Some People, Some Things

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King realized that Li Xingluo was coming for it and instinctively spat out several ice spikes to stop him.

Li Xingluo used a tree trunk as a brief foothold, turning its force to his advantage. His body brushed past the ice spikes, which all slammed into the trunk where he had just paused.

The tree trunks around him froze in an instant. Li Xingluo sucked in a breath. The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King was indeed far stronger than the Ice Snow Magic Wolves that had surrounded them.

He swung his sword, its tip aimed straight at the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's forehead, but a powerful force stopped it less than half a meter away.

A crescent-moon-shaped mark lay on the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's forehead. Li Xingluo pushed the Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword forward with all his strength, but he still couldn't pierce the invisible barrier.

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King seemed to be gathering strength. Its four limbs dug firmly into the ground as an invisible force coursed through its body and flowed into the barrier. It let out a howl.

The enormous force sent Li Xingluo flying backward. He spun three hundred and sixty degrees in midair before landing steadily.

From his close observation just now, Li Xingluo could tell that the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King hadn't yet advanced to the third rank. It should be a peak second-rank Demonic Beast.

"Again!"

Li Xingluo didn't dare waste time. Xiao Yi Xian was struggling to hold on behind him, while Xiao Lan occasionally swooped down to distract the pack of Ice Snow Magic Wolves attacking her.

"Earth-Splitting Slash!"

As he chanted the incantation, Dou Qi swirled around him and converged on the Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword. A transformed blade layered itself over the original, gradually forming a giant sword about five meters long and two or three meters wide.

He gripped the hilt with both hands, gave a loud shout, and brought it down on the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King. At that moment, the black ring on his hand glimmered red, turned into a mass of energy, and melted into the giant sword formed from Dou Qi.

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King neither dodged nor retreated. It seemed to sense that Li Xingluo was weaker than it, and relied on its formidable body and the energy stored within to take his attack head-on.

"Boom—" Dust billowed from the spot where the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King stood, accompanied by a deafening crash. The explosion echoed through the forest.

The shockwave from their clash swept through like a gale. Several saplings at the blast's center were uprooted, and the flying dust stung their eyes, obscuring everything around them.

The pack of Ice Snow Magic Wolves surrounding Xiao Yi Xian dug their claws into the ground and stopped attacking her.

When the dust settled, the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King was in a sorry state. Dust clung to its entire body, and blood had soaked its fur from head to toe.

Li Xingluo stood with his sword in hand, his sharp gaze fixed on the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King. Should I hit it one more time?

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King took two steps, then collapsed with a thud. Its mouth hung open as it struggled to breathe.

Li Xingluo slowly approached the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King. It struggled to rise, but its body wouldn't obey. It could only watch helplessly as he drew closer, powerless to resist.

Without another word, Li Xingluo plunged his sword into the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's body. Blood splashed, and the other Ice Snow Magic Wolves scattered at once after a brief pause.

Seeing the pack retreat, Xiao Yi Xian breathed a sigh of relief and sank straight to the ground. The sweat on her forehead had already gathered into a stream that ran down her cheek.

Li Xingluo hurried over to Xiao Yi Xian and reached out to help her up. Seeing her drenched in sweat, he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"Xiao Yi Xian, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Let's see if these Ice Snow Magic Wolves have any Magic Cores."

Xiao Yi Xian smiled, wiped the sweat from her forehead, let go of Li Xingluo's hand, and walked over to the corpse of an Ice Snow Magic Wolf.

Seeing her act that way, Li Xingluo said nothing more. Especially since she was still thinking about Magic Cores, which he found truly unbelievable.

Li Xingluo saw Xiao Yi Xian carefully searching for Magic Cores and didn't linger. He went straight to the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's corpse and skillfully cut into the right spot. To his surprise, there really was a Magic Core inside.

It was a pleasant surprise. Xiao Yi Xian was also delighted, raising the Magic Core in her hand to show him.

But aside from those two Magic Cores, the other Ice Snow Magic Wolves had none.

"Why don't we rest before looking for the Red Fire Fruit?"

"No. The sooner we find it, the sooner we can head back. This place isn't safe, either."

Xiao Yi Xian refused Li Xingluo's suggestion to rest. There was nothing he could do; he couldn't talk her out of it, so they continued searching.

Fortunately, they found the Red Fire Fruit not long after setting out. Li Xingluo told Xiao Yi Xian to stay where she was while he went to pick it. This time, she didn't refuse.

Li Xingluo approached cautiously, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Only after confirming there was no danger did he reach out to pick it.

Once they had the Red Fire Fruit, the two returned to the valley on Xiao Lan. Xiao Yi Xian went inside early.

As soon as she shut the door, a wave of dizziness swept over Xiao Yi Xian, and her vision blurred. She felt her way forward, trying to reach the bamboo bed, but fell just short. Her body wouldn't obey, and she crumpled to the floor.

Li Xingluo was about to return to his room to refine pills when he heard a thump from Xiao Yi Xian's room. He hurried to her door.

"Xiao Yi Xian, are you all right?"

Xiao Yi Xian lay on the floor, her face twisted in pain as she clutched her stomach. Only after a long while did she manage a weak reply.

"I'm fine."

Through the thin window paper, Li Xingluo saw Xiao Yi Xian curled up in agony on the floor, purple energy slowly seeping from her body.

Li Xingluo knitted his brows. Had her Woeful Poison Body flared up?

Perhaps Xiao Yi Xian realized that Li Xingluo was still outside. Ignoring her own pain, she summoned all her strength to shout, "Don't come in, Li Xingluo!"

Li Xingluo instinctively stopped reaching for the door. At a time like this, there really was nothing he could do.

When she heard no sound of the door opening, Xiao Yi Xian managed a faint smile despite her pain. Curled up on the floor, she soon lost consciousness.

Li Xingluo didn't leave. Purple energy covered Xiao Yi Xian's entire body and quickly spread through a third of the room.

Thinking back over what had just happened, he realized she must have been forcing herself to hold on all along, afraid he would notice. Yes, every time she used her poison arts, the Woeful Poison Body inside her could flare up at any moment. It could kill others, but it could kill her, too.

The sun sank in the west. A faint ray of evening light fell through the window, and Xiao Yi Xian slowly woke. She found herself lying on the bamboo bed, and memories flooded back. Could it be that...

Xiao Yi Xian scanned the room but couldn't find Li Xingluo. Ignoring her weakness, she rushed outside, where an eerie silence hung all around.

Panicked, Xiao Yi Xian ran to the bamboo hut where Li Xingluo lived and pushed open the door, but he wasn't there either.

Feeling a sudden unease, Xiao Yi Xian searched the nearby area frantically, but still couldn't find any trace of Li Xingluo.

At that moment, her heart was in turmoil, and it ached terribly. She thought back on the time she had spent with Li Xingluo. It had been wonderful, filled with laughter and joy.

Xiao Yi Xian looked down at her hands. She felt utterly helpless, and tears pattered down.

She kept blaming herself aloud. "It's all because of me. I hurt you. I knew I was born with a poisonous body and that no one could come near me, yet somehow I met you. All these years, you were the first person who truly cared about me. But what did I do? I killed you with my own hands. I..."

Xiao Yi Xian's tears fell one after another, like strands of a tassel swaying and tumbling down without end.

Just as Xiao Yi Xian wept in grief, a voice called, "Xiao Yi Xian," from behind her. She slowly turned toward the familiar figure.