Xiao Yi Xian Toyed with by Fate

The two moved, slowly descending until they landed at the entrance of the cave on the cliff.

The cave entrance was sealed by a heavy stone door, its surface covered in the marks of time. There were no signs of it having been pried open or damaged. Clearly, no one had ever come here before.

That made sense. Xiao Yi Xian probably had not discovered this place yet.

As he inwardly marveled at the advantages of traveling through time early, he raised his hand and gathered Dou Qi. A scorching crimson bolt of Dou Qi instantly formed at his fingertips and shot fiercely at the stone door.

Boom—

A violent explosion rang out. The red Dou Qi slammed hard into the stone door, instantly blowing the thick door apart. It turned into dust that drifted through the air.

Zi Yan impatiently rushed inside.

The cave was not particularly spacious. In plain sight were ordinary medicinal herbs and a pile of gold coins.

"I thought it was some kind of treasure. This is it?"

Those herbs could at most be used to refine first-tier medicinal pills. Zi Yan had no interest in them.

Besides, Ling Yuan had been feeding her all sorts of high-grade medicinal pills and spiritual fruits over the past few days. She had long since lost all interest in such common herbs.

Ling Yuan did not jump to conclusions. He merely glanced at the herbs and gold coins before slowly saying, "Don't rush. The real treasure should be deeper inside the cave."

He could already see the three stone boxes and the skeleton within.

Zi Yan's eyes lit up. She immediately hurried over and circled the three stone boxes.

Ling Yuan, however, paid little attention to the stone boxes. They had never been his goal. He walked straight to the dried skeleton.

Guided by his senses, he accurately found one of the skeleton's bones. With a slight exertion of his fingertips, there was a crack, and the bone snapped open. Inside was a yellowed, ancient map scroll—the Demon Fire Fragment Map he had been seeking.

"Ling Yuan, come open the stone boxes with me!" Zi Yan called happily.

"I'm coming." Ling Yuan answered with a smile. He unfolded the fragment map for a glance, confirmed it was correct, and stored it in his storage ring. Then he rose and walked toward Zi Yan.

"I'll open the first one!" Zi Yan rushed to stand before a stone box, her eyes sparkling. She was extremely interested in something like opening blind boxes.

Of course, if Ling Yuan had not known beforehand, he probably would have been just like her.

Who could resist the thrill of an unknown surprise?

Zi Yan said, "I'll open two, and you'll open one. How about it?"

Ling Yuan did not want to spoil her enthusiasm, so he smiled and nodded.

"Sure. You go first."

As he spoke, he reached for the keyhole on the stone box, intending to hand her the key.

To his surprise, Zi Yan waved her hand. "No need to make it so troublesome."

After saying that, she looked over the three stone boxes, chose the largest one in the middle, took a step back, clenched her fist, and smashed it toward the box.

Bang! With a dull thud, the stone box instantly burst open, and shattered stones flew everywhere.

Ling Yuan could not help laughing at her brutal way of opening blind boxes.

Fair enough. That was very Zi Yan, exactly as he remembered her.

No wonder the students of Jia Nan Academy later called her the King of Brute Force. With that temperament, she truly deserved the title.

Zi Yan bent down and picked up a beast-hide scroll from the rubble. After unfolding it and taking a look, she curled her lips and tossed it aside.

"Eagle Wings? It's just a flying Dou Technique. Useless. I could already form Dou Qi wings long ago, and they're much more useful than this."

After tossing aside the scroll, she pointed at the remaining two stone boxes and called to Ling Yuan, "Your turn, your turn! Hurry up and open one!"

Ling Yuan smiled and shook his head. He did not use the key either, instead imitating Zi Yan and raising his hand to smash one of the stone boxes.

With a bang, the stone box shattered. Inside lay a distinctly eye-catching scroll in seven colors.

Zi Yan immediately leaned closer, standing on tiptoe to peer at it. Once she read the words on the scroll, she frowned again.

"Seven-Colored Poison Scripture? It doesn't seem useful either. We don't practice poison arts."

Ling Yuan picked up the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture and said calmly,

"It's fine. Let's keep it first, whether it's useful or not."

That was what he said, but inwardly he calculated, This Seven-Colored Poison Scripture will be of great help to Xiao Yi Xian in the early stages. Keep it for now—it will definitely come in handy soon.

Next came Zi Yan opening the last stone box. She still smashed it open with a single punch. Inside was a black scroll. Upon unfolding it, she found Mad Lion Roar, a Profound-tier Dou Technique.

Zi Yan lost interest after one glance. "Still useless. A Dou Technique like this isn't as practical as one of my punches."

Although none of the three stone boxes had yielded anything that truly dazzled them, Zi Yan still wore a smile, and Ling Yuan was in a fairly good mood as well.

The joy of opening blind boxes had never been about how good the contents were, but about the anticipation filling the process.

No matter what, Ling Yuan had gotten what he wanted.

After accompanying Zi Yan around for a while longer and snatching her some little drinks,

Zi Yan was finally satisfied. Drinking Companion Amethyst Source, she asked Ling Yuan whether the Central Plains had lots of good things.

That was right. The little drink the two had snatched was the Companion Amethyst Source of the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

There had been no intense battle. Ling Yuan's soul was powerful and practically restrained all magical beasts. With a casual attack, he had knocked the Amethyst Winged Lion King unconscious.

What Xiao Yan had been reluctant to drink in the original story, Ling Yuan used as sweet water to feed the snack-craving Zi Yan.

