Xiao Yi Xian

"Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion..."

Yun Zimo softly read the words on the signboard, then slowly walked into the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion under the reverent gazes of passersby.

"Wouldn't have guessed you had a talent for management..."

Looking at the silver-haired girl bent over her work beneath the lamplight, Yun Zimo teased her.

"Zi Mo?"

The girl looked up, delight shining in her eyes. Her features weren't quite breathtaking, but she was still a rare beauty. Her smile carried a fresh, ethereal charm that was hard to resist.

What was most striking was the slender waist beneath her white dress, lightly cinched with a green sash, as if it could be clasped in one hand.

"After more than half a year, you finally have time to come see me?"

There was a hint of reproach in Xiao Yi Xian's voice, leaving Yun Zimo to offer an awkward smile.

"Oh, right. This is the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, revised by Grandmaster Gu He."

Yun Zimo hurriedly took out the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture and gently set it in front of Xiao Yi Xian.

"Grandmaster Gu He? Pill King Gu He!"

Xiao Yi Xian gaped in surprise. She hadn't expected Yun Zimo to persuade Pill King Gu He to help someone like her, who was destined to become a Poison Master!

"Thank you."

Xiao Yi Xian gave him a playful smile. After storing the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture in her Storage Ring, she picked up the ledger and waved it in front of Yun Zimo as if showing off her achievement.

"Look, I've done a pretty good job managing your Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, haven't I?"

The Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion had belonged to the Yun Clan for six years now, and the disciples managing its affairs were naturally all from the Misty Cloud Sect.

"I knew I could trust you with it. I just didn't expect the pavilion to grow this much. You're quite the chief physician."

Xiao Yi Xian smiled proudly, pleased that she could do something to help Zi Mo.

Six years ago, when she was at her most desperate, she'd met him. He'd given her hope and a reason to keep living.

"Dad, Mom... please, don't die..."

The filthy, white-haired girl knelt before a fresh grave, murmuring blankly. Beneath the torrential rain, her frail figure remained motionless, like a walking corpse risen from the depths of hell.

"Huh? There's still someone alive here?"

Yun Zimo had finally gotten the chance to come down the mountain. With a soul barrier shielding him from the rain, he crossed the dead village and approached the graves. At once, he spotted the small figure.

"So that's why a plague suddenly broke out here. It's because of you..."

Seeing the poisonous Dou Qi circling the girl, Yun Zimo finally understood. He just hadn't expected there to be a Poison Master in the Jia Ma Empire.

He glanced at her tiny hands, caked with mud and covered in wounds, then went to her side and raised a soul barrier over her.

"I'll teach you to control your Dou Qi. Maybe then you won't hurt anyone else."

"..."

When the girl remained motionless, Yun Zimo crouched down to see if the child was...

"Swipe!"

"Hiss~"

Yun Zimo quickly shook his hand. Blue-white Dou Qi surged, and wisps of purple poison drifted from the wound. The claw marks on his arm, like those of a wild beast, quickly vanished.

"So you're still alive."

Yun Zimo shook his unharmed hand. He wasn't very angry. After all, anyone who found themselves the only survivor of an entire village wouldn't take it well.

"You can't starve yourself to death like this. Since you've already cultivated Dou Qi, you won't die easily. You'll only live in more pain than an ordinary person."

"I'll help you become strong enough that you won't lose control and hurt anyone again, all right?"

"Come with me. I'll teach you how to kill people, so you can take your own life and atone."

"..."

"I'll teach you how to save people instead. How about learning to use poison to save them?"

Yun Zimo was nearly hoarse from talking. At last, he asked offhandedly, and the little figure, still as a statue, stirred.

"Save... save people?"

Her voice came from beneath her tangled silver hair, hoarse from going so long without speaking or drinking.

"Poison can save people?"

Seeing that his words had finally gotten through to her, Yun Zimo brightened and hurriedly began explaining the ways of a poison physician, afraid the girl might give up and kill herself.

"Teach... teach me!"

"What?"

The girl suddenly bowed low before Yun Zimo. Her voice had returned to something closer to normal, though it cracked as she shouted.

