You're Poisoned

Wang Xian reacted swiftly, stepping forward to catch her.

Dugu Yan's body was soft as cotton in his arms. Her breathing was rapid and uneven, and a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Sister Yan!" Ye Lingling cried out, her face instantly turning pale. She hurried over, reaching out to support Dugu Yan's arm, her fingers trembling.

"Don't panic." Wang Xian steadied himself, lifted Dugu Yan into his arms, and gently laid her on the sofa beside them.

Her brows were tightly furrowed, her lips purple. Her dark green eyes were half-open, her pupils unfocused; she had already lost consciousness.

"Lingling, come treat her." Wang Xian stepped aside to make room.

Ye Lingling nodded, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.

She spread open her right hand, and a pink begonia flower slowly bloomed from her palm.

The begonia was as large as a washbasin, its petals layered upon one another. Pink light swirled at its center, radiating a gentle, warm aura.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet and slowly revolved around her body.

Nine-Heart Begonia.

Ye Lingling activated her Soul Power, and white light poured from the petals, falling over Dugu Yan like moonlight.

The light was gentle and dense, like a thin veil draped over her body. It spread from her chest to her limbs, then from her limbs to the top of her head.

Dugu Yan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed beneath the light. Color returned visibly to her pale face, and the purple on her lips slowly faded.

Her breathing became steady and deep, as though she had sunk into a peaceful sleep.

Standing nearby, Wang Xian watched Ye Lingling's focused profile and the Nine-Heart Begonia glowing softly in her hand, silently marveling.

The Douluo Continent's number one healing Martial Soul truly lived up to its reputation.

He had seen Dugu Yan's condition just now. With a coma that severe, an ordinary healing Soul Master would have needed at least half a day to deal with it.

Yet Ye Lingling had pulled her back in only a few breaths, and she did not even seem strained.

After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Dugu Yan's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"I..." Her voice was slightly hoarse. She stared blankly at the ceiling, apparently not yet realizing what had happened.

"Sister Yan, you fainted just now." Ye Lingling crouched beside the sofa, holding Dugu Yan's hands in both of hers. Her eyes were slightly red, and lingering fear colored her voice. "You scared me to death."

Dugu Yan froze for a moment, then slowly sat up. She lowered her head to look at her hands before raising one hand to touch her eyes.

Her eyes had returned to light green, but they were still darker than usual, as if covered by a thin haze.

Dugu Yan looked at Wang Xian in confusion and touched her face. "What happened to me just now? My whole body suddenly hurt terribly, and then I stumbled and passed out."

Wang Xian looked into her eyes. Their originally clear light green shade was now noticeably deeper, as though something had stained them.

He had already reached a conclusion. This was a sign that the poisoning had worsened.

The opportunity had come.

"You're poisoned." Wang Xian did not beat around the bush and said it directly.

"Poisoned?" Dugu Yan was stunned, then frowned. "How is that possible? I have the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul!"

There was obvious disbelief in her voice.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent itself was a poison-attributed Martial Soul, and the Dugu Family's skill with poison was among the best on the Douluo Continent.

As an expert in poison, how could she have been poisoned without even knowing it herself?

Wang Xian did not rush to refute her. He merely nodded slightly. "You may not believe it, but your current symptoms really are no different from poisoning."

He looked into Dugu Yan's eyes and asked, "Have you ever noticed your eyes?"

"My eyes?" Dugu Yan blinked and instinctively touched the corner of her eye.

"That's right. Green eyes." Wang Xian's tone was calm and certain. "That eye color simply does not exist anywhere on the Douluo Continent. In all your years, have you ever seen anyone else with green eyes?"

Dugu Yan opened her mouth. After thinking for a moment, she named one person. "My grandfather."

The moment she said those words, her voice lowered.

Aside from her grandfather, she could not think of anyone else with the same eye color as hers.

"That says a great deal." Wang Xian said, "You said before that the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul could not possibly be poisoned, but I suspect that it is precisely because your Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent that you were poisoned."

He paused and looked into Dugu Yan's eyes. "That would also explain why both you and your grandfather have green eyes."

Dugu Yan was stunned, and so was Ye Lingling.

To anyone on the continent, this speculation was extraordinarily bold.

The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul had poisoned its own wielder, and the Martial Soul itself was the cause.

It sounded utterly impossible. The Jade Phosphorous Serpent was not the only poison-attributed Martial Soul on the continent. If every owner of a poison Martial Soul were poisoned because of it, then Soul Masters who used poison would have died out long ago.

"My grandfather couldn't possibly not know he was poisoned. He's—" Dugu Yan had not finished speaking before Wang Xian interrupted her.

"Don't be so certain yet." Wang Xian looked at her, the corners of his lips lifting into a faint smile. "Yanzi, do you trust me?"

Dugu Yan looked at his smiling face and those calm, certain eyes. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat.

Her face flushed slightly, and she nodded.

"That's good."

Wang Xian rose from the sofa and flexed his fingers. "My Blue Silver Grass has the ability to devour and break down toxins."

"If you are willing, I can try to devour the toxins in your body."

"Then you can feel the changes in your body and judge whether I'm talking nonsense. What do you say?"

Dugu Yan looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and ultimately chose to trust Wang Xian.

After spending so much time with Wang Xian, she knew he was not someone who made baseless claims.

If he dared say something like this, then he must have been confident in it.

"What do I need to do?" she asked.

"Just hold out your hand and don't resist." Wang Xian smiled, spreading his right hand as a deep azure light surged from his palm.

Evergreen Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm, the dark purple patterns on its leaves flickering in and out of view beneath the light.

With a thought from Wang Xian, an exceedingly thin vine separated from the Blue Silver Grass. It was as fine as a strand of hair, nearly impossible to see without looking carefully.

The vine gently wound around Dugu Yan's wrist like a docile little snake.

Wang Xian controlled the vine's tip and lightly pricked the inside of Dugu Yan's wrist.

She frowned slightly, feeling a faint sting, like a mosquito bite.

The vine's tip pierced into her vein.

Wang Xian closed his eyes and began activating Poison Ingestion.