Nether Poison Flame

At an inn, Li Xingluo took out the scroll he had just snatched from An Yun.

The aged-looking scroll unfurled slowly. It showed a marsh, with a peculiar symbol in its westernmost part. There was nothing else unusual about it.

Li Xingluo couldn't help wondering whether that flash of inspiration he'd had was mistaken.

Li Xingluo studied the scroll, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as his brows drew together.

Whether it was at the auction or when he'd first picked up the scroll and felt that inexplicable flicker of inspiration, he couldn't shake the feeling that it concealed some unknown secret.

Li Xingluo examined it over and over, yet still couldn't find anything useful on the scroll.

Lost in thought, Li Xingluo accidentally knocked over the teacup beside him. The tea spilled at once, splashing a little onto the scroll.

Li Xingluo hurriedly picked it up and shook it hard, never imagining it would absorb water so readily.

The tea from the cup was absorbed in an instant. At a loss, Li Xingluo held the slightly damp scroll up toward the light.

He meant to dry it with the warmth of the lamp, but this unintentional move left him thrilled.

The light revealed the scroll's clear, intricate lines, and words that hadn't been there before appeared.

In the upper-right corner of the scroll, four bold characters read: Nether Poison Swamp.

Below them was a line of smaller text: The Nether Poison Flame was born in the Nether Poison Swamp, formed by absorbing the swamp's miasma and transforming it into the energy of heaven and earth. It possessed the strongest poison.

Nether Poison Flame? The four characters appeared before Li Xingluo's eyes. It ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking?

Next, the peculiar symbol on the original scroll slowly transformed into the shape of the Nether Poison Flame.

Li Xingluo couldn't keep the smile off his face. He'd never expected an unintentional act to lead him to a clue about a Heavenly Flame.

According to the scroll, the Nether Poison Flame lay in the northwestern part of the Chuyun Empire, and it even included a detailed route.

Li Xingluo slowly lowered the scroll and noticed the black ring flashing, giving off a faint red glow.

Li Xingluo realized why he'd felt a faint connection the first time he saw the scroll at the auction. It seemed the black ring was the reason.

Though he'd found a clue to the Nether Poison Flame, the scroll also described the dangers of the Nether Poison Swamp. Li Xingluo's expression dimmed a little.

This was the first step toward fulfilling his wish. He had to take it. His resolve firmed, but one thing still troubled him: Xiao Yi Xian would definitely go with him.

To reduce the risk, Li Xingluo put away the scroll and stepped outside. He stopped in front of Xiao Yi Xian's room, his raised hand suspended in midair. Perhaps she was already asleep at this hour.

Li Xingluo had just turned to leave when the door creaked open from within.

Li Xingluo awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Can't sleep either?"

Li Xingluo nodded, and Xiao Yi Xian let him into her room.

Seeing that Xiao Yi Xian was wide awake, Li Xingluo seemed to find his answer in her expression.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yeah, I..."

"Hm? This doesn't sound like you. You never used to beat around the bush."

"Xiao Yi Xian, I want to learn how to use poison."

Li Xingluo knew the Nether Poison Swamp had to be connected to poison. Xiao Yi Xian might be able to use her methods to get him there.

But he feared that if Xiao Yi Xian used too much poison, she would trigger her Woeful Poison Body again. Li Xingluo had no way to control it now—not even to suppress it.

If he learned how to use poison, he could go alone when the time came. Though he knew Xiao Yi Xian would surely follow him anyway.

At least then he could ease the pressure on her. With that thought weighing on him, Li Xingluo couldn't sleep, so he'd come to win Xiao Yi Xian's approval that very night.

In fact, during the month-long journey to the Chuyun Empire, Li Xingluo had asked many times to learn how to use poison, but Xiao Yi Xian hadn't been willing to teach him.

Perhaps Xiao Yi Xian feared Li Xingluo would become like her.

Now that Li Xingluo had brought up learning poison arts again, Xiao Yi Xian's first instinct was still to refuse. Poison arts were useful, but they could also corrode the practitioner from within.

If his cultivation and willpower weren't strong enough, the poison could turn on him.

Li Xingluo seemed to know Xiao Yi Xian was about to refuse again, so he hurriedly said, "Xiao Yi Xian, have you forgotten the bet we made today?"

Xiao Yi Xian's lips had just parted when she heard him. She froze, dumbfounded. So this guy had deliberately set a trap for her to fall into?

"I..."

"Good, then you haven't forgotten. Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I won't use myself as a test subject."

Li Xingluo had hit on what worried Xiao Yi Xian most. Sure enough, at his words she froze, as if she'd been shaken to find her innermost thoughts laid bare.

"I know what you're thinking. You're afraid I'll use myself as a test subject to fulfill my promise to control your Woeful Poison Body. Don't worry. I promise I won't do that without your consent."

Li Xingluo spoke earnestly and even raised his hand to swear an oath.

Xiao Yi Xian understood even more clearly why Li Xingluo had kept pestering her to teach him poison arts. Seeing what he was willing to do for her, a warm current welled up in her heart.

She reached out to cover Li Xingluo's mouth before he could speak, her cheeks turning slightly red.

"Fine, I'll teach you, but you have to listen to me. Otherwise, I won't teach you."

"Okay!" Li Xingluo answered without hesitation.

"I can teach you poison arts, but you have to promise me that you won't absorb even a wisp of poison when your Woeful Poison Body erupts. You should know that even a wisp of its poison would be enough to kill you."

Li Xingluo's guess had been right. Xiao Yi Xian's expression was very serious.

"No problem. I'm not stupid. Life is good, so why would I go looking for death?"

Li Xingluo acted as if he didn't have a care in the world, but Xiao Yi Xian wouldn't believe him, no matter how he put it.

The more time they spent together, the more warmth Xiao Yi Xian felt from Li Xingluo. No one had ever cared for her so much.

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head slightly, knowing he was only saying that to reassure her.

"This is an introductory book. Read it first, then come find me when you're done."

Xiao Yi Xian took out a book and handed it to Li Xingluo. He'd gone to such lengths just to get her to teach him.

Grinning, Li Xingluo took the book back to his room, promising to finish it and learn everything in it within three days.

Watching Li Xingluo leave with the book, brimming with excitement, Xiao Yi Xian fell into a brief silence. For a moment, she didn't know whether she'd done the right thing.

But her heart was no longer cold, and a happy smile spread across her face.

In the An Family's main hall in Maple Forest City, An Batian had returned to his clan. He saw the corpse of a clan elder lying on the floor.

After scanning the hall, his gaze settled on An Yun.

"What happened here?"

An Yun embellished the story, describing how domineering Li Xingluo had been, how he'd blocked An Yun's way as he returned to the clan, and how he'd robbed them of everything they had.

An Yun still didn't know Li Xingluo's name, so he could only call him the black-robed man. He also repeatedly reminded An Batian that the man was one of the two people in the private room opposite them at the auction.

The more An Batian heard, the angrier he became. Not only had Li Xingluo killed a clan elder, he'd also injured the men traveling with An Yun and robbed them of everything.

"Does he really think there's no one in Maple Forest City who can stand up to the An Family?"