Huohuo was full of unwillingness, he also knew that he couldn't force her.

Just as the two were about to bid farewell and seek other methods, Xiao Huohuo's stomach uncooperatively rumbled twice.

Only then did he belatedly remember that ever since they entered Shashui City, they hadn't had time to find a place to stay, let alone eat.

He looked at the adobe house in front of him, which was bare and didn't even have a decent table, then looked at the little girl who was still vigilant and fearful, and a thought suddenly came to him.

He took out a silver ingot weighing ten taels from hisPregnant and handed it over, forcing a smile he thought was kind.

"Little sister, look, it's getting late. My Senior Sister and I are unfamiliar with the city and have no place to stay."

"Take these ten taels of silver. Consider it… our rent. How about we stay with you for a few days?"

This was also a last resort for him.

Since this little girl refused to speak, he could only stay here for now and slowly wear her down.

Perhaps, after some time, she would lower her guard.

When the little girl saw the shining silver ingot, her big eyes instantly lit up!

She unconsciously swallowed, her Adam's apple bobbing.

For a slum child like her, who often didn't know where her next meal would come from, ten taels of silver was an unimaginable fortune! It was enough for her and her sister to live peacefully for several years without being caught!

That strong desire for money instantly overwhelmed the fear in her heart.

"Are you really giving it to me?" She was a little uncertain.

"Of course." Xiao Huohuo nodded vigorously.

The little girl's face instantly bloomed into a smile, and the vigilance and fear she had just shown vanished in an instant.

She snatched the silver ingot, hugged it tightly to her chest as if afraid it would grow wings and fly away, and even bit it with her teeth to confirm it was real. After confirming, her smile became even brighter.

"Deal!"

She patted her almost boneless little chest and said in a childish, yet incredibly straightforward voice, "Forget a few days, you can stay as long as you want! From now on, you are my A Cao's most distinguished guests!"

The speed of her change in expression was simply astounding.

This girl is a little money grubber.

Late night.

The slum of Shashui City was so quiet that not even a dog bark could be heard.

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er sat cross-legged in the narrow adobe house, not in meditation, but with a wisp of Divine Sense firmly locked onto the equally dilapidated room next door.

There, the little girl who called herself A Cao was breathing evenly, seemingly already deep in sleep.

"Senior Sister, what do you think this little girl is up to?" Xiao Huohuo transmitted, full of confusion.

"I don't know." Ling Ke'er's Phoenix eyes were cold. "But she definitely has a secret."

The two were exchanging thoughts.

Suddenly!

In the room next door, the breathing that should have been steady suddenly changed!

A very faint rustling sound was heard.

Here it comes!

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er exchanged glances, instantly holding their breath and suppressing their aura to the extreme.

The small figure, like a nimble civet cat, quietly flipped up from the old straw mat.

She didn't light a lamp, but merely used the faint moonlight filtering through a hole in the roof to grope her way to the corner of the wall, where she pulled out a small cloth bag from under a pile of rotten straw.

Then, she tiptoed to push open the already dilapidated wooden door, and like a black shadow, she merged into the boundless night.

"Follow her."

Ling Ke'er transmitted a message, and her figure, like a ghost, quietly followed out.

Xiao Huohuo also followed closely behind.

Both of them were great Cultivators of the Purple Mansion realm. How superb were their methods of concealing their figures? Let alone a Mortal little girl, even a Martial Emperor expert might not be able to discover their traces here.

A Cao's figure darted through the narrow and dirty alleys.

She was clearly intimately familiar with the terrain here, winding through twists and turns, and soon arrived at the edge of Shashui City.

Looking at the towering city wall in front of him, Xiao Huohuo initially thought she would find another way.

Who would have thought that this little girl would skillfully slip into an inconspicuous… dog hole at the base of the wall!

Xiao Huohuo: "..."

He looked at the dog hole, which was barely wide enough for one person to crawl through, then at his own elegant attire, and his handsome face instantly darkened.

To think that he, Xiao Huohuo, the dignified Personal Disciple of Tai Xuan Immortal Sect, the future Flame Emperor! Was now reduced to crawling through a dog hole?!

If this got out, how would he ever face anyone again?!

Ling Ke'er, who was beside him, seemed to sense his predicament and transmitted, "What? Does Fourth Junior Brother intend to wait here for us to return?"

"...Crawl!"

Xiao Huohuo gritted his teeth and finally gave in.

The two of them used the Bone Shrinking Technique and, following behind A Cao, also crawled out of the dog hole.

Outside the city was an endless desolate Gobi Desert.

A Cao's figure, casting a long shadow in the moonlight, ran wildly towards the depths of the Gobi Desert.

As a small girl, she showed no signs of fatigue.

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er followed unhurriedly, growing increasingly curious.

About an hour later.

An oasis, strikingly out of place with the surrounding desolate landscape, appeared before their eyes.

The oasis was not large, but it was full of vigorous life, forming a stark contrast with the dead silence outside.

The moment they approached the oasis.

Xiao Huohuo's body trembled violently.

His Flame Mantra, within him, actually began to circulate on its own at this moment! A surge of desire frantically welled up in his heart.

It couldn't be wrong.

Absolutely couldn't be wrong!

There was definitely an extremely powerful strange flame within!

That Origin aura was even purer and more vast than the four strange flames he had refined before combined!

He forcibly suppressed the wild joy and excitement in his heart, his Divine Sense sweeping over, yet he found no abnormalities.

A Cao's figure had already entered the depths of the oasis.

The two dared not delay and quietly followed.

They saw A Cao stop in front of a steep rock wall, push aside a dense patch of vines, and reveal a narrow crack just wide enough for one person to pass through.

She entered without hesitation.

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er exchanged glances and also flashed inside.

Inside the crack, there was a hidden world.

A winding passage, leading downwards to an unknown destination.

The further down they went, the higher the temperature in the air became.

Ahead, A Cao's clear voice suddenly rang out.

"Xiao Jin, are you there? It's A Cao!"

As soon as her voice fell!

In an instant, the high temperature vanished without a trace.

Immediately after, under their incredibly shocked gazes.

A pure golden flame, about the size of a fist, bounced and leaped out from the depths of the passage!

It was like a bouncy golden jelly. The moment it saw A Cao, it joyfully circled around her, like a puppy seeing its owner, full of joy and affection.

A strange flame!

Moreover, it was a strange flame that had already developed a very high level of sentience!

Xiao Huohuo only needed one look to be 100% certain.

After sensing the strange flame's strength, he was also overjoyed.

The strength of this strange flame was likely… already comparable to a Martial Emperor realm expert!

A Cao reached out her small hand and affectionately stroked the golden flame, a genuine smile appearing on her face.

"Xiao Jin, I brought you something delicious."

She opened the small cloth bag, which contained several hard, dry steamed buns.

The golden flame seemed a little disdainful, but it still transformed into a streak of light, swept away the steamed buns, and disappeared into the depths of the passage.

Seeing this, A Cao also followed forward.

Xiao Huohuo and Ling Ke'er immediately activated their breath-concealing technique, merging their auras with the surrounding environment, and quietly followed.

Just as the two of them disappeared around the bend of the passage.

A bald figure, clad in a red kasaya, appeared silently at the entrance of the crack.

He looked at the dark passage, his eyes, which should have been compassionate, were now filled with greed and fanaticism.

"Hehehe..."

He let out a strange, hoarse laugh.

"After following for over a month, this old monk has finally found it."

"Such a treasure of heaven and earth is destined to be connected with my Buddha!"