The urgent knocking interrupted Xiao Yan's thoughts.
His perception swiftly spread outward.
He abruptly rose to his feet and put away the pill furnace.
At that moment, purple poisonous mist seeped silently through the cracks in the door like a ghost.
"Sizzle, sizzle."
The sturdy wooden door gave off creaking sounds of corrosion.
The poisonous mist drifted into the room.
Xiao Yan's expression sharpened as Kirin Devouring Heaven Flame instantly rose from his palm.
The blazing flames reduced the approaching poison to nothingness in an instant.
He raised a hand and opened the door.
The once-solid wooden door had been eaten through by the poisonous mist, leaving behind dense, spiderweb-like holes.
The power of this poisonous mist far exceeded his expectations.
"Xiao..."
A weak voice came from behind him, and Xiao Yan hurriedly turned around.
Purple poisonous mist surrounded Xiao Yi Xian's frail body!
Purple crystals, like ice, had formed at the ends of her dark hair.
She staggered, lost her balance, and fell into the young man's arms.
As she fell, her hairpin dropped to the floor.
"Pssh, pssh."
It actually corroded thick Magical Beast-hide carpeting into charred holes.
Xiao Yan hurriedly wrapped his arms around her limp body.
He had more or less expected this. Xiao Yi Xian had awakened her Calamity Poison Body.
She had taken the Fourth-Grade Poison Pill he gave her.
Together with the poisonous herbs she regularly consumed, her cultivation had soared to Dou Master One Star.
It was only a matter of time before her poison body suffered a periodic outbreak. He simply had not expected it to happen so soon.
He was still short of some main ingredients for pills that could delay the symptoms.
But heaven never sealed off all paths. He still had the encyclopedia of Dou Qi Continent—Old Yao!
"Teacher!"
Old Yao's phantom swiftly emerged from the Bone Flame Ring, his expression grave.
"Two methods!"
"First, directly burn away the poison inside her body with Heavenly Flames and suppress it temporarily."
"But it will cause her considerable harm."
"Second, draw the poison into your own body, then use Heavenly Flames to burn it away. That will preserve her."
"But the pain involved..."
Xiao Yan had no intention of waiting for Old Yao to finish. He laid Xiao Yi Xian flat on the bed.
The poisonous mist around Xiao Yi Xian's body could not harm Xiao Yan in the slightest while he was shrouded in Heavenly Flames.
Xiao Yan did not dare hesitate. He swiftly yet gently untied her outer garment.
On Xiao Yi Xian's flat, fair abdomen—
A purple poison line was slowly surging toward her heart.
Red flames lit at his fingertips as Xiao Yan raised his hand and gently pressed it against her dantian.
Carefully drawing the concentrated poison from within her body into his own.
Blazing flames slowly traveled through the girl's meridians.
Xiao Yan drew a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.
"Bear with it."
With that, he controlled the Kirin Devouring Heaven Flame and pulled at the poison within her body.
The Kirin Devouring Heaven Flame instantly transformed into a crimson Wandering Dragon.
It raced through Xiao Yi Xian's meridians, frantically driving out the rampaging poisonous qi everywhere it passed.
The temperature in the room rose sharply.
The surrounding Highly Toxic Mist visibly dissipated.
But Heavenly Flames were Heavenly Flames, after all. Even with Xiao Yan controlling them with all his strength—
They were not something a young girl could easily endure.
Enduring immense pain, Xiao Yi Xian tightly wrapped her arms around Xiao Yan's neck.
Suddenly, she bit down on Xiao Yan's shoulder and whimpered indistinctly.
"Xiao Yan..."
"It hurts..."
Her voice trembled with tears as her hands clawed hard at his back.
Such movements naturally had no effect on Xiao Yan's powerful body, which rivaled that of a Fifth-Tier Magical Beast.
But the destructive power of her voice was quite formidable.
Xiao Yan felt his heart tremble, and his control became even gentler.
