Xiao Fan continued staring intently at the system panel, where the Nine Character Secret was on sale.
10,000!
"System, give me a Nine Character Secret!"
[System randomly drawing!]
[Beep! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Group Secret!]
The Group Secret?
Hearing the system's voice,
Xiao Fan froze, his expression caught between laughter and tears.
The Group Secret could be used to set up all kinds of formations, with functions like trapping and killing enemies. Mastering this secret art allowed one to lay down a killing formation or an illusion formation in an instant, using formations to overcome and defeat one's foes.
If he remembered correctly, Great Emperor Beginningless had also been skilled in formations. Oh no, I'm becoming more and more like a young Great Emperor Beginningless.
Xiao Fan couldn't help feeling pleased. He thought to himself, The Group Secret is pretty good...
Just then, a light knock sounded at the door.
Xiao Yu walked in, her long, straight legs carrying her forward. Her jet-black hair fell down her back like a waterfall, swaying gently as she moved and catching the light with a captivating sheen.
She glanced at the exceptionally handsome Xiao Fan, her face reddening slightly.
She had spent some time thinking it over and decided she should face Xiao Fan, then find a chance to apologize to him and... thank him.
After all, without Xiao Fan's help, Xiao Yu wouldn't be where she was now.
"Cousin Xiao Fan, are you free? I'd like to ask you about some cultivation problems."
Xiao Yu had still come up with an excuse.
She had recently been practicing a Dou Technique she'd exchanged for at Jia Nan Academy's Scripture Pavilion, but for some reason, she couldn't execute it no matter how many times she tried.
So she'd come to Xiao Fan on the off chance he could help.
Surely her genius cousin would have a solution, right?
"I've hit a bottleneck in my cultivation recently. No matter what I do, I can't break through."
"All right, Cousin Xiao Yu..."
Xiao Fan nodded, agreeing, and the two headed to the back mountain.
Few Xiao Clan disciples ever came here, so it was especially secluded and peaceful. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, making them rustle.
Xiao Fan asked her to perform the Dou Technique.
At his words, Xiao Yu gave a light shout and performed her Dou Technique.
Wind Soaring Kill was a speed-type Dou Technique. When performed, it greatly increased Xiao Yu's speed, while blades of wind formed around her body, allowing her to slash at her enemies as she darted past. Its power was not to be underestimated.
Xiao Yu raced across the clearing on her jade-white legs, Dou Qi surging around her, yet she still couldn't perform the Dou Technique.
Xiao Fan spotted the flaw at once and offered some pointers.
"You're doing this part wrong. Your method of exerting force is off, and you haven't adjusted your breathing properly..."
They couldn't avoid some physical contact. Xiao Yu's face grew redder and redder, like the fiery evening clouds.
Her heart raced. Oh no, why is Cousin Xiao Fan standing so close?
The strange atmosphere made her forget everything she'd originally meant to say.
"All right. From here on, just practice according to what I told you, Cousin."
Xiao Fan had noticed the change in her, of course, but he hadn't paid it any mind.
After all, he'd been so handsome that girls had flocked to him since he was young. He was used to it by now.
Speaking of which, Xiao Mei seemed to be coming back soon, didn't she?
Judging by the time, she should be back in the next two or three days.
Xiao Fan couldn't help thinking again of his clingy little cousin.
He shook his head, then turned back to his older cousin.
"I still have some things to take care of. I'll see you later, Cousin."
Xiao Fan had something more important to do: he needed to test the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art he'd just obtained. So, once he'd finished teaching her, he left at once.
Xiao Yu was left standing there, feeling as though something had gone missing. She watched him walk away, a wave of disappointment welling up inside her, and murmured, "You're leaving already?"
"I... I haven't even apologized to you yet..."
Just then, a figure silently appeared in the distance. Xiao Xun'er had witnessed everything.
She wrinkled her little nose, looking a little unhappy, and grumbled inwardly, Why is Xiao Yu always clinging to Brother Xiao Fan?
By now, Xiao Fan had left the Xiao Clan, wearing a black robe that concealed his face.
He had bought some medicinal herbs at a Miteer auction house.
Then, he spread his Dou Qi wings and flew at full speed toward Green Mountain Town.
There... was a cute little Xiao Yi Xian!
Before long, Xiao Fan had followed the map to the sky above Green Mountain Town.
With his Dou Qi wings spread, he looked down below.
Close to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Green Mountain Town stood like a lonely fortress at the edge of the vast mountains.
Mountain ranges rolled around the town, and lush trees spread like a green sea, stretching farther than the eye could see.
The streets inside the town were narrow and crowded. The houses on either side were worn and simple, yet full of life.
Drugstores, blacksmiths, taverns, and other shops lined the streets. People streamed back and forth, and the town bustled with activity.
The area in front of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion in Green Mountain Town was crowded and noisy. A long line of injured people waited, craning their necks in anticipation of Xiao Yi Xian's treatment.
Xiao Fan wore a black robe, his posture straight as a pine.
He looked up and saw Xiao Yi Xian standing gracefully before him in a moon-white dress.
Her oval face seemed delicately carved, and her clear eyes shone brightly. When she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared, lending her an unmistakably sweet air.
Her black hair fell like a waterfall, loosely gathered with a plain ribbon. A few stray locks dangled beside her fair cheeks, dancing in the breeze. She was like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world, graceful and enchanting, enough to make anyone's heart yearn for her. No wonder everyone called her "Little Doctor Immortal."
At last, it was Xiao Fan's turn. Xiao Yi Xian parted her lips, her voice clear as pearls dropping onto a jade plate. "May I ask where you're injured?"
Her voice was gentle and lilting, like a babbling brook.
Xiao Fan didn't answer. He simply spoke in a low, magnetic voice. "I'd heard of the Little Doctor Immortal of Green Mountain Town, so I came especially to meet you."
At his words, a faint blush rose on Xiao Yi Xian's cheeks. She replied modestly, "The uncles in town are just flattering me. I only know a little about medicine. I really don't deserve such a reputation."
But just then, Xiao Fan lowered his voice.
He spoke so quietly that only the two of them could hear. "Is that so? Someone with a Woeful Poison Body can practice medicine, too?"
Xiao Yi Xian felt as though she'd been struck by lightning. Her delicate body trembled violently.
Her face turned as white as snow in an instant, every trace of color drained from it.
"I can cure you. If you believe me, meet me at the back mountain tonight..."
After leaving her with those words, Xiao Fan strode away steadily, his black robe fluttering in the wind like a night wraith.
Xiao Yi Xian stood rooted to the spot, storm waves crashing through her heart as fear and shock tangled together.
"How did he find out my secret? Could he really have a way to dispel the calamity of my Woeful Poison Body?"
She murmured to herself, unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes until her knuckles turned white.
As the bearer of the Woeful Poison Body, Xiao Yi Xian had endured hardship after hardship over the years.
This poison body was like a time bomb. As the years passed and her power grew, the poison inside her became more and more rampant. Even the slightest emotional disturbance could trigger an uncontrolled outburst and put other people's lives at risk.
Because of this, she lived cautiously, keeping her distance from others and enduring the pain and loneliness all by herself. Yet she had never stopped searching for a cure.
Now, the mysterious young man in the black robe had forced her into a dilemma.
She stared in the direction Xiao Fan had gone, her beautiful eyes shimmering as her thoughts tangled into a mess.
Should she go or not? The question twisted around and around in her mind, impossible to decide...