A Sincere Embrace

After resolving the issue with the Star Spirit Flower, the atmosphere in the valley grew even more congenial.

Sunlight filtered through the thin mist, gilding them both with a warm golden glow.

Lin Hai glanced at the sky and spoke as if offhandedly. "I'm planning to venture into the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range to look for a few unusual medicinal herbs. The paths there are complicated, poisonous miasma is everywhere, and some of the herbs have strange habits..." He paused, his gaze naturally settling on Xiao Yi Xian, carrying just the right hint of invitation and a touch of concern. "You've gathered herbs around Green Mountain Town for years, so you must know the outer reaches of the range well. I was wondering... would you be willing to guide me for a while? Of course, I'd never let you go anywhere dangerous."

His tone was sincere and his reasons sound. He affirmed her value while showing concern for her, making it difficult to refuse.

Xiao Yixian's heart suddenly beat several times faster.

Go into the mountains with him? That meant more time together, a chance to see more sides of him, and perhaps... to learn more, too.

She barely hesitated before nodding. Her voice held a hint of excitement she didn't even notice herself. "Mm, all right! Let's go together! I know the outer reaches very well. I know a few safe paths, and I can help us avoid some of the common miasma zones."

Seeing the light glimmering in her eyes, Lin Hai's lips lifted in the faintest smile.

After making some preparations, the two of them entered the dense Magical Beast Mountain Range, one after the other.

Lin Hai deliberately slowed his pace, walking just behind Xiao Yixian's side. He could look out for her at any moment without making her feel pressured.

Xiao Yixian really was familiar with the place. She darted along the narrow trails as lightly as a forest sprite, pointing out hidden poisonous mushrooms, vines with paralyzing effects, and traces that suggested a low-tier magical beast might have a nest nearby. Her voice was bright, and she wore the small, proud air of someone sharing secrets.

Lin Hai listened attentively, nodding now and then. Occasionally, he asked a precise question or two, making Xiao Yixian feel she'd found a kindred spirit and drawing her further into the conversation.

As they ventured deeper, the surroundings grew quieter. Towering trees blotted out the light, and the forest dimmed around them.

Lin Hai also began to shift the conversation, little by little, so subtly it was hard to notice.

He moved from discussing medicinal herbs to strange tales from across the continent and various unusual constitutions.

"...So, the Dou Qi Continent is full of wonders. Some people are born with extraordinary gifts and can control flames from birth; they have the Fire Spirit Body. Others can communicate with plants and trees; they have the Wood Spirit Body. If properly guided, these constitutions can be an unparalleled boon. But without anyone to guide them, or if they're misunderstood, they can lead to tragedy—or even turn their own power against them." Lin Hai's voice was calm, as if he were telling a story, but his deep gaze watched Xiao Yixian's reaction closely.

Xiao Yixian listened intently, envy showing in her eyes alongside a hint of sadness she could barely conceal.

She subconsciously touched her wrist. Something hidden there seemed to be a secret no one else knew.

Lin Hai appeared not to notice the small gesture. Continuing in a tone tinged with regret, he said, "This is especially true of an extremely rare constitution known as the 'Woeful Poison Body.'"

The words "Woeful Poison Body" struck Xiao Yixian's heart like an icicle!

Her delicate body stiffened, and she stopped in her tracks. The color drained from her face at a visible pace until she was as pale as paper.

She looked up at Lin Hai, her eyes full of undisguised terror and panic, along with the helpless despair of someone whose deepest secret had been exposed!

He knew! He really did know! Was that why he'd approached her? What was he planning to do?!

Terror seized her, so overwhelming she nearly turned and fled.

Yet Lin Hai's expression remained calm, even tinged with pity and understanding. There was not a trace of disgust, greed, or fear.

He didn't question her or move closer. He simply stopped and watched her in silence, as if waiting for her to calm down.

His extraordinary composure was instead like a wordless reassurance, easing the turmoil in Xiao Yixian's heart a little. But her body remained tense, like a startled fawn.