As she drank the Companion Amethyst Source, she asked Ling Yuan indistinctly, "Ling Yuan, do you think the Central Plains has lots of good things? The kind that are even better than this Companion Amethyst Source?"

Zi Yan had never been to the Central Plains, so she was deeply curious about and longed for the place.

Ling Yuan said, "The Central Plains? That's the most prosperous place on the continent. Not only are there countless heavenly treasures, there are also many powerful experts."

"To put it simply: Dou Emperors are as common as dogs, and Dou Zongs are everywhere."

After saying that, he silently added in his heart, And that's only the early stage. Once things reach the later stages, it will be even more outrageous—Dou Zongs will be less common than dogs, and Dou Venerables will be everywhere.

Zi Yan's small mouth fell slightly open, and her eyes widened round. Clearly, she had been shocked by his words.

"What about my clan?" Mentioning the Ancient Void Dragon Clan inevitably made Zi Yan feel somewhat downcast.

Seeing her like this, Ling Yuan did not want to tell her too early about the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's internal strife and predicament, lest she become even sadder.

He gave Zi Yan a head pat.

"You'll know when the time comes. Once we reach the Central Plains, I'll take you there and help you demand an explanation from those people!"

This was not an empty promise to Zi Yan. When the time came, he truly intended to lead the elders there.

Unify Dragon Island...

Take Zi Yan back, help unify Dragon Island, find the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit, and rescue Zhu Kun.

Once he accomplished all those things, he would absolutely count as the greatest benefactor of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.

Once Zhu Kun got out, it would be unreasonable for him not to work for Ling Yuan.

Ling Yuan had never felt that he was living off Zi Yan. He had earned all this through his own abilities.

Without him, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan would only continue its infighting and fragmentation.

Without him, Zhu Kun would not be some nine-star Dou Saint who shook the continent.

He would merely be a miserable watchdog!

Zi Yan did not know Ling Yuan had already thought so far ahead. Hearing his domineering words, she felt deeply moved.

"Mhm, Ling Yuan, you're so good to me!"

"Repay me when you grow up..."

The two chatted idly as they arrived at Qingshan Town.

It was a small town near the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The town was not large, but there was no shortage of people coming and going.

Most of the townsfolk were mercenaries who made their living by entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range, hunting magical beasts, and selling their magic cores, hides, and meat for money.

After battling magical beasts year-round, injuries and bloodshed were common. Some even lost their lives.

Thus, Wanyao Pavilion's pharmacy had become the busiest place in town. Whether it was day or night, mercenaries could always be seen lining up to have their wounds treated or to buy medicine.

At this moment, two mercenaries covered in injuries stood outside Wanyao Pavilion, waiting in line for someone inside to treat them.

Behind the counter, a young woman in a white dress was busily working with her head lowered. She was Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian had delicate, refined features. She was not the sort of peerless beauty that stunned people at first glance, yet she possessed an ethereal, pure aura that drew the eye.

Some people were beautiful only in appearance, easily forgotten after a single glance. Others possessed a beauty that had seeped into their bones, hidden within their temperament and kind hearts.

Xiao Yi Xian was the latter.

Over the years in Qingshan Town, no one knew how many injured mercenaries she had saved. Regardless of their status or wealth, she always treated them with all her heart.

She was the goddess in the hearts of every man in Qingshan Town. They could only watch her from afar; none dared entertain even the slightest disrespectful thought.

"Brother Lei, I've finished bandaging you."

Xiao Yi Xian raised her head, a gentle smile on her face. Her voice was soft as she carefully instructed him, "After you return, be sure to keep the wound clean. Try not to make any large movements, or the wound might split open. Then you'll have to suffer again."

The man called Brother Lei had a face full of stubble and a ferocious scar across his face. He looked fierce and difficult to provoke.

Yet at this moment, he revealed an honest smile toward Xiao Yi Xian. His voice was full of gratitude, and there was not the slightest impurity in his gaze.

"Hehe, thank you, Xiao Yi Xian. You've worked hard. You really are skillful, Xiao Yi Xian—better than even the great physicians in the city."

This scene happened to be seen by Ling Yuan and Zi Yan as they passed by the entrance of Wanyao Pavilion.

As Ling Yuan looked at the busy Xiao Yi Xian behind the counter, far more thoughts crossed his mind than Zi Yan's.

Having read the original story, he felt quite sorry for this girl.

She was clearly a kind-hearted girl who only wanted to heal the sick and save lives, yet fate had played an enormous joke on her and bestowed upon her the Woe Poison Body.

That physique was viewed by the world as inauspicious, a symbol of disaster.

Once the Woe Poison Body erupted, the poison within her would spread out of control. Within a radius of a thousand miles, no living thing—human or magical beast—would survive.

She had clearly wanted only to save lives, yet in the end, she was forced to become a poison master feared and hated by everyone.

And in the original story, she had accompanied Xiao Yan all the way, helping him wholeheartedly, only to end up alone and lonely. Thinking about it was enough to make one sigh.

Ling Yuan softly sighed. Since he had traveled to this world and encountered her, he did not mind giving this pitiful girl a hand and changing her fate.

Ling Yuan casually asked Zi Yan, "What do you think of her?"

Zi Yan said, "That sister looks so kind. She's so gentle with people."

In her eyes, Xiao Yi Xian seemed to radiate a clean aura that made people want to draw close to her.

"There's poison in her body. Come on, let's go save her..."