Maple Forest City

Xiao Yi Xian glanced back and saw a familiar figure. She had just started to rise when a thought made her stop. The good mood she had only just recovered was once again swallowed by gloom.

Xiao Yi Xian buried her face between her knees. She didn't want the tragedy to happen again.

"Don't come any closer!" Hearing footsteps approach behind her, Xiao Yi Xian called out to stop them.

Li Xingluo's foot halted midstep. In the end, he still walked toward her.

Seeing that Li Xingluo ignored her warning and continued toward her, Xiao Yi Xian turned her body away.

Li Xingluo slowly sat down beside Xiao Yi Xian and looked up at the starry night sky.

"Xiao Yi Xian, I know what you're afraid of. You're afraid you'll lose me as a friend because of yourself. You're afraid the Woeful Poison Body inside you will erupt and kill me."

At the words "Woeful Poison Body," Xiao Yi Xian slowly turned to look at Li Xingluo, her face full of disbelief.

"You want to ask how I know about the Woeful Poison Body, don't you?"

Xiao Yi Xian nodded slightly, though she still sat turned away from him.

Li Xingluo smiled—a gentle, healing sort of smile.

"I read about this constitution in a book..."

Before Li Xingluo could finish, Xiao Yi Xian lowered her head to her knees again, looking utterly self-conscious.

"Then you should also know what lies ahead for someone with this constitution. Born amid calamity, dying amid calamity—that's my fate."

"So..."

"You're my only friend. I don't want to hurt you."

"You've never hurt me, and you've never wanted to hurt anyone. Why feel so inferior? Besides, the Woeful Poison Body isn't impossible to control..."

Li Xingluo's last words made Xiao Yi Xian lift her head to look at him. Hope showed in her eyes—hope that she could become a normal person, instead of someone people kept at arm's length, too afraid to make even one friend, or to have a friend like her.

"R-really? It's possible?"

"Believe me. When have I ever lied to you? So until then, you have to believe in yourself. One day, I'll make you a normal person, completely free from the effects of the Woeful Poison Body."

Looking into Li Xingluo's resolute eyes, Xiao Yi Xian chose to believe him. Perhaps she really was too lonely in this world.

They sat close together, and Li Xingluo could see that Xiao Yi Xian's eyes were slightly swollen. It was clear she had been crying.

"All right, you must be hungry too. I went out to find food just now and made you worry."

Xiao Yi Xian returned to her earlier mood and ate the roasted meat.

As they talked, Xiao Yi Xian still felt deep down that Li Xingluo was only comforting her. She didn't believe he could truly help her control the Woeful Poison Body.

Xiao Yi Xian shared her wish: she wanted to see other parts of the continent. After being stuck in Green Mountain Town for more than ten years, she had long since grown tired of the place.

Li Xingluo had no family in this world; like Xiao Yi Xian, he was all alone. He said they could travel the continent together.

Li Xingluo had his own plans. To truly help Xiao Yi Xian, he had to become stronger. He had already become an Alchemist, though he still didn't know what grade he was. At least he had made it one-third of the way.

As for what he would gain by breaking through to Da Dou Shi and unlocking the third layer, Li Xingluo hadn't given it any thought yet.

Early the next morning, the two of them got up and stood on Xiao Lan's back, looking down over the valley. When it was finally time to leave, they felt a little reluctant.

"I wonder if we'll ever come back!"

"We definitely will."

Li Xingluo reassured her. Xiao Yi Xian smiled and nodded, her starry eyes lovely.

A month later, in Maple Forest City, a small border city in the Chuyun Empire, a man and a woman made their way along the city's main street.

They were none other than Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian.

The vendors lining both sides of the street called out their wares one after another, while crowds of pedestrians flowed past. What a lively sight.

Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian, who hadn't seen such a scene in a long time, chose a table by the street and ordered several small dishes.

They had barely sat down when the conversation at the neighboring table reached their ears.

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The auction house announced it early. They're auctioning a high-grade Black Tier Dou Technique."

"A high-grade Black Tier Dou Technique? That's a real treasure. But I bet it won't come cheap. Only the three great clans probably have the means to afford it." The speaker sighed helplessly.

"Exactly. People like us would be overjoyed to get even one high-grade Yellow Tier Dou Technique. We'd be too excited to sleep."

A high-grade Black Tier Dou Technique was enough to cause a stir in a small city like this. It looked like something interesting would happen at the auction house.

An idea sprang to life in Li Xingluo's mind. He wanted to go see the excitement for himself, and Xiao Yi Xian agreed.

After finishing their meal, they asked the shopkeeper where the auction house was and headed straight there.

The two stood in a small alley around the corner from the auction house. From the outside, it looked quite impressive.

Li Xingluo took out a black cloak and handed it to Xiao Yi Xian. She looked confused.

"What's this for? Why wear this to the auction house?"

Li Xingluo grinned and explained his plan. Xiao Yi Xian felt a little awkward.

"We're out of money, after all. We can't keep eating roasted meat forever. And that means hunting Demonic Beasts."

Xiao Yi Xian thought Li Xingluo had a point, so she said no more. Besides, they were outsiders, and with Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body, someone might discover it. That would cause them a lot of trouble.

Once Xiao Yi Xian had put it on, Li Xingluo nodded slightly. The two crossed the street and arrived at the auction house.

The guards at the entrance saw the two acting suspiciously and immediately blocked their way.

"What are you here for?"

A cold glint flashed in Li Xingluo's eyes, and the guard shuddered.

In an aged, hoarse voice, Li Xingluo replied, "This old man is here to auction something. What, does your auction house not welcome customers?"

Li Xingluo put enough pressure on the guard that the swaggering man instinctively looked away from Li Xingluo's eyes, the only part of him visible beneath the cloak.

"What's going on? Don't you know how important today is to the auction house?"

A woman with a soft voice came out of the entrance, scolding the guards.

The guard seized the chance to make his escape and immediately reported, "My lady, these two say they're here to auction something. I was just confirming it."

The woman passed by the guard, her eyes sweeping straight over Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian.

"You're here to auction something?"

"Yes. What, are we not welcome?"

The woman immediately smiled and replied, "Of course you are. I was just wondering what you intend to auction."

Seeing that the woman still didn't seem willing to let him in, Li Xingluo increased the flow of Dou Qi through his body. For some reason, when the woman saw his black robe billowing despite the absence of wind, the disdain in her eyes vanished at once.

At the same time, Li Xingluo's icy voice rang out. "Is this how the Maple Forest City auction house treats its guests? You have more rules than the imperial capital of the Chuyun Empire."

The woman wasn't a fool. She could tell that Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian were no ordinary visitors. They had come from the imperial capital.

The Maple Forest City auction house was merely a branch of the capital's Oth Auction House. The woman had worked here as an auctioneer for a full ten years, yet she still showed no signs of rising to a higher position.

Now that she had learned these people had come from the Oth Auction House in the imperial capital, how could she dare slight them?