Mu Li

Little Doctor gave him a strange look and sized him up from head to toe. "Just the two of us? Why are you in such a hurry? You're only a Dou Practitioner, aren't you? Shouldn't you make more preparations? The Magic Beast Mountain Range isn't a place to be taken lightly. The outer regions may mostly have low-tier Magic Beasts, but what if we get unlucky and run into something powerful? And I've seen that cliff face from afar—it's incredibly steep. Without some strength, you simply can't climb down it."

Su Zhao shook his head, looking relaxed. "No need. Just trust me. All right, I won't disturb you any longer. See you tomorrow."

Without waiting for Little Doctor to speak again, he turned and leaped out through the window once more. After a few swift bounds, he vanished into the night.

"Huh?"

Little Doctor had not even reacted yet. She hurried to the window and leaned out, but beneath the bright moonlight and cool night breeze, the outside was utterly empty. There was not a single trace of him left.

She pursed her lips and could not help muttering softly, "Always rushing around..."

She stood by the window as the night breeze swept through her light purple hair, dispersing the lingering thread of green medicinal smoke in the room.

She lowered her head and looked at her hands, then touched her chest. That strange fluttering sensation still lingered, like an invisible thread entwining the young man's aura with her own.

Calamity Poison Body... She softly mulled over those four words, a complicated emotion she could neither explain nor understand rising within her.

So the abnormalities that had troubled her all this time were not some strange illness, nor were they her own fault. They were a kind of constitution.

And she was not the only person in this world with such a constitution.

That young man named Su Zhao... probably truly meant her no harm.

She closed the window and returned to sit by the bed, her gaze falling on the pile of medicinal herbs on the table that she had not yet had time to put away.

Those highly poisonous herbs glimmered faintly beneath the candlelight, yet as she looked at them now, the restless urge within her did not seem as intense as it had before.

Perhaps it was because she knew there was someone else like her.

Little Doctor smiled softly. Then I'll wait until tomorrow. I'd like to see what method you have.

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

Early morning Qing Mountain Town was shrouded in a thin mist. Sunlight slanted down through gaps in the eastern mountain ridge, dyeing the town's stone-paved roads a warm gold.

Quite a few people had already gathered at the town entrance. The Ten Thousand Medicine Hall's party was assembling one after another, with several carriages parked by the roadside, loaded with supplies and equipment needed for the journey into the mountains.

At the appointed time, Su Zhao arrived as promised with Su You.

From afar, he spotted Little Doctor amidst the crowd.

Today, she wore a neat light-cyan outfit suited for movement. Her light purple hair was tied into a crisp ponytail, and a bulging medicine pouch hung at her waist, making her appear far more valiant.

She stood at the front of the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall's group, speaking with several mercenaries beside her, her face bearing that familiar gentle smile.

Just as Su Zhao looked over, Little Doctor happened to raise her eyes. Their gazes met briefly in midair.

But she quickly looked away and continued speaking with the people beside her as though nothing had happened, as though she had never met Su Zhao at all.

Su Zhao could not help but smile.

This little girl was quite cautious.

He had no such reservations. Since they had already met, why pretend to be strangers?

Su Zhao walked straight through the crowd and reached Little Doctor's side in just a few steps.

Seeing that figure approach from the corner of her eye, Little Doctor's heart tightened. Instinctively, she wanted to turn away and pretend not to see him.

But Su Zhao gave her no chance to hide. He directly reached out and patted her shoulder, his tone casual and relaxed. "Hey, it's only been a little while. You don't recognize me already?"

Little Doctor froze completely.

She turned around, her eyes full of both irritation and helplessness.

How could this person be so stupid? If too many people noticed that she was close to this unfamiliar boy, how was she supposed to slip away after entering the mountains to retrieve the things in that cave?

But in full view of everyone, Su Zhao had already patted her shoulder and greeted her. If she continued pretending not to know him, that would only look even stranger.

Little Doctor could only force out a smile, her voice squeezed through clenched teeth. "So it's Young Master Su. I didn't expect you to come too."

"Hey, none of that 'Young Master Su' stuff. Just call me Su Zhao."

Little Doctor could not help rolling her eyes and lowered her voice. "You... I'm starting to question your intelligence. There are so many people watching!"

Su Zhao waved a hand dismissively and lowered his voice as well. "All right, why be so cautious? With me here, you can just lie back and win."

"Hmph, keep boasting."

Little Doctor curled her lips.

"Just don't mess things up when the time comes and make me save you."

The two bantered back and forth, neither speaking loudly. The others could not make out exactly what they were saying, but merely from their gestures, expressions, and natural familiarity, anyone could tell that this young man had no shallow relationship with Qing Mountain Town's most beloved Little Doctor.

The surrounding mercenaries immediately turned their gazes toward them. Some were curious, some envious, and some studied Su Zhao while secretly guessing at his background. Little Doctor was usually gentle and polite with everyone, but they had never seen her chatting and laughing so casually with any young man.

Yet among the crowd, one person's gaze was entirely unlike the others'.

He was a young man in his early twenties, tall and fairly handsome, but his face was now filled with a sinister gloom.

He stood at the front of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's ranks, his eyes fixed fiercely on Su Zhao and Little Doctor. His gaze practically spat fire, jealousy written all over his face, with even a faintly chilling killing intent leaking through.

Who is he?

Where did that bastard come from? How dare he act so intimate with Little Doctor!

Everyone in Qing Mountain Town knows that Little Doctor will sooner or later become Mu Li's woman!

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group was the most powerful force in Qing Mountain Town, and his father, Mu She, was a genuine Dou Master. Mu Li himself was also a Dou Practitioner, unmatched among the town's younger generation.

He had always been exceedingly attentive toward Little Doctor, giving her medicine and gifts, constantly expressing concern for her well-being. Yet Little Doctor had never given him a pleasant look. Let alone intimacy, she could barely be bothered to exchange a few extra words with him.

Now, seeing her laughing and chatting like this with an unfamiliar young man who had appeared from nowhere, Mu Li felt a surge of wicked fury shoot straight to his head.

And that bitch, Little Doctor...

Mu Li clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

Su Zhao, who had been chatting and laughing with Little Doctor up ahead, suddenly paused.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze passing over the crowd and meeting Mu Li's killing-intent-filled eyes head-on.

The instant their gazes collided, Su Zhao's eyes abruptly turned cold.

He knew that kind of frigid, pure killing intent all too well. Whether it was the workplace struggles of his previous life or the five years of lying low in this one, he had seen too many knives hidden behind smiles.

And this man before him could not even be bothered to hide it!