Mountain Training and Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body

Deep in the forest, a third-order Flame Tiger fled for its life, battered and terrified. As it ran, it kept glancing over its shoulder.

After several looks revealed no sign of the figure carrying the Giant Ruler, an almost human expression of relief appeared on the tiger's face.

"Looking for me?"

It had barely thought to catch its breath when a voice that chilled it to the bone sounded above its head.

It jerked its head up. The young man with the Giant Ruler had wings on his back and hovered directly overhead.

Before the tiger could react, a fist the size of a sandbag slammed into its skull. Its brains splattered, and it died on the spot.

The young man carrying the Giant Ruler was none other than Xiao Yan, training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Since leaving the cave, Xiao Yan had been honing his skills in the mountain range, fighting all kinds of Magical Beasts to sharpen his combat experience.

The results had been striking.

Though Xiao Yan was only a Dou Shi, he could now crush a Third-Order Magical Beast with ease. If he fought for his life, even a Fourth-Order Magical Beast would be within his reach.

After all, with the Ox, Horse, Dog, and Tiger Talismans, Xiao Yan had little reason to fear injury. When it came to staying alive, he was nearly unbeatable.

Xiao Yan pulled out a small knife and began dressing the Flame Tiger's carcass with practiced ease.

Yao Lao, watching from within the ring, had long since grown numb to the sight.

Over the past few days, he had seen the full extent of Xiao Yan's terrifying strength and physique. The boy could hardly be called human. He was a Magical Beast in human form.

"Whew. Time to head back to Qingshan Town. Another day in these woods and I'll turn into a savage." After finishing with the carcass, Xiao Yan glanced down at his tattered clothes and laughed at himself.

He took a fresh set of clothes from his Storage Ring and changed. Following the map, he returned to Qingshan Town before long.

Once in town, Xiao Yan found an inn and rented a room.

After days of fighting beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he reeked of blood.

Xiao Yan treated himself to a long bath and scrubbed the smell away.

"Well, well. You're young, but you're certainly well-endowed." Yao Lao's voice suddenly rang out while Xiao Yan was bathing.

At that, Xiao Yan scratched his head, uncharacteristically embarrassed.

After his bath, Xiao Yan collapsed onto the bed. The tension drained from him, and before long, he fell fast asleep.

The next day.

Xiao Yan did not wake until the sun was high in the sky. He had slept wonderfully.

During his training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he had to stay alert to every rustle around him. His nerves were always taut, and he could never get a proper night's sleep.

Once he was ready, Xiao Yan left the inn and headed straight for the Myriad Medicine Pavilion.

To his surprise, he searched the place several times without catching sight of Xiao Yi Xian.

"Where's Xiao Yi Xian? Why isn't she here?" Xiao Yan asked, stopping a shop assistant.

"Xiao Yi Xian isn't feeling well today. She's resting at home, so she didn't come in." The assistant looked him up and down before answering.

"Do you know where she lives? I need to speak with her." Something about the assistant's stare made Xiao Yan uncomfortable.

The assistant was about to refuse, but Mr. Yao noticed Xiao Yan's fine clothes and hurried over.

"Li Fei, get back to work. I'll attend to this gentleman." Mr. Yao gave the assistant a stern look.

The moment he turned to Xiao Yan, his expression changed to an ingratiating smile. "Sir, may I ask why you're looking for Xiao Yi Xian?"

"Nothing much. There's something I need her to confirm," Xiao Yan said evenly.

"You see, Xiao Yi Xian works for the Myriad Medicine Pavilion. We do have to consider her safety..."

Mr. Yao's eyes darted about as he put on a troubled look.

Xiao Yan knew exactly what that performance meant. The man wanted something in return.

"Here." Xiao Yan took a Pill from his Storage Ring and tossed it to Mr. Yao.

Mr. Yao caught it in a fluster. When he saw that it was a Pill, he froze in shock.

Anyone who could casually hand out Pills was either a young master from a powerful family or an Alchemist...

Either way, he could not afford to offend him.

Mr. Yao grew even more respectful and personally led Xiao Yan to Xiao Yi Xian's home.

Li Fei, who had been hiding nearby and listening, heard every word.

Once Xiao Yan and Mr. Yao were out of sight, Li Fei thought for a moment, then ran toward the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

As for Xiao Yi Xian, she truly was unwell today. It had nothing to do with her monthly cycle; the problem lay in her constitution.

It flared up once or twice a year. Whenever it did, unbearable pain spread through her body and lasted a day or two before easing.

She had no idea what caused it. She had searched through countless medical texts without finding a single relevant account, and medicine did nothing to help. All she could do was endure it.

As Xiao Yi Xian lay in bed, gritting her teeth against the pain, her keen ears caught a faint noise outside the courtyard.

Forcing herself up, she looked out and saw her employer, Mr. Yao, leading someone toward her courtyard.

Xiao Yi Xian frowned. She took a small packet of medicine from the table, tucked it against her body, then opened the door and stepped outside.

"Xiao Yi Xian, this gentleman has business with you, so I brought him over." Mr. Yao smiled obsequiously.

At the sight of his expression, Xiao Yi Xian made no effort to hide her disgust.

She knew Mr. Yao well enough to guess he had taken another favor. Bringing a stranger straight to her home for a reward made her sick.

She turned to Xiao Yan and paused. Wasn't he the strange man who had bought the map?

Mr. Yao's smile grew even more fawning. "Sir, I'll leave you and Xiao Yi Xian to talk."

Xiao Yan nodded.

Once Mr. Yao had gone, Xiao Yi Xian asked, "What do you want with me?"

Xiao Yan glanced at the fence between them and raised an eyebrow. "Are we talking out here?"

"...Come in." Xiao Yi Xian hesitated, then opened the courtyard gate for him. The wariness on her face had not faded.

They sat on stone chairs in the courtyard. One look at Xiao Yi Xian's pale face told Xiao Yan what she was going through.

"Not feeling well?" he asked softly.

"If that's all you came to talk about, you can leave now." Tormented by pain, Xiao Yi Xian sounded especially impatient.

Xiao Yan took no offense. He brought the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture out of his Storage Ring and gently slid it across to her:

"I don't think you know what's happening to your body. Read this first. Then we'll talk."

"What's this...?" Dubious, Xiao Yi Xian picked up the Poison Scripture and began turning its pages.

Xiao Yan did not rush her. He took a tea set from his Storage Ring, brewed himself a cup, and sipped it at his leisure.

He poured Xiao Yi Xian a cup as well and set it gently beside her hand.

She turned page after page until she reached the method for identifying the Woeful Poison Body. Her already pale face went deathly white.

Her lips trembled as she whispered:

"The Seven-Colored Hidden Line on my abdomen... I have... the Woeful Poison Body."