Emperor-Grade Alchemist, The Short-Lived Ghost's Fate

The pulse reading continued, and Xiao Yuan's inner monologue did not cease.

[At three years old, she was taken by her mother to live in a small village that survived by gathering herbs, but her mother and the village died from a bizarre poisoning because of her.]

[She studied medicine with all her might, hoping to fill the void of guilt in her heart, and even more so, not wanting anyone else to die because of her.]

[Unfortunately, things went against her wishes.]

[She yearned to become an alchemist, yet because of the Woeful Poison Body, she was destined to have no connection to alchemy in this life...]

[Why must such a gentle and kind girl be dealt such a tragic fate?]

Xiao Yuan sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of injustice on behalf of Little Doctor Fairy.

But the next second, he felt the pressure on his wrist increase slightly. He looked up to see that Little Doctor Fairy's complexion had turned pale, her teeth biting down hard on her lip.

She seemed to be enduring something.

"W-what's wrong?"

Xiao Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

In his past life, he knew that you shouldn't fear a doctor who smiles, but rather one who lowers their brow.

A furrowed brow usually meant life or death was uncertain.

Moreover, seeing Little Doctor Fairy's current expression—looking as miserable as if she'd just lost her husband—made him feel that things were taking a turn for the worse.

[Don't tell me I've contracted some terminal illness?]

[That shouldn't be right, should it?]

[Even if Little Doctor Fairy is skilled in medicine, she isn't so advanced that she can diagnose obscure, incurable diseases, right?]

[And is there even such a thing as a terminal illness on the Dou Qi Continent?!]

For a moment, even Xiao Yuan became nervous.

He even forgot that he could use internal vision to check his own body.

"It's, it's nothing. You've just been a bit fatigued lately. I'll prescribe some soothing medicine; boil it into a soup, drink it, and you'll be fine after a good sleep."

Her soft voice remained as gentle as ever, like a spring breeze.

Yet her smile was no longer as tender; it was somewhat forced, as if she were suppressing some kind of emotion.

Little Doctor Fairy lowered her head, took a sheet of white paper, and scribbled down the necessary medicinal ingredients.

Watching her, Xiao Yuan breathed a small sigh of relief in his heart.

[Phew, it looks like there's nothing seriously wrong with me.]

[But for the gentle Little Doctor Fairy to show such an expression, she must have just thought of something heartbreaking.]

[That's highly likely!]

[It's definitely because she's sad about the Woeful Poison Body!]

[But it doesn't matter; it's not like there's no solution for the Woeful Poison Body.]

[It's just a pity that although I know the method, I'm not an alchemist and can't help. Even if I started learning now, it seems like it would be too late...]

[Should I force growth by pulling on the seedlings and whip Xiao Yan into shape?]

[That's not a bad idea, though it's a pity for Xiao Yan. Sigh, there's no help for it; I don't want to see Little Doctor Fairy's hair turn white overnight from excessive grief after another Woeful Poison Body flare-up.]

[As expected, you heartless author, you have no soul!!!]

Xiao Yuan had already made up his mind when, the next second, the system prompt rang out.

[Ding, congratulations on obtaining Emperor Grade Alchemist Insights.]

[These insights are the life's work left behind by an Emperor Grade Alchemist who has already ascended.]

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan's breathing turned ragged, his eyes widened, and he couldn't even manage a "holy crap."

He had always thought this damn system was a heartless pill-producing machine.

Just a moment ago, while he was complaining, it had given him a pile of miscellaneous pills.

He hadn't expected it to actually start teaching him how to fish!

And it was Emperor Grade Alchemist Insights at that!

What kind of concept was this?

One had to know that the continent's number one alchemist, Yao Chen, was only an eighth-rank high-level alchemist before his death, and only achieved the status of a ninth-rank treasure pill alchemist grandmaster after his resurrection.

Above the ninth rank was the Emperor Grade!

How could he not be excited?

At this moment, Little Doctor Fairy's breath hitched, and the tip of her brush left a blot of ink on the scrap paper.

