"What..."
As they stepped through the stone door, the view before them suddenly widened.
Xiao Yi Xian's cherry-red lips parted slightly, her face full of astonishment.
It wasn't because the stone chamber was especially spacious, nor because the withered bones on the central seat looked especially eerie.
It was because of what had been stored here.
Her beautiful eyes fixed on a small flower bed piled up with soil in the corner.
All kinds of flowers and herbs grew in the bed, their fragrance lingering in the air.
Even from a distance, Xiao Yi Xian could spot many precious medicinal herbs. She immediately hurried over.
"Purple Blue Leaf, White Spirit Ginseng Fruit, Snow Lotus Seed..."
One after another, the names of rare, hard-to-find high-grade medicinal herbs slipped from Xiao Yi Xian's rosy lips.
As for the hill of several hundred thousand glittering gold coins piled in the other corner, Xiao Yi Xian didn't even glance at it.
Xiao Yuan wasn't interested either. Thinking he would just pack it all up and take it with him later, he walked toward the Bluestone Platform set up in front of the central seat.
Three stone boxes sat on the platform.
Xiao Yuan did as before, pulling the Heaven-Slaughter Halberd from his Storage Ring and swinging it hard. The lids of all three stone boxes shattered at once.
Then he flicked out a wisp of flame, burning the bones on the seat to ashes, and put the remaining Exotic Flame Fragment Map into his Storage Ring.
Look for a key?
Sorry, too much trouble. He couldn't be bothered.
Then he picked up the three ancient scrolls stored inside the stone boxes.
"An Earth-Rank Dou Technique... I already have Eight Extremities Collapse, so this isn't much use. I'll take it and let Ya Fei sell it."
"Flying Dou Technique: Eagle Wings... This one's pretty good, but finding the materials is too much trouble. I should take it to Ya Fei; she ought to get a good price for it..."
Though he'd known from the start what was inside the stone boxes, that didn't stop him from feeling the satisfaction of looting everything and making off with it.
As for the last, colorful ancient scroll...
Xiao Yuan instinctively looked over at Xiao Yi Xian. She had just finished at the flower bed and was walking back toward him.
"Here, Xiao Yuan, take a look! I can't believe they even have one of these here!"
Like a little girl showing off a new toy, she proudly held the herb in her hands up to him, her face alight with excitement.
It was Ice Spirit Flame Grass.
Its leaves were white and red. The white stems were dotted with what looked like ice crystals, while the fiery-red crown seemed to blaze like a flame. Two completely opposite colors and attributes grew together on a single plant. It was truly wondrous.
A faint mist curled around the plant, making it look as if it had grown among the clouds.
Xiao Yuan examined it for a while, then shook his head.
"Put it away, preferably with the soil still around it. That way, the Ice Spirit Flame Grass will stay alive longer."
To that end, he even summoned Life Spirit Flame, restoring the vitality of the Ice Spirit Flame Grass, which had been pulled from the soil.
But Xiao Yuan's actions left Xiao Yi Xian bewildered.
"Ice Spirit Flame Grass is so precious. Xiao Yuan, you must be an alchemist, right? You really don't want it?"
This time, it was Xiao Yuan's turn to look at Xiao Yi Xian strangely.
In the original story, Xiao Yi Xian had been desperate to get this Ice Spirit Flame Grass, hadn't she? But Xiao Yan really wanted it, so she gave it to him.
Why is she offering it to me so readily now?
And I really am not interested in alchemy. The only reason I'm learning it is to make a Poison Pill for you and help you control your Woeful Poison Body!
Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained an Exotic Flame Map.
The notification this time left Xiao Yuan a little surprised.
This time, I got an Exotic Flame Map?
I wonder which Heavenly Flame it points to...
But if I look at it that way, all I need to make the Poison Pill now is a portion of Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva and a Heavenly Flame...
As for the Heavenly Flame, I can go to the Tagor Desert and get the Green Lotus Core Flame. I'm going there to find Qing Lin anyway, and I can check in on those two cheap cousins while I'm at it.
Hearing these scattered thoughts from Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes widened. She puffed out her cheeks and forcibly stuffed the Ice Spirit Flame Grass into his hands.
"You have to take this Ice Spirit Flame Grass!"
Even as a physician, she knew perfectly well how precious the Ice Spirit Flame Grass was.
How could she possibly covet such a precious herb?
Keeping it herself would be a complete waste!
And what surprised her even more was that this young man, whom she treated like a little brother, was learning alchemy just to help her resolve the problem of her Woeful Poison Body.
They had known each other for less than three days, all told, yet Xiao Yuan made her feel as if he had known her for a very, very long time...
Though Xiao Yi Xian couldn't tell whether Xiao Yuan's inner thoughts were true, that didn't stop her heart from swelling with emotion.
Since her mother's death, this was the first time anyone had cared about her so much...
"All right, then. I'll take it."
Xiao Yuan couldn't get the better of Xiao Yi Xian, so in the end, he put the Ice Spirit Flame Grass, along with some soil, into a porcelain bottle and tossed it into his Storage Ring.
Then he added,
"But I have a gift for you, too, big sister Xiao Yi Xian."
He picked up the last colorful scroll and, mimicking Xiao Yi Xian's earlier move, forcibly stuffed it into her arms.
"...The Seven-Colored Poison Scripture?"
The instant Xiao Yi Xian picked up the scroll and saw its name, her breath caught.
She knew very well that this was the opportunity Xiao Yuan had mentioned.
Given her constitution, nothing could suit her better than a scripture on preparing poisons.
But as she thought of that, a trace of sadness appeared on Xiao Yi Xian's pretty face.
What she wanted most was to become an alchemist, not a poison master, someone others despised and feared.
Xiao Yuan knew what Xiao Yi Xian was thinking, so he comforted her.
"Don't worry, big sister Xiao Yi Xian. I understand your constitution. If you don't mind, I can help you."
His words made Xiao Yi Xian's nose sting.
Hearing it from him directly moved her even more than hearing it in his thoughts.
Right now, she really, really wanted to let herself cry.
But in the end, she pressed her lips tightly together and forced down all her emotions. After holding back her tears, she raised her head and looked at Xiao Yuan.
She tried to put a familiar smile on her pretty face and said softly,
"Thank you... But Xiao Yuan, why are you helping me?"
Xiao Yi Xian did her best to keep her tone light, but she couldn't hide the tremor in her voice.
She truly couldn't understand. She had an ill-fated poison body, so why would anyone go to such lengths to help her?
Was it just because she was pretty?
"Because you're kind."
Xiao Yuan grinned, breaking the somber, sorrowful mood.
Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help giggling. She rolled her eyes at him, then lightly tapped him with her small, rosy fist and chided,
"You're always fooling around."
"But still, thank you, Xiao Yuan. Thank you for being willing to trust me."
Xiao Yi Xian thanked him again and put the Poison Scripture, which she had been clutching tightly, into her Storage Ring.
She didn't reject Xiao Yuan's kindness.
Though it had come so suddenly and seemed so strange,
if it was this young man standing before her, she would be willing to believe him, even if it were a lie.