Though her voice was still youthful and her appearance endearing, the strange aura emanating from this white-robed little girl caused Xiao Yan to tense up. Gazing steadily into her dark, large eyes, after a moment, Xiao Yan cleared his throat and smiled politely, "Little sister, this thing isn't very tasty. You might as well return it to me." "I want to grow up, so I'll eat them!" the girl said calmly. "Growing up takes time, you know. If you're doing it this way, you're actually doing more harm than good—like pulling up the seedlings too early." Xiao Yan's face remained serious, though inside he was agitated. This strange little girl had already consumed one of the rare herbs—herbs that were carefully stored in the archive, a collection he had only recently begun to manage. If Hao Elder were to inquire, he'd surely face complications. "Time doesn't matter to me!" Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, the girl's cheeks slightly flushed, and she spoke loudly in her youthful tone. "Oh, heavens! Frustrated, Xiao Yan rubbed his forehead, feeling a sharp headache. Where had this little girl come from? She was not only incredibly strong, but her words were also strangely odd. If she were just an ordinary child, even if he had to endure criticism for treating a child unfairly, he would have had to forcibly take back the Ice-Fire Dragon-Hair Fruit. But now, upon witnessing her astonishing strength—just two fingers from her had previously rendered him immobile—he found himself simply unable to muster the courage to resist. He knew well that with her current strength, if she truly got angry, he’d be in serious trouble. "You’ve taken the herbs from here," Xiao Yan chuckled, "Senior Hao will surely have a complaint." "That old man? I’m not afraid of him at all. Even if he finds out, he won’t dare to do anything!" The little girl blinked her large, bright eyes, then puffed out her chest with a proud little sniff. Xiao Yan’s eyes widened slightly, but a spark of confidence ignited within him. This child, so confident and unyielding—wasn’t she perhaps the granddaughter of one of the senior figures in the academy? Yet the elders within the hall held largely equal positions. If a child made a mistake, no one would dare speak to another elder so directly. Could it be that this young girl in white was the granddaughter of the elder who had never appeared publicly—or perhaps the most enigmatic headmaster? "While saying these words, Xiao Yan silently disdained them inside. Though the herbs carried exceptionally pure medicinal energies, their taste would naturally be far from pleasant if swallowed raw. "Hmm, they're not very tasty!" Hearing Xiao Yan's remark, the young girl in white robes immediately nodded in full agreement. Though she sometimes displayed an unusually detached demeanor, deep down she still seemed no different from a typical child. "If it's not tasty, then could you please return this fruit to your brother? I'll treat you to something delicious," Xiao Yan smiled warmly, his expression no different from that of a strange uncle trying to deceive a little girl. "No way! Even though it's not tasty, does your treat contain such powerful energy?" Upon hearing Xiao Yan's request, the girl immediately grew alert, shaking her head firmly. Xiao Yan's smile paused slightly. These herbs were born from the convergence of celestial and terrestrial energies—how could ordinary items possibly contain such powerful energy? However, from the way she spoke, it seemed her intention in consuming these rare herbs was to absorb their refined medicinal essence. What truly astonished Xiao Yan, though, was that although these unprocessed herbs possessed an exceptionally pure potency, their energy felt more wild and untamed than that of prepared pills. How could a girl of this delicate build withstand such energetic surges? A slight sense of puzzlement lingered in his mind. Yet, as he recalled the girl's many unusual behaviors, a sense of reassurance began to grow—he suspected she might not be an ordinary child at all. The girl's mouth paused slightly, her dark, large eyes suddenly brightening: "Are you a pharmacist?" Seeing the look on the girl's face, Xiao Yan thought there was something interesting going on, and promptly nodded, saying, "As long as you return this 'Ice-Fire Dragon Hair Fruit' to me, I'll prepare your desired herbs into something more delicious. How does that sound?" While preparing pills from herbs was a rather intricate process, if one merely shaped a single herb into a pill and added a little touch to make it more palatable, the work wouldn't be too demanding. However, such pills, made solely from one herb, still retained the wild, potent nature of the original herb, and the isolated medicinal properties offered little practical benefit. Therefore, it was rare for people to waste herbs simply preparing them into pills that didn't even qualify as true medicine. Hearing this, the little girl hesitated slightly, gazing at the seemingly delicious "Ice-Fire Dragon Hair Fruit" in her hands. After a long pause, she finally nodded with a touch of reluctance, offering it to Xiao Yan, her teeth clenched in a grimace. "But if your