Seeing Xiao Yan nod, Hai Bo Dong finally exhaled in relief, his weathered face brightening with a few more smiles. "Pass me the prescription... Oh, by the way, you should already know the rules for hiring a alchemy master to prepare pills, right?" Xiao Yan gave Hai Bo Dong a gentle smile. "The herbs are to be provided by the patient!" Hai Bo Dong nodded with a wry smile—he certainly knew the rule, yet... with his dry hands gripping a few strands of his beard, he felt a touch of embarrassment. "I've gathered most of the herbs required by the prescription, but there's still one that's missing." "This herb is called Sand Mandala, and it can only be found in the Togor Great Desert—the warmer the climate, the more abundant it becomes... But you see, I practice a cold-based cultivation technique, and there's also a seal from the Queen of Medusa within my body. As soon as I step deep into the heart of the Togor Desert, she'll sense me. Therefore..." Seeing Hai Bodo's awkward expression, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, saying, "Do you really expect me to go find it for you? Just the cost of preparing a medicine for you has already been a loss. Now you want me to trek through that endless desert to locate herbs for you? Isn't a single fragment of your map a bit too valuable?" Hearing this, Hai Bodo smiled slightly, hesitated for a while, and finally sighed, saying, "Well, perhaps I can offer you something of interest." "What kind of information?" Xiao Yan asked, surprised. "Regarding the 'Heterogeneous Flames'..." Hai Dongbo spread his hands, smiling, "I wonder if you'd be willing to assist me in locating the Sand Mandala?" As soon as the words 'Heterogeneous Flames' entered his ears, Xiao Yan's heart noticeably jumped, his throat subtly rolling, his gaze warmly fixed upon Hai Dongbo. "You might have heard, perhaps, of the existence of Heterogeneous Flames hidden within the Tago尔 Desert, haven't you?" Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Hai Dongbo felt a slight relief, and smiled warmly. "Yes," Xiao Yan nodded slightly, eager to add, "Do you know where the Heterogeneous Flames in the Tago尔 Desert are located?" "I've always been passionate about map-making. I've made several visits within the vast Tago尔 Desert and managed to gather some information about the Heterogeneous Flames. Through careful exploration and verification of the locations mentioned, I still can't be certain exactly where the Heterogeneous Flames reside, but I now have a good sense of which areas are most likely to harbor them." "Hai Dongbo smiled confidently. "Without my guidance, even if you wander through the Tagor Great Desert for a full year, you'd still find it difficult to locate the Hetero-Fire..." "How about this? As long as you agree to help me secure the Sand Mandala, I'll share with you all the information I've gathered over the years on the Hetero-Fire." Hai Dongbo smiled. "Deal!" Without hesitation, Xiao Yan immediately agreed. The allure of the Hetero-Fire was simply too strong—worthy of immense sacrifice. Seeing Xiao Yan's commitment, Hai Dongbo nodded with a smile, then gently pulled out a thin piece of sheepskin from his sleeve and handed it to him, smiling, "Through my investigations, I've identified three locations within the Tagor Desert where the Hetero-Fire is most likely to exist." Receiving the parchment, Xiao Yan carefully unfolded it and found it to be an exceptionally detailed map of the Togor Great Desert. This map far surpassed the ones displayed at the counter in terms of precision—it not only accurately marked the locations of water sources within the desert but also carefully indicated the scattered Serpent-People tribes. "Do you see the three flame symbols on the map?" Hai Bo Dong smiled and reminded him. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan scanned the map and indeed spotted three prominent flame symbols located in the eastern, northern, and western sections. "These three locations are where the chances of harboring rare flames within the Togor Desert are highest." "Pointing to these three clusters of flame marks, Hai Bode smiled and said: 'Of course, this is merely inferred through my detection—its accuracy cannot reach 100%. Yet compared to having you wander around blindly, it's undoubtedly much better.'" Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Though he had the assistance of Yao Lao, the vast expanse of the Tagoer Desert made it extremely difficult to pinpoint a location where rare flames existed. Hai Bode's detailed map would undoubtedly save him considerable time and effort. "Remember: you should prioritize the eastern and northern flame marks. As for the western one—ideally, avoid it as much as possible," Hai Bode said, his voice steady, as he paused his finger on the flame mark in the west. "Why?" "Since they were deep within the heart of the Tagore Desert, Queen Medusa could sense the presence of any human entering her domain. Though you carry many remarkable treasures, I doubt you'd have much of a chance to escape should you face off against that terrifying Queen Medusa." Hai Bo Dong sighed with lingering apprehension. "Hmm... I'll do my best." Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan knew deep down that if he failed to find traces of the异fires at the other two locations, he would surely head toward the western site marked by flames—no matter how perilous it might be—because the allure of the异fires was simply too strong for him. "These are the only things I can offer you. I hope you succeed in obtaining the异fires and return with the Sand Mandala." "Watching Xiao Yan carefully fold up the map, Hai Bo Dong smiled and said, 'As for the prescription and that small fragment of the map, I'd like to keep them for a while longer. When you return, I'll hand them all over to you!' 'Yes,' Xiao Yan nodded slightly, bowed slightly to Hai Bo Dong, and said, 'Then I'll be off. I'm truly sorry for having made your place so messy today.' Glancing around the room, which was now in disarray, Hai Bo Dong shook his head with a wry smile, 'Well, I suppose my patience for staying here in seclusion is already wearing thin. Even if you don't break anything, I think I won't be able to stay much longer.' Xiao Yan smiled and apologized once again, then waved to Hai Bo Dong before turning and walking toward the door. Watching Xiao Yan slowly step out and disappear through the open doorway, Hai Bo Dong narrowed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then began to clear up the mess all around the room." … stepping out of the shop, Xiao Yan turned to gaze at the simple, ancient shop door, lifting his head and allowing the scorching sunlight to pour over his face like boiling water. After a while, he exhaled softly. This brief two-hour experience felt utterly dreamlike. Just upon arriving in Mo City and randomly entering a shop, he had encountered a hidden master—something that usually only appeared in books—now vividly unfolding before his very eyes. It truly left him in awe. He chuckled, saying, "After all, we'll be following his map. If he truly has some hidden schemes, then indeed, we might end up suffering losses." The Elder of the Herbs paused slightly and added, "However, his map does prove quite useful. The three spots marked with flame symbols—I myself have never visited them—so I can't yet confirm whether they're genuine or not..." "Though I can't rule out the possibility of his having ulterior motives, it's always wise to remain vigilant. Once we enter the Togor Desert, proceed with caution. You needn't strictly follow the route indicated on the map. I've wandered around here myself at one point in the past, so I'm familiar with the terrain and won't let you get lost." The Elder spoke with a touch of caution. "Hm..." Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Then, let's prepare the other things first. We'll rest in the city overnight and enter the Togor Desert at dawn tomorrow." "Hm." The old doctor nodded and then fell silent. Gently patting his robe, Xiao Yan smiled slightly and lifted his leg, walking toward a nearby herb shop. Today's harvest far exceeded his expectations—not only had he unexpectedly obtained a mysterious fragment of a map, but he had also learned some valuable information about the unique flames. This left Xiao Yan thoroughly excited. After walking a distance along the street, Xiao Yan turned into a pharmacy and purchased several herbs effective against snakes. While doing so, he carefully observed the elderly pharmacist, studying him so intently that the man grew increasingly startled. Only when Xiao Yan finally awkwardly packed up the items and stepped out did he realize that, due to the earlier incident, his nerves had become hypersensitive—truly believing that figures like Hai Bo Dong, secluded masters, were everywhere on the streets. After securing the snake-repelling herbs, Xiao Yan then bought a full naga-jewel's worth of purified spring water from a specialist vendor in clean water. Satisfied, he checked into a high-end inn in Mo City, as directed by the locals. After stepping out of the inn, Xiao Yan stretched lazily and lightly tapped his ring on his finger. Inside it lay fifty Qi-restoring Dan pills crafted by the Medicine Elder last night—essential items for his training in the desert. Standing on the street just outside the city gate, Xiao Yan carefully reviewed all his belongings, then tightened the Xu Zhong Chi—almost as long as his height—slung across his back. Taking a deep breath, he began his journey into the desert... "This time, I must find the Strange Fires!" With the respectful gaze of the city guards, Xiao Yan stepped out of the city, gazing at the endless golden desert stretching before him, and resolved firmly in his heart.