Xiao Yi Xian, the Hidden Cache in the Cave

Lu Xia stood on the hillside, his gaze sweeping over the town before quickly locking onto his target.

Outside a medicine shop in town, a young girl in a pale white dress was crouching on the ground, carefully sorting medicinal herbs.

She looked fifteen or sixteen, with her hair gathered into a simple bun and a few loose strands hanging beside her cheeks, gently stirred by the wind.

She was not breathtakingly beautiful, but she was pleasant to look at, carrying a fresh, ethereal air like a clear mountain spring—clean and lively.

As she sorted the herbs, the girl occasionally looked up and smiled as she greeted the townspeople passing by.

She was Xiao Yi Xian.

Lu Xia stood hidden in the shadows and watched her quietly for a while.

Just as she had been described in the original work, she was gentle and kind, as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

It was hard to imagine that such a seemingly frail and kind girl would, in a few years, become the feared master of the Poison Sect, the Heavenly Poison Woman.

Lu Xia watched for a while without revealing himself.

If he rashly appeared now and claimed he could help her solve the problem of her Woeful Poison Body, he would only scare her away.

After all, if a stranger suddenly appeared before you and said he knew your secret and could help resolve it, anyone would be on guard.

Besides, he needed to prepare a few things as well.

Lu Xia withdrew his gaze, turned, and headed toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

On a sheer cliff at the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, there was a cave.

Inside the cave was a hidden cache left behind by a predecessor.

Lu Xia intended to obtain the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, a cultivation technique suited for the Woeful Poison Body.

Although this technique could not compare to his Nine Revolutions Poison Art, it was already considered one of the finest poison cultivation techniques on the Dou Qi Continent.

For the current Xiao Yi Xian, it could not have been more suitable.

Aside from the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, there was also a fragment of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame map, as well as a High Xuan Tier flying Dou Technique, Eagle's Wings.

These items were not particularly useful to Lu Xia.

He needed the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame map fragment as well, but there was no rush.

As for Eagle's Wings, there was even less need to mention it. With his Dou Emperor cultivation, he could already fly through the air, so a flying Dou Technique was of little use to him.

But they would be just right as gifts for Xiao Yi Xian.

Lu Xia's figure flashed rapidly as he darted into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

After traveling through the mountains for half a day, Lu Xia finally arrived at the cliff.

The cliff was steep, as if it had been cleaved by blades and axes, dropping straight down into unfathomable depths.

Lu Xia stood at the edge, glanced down, and jumped without the slightest hesitation.

The wind howled past his ears as he flew through the air.

Within a few breaths, he landed steadily on a platform in front of the cave.

The platform was not large, only several yards across. Behind it was a pitch-black cave, its entrance hidden by vines; one would never notice it without looking closely.

"This is the place."

A faint curve appeared on Lu Xia's lips. He stepped forward and waved his hand, brushing aside the vines covering the entrance.

Behind the vines was indeed a cave.

Lu Xia knew there was no danger here.

He strode inside.

The cave was small and empty. On a stone platform within sat a skeleton.

The skeleton wore a decayed green robe and sat there with a faint residual pressure still emanating from it. Its owner must have been a powerful expert in life.

Lu Xia cupped his hands toward the skeleton, offering a token gesture of respect.

No matter what, since he was taking someone else's belongings, he ought to show this much courtesy.

After paying his respects, Lu Xia stepped forward and began searching around the skeleton.

Very quickly, he found a black scroll and three keys in the skeleton's embrace.

The scroll felt slightly cool in his hand. Its material was unusual, and it had been preserved exceptionally well.

Lu Xia unrolled the scroll and glanced at it. A damaged map was drawn upon it.

It was the fragment of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame map.

"As expected, it's here."

Lu Xia nodded in satisfaction and placed the scroll into his storage ring.

Although it was only a map fragment and was currently of little use, he could keep it for now and slowly gather the rest in the future.

After putting away the scroll, Lu Xia picked up the three keys and looked toward the three stone boxes beside the skeleton.

The three stone boxes stood side by side on the stone platform, all covered in dust. Clearly, no one had come here for many years.

Lu Xia took the first key, inserted it into the keyhole of the first stone box, and gave it a gentle turn.

"Click."

The lid of the stone box opened.

Inside lay a thin booklet. Four large characters were written on its cover: Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

Lu Xia picked up the booklet and flipped through it.

It recorded a poison cultivation technique specifically tailored for the Woeful Poison Body, covering poison refinement, poisoning methods, and much more.

"Not bad."

Lu Xia nodded.

This cultivation technique had been made specifically for the Woeful Poison Body. It would allow its practitioner to better control the toxins within her body and use poisons to raise her cultivation.

Lu Xia put away the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, then picked up the second key and opened the second stone box.

Inside the second stone box was a beast-hide scroll.

When he unrolled it, he saw that it recorded the High Xuan Tier flying Dou Technique, Eagle's Wings.

"High Xuan Tier..."

Lu Xia shook his head, somewhat disappointed.

To him, a High Xuan Tier Dou Technique was simply too weak.

Still, it would be just right for Xiao Yi Xian.

Her cultivation was still low. With a flying Dou Technique, her ability to preserve her life would improve considerably.

Lu Xia put away the beast-hide scroll as well.

Finally, he picked up the third key and looked toward the third stone box.

In the original work, Xiao Yan had been unable to open this stone box because Mu Li of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had suddenly appeared.

Lu Xia had always been curious about what exactly was inside.

"Let me see what's in here."

Expectation in his eyes, Lu Xia inserted the third key into the keyhole.

"Click."

The lock opened.

Lu Xia slowly lifted the lid of the stone box.

Inside lay a neatly folded piece of soft armor.

The soft armor was silvery white and extremely thin, appearing to be made of silk. Fine patterns covered its surface, giving off a faint gleam.

Judging by its style, it should have been made for a woman.

"Soft armor?"

Lu Xia raised an eyebrow and reached out to pick it up.

It was extremely light in his hand, almost weightless, yet it felt remarkably tough to the touch. Its material was unusual, as though it had been woven from the silk of some Magical Beast.

Lu Xia circulated his Dou Qi and lightly slashed across the soft armor.

Not even a white mark was left on it.

"Decent defense."

Lu Xia's eyes lit up.

By his estimate, this soft armor should be able to withstand the full-force attack of a Da Dou Shi. Even a Dou Ling would need to put in some effort to break through its defenses.

This was a fine item indeed.

For someone with low cultivation, a good piece of protective soft armor was practically a second life.

Lu Xia nodded in satisfaction and stored the soft armor in his storage ring as well.

The three items—the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, Eagle's Wings, and the protective soft armor—were all perfectly suited for Xiao Yi Xian.

With these three things, winning Xiao Yi Xian over should not be a problem.

Lu Xia swept his gaze around the cave once more. Only after confirming that nothing had been overlooked did he turn and leave.

He put the vines at the entrance back in place, concealing it tightly until it looked exactly as it had before.