"Please teach me!"

The rain poured down. A tiny, solitary figure knelt on the ground and looked up at the person before her. White cloth fluttered over the fresh graves behind her, while crows called in the distance. The person in front of her bent down slightly.

Yun Zimo gently helped the girl up, then drew over a stream of water and carefully washed the grime from her.

"What's your name?"

"Xiao Yi Xian."

"What?!"

"My name is Xiao Yi Xian!"

Remembering how pitiful she'd been six years ago, then looking at the graceful young woman she'd become, Yun Zimo felt a swell of pride.

I raised her myself!

"I took a walk around Qingshan Town. How come I didn't see Ka Gang and the others?"

Thinking of his mercenary group, Yun Zimo asked curiously.

"They escorted the herb-gathering team into the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

Xiao Yi Xian was on tiptoe, reaching for something, and answered without turning around.

"Hadn't you noticed how much quieter the pavilion was today?"

"So that's what happened."

Yun Zimo helped Xiao Yi Xian take a medicine box down from the top of the cabinet.

"I thought they'd all gone to bed, since it's so late. They're all in the mountains, then."

"By the way, did you come here for something today?"

Xiao Yi Xian asked as she opened the medicine box.

"To take you back to the Misty Cloud Sect."

Yun Zimo said it casually.

"Clatter!"

A medicine bottle dropped into the box. Xiao Yi Xian quickly picked it up again, smiled at Yun Zimo, then spoke as if it were nothing.

"The Misty Cloud Sect? I'm doing fine here. Why would I go there?"

"I want Grandmaster Gu He to see if there's any way to deal with your strange condition."

Hearing Yun Zimo say this, Xiao Yi Xian's heart gave a start. Her hands paused for an instant before she casually picked up a bottle and showed it to him.

"This is the 'Yang-Returning Powder' I made using the method you taught me. It can restore a small amount of Dou Qi."

"Hey, not bad! Restoring Dou Qi is something you usually only see with second-grade pills."

The change of subject stopped Yun Zimo from bringing up taking her back to the sect again. Instead, they spent the night discussing her medical knowledge.

"Xiao Yi Xian? Xiao Yi Xian?!"

On the bed, Yun Zimo sat up and rubbed his aching head. What had happened...? Then he suddenly remembered vaguely seeing Xiao Yi Xian get up during the night.

He hurried into the living room. A steaming breakfast was waiting on the table, and sure enough, a letter was tucked beneath the bowl.

"Zi Mo, I'm leaving. I've managed the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion for you long enough. It's time you took care of things yourself. Don't come looking for me. I know my own body. Maybe I'll go to the Chu Yun Empire and become a notorious Poison Master, or maybe I'll die somewhere while traveling the continent. Either way, I won't drag you down. You're an important figure in the Misty Cloud Sect. Don't waste your energy on me anymore."

Signed, Xiao Yi Xian.

Yun Zimo held the letter as the corners of his mouth kept rising, until at last he burst into laughter. Yet his eyes were filled with a chilling cold.

"Do you think this means you're not causing me trouble? I'll be the one to decide whether you're trouble!"

The aura of a Nine-Star Dou Wang exploded around him. His broad Dou Qi Wings spread, and after sensing his surroundings for only a moment, Yun Zimo shot off like a streak of light toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"Get out of my way!"

A fifth-tier flying magical beast tried to stop the arrogant human brat, but an enormous sword light rushed toward it head-on and split it in two. The beastly king plummeted from the sky before it could even roar, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Furious, Yun Zimo only wanted to find Xiao Yi Xian. The magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range wisely left him alone. In less than fifteen minutes, Yun Zimo spotted a secluded paradise filled with birdsong and blossoms.

The aura of a Dou Wang swept unchecked through the small valley. The Blue Eagle, with only first-tier strength, cowered on the ground, trembling. After letting out a few weak cries, it lifted its head and nodded toward a little hut not far away.

"Xiao Yi Xian!"

