"Your Name"

Little Fairy Doctor sat dazed on the ground, the lingering warmth of a stranger still clinging to the green robes draped over her shoulders, clearly telling her that everything that had just happened was real.

She lowered her head, staring blankly at the colorful scroll shoved into her hands, her mind a complete void.

What... exactly was he trying to do? Scare me? For what purpose? Does this scroll contain the answer to my constitution?

Countless doubts, like a tangled ball of yarn that could not be unraveled, wound tightly around her thoughts.

Little Fairy Doctor hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip.

No matter what, even if it meant death, she had to find out what this constitution that had caused her years of suffering truly was.

Her slender fingers trembled as she slowly unfurled the ancient scroll.

The first half of the scroll was filled with various complex and even sinister poison recipes, making her heart race with fear.

But Little Fairy Doctor finally flipped to the last section, and the final scroll recorded exactly what the Woeful Poison Body was.

The scroll detailed the characteristics of the Woeful Poison Body, how to identify it, the kind of destruction it could cause, and even recorded the bloody catastrophes caused by a Woeful Poison Body from many years ago and their eventual tragic end.

As line after line of shocking text entered her eyes, Little Fairy Doctor's face grew paler and paler, and her breathing gradually became rapid.

Every word was like a poisoned ice needle, piercing into her heart.

This was not a strange illness, but a curse born with her, destined to lead to destruction!

"Must consume poison to cultivate, yet the poison power erodes, shortening lifespan drastically, until there is no solution... When this body appears in the world, it is mostly a disaster, often intolerable to the world..."

She understood; she was like a walking source of poison. Those close to her would die because of her, and the path of cultivation was merely drinking poison to quench thirst, with the only destination being self-destruction or being hunted down by the world.

Despair—a deeper, more thorough despair than when she thought she was about to be humiliated—flooded over her like an endless, dark tide.

So, from the moment she was born, the most tragic ending had already been written for her fate.

Tears fell silently once more, not for the innocence she might have lost, but for this future destined to be gray, lightless, and lonely as she walked toward death.

Just as Little Fairy Doctor's heart trembled and she was nearly crushed by this heavy truth, the sound of light footsteps approached.

Ning Chen had finished inspecting the medicinal herbs at some point and returned to the center of the stone chamber.

He casually dragged over the wide stone chair that had originally held the skeleton, brushed off the non-existent dust, and sat down opposite Little Fairy Doctor with a relaxed posture, a few steps away from her.

"Finished reading?"

Ning Chen's voice was calm, devoid of any particular emotion, as if he had returned to the very beginning of their meeting.

Little Fairy Doctor raised her tear-blurred eyes to look at this mysterious and unfathomable man.

His face no longer held the playfulness or the gentle smile from before, only a calm that bordered on indifference.

Seeing that she only wept without speaking, Ning Chen did not mind and said casually, "If you have anything you want to ask, you can ask now."

Little Fairy Doctor sniffled and wiped away her tears forcefully. Although her voice still carried a sob, she tried her best to make her words clear.

"Who... who exactly are you? What do you want to do to me?"

"Just someone passing by, taking care of some trivial matters along the way," Ning Chen answered nonchalantly.

"As for what I want to do... didn't I just say? To let you see reality clearly."

"Why?"

Little Fairy Doctor pressed, unable to understand.

"We are complete strangers. Why would a powerhouse like you care about the life or death of a small person like me? And... and use that method to scare me!"

Thinking back to what had just happened, she still felt a lingering fear.

Ning Chen looked at her, at the pretty little face stained with tears.

"The reason? First, I am a person who... well, has a kind heart and cannot bear to see the suffering of the world."

He paused. "Second, your nature is pure. Even with such a fierce and evil constitution, there is no malice in your eyes. That is rare in the Dou Qi Continent. As for scaring you..."

He leaned forward slightly.

"If I didn't use that near-real despair to force you, would you have the determination to master this curse in the eyes of others, instead of losing control one day in the future, harming yourself and others, or being dragged into the abyss by it?"

