A Dou Huang expert! And a sixth-grade alchemist!
Xiao Yi Xian looked at the handsome young man, who seemed only a few years older than her. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with disbelief, though she couldn't help suspecting that he merely looked young and was actually much older than he appeared.
"Helping you overcome the hidden danger of the Woeful Poison Body and form a Poison Pill won't be difficult for me, but it will take some time. I only control one Heavenly Flame at present. Still, your Woeful Poison Body is nowhere near the point where the poison will erupt, so we have plenty of time."
Gu Shenge looked at the astonished Xiao Yi Xian and explained her current condition, but she fell silent.
There was no such thing as love without a reason, nor help without expecting something in return. Even if he was helping her because his attendant had asked him to, Xiao Yi Xian still felt there was more to it.
After a long pause, the gentle young woman finally spoke. "What will I have to give in return?"
Gu Shenge didn't beat around the bush. He stated his purpose plainly.
"The Woeful Poison Body is a rare, special constitution. If you can form a Poison Pill, your future will be limitless. I'd like to invite you to join the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace. Are you willing?"
Unlike with Ya Fei, he didn't intend to force Xiao Yi Xian to become his wife. Different women called for different approaches.
Xiao Yi Xian wasn't going anywhere. As far as Gu Shenge was concerned, the System's reward would be the same whether he married her sooner or later, so there was no need to rush.
"The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace?" Xiao Yi Xian repeated the name, a thoughtful glimmer in her beautiful eyes.
She didn't know what sort of power the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace was, but if they could help her control the Woeful Poison Body and fulfill her long-held wish, then joining them would do her no harm.
Xiao Yi Xian also knew that he was interested in her because of the potential of her Woeful Poison Body. If she refused to join, he might use force, and there would be nothing she could do to fight back.
Besides, it was always good to have a powerful backer. Having a major faction behind her would bring plenty of benefits.
After weighing the pros and cons, Xiao Yi Xian made her decision.
"I can join the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace, but I have one condition."
"Go ahead," Gu Shenge said. "As long as it isn't unreasonable."
"I don't want the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace to force me to do anything evil. If you do, I'd rather die than agree."
As she spoke, Xiao Yi Xian lightly bit her lip, her pretty face set in a stubborn expression. This was her one condition. She would rather suffer until the Woeful Poison Body killed her than commit evil deeds.
Gu Shenge shook his head helplessly. Did he look like someone who would do such terrible things?
"The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace isn't an evil faction. Of course we won't force you to do anything wicked."
"That's good." Xiao Yi Xian breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps because she now belonged to the same faction as Gu Shenge, she seemed to grow more at ease and wasn't as nervous.
"What should I call you, then?"
Seeing Xiao Yi Xian gradually relax, Gu Shenge smiled. His warmth was like sunlight as he said softly, "My name is Juan Shoutian. You can call me Palace Master, or you can keep calling me sir."
"Palace Master?" Xiao Yi Xian immediately realized that he was the master of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace.
But she preferred calling him sir. She rose and bowed respectfully to Gu Shenge.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Sir Juan."
Gu Shenge nodded. "You don't have to be so formal. From now on, you'll stay by my side like Qing Lin and serve as my attendant."
Hearing that Xiao Yi Xian would also become the young master's attendant, Qing Lin hurried over and took her by the arm. Her pretty little face lit up with delight, and her sweet voice rang beside Xiao Yi Xian's ear.
"Yay! Qing Lin has company now."
Looking at the little beauty-snake clinging to her, Xiao Yi Xian's gentle, pretty face softened. She reached out to pat Qing Lin on the head and thanked her quietly.
"Thank you, Qing Lin."
"In four months, an Ancient Cave Mansion will appear in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. I'll take you both there. Until then, I'll help you improve your cultivation. Qing Lin, don't slack off. If you haven't reached Dou Shi in four months, I'll spank you until your bottom is red."
Gu Shenge gave Qing Lin a pointed look. He had spoiled the little girl, who trained for a couple of days and then slacked off for three. It had taken her half a year to reach Three-Star Dou Zhe, even with the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake and the Black Prison Soul-Devouring Python supplying her with resources. It was clear how carelessly and lazily she usually trained.
The little beauty-snake's cheeks turned pink. Feeling a little embarrassed, she stuck out her tongue at Gu Shenge and hurried to wheedle him.
"Qing Lin understands, Young Master. I'll definitely train hard, so please don't spank me~"
"We'll see how you do." Gu Shenge shot the girl a sidelong glance. Qing Lin patted her well-developed chest, promising she wouldn't let her young master down.
Watching the way they interacted, Xiao Yi Xian felt a flutter in her heart. They didn't seem like a young master and his attendant at all. It seemed joining the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace might have been a good decision.
Xiao Yi Xian asked Gu Shenge, "Sir Juan, do I have to go too?"
Gu Shenge nodded. Xiao Yi Xian was a little older than Xiao Yan, but her strength was pitifully weak; she wasn't even a Dou Zhe. It seemed she had focused on studying medicine and neglected cultivation.
"When the Ancient Cave Mansion appears, many powerful figures from the Jia Ma Empire, along with its younger generation, will come. You haven't reached Dou Zhe yet, but the Woeful Poison Body lets you improve your cultivation by consuming poison. With the Poison Pill I make for you, you'll not only reach Dou Shi in four months—you could even become a Da Dou Shi."
Gu Shenge needed Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian to represent the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace and crush the Jia Ma Empire's younger generation. As for him, he would take on the older generation.
The contest over the cave mansion would also mark the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace's debut.
When Xiao Yi Xian heard that Gu Shenge wanted her to take Poison Pills to improve her cultivation, her brows furrowed in resistance.
Consuming poison could rapidly improve her cultivation, but it would also speed up the buildup of toxins in her body and bring her closer to death. If she failed to control it, the Woeful Poison Body might run wild and cause another tragedy.
Gu Shenge saw her worry and reassured her.
"Don't worry. Unless you reach Dou Zong, poison at the Da Dou Shi level won't affect you. And with me here, even if your Woeful Poison Body erupts and gets out of control, I can suppress it."
Xiao Yi Xian hesitated for a while, then finally nodded. After all, she now belonged to the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace. Though she wasn't entirely willing, she still had to listen to Gu Shenge.
Qing Lin cultivated the same Ten Thousand Snakes Devouring Spirit Art as Yue Mei. Gu Shenge hadn't married Xiao Yi Xian yet, so the System hadn't given her a suitable betrothal gift. He could only prepare a cultivation technique for her himself.
Gu Shenge opened the System and spent seven hundred thousand Origin Points in the System Store to buy a Heaven-tier mid-grade technique called the Nine Deaths Poison Canon.
Anyone who cultivated the Nine Deaths Poison Canon could recover in the shortest time, even if gravely injured and on the brink of death, as long as their head hadn't been crushed and their heart hadn't been pierced. They gained one additional chance with each major cultivation breakthrough, for a total of nine.
It also contained recipes for all kinds of poisons. Some of the rare toxins would cause even a Dou Zun expert considerable trouble, and the slightest mistake could prove fatal.
P.S. Xiao Yi Xian will definitely be brought into the harem, but not as directly as Medusa and Ya Fei. Given Xiao Yi Xian's personality, that approach wouldn't suit her.
Before you continue