Yun Zimo charged into the grass hut. A fierce gust roared from his palm, scattering the thick smoke inside, and he instantly saw Xiao Yi Xian lying on the bed, her face blue-white.

"Not good! Why has the Woe Poison Body flared up again so soon?"

Xiao Yi Xian's face was tinged with seven colors, and she wore a faint smile as wisps of purple poisonous Dou Qi seeped from her body. Wind pressure surged from Yun Zimo's palm, scattering the poisonous mist. He darted to her side.

He quickly pressed several acupoints on Xiao Yi Xian, then lifted her into a cross-legged position. Dou Qi flowed from his palms as he pressed them against hers. He was trying to suppress the Woe Poison Body's outbreak with his own Dou Qi!

His soul power guided several pills into Xiao Yi Xian's mouth. Yun Zimo's Dou Qi worked with the pills to quickly suppress the violent, chaotic poisonous Dou Qi in her body.

"You're almost a Dou Shi! No wonder it flared up so early!"

Yun Zimo felt frustrated and guilty. He hadn't realized Xiao Yi Xian's strength had grown so quickly, triggering the Woe Poison Body's outbreak.

"I refuse to believe I can't handle this!"

Light burst around Yun Zimo. Several precious medicinal ingredients flew from his Storage Ring, wrapped in blue-white Dou Qi. He quickly stripped away their impurities, and several balls of medicinal liquid and powder entered Xiao Yi Xian's body with her faint breaths.

"I saved you back then. It wasn't so you could go off and die now. Wake up!"

"All Beings Equal!"

A sword intent that brooked no rival erupted from Yun Zimo's brow. One strike cleaved through most of the raging poisonous Dou Qi, while the rest was violently forced back into the Dou Qi vortex in Xiao Yi Xian's dantian. Her Dou Qi surged, and she couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of black blood that hissed as it hit the ground!

"Zi... Zi Mo?!"

"D-don't mind me. You'll die!"

Seeing Yun Zimo's contorted expression, Xiao Yi Xian, who'd been half-conscious, instantly snapped awake. She even tried to pull her hands away.

"Shut up. Don't move!"

Yun Zimo roared. His soul power guided his Dou Qi into Xiao Yi Xian's body, where he formed a subtle, profound seal and gently pressed it onto her Dou Qi vortex.

At last, Yun Zimo's pale face relaxed. Looking at Xiao Yi Xian, whose aura had weakened considerably but was finally back to normal, he grinned.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes misted over. At last, she couldn't hold back and began to laugh and cry at the same time. After lightly punching him twice, she threw her arms around Yun Zimo and sobbed aloud.

"All right, all right."

Yun Zimo, drained of strength, patted Xiao Yi Xian's back and drew her into his arms.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Look, we're both still fine, aren't we?"

"From now on, don't leave without a word again. So what if it's the Woe Poison Body? It's not as if it can't be dealt with."

"You knew?"

Xiao Yi Xian wiped her tears. Yun Zimo wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said,

"Did you forget who taught you medicine? I've studied the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture too."

As he spoke, Yun Zimo gently lifted the edge of Xiao Yi Xian's clothes. A winding, seven-colored line ran up her smooth belly, pointing toward her internal organs. But now, a blue-white mark blocked its path, stopping it from advancing any farther.

Xiao Yi Xian's face flushed slightly. Looking at the mark on her belly, her heart was nearly overflowing with emotion.

Gazing at Yun Zimo's handsome face so close to hers, she could barely contain the feelings welling inside her. But when she thought of her hopeless condition, the light in her eyes quickly dimmed again.

"There's no way..."

Held in Yun Zimo's arms, Xiao Yi Xian spoke in a dejected voice that trembled with tears. Despair had already swallowed her whole.

"I know someone who can cure the Woe Poison Body!"

A spark lit in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes, only to fade again at once. She assumed Yun Zimo was merely trying to comfort her.

"Trust me! Just like six years ago!"

Xiao Yi Xian looked up at Yun Zimo. For a moment, the scene before her merged once more with the memory from six years ago.

The two of them were just as they had been six years ago!

"Trust me, Xiao Yi Xian!"