The Unshakable Shadow

Ling Yuan and Zi Yan stepped into Wanyao Pavilion, where a faint medicinal fragrance hung in the air.

Xiao Yi Xian was lowering her head, carefully bandaging the wounded arm of a mercenary. Her movements were meticulous as she continued to remind him of the necessary precautions.

Ling Yuan and Zi Yan did not interrupt her and simply waited for her to finish.

Yet the mercenary ahead of them had not even finished receiving treatment.

A man swaggered in with two burly henchmen, his eyes arrogant. He failed to notice Ling Yuan in the corner and, ignoring the queue, headed straight for Xiao Yi Xian's counter.

Several customers had been waiting in the shop. Startled by the sudden commotion, some even stood up and quietly backed toward the entrance.

Xiao Yi Xian raised her head, a flicker of anger crossing her face as she reprimanded him, "Mu Li, what are you trying to do? Can't you see I'm treating someone and that people are still waiting in line?"

Mu Li crossed his arms, a frivolous smile curling onto his lips as his gaze roamed over Xiao Yi Xian.

"Hehe, Xiao Yi Xian, of course I'm here to see a doctor. Why else would I come here?"

"If you want treatment, get in line at the back. It's this gentleman's turn," Xiao Yi Xian said with a frown, raising her hand to point at Ling Yuan.

A short, fat henchman planted his hands on his hips and shouted at the remaining customers in the shop.

"Listen up! Xiao Yi Xian is a little tired today and won't be seeing any patients. Come back tomorrow! If you don't want trouble, get out of here!"

The customers had already been afraid of Mu Li's influence. Hearing that, none dared linger. They lowered their heads and hurried out of Wanyao Pavilion. In the blink of an eye, only Ling Yuan, Zi Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Mu Li's group remained in the shop.

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the empty store, then at Mu Li and his three arrogant companions. Irritation and anger rose in her heart as she bit her lip and said to Mu Li,

"Mu Li, you've gone too far! You're obviously not sick. You came here just to make trouble!"

The other tall, thin henchman beside Mu Li stepped forward, intending to tell Ling Yuan to leave if he knew what was good for him.

"Kid, if you know what's good for you..." As he spoke, he reached out to shove Ling Yuan.

But just as his hand was about to touch Ling Yuan's sleeve, a trace of coldness flashed through Ling Yuan's eyes.

An invisible ripple of soul force suddenly shot out from his eyes, flying straight toward the tall, thin henchman's brow.

The tall, thin henchman had no time to react. His body abruptly stiffened, his eyes widened, and his soul was instantly shattered. He fell straight to the ground without the slightest trace of life left in him.

Ling Yuan had not expected this either. He had originally intended to keep a low profile and leave a good impression on the kind-hearted Xiao Yi Xian.

Yet what he got in return was this sort of petty thug coming to provoke him.

He had only seen this kind of scene in novels before. He had not expected to encounter it for real.

Since he had already made a move, he might as well keep killing.

Ling Yuan had no interest in reasoning with these people, much less wasting time playing some ridiculous game of pretending to be weak before crushing them.

He raised his hand, and an invisible surge of Dou Qi instantly poured forth, tightly wrapping around Mu Li and the remaining short, fat and tall, thin henchmen.

Before the three could make a sound, they were dragged by the Dou Qi and hurled out of Wanyao Pavilion, flying toward the distance and quickly disappearing from sight.

Immediately afterward, a dull bang rang out. Mu Li and the other two were crushed and exploded directly into a mist of blood, leaving not even a scrap of remains behind.

Outside Wanyao Pavilion, several passing pedestrians happened to witness the scene and could not help screaming, "Murder! Someone's been killed!"

However, the instant Mu Li's group was sent flying, Ling Yuan had quietly set up a barrier that isolated the space outside the shop.

The screams outside, the bloody sight, and even the stench of blood were all blocked by the barrier. Sitting behind the counter, Xiao Yi Xian saw nothing and smelled nothing.

Come to think of it, this little villain Mu Li had helped clear the place out for him.

To thank Mu Li, Ling Yuan planned to send Mu Li's entire family down to accompany him later.

Xiao Yi Xian was still somewhat stunned. Everything had happened far too quickly.

She had only seen Mu Li's group suddenly dragged away by an invisible force, and she instinctively looked toward Ling Yuan.

Only the three of them remained in the shop now. The only one who could have acted was the young gentleman before her.

She was secretly shocked. She had not expected this young gentleman, who looked so handsome and refined, to possess such extraordinary strength. Before him, Mu Li's group had not even had the chance to fight back.

She had long found Mu Li unpleasant. He often came to harass her.

"Your strength is impressive, sir. What illness do you need treated? I'll examine you right away. Once we're done, you should leave quickly, lest you invite trouble."

Seeing her nervous expression, Ling Yuan's lips tilted up slightly as he deliberately asked,

"Oh? Why is that? I just helped you solve your problem, so why are you telling me to leave so quickly?"

A worried look appeared on Xiao Yi Xian's face as she hurriedly explained,

"You may not know this, sir, but Mu Li's father is Mu She, the leader of Qingshan Town's mercenary corps. He has considerable influence in Qingshan Town, and his strength is formidable as well. He has already reached the Dou Master Realm. You harmed his son, so he definitely won't let this go. He'll come looking for revenge!"

Ling Yuan chuckled softly, utterly unconcerned.

The Dou Master Realm was nothing to him. He could kill a whole group of them with a single slap.

Still, he could tell that Xiao Yi Xian was sincerely worried about him. That kindness was carved into her bones, without the slightest hint of falsehood.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you."

"Take a look at this for me. This is a 'prescription' another physician gave me. I don't understand it very well, so I'd like you to help me examine it."

Ling Yuan raised his hand and took a seven-colored scroll from his Storage Ring. It was the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, which he handed to Xiao Yi Xian.

When Xiao Yi Xian saw the unusual style of the scroll Ling Yuan offered her, curiosity immediately rose within her.

But the moment she accepted it and saw what was written inside, her delicate body suddenly stiffened. Then she could not help trembling, as though she had been burned by something.

That tremor seemed to flip a switch. Afterward, her body would not stop shaking. Her fingers tightened around the scroll, and her knuckles turned white.

Xiao Yi Xian was no fool. She knew Ling Yuan had not come here to seek treatment at all.

Perhaps he had already seen through the peculiarity of her constitution...

Xiao Yi Xian forced herself to calm down. "Where did you get this?"

Ling Yuan shook his head faintly, his tone calm. "Where I got it isn't important. What matters is that I know your constitution is the Woe Poison Body described within it."

With a boom, Xiao Yi Xian's mind went blank. Her face turned pale, as though someone had exposed her greatest secret.

This was the deepest secret hidden in her heart. From childhood until now, no one had ever known. It was also the shadow she wanted to forget but could never shake off.

Everyone who had once known this secret had been poisoned to death by the uncontrollable toxic energy within her body.

Her parents, her fellow villagers, and all those familiar elders and neighbors...

One familiar face after another flashed through her mind, until they all froze on the agonized expressions they wore as they fell to the ground.