Second by second, time passed. By the time the seventh wave of poison erupted and was cleared—
The sky outside the window had already turned pale with dawn.
It was not that Xiao Yan lacked strength, but that he wanted to avoid harming Xiao Yi Xian.
He could only extend the process and guide it with painstaking precision.
Only Xiao Yan could accomplish such a thing, since the Kirin Devouring Heaven Flame was a Heavenly Flame born from his own body.
His control over it had long since reached its peak.
If it had been anyone else with Heavenly Flames, achieving this level would have been utterly impossible.
That was why Old Yao had proposed this method of burning away the poison rather than suppressing it.
Xiao Yi Xian lay limply in Xiao Yan's arms, utterly exhausted.
Her breathing gradually steadied, and a trace of color returned to her pale face.
Only then did she notice that Xiao Yan's right arm was covered in spiderweb-like purple blotches.
Xiao Yi Xian's heart jolted, and her eyes reddened.
"You..."
"Why did you go this far..."
"I'm sorry... I..."
Before Xiao Yi Xian could finish, Xiao Yan suddenly bent down and kissed her lips.
This time, she did not resist. She simply remained quietly in Xiao Yan's arms.
Her arms tightly circled his neck.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Xiao Yan raised his hand and fed her a pill.
Little Doctor's earlobes had already turned crimson. Only then did she notice that her clothes were somewhat disheveled.
A faint blush spread down her neck.
She hurriedly hugged Xiao Yan even tighter, burying her entire body in his arms.
As though he would not be able to see her that way.
With her head buried in Xiao Yan's chest, her voice muffled and still carrying a hint of tears, she said.
"Xiao Yan, why are you so good to me?"
"I'm only..."
"Listen to me..."
Before she could finish, Xiao Yan interrupted her.
Xiao Yan gently rested his head on Xiao Yi Xian's shoulder, his right hand softly stroking her back.
His voice was warm and gentle, filled with tenderness, completely unlike his usual self.
"I like you."
Xiao Yi Xian's body suddenly stiffened, misty tears moistening her eyes.
Feeling Xiao Yan's breath, she spoke softly.
"Rogue, who confesses to a girl like that?"
"It's too blunt. Not subtle at all."
"Then do you agree?"
"Mhm."
Xiao Yi Xian's soft reply entered his ears, and a smile tugged at Xiao Yan's lips.
He gently released her waist and helped Xiao Yi Xian sit upright.
He cupped her face in both hands and gazed directly into her violet eyes.
A hint of teasing entered his tone.
"That easy?"
"Then what if I find a few more?"
"Could you accept that?"
"Mhm."
This time, Xiao Yan was the one who was astonished.
"Why?"
Xiao Yi Xian pulled his hands away and straddled him.
She raised both hands to Xiao Yan's cheeks and gave them a pinch.
Then she laughed softly.
"Because I know I can't control what you think."
"But I can't leave you anymore."
Xiao Yan's heart trembled as he looked into Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful violet eyes.
"I won't let you down."
Little Doctor's eyes curved with a smile as she gently nodded.
The wind carried yellow sand, sweeping wildly across the land.
The Flying Magical Beast slowly descended at the makeshift outpost, and Xiao Yan led Xiao Yi Xian down to the ground.
Looking up, they could vaguely see through the yellow sands in the distance—
A city standing amid the desert.
They would have to walk the rest of the way themselves.
But after riding a Flying Magical Beast for so long, they needed to rest for a while.
The two headed toward a restaurant within the outpost.
After only a few steps, beneath a shed not far away—
Twelve members of the Sand Scorpion Mercenary Group were squatting in the shade, gnawing on watermelons.
They looked utterly relaxed and carefree.
The scar-faced man spat out a watermelon seed, and his cloudy eyes suddenly widened.
His gaze fell upon Xiao Yi Xian, heat rising in his heart as a sharp gleam burst from his eyes.
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