Maple Forest City

Xiao Yi Xian turned her head to see a familiar figure. Just as she was about to stand up, a thought crossed her mind that made her pause; the good mood she had only just recovered was once again swallowed by dejection.

Xiao Yi Xian buried her head between her knees; she did not want to see tragedy repeat itself.

"Don't come over!" Xiao Yi Xian heard footsteps approaching from behind and spoke up to stop them.

Li Xingluo's foot, which had been mid-stride, froze in place, but in the end, he continued to walk forward.

Seeing that Li Xingluo ignored her warning and kept approaching, Xiao Yi Xian turned her body to the side.

Li Xingluo sat down slowly beside Xiao Yi Xian and looked up at the night sky, which was already dotted with stars.

"Xiao Yi Xian, I know what you are afraid of. Are you afraid that you will lose me as a friend because of who you are? Are you afraid that your Woeful Poison Body will erupt and cause my death?"

The moment the words "Woeful Poison Body" were spoken, Xiao Yi Xian slowly turned her head to look at Li Xingluo, her face filled with disbelief.

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

Xiao Yi Xian nodded slightly, though her body remained turned away.

Li Xingluo smiled faintly—the kind of smile that was truly healing.

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

Before Li Xingluo could finish his sentence, Xiao Yi Xian lowered her head back onto her knees, looking deeply insecure.

"Then you must also know what the future holds for someone with this constitution. Born in poison, dying in poison—that is my fate."

"So..."

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

"You have never hurt me, nor have you ever intended to hurt anyone. Why be so insecure? Besides, the Woeful Poison Body is not impossible to control..."

Li Xingluo's final sentence made Xiao Yi Xian look up at him. One could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes—the hope of becoming a normal person, rather than someone others kept at a distance, someone who dared not make friends and whom no one would dare to befriend.

"Re, really? Is it possible?"

"Believe in me. When have I ever lied to you? But before that, you must have confidence. One day, I will make you a normal person, completely unaffected by the Woeful Poison Body."

Watching Li Xingluo's firm gaze, Xiao Yi Xian chose to believe him. Perhaps, in this world, she was truly too lonely.

The two were very close, and Li Xingluo could see that Xiao Yi Xian's eyes were slightly red and swollen; it was clear she had been crying.

"Alright, you must be hungry. I went out to find some food earlier, and I'm sorry for making you worry."

Xiao Yi Xian returned to her previous state, eating the roasted meat.

As they talked, Xiao Yi Xian felt in her heart that Li Xingluo was merely comforting her; she did not truly believe he could help her control the Woeful Poison Body.

Xiao Yi Xian voiced her wish to see other parts of the continent, having long grown tired of being trapped in Green Mountain Town for over a decade.

Li Xingluo had no family in this world and was just as solitary as Xiao Yi Xian, so he suggested they travel the continent together.

Li Xingluo had his own plans; to truly help Xiao Yi Xian, he had to become stronger. Now that he had become an Alchemist, even though he didn't know his rank yet, he had at least succeeded by one-third.

As for what he would gain upon breaking through to the Dou Grandmaster realm and unsealing the third layer, Li Xingluo had not yet considered it.

Early the next morning, the two rose early and stood on the back of Xiao Lan, looking down at the valley below. When it was finally time to leave, they felt a lingering reluctance.

"I wonder if we will ever be able to return!"

"We definitely will."

Li Xingluo comforted her, and Xiao Yi Xian nodded with a smile, her star-like eyes looking beautiful.

A month later, in Maple Forest City, a small border town of the Chuyun Empire, a man and a woman walked along the main street.

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

The cries of vendors on both sides of the street rose and fell, and the flow of pedestrians was endless; it was a truly bustling scene.

Having not seen such a sight for a long time, Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian chose a seat by the street and ordered a few small dishes.

Just as they sat down, the voices of three people at the neighboring table reached them.

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The auction house released news early on that they are auctioning a High-Xuan Tier Dou Technique."

"A High-Xuan Tier Dou Technique? That's a good item, but it certainly won't be cheap. I fear only the three great families have the strength to bid for it," the speaker sighed helplessly.

"Who's to say otherwise? For people like us, even having a High-Huang Tier Dou Technique would be enough to keep us awake with joy."

A High-Xuan Tier Dou Technique was enough to cause a sensation in such a small city. It seemed some interesting things were about to happen at the auction house.

A thought ignited in Li Xingluo's mind to go and join the excitement, and Xiao Yi Xian agreed with his idea.

After finishing their meal, the two asked the shopkeeper for the location of the auction house and headed straight there.

Standing in an alleyway around the corner from the auction house, the building looked quite decent from the outside.

Li Xingluo took out a black cloak and handed it to Xiao Yi Xian, who looked at him in confusion.

"What is this for? Why wear this to an auction house?"

Li Xingluo chuckled and explained the idea he had in mind, leaving Xiao Yi Xian feeling a little embarrassed.

"It's not like I'm out of money, but we can't just keep eating roasted meat forever. That requires hunting Magical Beasts, after all."

Xiao Yi Xian felt that what Li Xingluo said made sense, so she didn't say anything more. Besides, as outsiders—especially with Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body—it was possible someone might discover her secret, which would be quite troublesome for them.

Once Xiao Yi Xian was dressed and ready, Li Xingluo gave a slight nod, and the two crossed the street to arrive at the auction house.

The guards at the entrance saw Li Xingluo and his companion acting furtively and immediately blocked their path.

"What are you doing here?"

A flash of coldness crossed Li Xingluo's eyes, causing the guard to shudder involuntarily.

Li Xingluo replied in a slightly aged, raspy voice, "This old man is here to auction some items. What, does your auction house not welcome guests?"

Li Xingluo exerted enough pressure to make the arrogant guard instinctively avert his gaze from the only part of Li Xingluo's face visible beneath his hood.

"What is happening here? Do you not realize the importance of today to the auction house?"

A woman with a soft, melodious voice walked out from the main gate, reprimanding the guards at the entrance.

The guard, looking for a way out, immediately reported, "Reporting to you, Milady, these two claim to be here to auction items, and this subordinate was just verifying their intent."

The woman brushed past the guard, her eyes sweeping directly over Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian.

"Are you here to auction items?"

"That is correct. What, are we not welcome?"

The woman immediately smiled and replied, "Of course not. It is just that I am curious as to what it is you wish to auction?"

Seeing that the woman had no intention of letting them inside, Li Xingluo intensified the circulation of his Dou Qi. For some reason, the moment the woman saw his black robes billowing without a breeze, her dismissive expression changed instantly.

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

The woman was no fool; she naturally understood that Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian were not simple people and that they had come from the imperial capital.

The Maple Forest City auction house was merely a branch of the Aus Auction House in the capital. The woman had been an auctioneer here for a full ten years, yet she still showed no signs of being promoted to a higher level.

Now that she heard they were people who had connections to the Aus Auction House in the capital, how could she dare to be negligent?