In the inn room, Gu Shenge watched the beautiful young woman in the white dress. His nose twitched slightly as he clearly caught the faint scent of medicine wafting from her. He asked Xiao Yi Xian gently why she had come.
Xiao Yi Xian had been surprised by the way Gu Shenge had appeared. She steadied herself, bowed slightly, and parted her pink lips. Her clear, gentle voice flowed like a mountain stream, stirring goodwill in those who heard it.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, sir. I have a question about something you said at Wanyao Pavilion earlier. You mentioned the Woeful Poison Body. Were you referring to me?"
After speaking, Xiao Yi Xian watched Gu Shenge nervously. After all, he had only mentioned the Woeful Poison Body when she appeared, so there was a very good chance it had something to do with her.
Gu Shenge nodded slowly. "That's right. I sensed a trace of the Woeful Poison Body's aura on you. I just couldn't tell whether you have the Woeful Poison Body yourself or had come into contact with someone who does."
Xiao Yi Xian's eyes shifted at his words. She had never come into contact with anyone with the Woeful Poison Body, so there was only one possibility: she herself had it!
But what exactly was the Woeful Poison Body?
Xiao Yi Xian hesitated for a long while before speaking. "Sir, if what you say is true, then perhaps I am the one you're talking about."
"If you have the Woeful Poison Body, you must already have experienced how terrifying it is, haven't you?"
When Xiao Yi Xian admitted it, Gu Shenge's voice softened, and pity appeared in his eyes. Yet his words brought pain to the gentle young woman, renowned throughout Qingshan Town for her kindness.
When she was three, her mother took her to live in a small village where the people made their living gathering herbs. But after Xiao Yi Xian accidentally swallowed poison, her Woeful Poison Body awakened. The toxic energy that erupted killed her mother and everyone in the village. The tragedy dealt a terrible blow to the little girl and left her with deep emotional scars. From then on, she lived a wandering life.
Desperate to keep anyone else from dying because of her, Xiao Yi Xian threw herself into learning medicine, hoping to fill the emptiness in her heart. Yet people still died innocently because of her constitution, and she became increasingly sensitive.
Though she seemed warm and approachable, she was deeply lonely inside and afraid to grow close to anyone.
Xiao Yi Xian told Gu Shenge and Qing Lin about her past. After hearing her story, the little beauty with serpent blood looked at her with sympathy in her jade-green eyes.
To Qing Lin, Xiao Yi Xian had suffered even more than she had. At least Qing Lin had her young master's love, while Xiao Yi Xian had nothing. She also had to constantly worry that her Woeful Poison Body might flare up again and kill those around her.
Gu Shenge sighed. Though he had read the original story and knew of Xiao Yi Xian's tragic past, hearing her recount it herself was different. She put on a brave face, but the sorrow in her eyes was impossible to hide. He couldn't help but feel sympathy and pity for her.
"Sorry for bringing up painful memories. The Woeful Poison Body is called 'woeful' because each time it appears, it brings irreparable disaster to its bearer and those around them. I know why you came to find me. You want to know whether there's a way to resolve it, don't you?"
Gu Shenge finished speaking and quietly watched Xiao Yi Xian.
Xiao Yi Xian nodded faintly. Ever since she had awakened her constitution at the age of three and killed her mother and the villagers, she had been searching for a solution.
Now she knew the origin of her constitution, and the man before her might know how to resolve it. Hope rose within her, like a ray of light appearing in the darkness. If she could only seize it, she might escape the shadows cast by the Woeful Poison Body!
Gu Shenge said, "If you want to resolve the Woeful Poison Body, you first need to understand it."
"Please explain, sir." Xiao Yi Xian listened intently.
"There are two kinds of Woeful Poison Body: innate and acquired. The Acquired Calamity Poison Body is artificially created and is far inferior to the Innate Calamity Poison Body. You have the innate kind. If you don't come into contact with poison, your constitution won't awaken. But once it does, a seven-colored line will appear on your abdomen."
Gu Shenge's gaze fell on the abdomen hidden beneath Xiao Yi Xian's white dress. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a trace of shyness flashed through her beautiful eyes. She nodded to him; there really was a seven-colored line on her abdomen.
"People with the Woeful Poison Body don't need to cultivate Battle Qi year after year like ordinary cultivators. They only need to keep taking poison to gather a special kind of poisonous Battle Qi. But as the poisonous Battle Qi accumulates, the seven-colored line on their abdomen will gradually extend. When it reaches the heart, the Woeful Poison Body will erupt completely. Its bearer will feel as though ten thousand poisons are devouring them, then die in agony. The poison that spreads from them will also wipe out all life within a thousand li."
After hearing Gu Shenge's explanation, Xiao Yi Xian's face went pale with fright. The Woeful Poison Body was far too terrifying. The thought of being tortured to death as ten thousand poisons devoured her made her even more desperate to find a solution.
Qing Lin was frightened too. She tugged at Gu Shenge's robe and asked timidly, "Young Master, you know so much about the Woeful Poison Body. Does that mean you know how to resolve it?"
Perhaps after hearing Xiao Yi Xian's tragic story, the little beauty with serpent blood wanted her young master to help her.
Hope appeared in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes too as she looked at Gu Shenge. When he gave a slight nod, both Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian brightened.
But the solution Gu Shenge gave next cruelly extinguished the hope that had just risen in Xiao Yi Xian's heart.
"There's only one way to resolve the Woeful Poison Body's hidden danger and prevent the poison from turning on you: condense a Poison Pill. To do that, you need three different Heavenly Flames, the Magic Core of a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast, a Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast, Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva, and the help of a high-level alchemist. Once you condense the Poison Pill, you'll be able to control the Woeful Poison Body."
Of course, the Poison Pill Method wasn't the only way to fully control the Woeful Poison Body. The original story mentioned that, under Yao Lao's guidance, Xiao Yi Xian went to the Ancient Tomb of a predecessor with the Woeful Poison Body, where she found the method to control it completely.
After hearing Gu Shenge explain the Poison Pill Method, Xiao Yi Xian fell silent.
Never mind the three Heavenly Flames and Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva; even the Magic Core of the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast was out of reach. It was a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast, a terrifying being on the level of a Dou Zong expert. She wasn't just unable to obtain its Magic Core—she didn't even have the qualifications to see one.
But in the next moment, Xiao Yi Xian heard Gu Shenge murmur, "The Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's Magic Core and the Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva shouldn't be a problem. It's just the three different Heavenly Flames that might be troublesome."
What?! Judging by Gu Shenge's tone, did he intend to help her condense a Poison Pill?
Xiao Yi Xian stared at Gu Shenge in utter astonishment, unsure what to do. They weren't related, and this was their first meeting. Why would he help her?
Could it be that he was interested in her?
"Sir, do you mean you can help me condense a Poison Pill?" Xiao Yi Xian asked tentatively.
Gu Shenge didn't answer her directly. Instead, he rubbed Qing Lin's head, his gaze gentle and his voice full of affection.
"This little girl asked me to help you. How could I bear to make her sad? Though resolving the Woeful Poison Body is a little troublesome, it's no difficult task for me."
Enjoying her young master's head pat, Qing Lin wore a proud little smile.
"Big Sister Xiao Yi Xian, my young master is a Dou Huang expert and a sixth-tier alchemist. With him here, he can definitely cure your Woeful Poison Body."
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