Her beautiful eyes widened slightly, and she lifted her small, shocked face to look at the young boy in front of her.

What did she just hear?

This little boy knows how to cure her constitution?!

Although she hadn't initially known she possessed the Woeful Poison Body, she had managed to piece together the truth from Xiao Yuan's inner thoughts.

So, she wasn't beyond saving after all.

So, she could truly be cured!

She had no way of verifying the truth of Xiao Yuan's words for now, but the inner thoughts that slipped out inadvertently had to be genuine.

Unless he was truly deep-minded enough to use his own inner thoughts to deceive her.

But what could he possibly gain from her by going to such lengths?

Unfortunately, Xiao Yuan was completely unaware of Little Doctor Fairy's inner thoughts at this moment, nor did he notice her expression, as he was entirely immersed in the joy of acquiring the alchemist's experience and insights.

"Hey, kid, are you tired of living? You've been sitting there staring at Little Doctor Fairy for half a day—is she someone you're allowed to look at like that?! Get the hell out of here!"

A rough, booming shout interrupted their thoughts.

Turning his head, he saw a burly man with a Wolf Head Mercenary Group badge on his chest glaring at him with a ferocious expression.

The man deliberately leaked a trace of his six-star Dou Zhe aura, seemingly trying to force him to scram.

Behind the man, a group of people followed.

They were surrounding a rather handsome youth as they slowly walked toward them.

"You little brat, what are you looking at?! Didn't you hear me talking to you?!"

Seeing that this wet-behind-the-ears kid ignored him, the man flew into a rage, raising his fist to smash it down onto Xiao Yuan's head.

Xiao Yuan had already placed his fingertip on his Storage Ring.

Just as he was about to draw the Heaven-Slaughter Halberd, a sharp shout prevented the tragedy from unfolding.

"Stop!"

It was Little Doctor Fairy.

She stood up, her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked at the troublemaking brute, then at the youth surrounded by the crowd.

"Mu Li, this is the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, not a place for you to run wild. Take your men and leave!"

Oh, so that guy is Mu Li. Tsk tsk, he really has a face that screams 'short-lived'.

Seeing Little Doctor Fairy stand up for him, Xiao Yuan abandoned his plan to start a massacre and sat there with interest, ready to watch the show.

Little did he know, every word had fallen clearly into Little Doctor Fairy's ears.

Little Doctor Fairy suppressed a laugh, then glared at him with slight annoyance, signaling with her eyes for him to stop talking nonsense!

Xiao Yuan spread his hands, looking completely innocent.

I didn't say anything.

Regarding the eye contact between the two, the youth called Mu Li smiled faintly:

"Alright, stand down. Don't disturb Miss Little Doctor Fairy while she is seeing patients."

"Yes, Young Leader!"

The man obediently pulled back his hand, shot a threatening look at Xiao Yuan, and returned to Mu Li's side.

Mu Li then flashed what he considered a refined and gentle smile at Little Doctor Fairy and cupped his hands:

"My apologies. I didn't know Miss Little Doctor Fairy was busy. I only heard that you are heading into the mountains to gather herbs tomorrow, so I came specifically to ask if you need our protection."

"Thank you for your concern, Young Leader Mu Li, but it is unnecessary. The Myriad Medicine Pavilion has already hired the Blood Battle Mercenary Group to escort us, so there is no need to trouble you."

Facing such a blunt rejection, Mu Li didn't seem to mind, merely shrugging with ease:

"Very well. Since Miss Little Doctor Fairy doesn't need it, I won't disturb you any further. Brothers of the Wolf Head, let's pull out!"

"Yes! Young Leader!"

Dozens of burly men in the vicinity responded in unison, their synchronized tone displaying a well-trained appearance.

But those who knew them were well aware of what kind of animals they truly were.

However, just as he stepped out of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion's entrance, Mu Li suddenly turned back to stare at Xiao Yuan, a flash of sinister killing intent crossing his eyes.

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Great, I've been targeted again.