BTTH: Death Letter From The Future

Chen Guan still didn't find the cave today. He did encounter two fire foxes, but unfortunately, neither was the one from yesterday.

After eating and drinking to his satisfaction, Chen Guan collected two fire fox magic cores from the ground. Now he had an additional reason to hunt fire foxes; other magical beasts didn't have such a high drop rate.

He didn't bother with other magical beasts and headed straight for the area where the crimson Ice Serpent King resided.

Just as he could remember the scent of the fire fox, the crimson Ice Serpent King could also recognize his. There was no need for Chen Guan to search for it; as soon as he arrived, the serpent sprang out of the forest, determined to avenge the humiliation of the previous day.

However, Chen Guan was prepared, and his condition had improved significantly. No longer intimidated, he charged forward with his broadsword.

Stepping lightly to dodge the foul-smelling venom, he unleashed his Boundless Sea technique. The man and the serpent collided fiercely.

The crimson Ice Serpent King had a natural advantage in raw strength, but Chen Guan's superior technique allowed him to fight back. His attacks surged like tidal waves, each wave stronger than the last. By the twentieth clash, they were evenly matched, though the strain on his energy reserves was immense—nearly a tenth of his inner strength was consumed.

Fortunately, Chen Guan practiced a higher-tier Black technique; if he had been using a lower-tier technique, he would have been out of stamina after just two or three bursts of energy.

"Haha, let's go again!"

After achieving a draw with the crimson Ice Serpent King, Chen Guan felt elated. To him, this was the perfect opponent—one that could challenge him without overwhelming him. Every attack from the serpent carried lethal intent, but it never hesitated, making it a rare and valuable adversary.

For this reason, Chen Guan decided to delay killing it, treating it as a whetstone to hone his skills.

Man and serpent fought fiercely for nearly two hours, taking several breaks along the way. Their battle stretched from one end of the magical beasts' territory to the other, throwing the entire region into chaos.

As the sky darkened, Chen Guan swallowed a second-tier pill to replenish his energy and decided to end the fight for the day, fleeing toward the outskirts.

"See you tomorrow! I'll come to play again!"

The crimson Ice Serpent King chased after him for a while before giving up. Perhaps it understood his words, or maybe it was simply tired. There was no rush—it could always kill him tomorrow.

Leaving the magical beast forest, Chen Guan headed straight for the Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

After such a long battle, it was impossible to escape unscathed. Luckily, his injuries were only superficial.

He could treat them himself, but why bother when there was a free physician available?

And a professional one at that.

Familiar displays and a familiar staircase greeted him as he entered. Some rowdy mercenaries wanted to stop him when they noticed his injuries weren't severe.

But before they could act, a hand was placed on their shoulders.

"Master Chen is a VIP at Thousand Medicine Pavilion ," Manager Chang said, pressing down firmly on their shoulders to express his determination.

"A VIP? This pretty boy?"

"Well, since you say so, I'll give your Thousand Medicine Pavilion  face. But don't let me see him outside."

Manager Chang chuckled without further comment. It's hard to advise someone who's courting death, as long as it didn't involve Thousand Medicine Pavilion .

No one knew better than Manager Chang about the boy's background. That day, when he personally escorted a batch of yellow lotus essence to a nearby city, to his surprise, the city lord himself came to receive it, showing great respect for what seemed like an ordinary transaction.

This realization made Manager Chang aware that the boy's identity was anything but ordinary.

Flattery could be off-putting, but ensuring the boy's safety inside Thousand Medicine Pavilion  was something Manager Chang could definitely do.

Meanwhile, Chen Guan made his way effortlessly to Little Fairy Doctor's "clinic."

There were more people today, so it took nearly half an hour for him to send off the irrelevant ones.

"Help me treat these superficial wounds, just some ointment will do."

"Take off your clothes. Did you really go looking for the fire foxes?"

Seeing Chen Guan's slightly disheveled appearance, Little Fairy Doctor had already guessed the answer.

"Of course, once I said I would, I had to do it. Unfortunately, I didn't find the one that injured me yesterday. I found its two brothers instead, though, and roasted them. Here, I saved one just for you, as promised. Don't worry, I got rid of the weird taste."

Looking at the roasted fire fox Chen Guan took out, Little Fairy Doctor's lips twitched slightly.

She had thought he was joking, but to her surprise, he had actually brought it.

However, the roasted fox looked golden and crispy, almost appetizing, stirring her hunger.

"Ahem, I'm not eating that. Fire foxes have a strong smell, and it's impossible to clean them properly."

Swallowing her saliva, Little Fairy Doctor shifted her gaze and focused on treating his wounds, which were all minor and didn't even require bandaging. After cleaning them and applying some ointment, she was done in no time.

"Today, I'll shamelessly take this for free, but I'll bring you something tasty next time."

"No need to be so polite. I should be thanking you for the notes you gave me—they've been incredibly helpful."

After sending Chen Guan off, Little Fairy Doctor returned to her seat. Looking at the roasted fire fox on the table, she couldn't resist stretching out her hand.

Could it really be as good as he said?

Just one bite, just to try!

Tearing off a piece of leg meat and tasting it slowly, a rich, savory flavor exploded on her tongue. It was surprisingly delicious.

And it didn't have that strange taste either.

Unable to resist, she reached out again but quickly stopped herself. She hurried to the door, peeking out to make sure no one was around before locking it with a loud bang.

The next day, Chen Guan continued his routine of eating, training, fighting the serpent king, visiting Little Fairy Doctor to treat his wounds, and bringing her a steamed fire fox.

The day after that, the same routine, except this time, he brought a spicy braised fire fox.

Next came secret-recipe braised fire fox.

Then stir-fried fire fox.

For more than ten consecutive days, Chen Guan's routine remained the same, progressing steadily on both fronts.

After so many battles, Chen Guan had fully mastered all of the crimson Ice Serpent King's techniques. He no longer felt the same pressure as before and could handle the serpent with ease.

This led him to reflect on how hard it was to find an opponent that could continually challenge him. The royal family's Gangzi had been like this, and so was this serpent king.

At Thousand Medicine Pavilion , Chen Guan stopped by every day, even though he hadn't suffered any injuries for days. His visits were unwavering, rain or shine.

As for the various ways to cook fire fox, they proved quite useful. He and Little Fairy Doctor had become good friends over this time.

They enjoyed each other's company, and their conversations grew increasingly broad, ranging from the various ways to prepare fire fox to the strange happenings on the Dou Qi Continent and even to light-hearted jokes about a certain mercenary who had turned rogue in the nearby magical beast town.

They both enjoyed this atmosphere, though Manager Chang had started to worry.

Over the past half-month, Little Fairy Doctor seemed to have developed a strange condition—her appetite had noticeably diminished. Every day, the food brought to her was barely touched, causing great concern.

Not that Manager Chang was overly concerned about Little Fairy Doctor personally, but she was a golden asset to Thousand Medicine Pavilion . If something happened to her, the business could easily lose twenty percent of its revenue.

How could he not be worried?

Meanwhile, at a nearby inn:

With a muffled thud, Chen Guan opened his eyes, which gleamed brightly.

"Finally, I'm a four-star Dou Practitioner."

(End of Chapter)