prepared pill turns out to be bad, not only will I take it back, I'll even eat you whole!" "Eat me? With just that little mouth of yours?" Thinking to herself with a chuckle, Xiao Yan quickly took the fruit and promptly tucked it into his storage scroll, fearing that the girl might change her mind at the last minute. "Take the thing, and hurry up—start preparing," the girl said crisply, handing him the partially bitten "Jinggang Pu" fruit. "Heh, no rush. Let's go first. I still need to report on the 'Ice-Fire Dragon Hair Fruit' to Elder Hao." "Xiao Yan smiled and said, then stepped forward first toward the medicine store's outer area. He had to take this strange little girl to Hao Elder and explain the situation—otherwise, if that old man also counted the consumed 'Jingang Bu' as his own, he'd be in serious trouble. 'What's there to explain to that old man?' muttered Xiao Yan, yet the little girl showed no hesitation at all. Grasping the 'Jingang Bu', she followed after Xiao Yan. Hearing the footsteps behind her, Xiao Yan finally relaxed in his mind, quickly stepping out of the medicine store and pressing the white jade plaque against the wall. As the energy shield reappeared, a look of relief spread across his face. 'This broken defense shield is useless—opening it is just like setting up a decoration,' said the little girl, frowning. With her pale, almost translucent hands, she reached straight into the energy shield, moving in and out several times, encountering no resistance at all. With his mouth slightly open, gazing at the little girl, Xiao Yan was utterly puzzled—was this energy shield truly just decorative? Thinking so, he reached out and jabbed at the shield. As his fingers made contact with the glowing ring, it felt as though he were touching steel—his fingertip ached with the force of the push, yet he could not penetrate it at all. Clearly, this energy shield possessed extraordinary defensive strength. But then—why could this little girl treat it as if it were nothing? Staring silently at the girl's back, Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh in resignation deep within his heart. ... In the quiet room, Hao Elder remained hunched over his desk, reviewing documents, only lifting his head when he heard the door open and smiled lightly, "Is it settled, Xiao Yan? Have you found the herbs you needed?" Yet upon speaking, he sensed the atmosphere had shifted. He raised his gaze and immediately saw Xiao Yan's face, etched with a deep sense of helplessness. His eyes then drifted downward, settling on a young girl in white robes, with long, pale violet hair. Gazing steadily at the girl with his aged eyes, Hao Elder suddenly leapt from his chair, his voice rising in anger, "How many times have you come now?!" Especially when his eyes fell upon the "Jingang Bu" herb in the girl's hands, bitten twice at the edges, he glared sharply, "Do you treat this place like a restaurant? You come every few days just to have a meal? You want herbs—why don't you go find them yourself in the mountains?" "Why don't you just take what's already here? What's the fuss? You old man, you talk so much—keep going on like that, and I'll hit you!" Glancing sharply at Hao Elder, the little girl, as if making a point, took a big bite out of her "Jingang Bu." Frustrated by her bold demeanor, Hao Elder rolled his eyes—yet despite being deeply respected by the junior disciples within the inner courtyard, he felt a growing irritation, as if he were genuinely intimidated by this young girl. "Hurry up! I still need you to prepare something for me. If you keep dragging your feet, I'll finish you off with one bite!" Turning to Xiao Yan, the little girl, with a youthful voice, urged him gently. Observing the exchange between the two, Xiao Yan found himself even more puzzled about the girl's identity, shaking his head with a smile and stepping forward to say, "Hao Elder, I've already collected the materials. Please go ahead and check them over. Now, could you kindly provide me with two sets of the herbs needed for the 'Long Force Pills'? I'll help you prepare them." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the elder's expression slightly improved. He withdrew a large pile of herbs from his meditation seal and placed them on the table, speaking softly, "How did you end up meeting her? Are you all right?" It seemed from his tone that she was as much a devouring demon as he had described—though, indeed, the demon often threatened people by simply swallowing them whole. "I don't know," Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile, gathered the herbs on the table, and briefly recounted what had happened earlier. "Hmm... you really are quite unlucky, aren't you? Take good care of this young lady, and don't let her get worked up—otherwise, things will be terrible." With a touch of sympathy, the elder patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under the elder's demeanor, Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly is she?" "Who? Who says she's human?" The elder rolled his eyes and frowned. "She... she isn't human, is she?" Slightly taken aback, a cold sweat immediately broke out on the crown of Xiao Yan's forehead.