The silver moon still hung high in the night sky. Inside the City Lord's Mansion, everything was as usual, and no one noticed that their master had already left them.
Xiao Yi Xian and Medicine Elder frantically ransacked the City Lord's Treasure Pavilion...
"Brat, give me those soul-restoring herbs..."
"Brat, I think this thing looks pretty good..."
"Brat, give me more. Have some consideration for an old man..."
Xiao Yi Xian glanced at the unserious Medicine Elder. This thing had lived for who knew how long, yet he was still competing with her.
Medicine Elder paid no attention to Xiao Yi Xian's gaze. He stared fixedly at the dust-covered alchemy furnace before him, his eyes radiating fervent light.
Xiao Yi Xian looked at Medicine Elder disdainfully. Shameless old man...
After they had basically finished looting the place, Xiao Yi Xian and Medicine Elder stood before this alchemy furnace, which looked as though it had only recently been unearthed.
Xiao Yi Xian could clearly sense the longing within her body growing stronger and stronger. There was definitely something inside this alchemy furnace that she wanted.
Medicine Elder, a mere soul body, rubbed his face crazily against the alchemy furnace. He was even more intimate with it than he would have been with a beauty...
"Medicine Elder, what are you doing?" Wearing her battered Bronze Mask, Xiao Yi Xian looked at him with great disdain through her bright, lively eyes.
"Ahem!"
The moment Medicine Elder saw Xiao Yi Xian's contemptuous gaze, he immediately composed himself. He tucked his hands into his robes and assumed the bearing of an immortal sage.
"Ahem, this alchemy furnace appears to be of extremely good quality. I wonder whether it might be one listed on the rankings..."
Medicine Elder stood before the alchemy furnace and spoke in an elderly, dignified tone, but the burning look in his eyes could not escape Xiao Yi Xian's notice.
That familiar look reminded her of the wolves who used to stare at beautiful women by the seaside in her previous life.
After hearing that, Xiao Yi Xian understood why Medicine Elder had lost his composure. Alchemy Furnaces and Heavenly Flames were the greatest loves of Medicine Masters.
To Medicine Masters, an alchemy furnace or a Heavenly Flame, a spiritual treasure of heaven and earth, was comparable to a woman. Without them, Medicine Masters seemed to lack a soul.
And once they had them, not only could they refine high-grade pills, but they could also easily remove impurities and prevent themselves from being blown to death when a failed refinement exploded the furnace.
"Ahem, girl, there's a jade bottle inside with a pill that's been there for who knows how long. You can have the pill; I want this alchemy furnace!"
Medicine Elder unceremoniously took the alchemy furnace and hid it in his Storage Ring, giving Xiao Yi Xian no chance to respond.
Watching what had happened before her eyes, Xiao Yi Xian deeply understood in that instant what it meant to be a shameless old man.
Xiao Yi Xian opened the jade bottle. Inside was a purple pill, and merely a wisp of its medicinal fragrance made her blood and qi boil.
This pill had existed for who knew how long. Its medicinal properties had long since vanished, leaving behind only Pill Poison.
But this Pill Poison was an absolute tonic for her. Finishing it all in one go was impossible; she would go back and try eating a third of it first.
And that alchemy furnace from earlier had seemed old and battered as well. She had no idea where the City Lord had gotten it, but judging from Medicine Elder's reaction, it really did seem quite good.
It seemed that she still understood nothing about this world. The course of the novels had only followed the protagonist.
This world was vast, incredibly vast, even far beyond Earth from her previous life. She had always underestimated this world.
She truly needed to restrain herself a little. She only knew fragments of the future, and only fragments at that...
"Eh?"
Although Medicine Elder was somewhat curious about Xiao Yi Xian's change in temperament, the alchemy furnace before him attracted him even more. He practically wanted to kiss it...
Before leaving, they checked the Treasure Pavilion for hidden compartments or other treasures. Finding nothing, they left without concern.
She believed the news of the City Lord's death would not spread tomorrow either. The City Lord's Mansion had existed for who knew how many years, and no information had ever leaked out.
She had no idea why, but it had nothing to do with her. Once she had taken the goods, she would leave.
She would not forget the City Lord's Mansion's great kindness, nor would she feel guilty for killing people for no reason.
Don't ask why. She did it for herself...
Every man for himself, and heaven and earth destroy those who do not!
The original Xiao Yi Xian might not have done this, but she was not the original her in the end.
Resources were limited on the path of cultivation. The idol she admired most was someone who slaughtered through the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, devoured countless constitutions, and lived life after life for the obsession in his heart.
Her foremost priority now was to grow stronger, then help Xiao Yan obtain three Heavenly Flames, acquire those three medicinal ingredients, and gain control over the Calamity Poison Body.
As long as she did not control the Calamity Poison Body, she could not rest easy. It was a ticking bomb that could erupt at any time.
Though an eruption would not necessarily kill her, the surrounding area would certainly be devastated, and there might even be powerful experts who would eliminate her for the sake of the people.
The Seven-Colored Poison Line on her lower abdomen had only just appeared. It was still far from reaching her heart, so she still had plenty of time.
"Hm?"
While flying through the air on her sword, Xiao Yi Xian saw a familiar figure. White robes, a long beard, and the emblem on his chest—wasn't that the Seven-Star Great Dou Master from a few days ago?
Judging by how hurried he was, could he have discovered that his grandson was missing?
As for whether he would find Liu Xi's corpse, she was not worried about that.
After being killed by her poison-attributed Dou Qi sword, would a complete corpse even remain?
In about three hours, it would rot into sludge. It would be strange if anyone could identify it. As for Xiao Mei, she was no saint. Saving her life once was already enough.
She did not believe Xiao Mei could recognize her. After all, she wore a mask, they had been quite far apart, and they had barely met before.
Bang!
"Xiao Yan, I brought your master back..."
As usual, Xiao Yi Xian kicked open Xiao Yan's door. The scene before her was still the same as before.
Pfft!
Xiao Yan's cultivation was interrupted, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked at Xiao Yi Xian innocently, desperately wanting to know why someone kept coming to see him today.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Xiao Yi Xian tossed the Storage Ring to Xiao Yan, shut the door, and left.
As for Xiao Yan's body?
Sorry, she had no interest in it whatsoever. If he had been a woman, she might have pounced on him and taken a bath with him.
She put away her cloak and her beloved mask, then walked step by step toward the back mountain.
Under the silver moonlight, her shadow stretched endlessly, while the stars continued to glitter.
The wind stirred her long purple hair, and the surrounding bamboo grove rustled as bamboo leaves drifted past her.
Fallen leaves struck the water, sending ripples spreading across its surface...
Looking at that face in the water—both familiar and unfamiliar—she even felt as though everything had been a dream.
The hair on her forehead was a complete mess, and it seemed she had not bathed for several days.
"The weather is especially lovely today. Would you like to take a bath with me?" Xiao Yi Xian said with a smile toward the bamboo grove beside her.
Within the bamboo grove stood a graceful figure, lazily leaning against a bamboo stalk. A pair of eyes flickering with traces of golden flame stared fixedly at Xiao Yi Xian on the stone bridge.
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