The Woeful Poison Body Awakens (Third update delivered)

"Hmph." Xiao Yi Xian wrinkled her delicate nose, waved her jade-like hand at Xiao Xie, and said, "I'm going to gather herbs first. Feel free to wander around." With that, she turned and walked toward the medicinal herbs in the distance.

In the isolated Small Mountain Valley, Xiao Xie and Xiao Yi Xian quietly lived their own lives. One diligently cultivated Dou Qi, while the other studied the Poison Scripture. Neither disturbed the other, and their peaceful days were both leisurely and fulfilling.

They remained in the Small Mountain Valley for half a month. Xiao Xie stopped cultivating. It was noon outside, and the scorching sunlight streamed down. The moment he pushed open the door, the dazzling sunlight fell across his face, making him squint.

After taking only a few steps, he happened to run into Xiao Yi Xian, who was returning from gathering herbs with a flower basket on her arm. Xiao Xie greeted her with a smile, and Xiao Yi Xian sweetly smiled back. "You're hungry, right? I'll make lunch!"

She then crouched down, rolled up her long sleeves, lit a fire beneath the Stone Stove, and methodically laid out all the ingredients and utensils for cooking.

Sitting on a rock nearby, Xiao Xie watched Xiao Yi Xian hum softly through her delicate nose as she worked, and he could not help but smile. As far as cooking was concerned, she was indeed a clever and skillful woman—but she was also a Poison Master.

Poison Masters did not have a very good reputation on the Dou Qi Continent. Many people feared dealing with them, because their silent and undetectable methods of poisoning could leave any opponent—or even friend—unable to eat or sleep in peace.

However, Xiao Xie did not care. First, he trusted Xiao Yi Xian. Second, Xiao Xie was Bomb Man. Even if poison entered his body, he could detonate it immediately. Moreover, Amaterasu Flame resided within him. It could burn away any poison that entered his body, so ordinary poisons were completely useless against him.

Perhaps it was precisely because Xiao Xie accepted without hesitation every meal and item Xiao Yi Xian prepared that, after half a month together, her attitude toward him had become increasingly kind, even increasingly gentle.

For a woman as sensitive as her, what she truly needed was not much. Just a little trust could bring a beautiful smile to her face. Unfortunately, her profession meant she would rarely receive such things.

Sitting on the rock, Xiao Xie watched the beautiful figure busy preparing lunch for the two of them. He gently let out a breath, then suddenly asked after a long while, "What are your plans for the future?"

"What is it?" Xiao Yi Xian turned around, brushed aside the Green Silk over her forehead with her jade-like hand, and looked at Xiao Xie with puzzled beautiful eyes.

"I'm planning to travel across the Dou Qi Continent, search for treasures, and explore. What do you think? Interested in coming with me?" Xiao Xie asked expectantly.

"Sure! I was thinking of traveling around the Dou Qi Continent whenever I had the time too. With an expert like you protecting me, I couldn't ask for more!" Xiao Yi Xian said with a smile as she added some firewood to the flames.

"That's great!" Xiao Xie cried out happily.

A trace of barely noticeable tenderness flashed through Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes when she heard his cheer. She tossed several nonpoisonous mushrooms from the flower basket into the small pot, then stared at the bubbling water within and said somewhat nervously, "But... my identity as a Poison Master might bring you some trouble."

"It's fine! Friendship is about sincerity. I don't care," Xiao Xie said without the slightest hesitation.

"Hehe, all right..." Hearing Xiao Xie's words, Xiao Yi Xian's tense, rigid body relaxed. Looking at the boiling little pot, the corners of her lips could not help but rise. She picked up a small bowl from the side with her jade-like hand, ladled out a bowl of Mushroom Soup, and carefully handed it to Xiao Xie.

Xiao Xie accepted it and took in the fragrant aroma. His mouth instantly watered. He swallowed, gave Xiao Yi Xian a thumbs-up, then ignored the scalding temperature of the soup and gulped it down in one mouthful.

Watching Xiao Xie hold the Mushroom Soup and drink it straight down without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yi Xian revealed a smile. She really liked this trust he had in her.

Crouching on the rock, Xiao Xie drank several bowls of Mushroom Soup in succession before reluctantly handing the bowl back to Xiao Yi Xian. Patting his somewhat round belly, he said with a grin, "What great cooking. Whoever marries you will be truly blessed."

"Marry me?" Xiao Yi Xian could not help but smile at his words. Covering her mouth, she laughed. "You should know that Poison Master is the profession with the fewest marriages on the Dou Qi Continent. After all, not many people have the courage to share a bed with a wife who can release deadly poison with every gesture."

"Then that works out perfectly! If no one else will marry you, I will!" Xiao Xie said, half-joking and half-serious.

Xiao Yi Xian's delicate body trembled, and her pretty face flushed red. She turned around, tidied up the bowls and pot, and hurried into the Thatched Hut without looking back.

"Hahaha..." Xiao Xie was briefly stunned as he watched Xiao Yi Xian flee in embarrassment, then burst into delighted laughter.

The isolated, peaceful cultivation in the valley passed slowly, day after day. In the blink of an eye, another half month had passed.

"Phew..." On a clean patch of open ground, Xiao Xie let out a long breath. After a month of cultivation, he had reached the peak of Three Star Great Dou Shi and could break through to Four-Star Great Dou Shi at any time. This speed was already quite fast. After all, Xiao Xie could not rely on medicinal pills for cultivation forever; becoming too dependent on them would be detrimental to his future cultivation. Furthermore, after devouring the Amaterasu Flame, he had leaped directly from a Four-Star Dou Zhe to a Three Star Great Dou Shi, so his cultivation needed time to stabilize. Xiao Xie was in no hurry to break through too quickly.

Xiao Xie stopped cultivating and rubbed his stomach. It was time to eat. At this time every day, Xiao Yi Xian should have already prepared a meal and been waiting for him.

Xiao Xie stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked smilingly toward the small Thatched Hut in the valley. But as he slowly approached it, his brows furrowed slightly. Xiao Yi Xian should have returned from gathering herbs by now, shouldn't she? Why was it still so quiet today?

A trace of doubt flashed through his heart as Xiao Xie slowly approached the small Thatched Hut. He lightly knocked on the wooden door, but there was no response from inside. He knocked several more times, much harder this time, yet received the same result.

Xiao Xie's brows knitted tightly as unease swept through his heart.

Xiao Xie sensed the interior, and his face changed. He kicked open the wooden door, then swept his palm through the air, dispersing the poisonous mist rushing toward him.

As the smoke inside gradually dispersed, he saw Xiao Yi Xian lying on the bed with her eyes tightly shut. Her once rosy face was now tinged with a strange seven-colored hue.

Xiao Xie's gaze sharpened. In her hand, she seemed to be clutching a small pouch of pitch-black medicinal powder. He leaned closer and sniffed it. The smell instantly triggered Amaterasu Flame's automatic protection. The poison had barely entered his body before the Amaterasu Flame within him burned it away.

His gaze shifted from Xiao Yi Xian's hand and finally settled upon her lush red lips. Xiao Xie's pupils suddenly contracted. Around the edges of her rosy lips, traces of that black poisonous powder still remained.

"Has the Woeful Poison Body awakened?" Xiao Xie murmured. He sat beside the table in the small hut and quietly waited for Xiao Yi Xian to awaken. Looking at her on the bed, he softly said, "As long as I'm here, it'll be fine."