How to Cure the Poison

Xiao Xiao gently ran his fingers over the line of bloody tears, feeling as though something had flashed through his mind.

For no reason at all, Xiao Xiao felt as if something had appeared in his mind.

But when he tried to examine it closely, he found nothing.

Being left hanging like this was truly frustrating.

Xiao Xiao casually turned the page and stared at the blank paper for a while. He was just about to tell Lin Zhenzhen to open her eyes when he suddenly sensed something.

An unusual aura was spreading from the paper before him. This feeling was...

Just as he thought.

Xiao Xiao watched as vivid red cinnabar seeped from the paper, slowly yet swiftly, its strokes flowing freely as they sketched a familiar figure.

Wasn't this... Xiao Xiao turned to look in a certain direction and met those eyes, shimmering with ghostly fire.

Looking at the monster with its head tilted slightly as it watched him, Xiao Xiao chuckled. He'd nearly forgotten about this one.

But it had been here all along.

It was the first time he'd encountered such a quiet monster. It simply stayed in its corner, neither making a fuss nor causing trouble.

Though it did look a little sinister.

Xiao Xiao lowered his gaze to the Monster Compendium and smiled slightly. He wondered what this monster was called.

The lifelike illustration in the Monster Compendium seemed full of life. Xiao Xiao could almost see those two flickering wisps of ghostly fire, bright and dim, appearing and disappearing amid the crisscrossing shadows, their aura chillingly eerie.

"Ghost Owl."

"Tsk, what an ominous name."

Though it really did suit this monster.

A name just as sinister as its appearance.

"Lin Zhenzhen, you can open your eyes now."

At his words, Lin Zhenzhen's eyelids fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.

Beneath the covers, her hands were clenched together with a force that was almost convulsive. Veins crisscrossed the backs of her pale, dry hands, making for a distressing sight.

Lin Zhenzhen's lips were pale and covered in tiny cuts, while her cheeks were flushed an unnatural red.

The room fell silent.

Lin Zhenzhen bit her lower lip again, a trace of red seeping into its pallor.

Deep in her eyes, despair began to roil, threatening to swallow everything.

A smile suddenly tugged at the corner of Xiao Xiao's lips.

He looked straight into Lin Zhenzhen's eyes, his gaze calm and certain.

"I can heal your face."

Xiao Xiao didn't know where his confidence came from, but a voice deep inside told him that he could do it.

Even though he had no reason to believe it.

He believed it without a moment's hesitation.

And, in truth, he had a faint idea of how to heal Lin Zhenzhen's face.

Without warning, Lin Zhenzhen began to cry.

She hunched her shoulders slightly, with a hint of hidden shame and fear. Her gaze was still somewhat dazed as large tears kept rolling onto the blanket, spreading into a wide patch of dampness.

Lin Mo had never been good at comforting people.

But he felt there was no need for him to say anything just then. The girl needed a little time to let it all out on her own.

Once she'd cried, everything would be all right.

He promised.

Lin Zhenzhen's father and mother stood by the door, their expressions complicated. The instant the hospital room door opened, they heard their daughter crying.

It wasn't the hysterical, hoarse, despairing sobbing from before.

This time, there was a sense of relief, as if she'd finally let something go.

There was hurt in it, but also joy.

Lin's Mother raised a hand to cover her mouth, stifling the sob that threatened to escape. Her faint murmur was almost inaudible. "Zhenzhen."

Lin's Father's eyes reddened too.

Xiao Xiao said little, offering only one promise: "I'll heal Lin Zhenzhen's face."

Then he turned and left, giving the excited family of three some privacy.

It wasn't until he walked out of the hospital that the sudden sunlight, and its slight warmth, made Xiao Xiao feel as if he'd finally emerged from some inexplicable emotion.

The fresh air outside prompted Xiao Xiao to take several deep breaths.

The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was simply awful.

Xiao Xiao looked thoroughly disgusted.

Faced with the maple forest stretching across the mountains, brilliant as the evening clouds, Xiao Xiao had no intention of stopping to admire it.

Maple trees surrounded him in every direction, all much the same. Their brilliant reds dazzled his eyes, leaving him unsure which way to go.

Xiao Xiao hurried toward the corner of the forest where he'd seen Ling Yao last time.

As he went, Xiao Xiao kept his eyes and ears open, searching for the monster. The sea of red was so dazzling that it left him reeling; his eyes were starting to blur.

And Ling Yao was red all over, too.

Xiao Xiao did his best to avoid the tourists and headed toward a less crowded area, calling softly as he went. "Ling Yao? Ling Yao?"

He was sure that if Ling Yao was nearby, he'd hear him.

It wouldn't be strange for monsters to have "super hearing" or "far-seeing eyes" or something, right?

Xiao Xiao searched every inch of the place where he'd seen Ling Yao last time, but found nothing.

He stopped and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Had he been too presumptuous?

Was his certainty that Ling Yao would be at Fragrant Hills... just wishful thinking?

Just as Xiao Xiao was feeling a little dejected, he tilted his head and froze.

Wasn't that green-beaked, red-bodied fellow on the branch Ling Yao, the very one he'd been searching for in vain?

Xiao Xiao quickly strode over and stopped beneath the maple tree where Ling Yao was perched, looking up.

Amusement spilled from Ling Yao's bright, dark eyes.

Was he being laughed at?

Xiao Xiao suddenly realized that the monster had been messing with him. It must have heard him calling earlier, right?

It had definitely hidden on purpose so he wouldn't find it.

How childish.

Xiao Xiao's mouth twitched.

"Human, you came looking for me. Is something the matter?" Ling Yao said with certainty, a hint of amusement in his voice. His peculiar, rhythmic way of speaking gave his words a distinctive quality.

Xiao Xiao didn't mind that he'd managed to entertain a mischievous old monster. He got straight to the point. "Mr. Ling Yao, do you know a monster called Banzhen?"

"Banzhen?"

"That's not a monster anyone likes." Ling Yao's eyes darkened, a cold and somber look passing through them. In an instant, only a hint of teasing amusement remained, though it didn't reach his eyes.

So he knew about it. A genuine smile finally appeared on Xiao Xiao's face.

"Someone close to you has been poisoned." Ling Yao's tone was as certain as ever, tinged with distaste. He'd hit the nail on the head.

Xiao Xiao hurriedly nodded. One look at Lin Zhenzhen's face was enough to tell that she'd been poisoned.

He stared up at Ling Yao, his eyes practically shining.

Ling Yao gave Xiao Xiao a look of distaste, then finally spoke, unhurriedly.

"This poison is extremely potent. It's fair to say it's difficult to cure, but it's also true that it's easy to cure."

Seeing Xiao Xiao's puzzled expression, Ling Yao gave him the answer outright.

"Tears of Banzhen can cure the poison."

Xiao Xiao understood, though he wasn't too surprised. Perhaps it was because he'd already had a vague suspicion when he saw the bloody tears Banzhen had shed in the Monster Compendium.

At the time, it had felt as if only a thin layer remained to be pierced, but he couldn't find his way in.

Now that the mystery had been cleared up, he suddenly understood. So that was it.