"You... you are truly willing to come with us?"
Zhao Xiaocao swallowed, his gaze fixed on the lotus-like flame before him, not noticing Hong Yao by his side lowering her head in thought.
The Fire Spirit placed its hands on its hips, "I, this Fire Spirit, keep my word. I'm not like some people who are two-faced."
As it spoke, it turned and glared at Bai Shengyi, as if to say, 'What are you looking at? I'm talking about you.'
Zhao Xiaocao followed the Fire Spirit's gaze and saw Bai Shengyi. His excited mood felt like being doused with a bucket of cold water.
That's right, it wasn't just him and Hong Yao here; there was also the immeasurably powerful Bai Shennü.
"Master, this Fire Spirit actually knows 'two-faced'?" Qing Mengteng whispered, "It seems intelligent. It probably didn't have any malicious intent just now and only wanted to go out and play. What a shame."
Bai Shengyi knew what Qing Mengteng was regretting.
It was such a good opportunity to abduct the Fire Spirit, but now the Fire Spirit had voluntarily chosen someone else, which was disadvantageous for her.
Bai Shengyi's gaze swept over Shennü Hong Yao behind Zhao Xiaocao, and she shook her head imperceptibly, "No pity. Just you wait and see, this matter won't end so simply."
Qing Mengteng didn't quite understand.
But it trusted Bai Shengyi greatly and obediently shut its mouth, watching quietly from the side.
"Bai Shennü, look, since this Fire Spirit has chosen us, we will shamelessly accept it. In exchange, you can take any ten Heavenly Fire Lotuses from here. How about it?"
Zhao Xiaocao made his decision without much hesitation.
Upon hearing his words, Qing Mengteng immediately exploded.
"How dare he say that?"
"Master, does he think we're all fools?"
"The Fire Spirit and the Heavenly Fire Lotuses were discovered by us first. It's fine if he got the Fire Spirit, but now he's getting a benefit and acting like he's doing us a favor! And taking ten Heavenly Fire Lotuses? These Heavenly Fire Lotuses aren't his! Besides, if he gets the Fire Spirit, does he plan to leave us here after we take the Heavenly Fire Lotuses?"
"Calm down, calm down." Bai Shengyi patted the flailing little vine leaves.
Admittedly, Zhao Xiaocao's words sounded good. On the surface, it seemed as though Bai Shengyi was gaining a huge advantage.
But in reality, as little Tengye said, Bai Shengyi was the one who discovered both the Heavenly Fire Lotuses and the Fire Spirit first. If the Fire Spirit chose its own master, so be it, but the Heavenly Fire Lotuses...
By what right did Zhao Xiaocao consider them his own?
"Heavenly treasures have always gone to the capable,"
The woman standing quietly not far away suddenly gave a faint smile, but her words made Zhao Xiaocao's face darken.
"Does Bai Shennü mean you disagree with my allocation plan?"
Zhao Xiaocao hadn't intended to become enemies with Bai Shengyi. After all, even Ning Changchao couldn't gain an advantage against Bai Shengyi, and he didn't think he was much stronger than Ning Changchao.
But if Bai Shengyi didn't cooperate now, he couldn't afford to be so considerate.
Zhao Xiaocao turned to the Fire Spirit and asked, "Good Fire Spirit, can you contract with me?"
"Contract? What is a contract?" the Fire Spirit asked confusedly, "You took me out of the lava, and I can just go out with you two, right?"
"Lava?" Zhao Xiaocao's smile faltered.
What did this Fire Spirit mean?
The Fire Spirit nodded, "Yes, what you see now is my spiritual body. My true body is still in the center of the lava."
Bai Shengyi couldn't help but laugh.
No wonder.
The place they were currently in was already thousands of degrees Celsius. The center of the lava must be at least tens of thousands of degrees Celsius.
They could come here by relying on their cultivator abilities, but without some special method, they couldn't reach the center of the lava at all.
"Exactly, Master. Look, Zhao Xiaocao's face has turned green," said little Tengye gleefully.
It was still Master who was cautious. Pie truly didn't fall from the sky.
Bai Shengyi said, "Zhao Xiaocao won't give up just like that."
As she said this, Bai Shengyi's gaze fell on Hong Yao, who had been very quiet behind Zhao Xiaocao, and she shook her head faintly.
Zhao Xiaocao was almost driven mad.
He came from an ordinary mountain village under the jurisdiction of Donglin City. Being chosen as the sacred son of the temple, he had always cherished this opportunity.
When the temple arranged for people to teach them cultivation, he studied with all his might, so he naturally knew that the power of spiritual beings would be greatly reduced if they only had their spiritual bodies and not their true forms.
But...
Zhao Xiaocao glanced at the woman standing quietly not far away. Her casual gaze seemed to be looking at him as if he were a mere clown.
His heart immediately filled with anger. Did this person look down on him?
"Fine, it doesn't matter if there's no true body," he thought to himself.
Turning his head, he put on a kind smile, appearing to be considerate of the Fire Spirit, "Good Fire Spirit, if your true body is in the lava, then we must contract! If we don't contract, how can my small body help you retrieve your true body from the lava? Don't you think so?"
Seeing his pretense of caring for her, the Fire Spirit was somewhat persuaded.
"That's true. In that case, let's contract first."
Zhao Xiaocao had been waiting for this sentence. He immediately formed a hand seal, and a giant contract pattern spread out beneath his feet, drawing the Fire Spirit towards him.
Bai Shengyi recognized it as a master-servant contract.
"He's really thinking too highly of himself!" Qing Mengteng wished it could roll its eyes to the sky, how could someone like this exist.
Bai Shengyi, however, was not surprised, "After all, divine fire is rare."
If she were in Zhao Xiaocao's current situation, she might not have tricked the Fire Spirit into a contract, but she would have certainly done worse than Zhao Xiaocao. For instance, she would have dealt with Hong Yao and herself first.
Since the Fire Spirit had admitted to the contract, the master-servant contract was not difficult.
As the contract was about to be completed, Zhao Xiaocao couldn't help but smile with a sense of certainty. Excellent! After today, what would he have to fear in the Eastern Temple?
The Fire Spirit was not foolish. Sensing the restraint and influence of the contract, it immediately panicked.
"You... why can this contract command me?"
The bright red lotus struggled, trying to escape the contract pattern, but Zhao Xiaocao caught it back.
"Hahaha... Good Fire Spirit, guess!" Zhao Xiaocao revealed his true colors, exclaiming excitedly, "From now on, I am your only master. If I tell you to go east, you cannot go..."
"Pfft!"
A sword was unexpectedly thrust into Zhao Xiaocao's chest.
Zhao Xiaocao turned around stiffly, "...Hong Yao?"
Shennü Hong Yao's voice was gentle, "Little Cao brother, you will understand me, right?"
Zhao Xiaocao did not understand her meaning.
But soon, his entire face twisted in pain.
Hong Yao gripped the hilt of the sword and stirred it forcefully, her face covered by a veil, allowing only a glimpse of her gentle, affectionate eyes.
"Divine fire, and divine fire that can expel wood spiritual energy. If I obtain it, my cultivation can double, and I won't have to live in fear every day of being sacrificed. Little Cao brother, you will be happy for me too, won't you?"
Zhao Xiaocao felt a chill creep up his spine from his feet to his back, his consciousness gradually blurring.
"We... we are from the same village, Hong Yao."