"I..." Little Fairy Doctor opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself speechless.

"You mean... I can control it? It doesn't necessarily have to harm others, and it doesn't necessarily... have to die so early?"

Little Fairy Doctor then keenly captured the hidden meaning in Ning Chen's words.

"It depends on human effort."

Ning Chen did not give a definitive answer.

"The Woeful Poison Body is a curse, but it is also a talent."

"Whether you become a poisonous disaster or hold your fate in your own hands depends on every choice you make from here on out."

"At least in the eyes of some powerhouses in the Central Plains, this Woeful Poison Body is not just a curse, but a treasure they would kill to possess."

"A treasure? Who would treat this kind of curse as a treasure? A madman?" Little Fairy Doctor felt it was absurd.

"What could a little doctor hiding in Qingshan Town possibly understand?" Ning Chen chuckled softly.

"If you do not cultivate, seeing me is like a frog at the bottom of a well gazing at the moon. If you do cultivate, seeing me is like a mayfly looking up at the vast blue sky."

"The Dou Qi Continent is far more vast and complex than you can imagine."

Little Fairy Doctor desperately wanted to retort, "You're only a Dou Wang yourself, how could you possibly know about the Central Plains?", but the words died in her throat.

At the very least, it seemed that what he said carried a higher degree of truth.

Little Fairy Doctor raised her red, swollen eyes and looked at Ning Chen once more.

Those eyes were bright and clear, devoid of lechery, calculation, or hypocritical sympathy; there was only the stillness of a deep pool.

He seemed... to truly not be lying.

At least for now, he appeared to have no malice toward her, and perhaps... he was really just "meddling" to give her a helping hand.

Thinking of this, the heartstrings that Little Fairy Doctor had kept taut for so long loosened just a fraction.

Seeing her emotions stabilize, Ning Chen spoke again, his voice softer than before.

"Do you feel a bit better now?"

Little Fairy Doctor nodded gently, turning her face away in embarrassment to wipe away her tears.

Ning Chen stood up, looked at the young girl still sitting on the ground wrapped in his outer robe, and asked casually, "You shouldn't have anything worth lingering for in this Qingshan Town, right? After today's events, it's unlikely you'll be able to get along with those mercenaries as before."

Little Fairy Doctor fell silent; she knew this was the truth.

After today, her peaceful life as the "Little Fairy Doctor" in Qingshan Town was destined to end.

"If you don't have a place to go for now, and don't know which path to take next..."

Ning Chen paused, then reached out his right hand toward Little Fairy Doctor.

"Then come with me. At the very least, you'll have a place to stay until you figure out how to live with your constitution, or until you find the path you truly want to follow."

"Of course, following me doesn't guarantee safety, and you might encounter things you can't even imagine. But it's still better than you clutching a Seven-Colored Poison Scripture all alone, fumbling blindly in the Magic Beast Mountain Range or some forgotten corner, only to die from a poison flare-up or be eaten by a magic beast one day."

The invitation was casual, lacking solemn promises or warm assurances, offering only the stark reality of the pros and cons.

Little Fairy Doctor stared blankly at the palm extended before her, then looked down at the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture in her hand, and finally felt the green robe on her shoulders—a garment that didn't belong to her, yet brought an unexpected warmth.

The bone-deep tragedy of her childhood, the loneliness of struggling alone for years, the fear of life and death she had just experienced, and the helplessness regarding her future...

All of this seemed to have found a new turning point after the appearance of this mysterious powerhouse.

Little Fairy Doctor slowly grasped Ning Chen's hand and stood up.

She met Ning Chen's gaze, and despite the lingering tears and mist in her eyes, she tried her best to make her voice sound steady.

"Although I still cannot truly trust you, at least it seems that what you said is the truth."

"My name is Ye Qingxian, though you can also call me Little Fairy Doctor."

Potato, oh Potato, you couldn't even be bothered to give such an important heroine a proper name, leaving me to do it myself...

Ning Chen muttered a silent complaint to himself, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

"Ning Chen."