"Master Ling, it's been four months since Brother Xiao Yuan left Wutan City, hasn't it? How has he been lately?"
"Everything is well, Miss."
"Tell me more."
"Yes."
The figure kneeling on one knee not far from Xun'er reported every detail of Xiao Yuan's experiences over the past four months.
After listening, Xun'er's smile deepened. A hint of admiration and affection flickered in her soft, limpid eyes.
"Brother Xiao Yuan is still as bold as ever."
In just four short months, he had risen from Da Dou Shi to the Dou Emperor realm.
And with the strength of a One-Star Dou Emperor, he had defeated the Amethyst Winged Lion King and taken him as his mount.
She was genuinely happy for Xiao Yuan.
Only...
She thought of Xiao Yi Xian.
Her gaze drifted toward the lush scenery in the distance, as though it could pass over layer upon layer of mountains and settle on the pale figure nestled in Xiao Yuan's arms, a thousand miles away.
She thought about what Ling Ying had just told her about Xiao Yi Xian.
To help Xiao Yi Xian resolve the problem of her Woeful Poison Body, her Brother Xiao Yuan had journeyed thousands of miles to the Chu Yun Empire.
At that thought, Xun'er let out a quiet sigh.
"Never mind. I'll leave her to it."
She knew her Brother Xiao Yuan was simply that kind of person.
When she had been young and suffering under the torment of the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heaven Flame, Xiao Yuan had likewise stepped forward without hesitation, giving her his most precious and pure Fire Spirit Body.
Whenever she thought of it, a blissful smile would rise to her lips.
"But Brother Xiao Yuan might run into danger on this trip to the Chu Yun Empire..."
The Chu Yun Empire was different from the Jia Ma Empire.
The Jia Ma Empire's strongest expert was only a Nine-Star Dou Emperor, while the Chu Yun Empire truly had a Dou Zong holding down the fort.
That expert was Xie Biyan, the Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect.
"Master Ling, I'll leave it to you to keep protecting Brother Xiao Yuan from the shadows. If that old geezer Xie Biyan dares to lay a hand on him, inform the clan. The Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect won't be allowed to exist anymore."
Ling Ying was taken aback. He hadn't expected his young lady to be willing to call on the clan's power for Xiao Yuan.
After all, Xun'er wasn't Gu Yuan, and she held hardly any sway within the Ancient Clan.
Only after her coming-of-age ceremony, when she displayed peerless strength and powerful bloodline energy, would she earn a position of real importance within the clan.
Still, he accepted her orders.
"Yes, Miss."
After Ling Ying left, Xun'er looked into the distance once more and murmured softly:
"Brother Xiao Yuan has grown so strong. I can't afford to fall behind, either."
She had already reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Emperor realm.
She was only one step away from becoming a Dou Zong!
In the original story, Xiao Yan, then a Dou Emperor, Zi Yan, who had advanced to the sixth rank, and Queen Medusa, who had broken through to the Dou Zong realm, had taken four and a half days to travel from Jia Ma Holy City to the heart of the Chu Yun Empire.
Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yi Xian, riding the Amethyst Winged Lion King, took even longer.
It was a week before they finally entered the Chu Yun Empire.
The Chu Yun Empire was another nation that stood in the Northwest Region of the Dou Qi Continent.
Though it bordered the Jia Ma Empire, the two were hereditary enemies.
Perhaps because it was influenced by the Ancient Nether Poison Swamp, the country was most famous for its poisonous creatures and poison masters.
The most surprising thing was that the Chu Yun Empire wasn't as chaotic as the Black-Corner Region, as one might expect. It had at least some semblance of order.
Though there wasn't much of it.
As they walked along a street in the Chu Yun Empire, nearly everything in sight was some brightly colored poisonous creature or a vendor selling all sorts of poisons.
Most passersby had Dou Qi tainted with poison coursing through their bodies.
But perhaps because the sixth-rank Amethyst Winged Lion King was with them, the local ruffians didn't dare bother the two outsiders.
Seeing the pitiful children around them, emaciated from the torment of their poisonous Dou Qi, stirred something in Xiao Yi Xian.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Yuan noticed that Xiao Yi Xian seemed distracted. He took her hand, its fingertips cool to the touch, and her body stiffened slightly.
But she didn't pull away.
She only shook her head.
"Nothing. I was just thinking... The Chu Yun Empire is clearly much wealthier than Qingshan Town, yet these children are even worse off..."
It was no surprise to Xiao Yuan that Xiao Yi Xian would say something like that.
In fact, if she hadn't made such a remark, he would've wondered whether the kindhearted beauty beside him had been possessed by some old monster.
And yet, Xiao Yi Xian's next words shook him even more than that observation.
"Besides, everything here feels strangely familiar..."
Xiao Yi Xian's memories of childhood had long since grown hazy.
She only remembered that she and her mother had wandered from place to place when she was young, before finally settling in a village. That was where her memories began.
But when Xiao Yuan heard her say that, his heart gave a jolt.
Could Xiao Yi Xian be from the Chu Yun Empire?
No, that's actually quite likely...
After all, all things are born of the earth and nourished by it.
How could a constitution like the Innate Calamity Poison Body have been born in the Jia Ma Empire, where there wasn't even a single poison master?
And if I remember right, in the original story, Xiao Yi Xian's first stop after parting ways with Xiao Yan was the Chu Yun Empire.
It was in a small mountain village there that she was taken in by an elderly couple who had no children. Then her Woeful Poison Body erupted, killing them in the most agonizing way and leaving Xiao Yi Xian's hair white overnight...
Thinking about it that way, everything seemed to make sense.
Hearing his thoughts, Xiao Yi Xian understood that Xiao Yuan was worried about her. A stone seemed to drop into the calm lake of her heart, sending ripples across it once more.
A gentle smile appeared on her face as she gave his hand a light squeeze.
"Come on, I was only thinking aloud. Don't dwell on it. Didn't you say you'd take me to the Ancient Nether Poison Swamp to get the Nether Poison Fire? Let's go."
With that, Xiao Yi Xian took his hand and quickened her pace.
Her steps were light, and she showed no sign of worry.
Her actions also managed to disrupt Xiao Yuan's train of thought.
That's right. With me here, how could I let kindhearted Xiao Yi Xian become the Heavenly Poison Maiden, doomed to suffer countless hardships?
Still, the Chu Yun Empire really isn't weak. It seems even stronger than the Jia Ma Empire.
He thought of Xie Biyan, the Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect, one of the three major powers Xiao Yi Xian had united to invade the Jia Ma Empire in the original story.
He was a terrifying Dou Zong, with the Soul Hall behind him.
Ugh, if I can help it, I'd better not run into him.
But based on all my years of reading web novels, avoiding him probably won't be possible. Those faint, intermittent gazes that have followed us since we entered the city might even belong to them...
Indeed.
Though the mighty Amethyst Winged Lion King had been enough to deter petty troublemakers, it seemed to have attracted an even bigger problem.
Ding! Congratulations, you have received one Dou Zong Experience Card.
As the notification sounded, a pleased smile gradually curled Xiao Yuan's lips.
This Dog System seemed to be getting more and more considerate.