"Who... who are you, exactly?" Xiao Yixian's voice was dry and trembling, almost breaking into a sob. "How do you know... know..."

Lin Hai sighed softly, his tone gentler still, almost aching with sympathy. "I don't just know. I also know how much pain and loneliness it's brought you. You're afraid of hurting anyone, so you hide away in Green Mountain Town, keeping company with medicinal herbs. You hide yourself so carefully that you don't even dare make friends, afraid that one day you'll lose control and hurt the people around you. When you see others freely reaching out to people and living their lives, you must feel envious—and miserable, too, don't you?"

Every word was like a key, precisely unlocking the doors to Xiao Yixian's buried hurt and fear.

These pains had been buried deep in her heart, never spoken aloud to anyone. Now he had put them into words so casually, yet with such uncanny precision.

Xiao Yixian's defenses crumbled completely. Tears poured down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.

She leaned helplessly against the cold tree trunk beside her, her slender shoulders trembling as she let out a muffled, despairing sob.

"I didn't want this... I'm not a monster... I really didn't want this..." She wept incoherently, all the hurt and fear she'd kept bottled up for years erupting at last.

Lin Hai stepped forward but didn't touch her. He stopped at a distance that would make her feel safe, his voice low and strong as each word reached her clearly:

"Of course you're not a monster."

"The Woeful Poison Body doesn't mean despair is your only path."

"I can solve it."

Her sobbing stopped abruptly.

Xiao Yixian jerked her head up, her tear-soaked lashes trembling as she stared at Lin Hai in disbelief, as if he'd just told her a fairy tale.

Solve it?

The Woeful Poison Body—an affliction recorded in countless ancient texts as incurable, a source of endless calamity—and he said... he could solve it?

"What... what did you say?" Her voice was as faint as a whisper, filled with immense hope and an even deeper disbelief, as if she feared she was only imagining it in her despair.

"I said I can help you control your Woeful Poison Body completely, even master it perfectly." Lin Hai's gaze was firm as a rock, carrying an absolute confidence no one could doubt. "I can turn it from a curse into a gift and a power all your own. You won't have to fear hurting anyone anymore. You'll be free to bask in the sunlight, free to make friends, free to... pursue the path of alchemy—and go further than anyone else."

He slowly held out his hand, palm up. He wasn't trying to touch her; it was an invitation, a promise.

"Trust me."

Those three words weighed more than a thousand catties.

Xiao Yixian stared at him, at those eyes deep as a sea of stars. There was no deceit or pity in them, only a conviction and strength that seemed almost miraculous.

In that moment, all her doubts and fears seemed so insignificant before a promise so immense it could overturn fate itself.

Hadn't she struggled all these years, waiting for hope, waiting for someone to pull her out of endless darkness?

And now that person stood before her, telling her the darkness could end and dawn was near.

The overwhelming rush of emotion nearly made her stagger. She looked at Lin Hai's outstretched hand, which seemed like the only piece of driftwood in her life.

In the end, all her emotions burst forth like floodwaters breaching a dam. She was no longer a herb-gathering girl who carefully hid herself. Like a child who had suffered too much and finally found someone to lean on, she suddenly rushed forward—not toward his hand, but into his arms—and clung tightly to him, sobbing aloud.

This time, her sobs were no longer desperate. They were an outpouring, a release, a trust and dependence that handed over every burden at last.

Lin Hai stiffened slightly, then relaxed. After a moment's hesitation, he gently wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders and let her tears soak into his clothes.

He could feel the frailty of the body in his arms, and the unreserved trust pouring out of her.

He knew that from this moment on, Xiao Yixian's heart had been won completely.

Not through strength, not through resources, but by giving her the one thing she longed for when she was at her most desperate—hope and salvation.

Deep in the shadowy Magical Beast Mountain Range, a bargain had been struck: hope in exchange for a pure heart, laid bare by despair.