"Xiao Yi Xian, I mean, it's your constitution I'm interested in. Your constitution!"
After choosing his words, Ling Feng continued, repeating himself at the end for emphasis.
"My constitution?"
Xiao Yi Xian looked at Ling Feng doubtfully.
Ling Feng continued spinning his tale. "That's right, your constitution. You bear a body of calamity, so your family, your parents, and everyone who stayed by your side died because of you. Am I right?"
"How did you know?!"
Xiao Yi Xian stared at Ling Feng in horror. This was a secret buried deep in her heart, and a pain she would carry there forever.
As one of the important supporting characters in the original story, Xiao Yi Xian was a pitiful girl who possessed an innate calamity poison body.
The innate calamity poison body was an extremely rare constitution, immensely powerful and difficult to control.
Xiao Yi Xian's parents, friends, and relatives had all been poisoned to death when her poison body erupted during her childhood and she could not control its toxicity.
However, Xiao Yi Xian did not know that her special constitution was the cause of it all.
The deaths of her parents and loved ones had become an everlasting wound in her heart. That was why she spent every day saving lives and tending the injured, hoping to find a little peace.
"No one can hide anything from these eyes of mine."
His eyes widened, and the Sharingan appeared again as Ling Feng continued his bluff. "Your constitution is the rare woeful poison body. I'm certain of that, because I have a friend who was also born with a woeful poison body."
At this crucial moment, Ling Feng did not forget to conjure a friend out of thin air to make his story more convincing.
"A woeful poison body? I have a woeful poison body?"
Xiao Yi Xian had clearly taken the bait. Ling Feng chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained utterly serious as his Sharingan faded again.
"That's right. The innate calamity poison body is an extremely rare constitution, immensely powerful and difficult to control. That friend of mine couldn't control herself as a child, and the loved ones around her died because of her."
"But that isn't even the truly terrifying part of the woeful poison body. Once its bearer activates her poison body, it spirals out of control. When her strength can no longer suppress the poisonous Dou Qi inside her, her body explodes and she dies, spreading poisonous gas over the surrounding area. Wherever that poison spreads, all living things perish, and not a blade of grass remains..."
After hearing Ling Feng's explanation, Xiao Yi Xian turned deathly pale. Painful memories long sealed away surged back, reddening her eyes and filling them with tears.
"So I really am someone who brings misfortune."
Xiao Yi Xian crouched down, hugged her knees, and sobbed in grief. Ling Feng, who had only meant to coax her into leaving with him, suddenly fell silent, his face filled with pity and guilt.
He had been so focused on taking Xiao Yi Xian with him that he had overlooked her feelings. Shame and remorse flooded him.
Ling Feng stepped forward and crouched beside her, stroking her little head as he comforted her gently.
"Silly girl, you were born with this constitution. It isn't your fault. Fate played a cruel trick on you, and what we must do is fight against it. I believe your parents and friends wouldn't blame you. In fact, they'd all want you to live well."
"Really?"
At Ling Feng's comforting words, Xiao Yi Xian finally raised her tear-streaked face. Her beautiful, watery eyes gazed at him with hope, as though yearning for his reassurance.
Understanding what she needed, Ling Feng gave her a sunny smile. "Of course."
Ling Feng's smile gave Xiao Yi Xian fresh hope, and her tears stopped for the moment. But when she thought of her constitution, she lowered her head again and murmured dejectedly, "But... my constitution. I don't want to hurt anyone else..."
"Silly girl, it's not as if the woeful poison body can't be controlled."
Ling Feng smiled as he stroked her flowing raven hair. She immediately raised her head, her large eyes fixed on him and brimming with hope.
"You have a way to control the woeful poison body?"
"Of course."
Ling Feng smiled confidently. "Didn't I tell you I have a friend with a woeful poison body? That friend can control it."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Xiao Yi Xian broke into a smile through her tears. Seeing her smile, Ling Feng breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as well, continuing to encourage her. "Xiao Yi Xian, the woeful poison body isn't that frightening. As long as you can control it, not only will you survive, you'll gain tremendous power and become a powerful cultivator."
"I don't hope for any of that. I only want to treat illnesses and save lives."
Xiao Yi Xian clearly had no interest in becoming powerful. But when she saw the three Wolf Head mercenaries behind Ling Feng, their eyes vacant and their bodies like walking corpses, she asked, "But, big brother, I'm curious. Just how strong are you? Those three seem to be under your control."
Ling Feng glanced at the three Wolf Head mercenaries she indicated, then turned back to her with a smile. "Those three are indeed under my control. As for my strength, it's hard to say. What I can tell you is that there's no one in the Jia Ma Empire I wouldn't dare cross."
Ling Feng had not forgotten his mission, mixing deception with swagger. Xiao Yi Xian knew nothing of that. His confident smile inexplicably drew her in, leaving her without the slightest doubt. Instead, her heartbeat quickened. At that moment, she found him extraordinarily captivating and lost herself for a moment.
"Xiao Yi Xian, what's wrong?"
Unaware of the change in her feelings, Ling Feng waved a hand before her face when he saw her staring blankly at him.
"I... I'm fine."
Coming back to her senses, Xiao Yi Xian blushed, looking a little guilty. She lowered her head slightly and hurriedly changed the subject. "Oh, right, big brother, what's your name?"
"My name is Ling Feng. You can just call me by my name."
Ling Feng smiled casually, but Xiao Yi Xian did not follow his suggestion. Instead, she addressed him respectfully. "Big Brother Ling Feng, can you help me resolve the problem with my constitution?"
There had clearly been a marked change in Xiao Yi Xian's attitude toward him.
"Yes, of course I can."
At her request, Ling Feng's eyes lit up. Without a second thought, he nodded. "But you'll have to leave this place with me. Are you willing?"
As he spoke, Ling Feng looked sincerely at the innocent girl before him, every bit a silver-tongued child trafficker.
Xiao Yi Xian had no idea that she had walked into his trap. In her eyes, Ling Feng was a good person who would not harm her.
After all, she still did not understand how powerful her constitution was, nor did she know of a certain someone's plans to nurture her. She merely thought that if Ling Feng wanted to hurt her, he would not need to go to so much trouble. She had no power to resist him anyway.
So, without much thought, Xiao Yi Xian nodded and answered earnestly, "Yes. But I have to go back and take care of a few things first. I'm a physician at the Myriad Medicine Pavilion in Qingshan Town. I can't leave without saying goodbye."
Hearing this, Ling Feng was ecstatic, and a broad smile spread across his face. Wonderful! Xiao Yi Xian has finally taken the bait.
"No problem. I'll go with you to resign right now..."
In excellent spirits, Ling Feng took Xiao Yi Xian's hand and was about to head to Qingshan Town with her.
Having her hand suddenly taken by Ling Feng made Xiao Yi Xian blush again, but for some inexplicable reason, she did not pull away. Instead, she suddenly said, "Wait, Big Brother Ling Feng."
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Yi Xian pointed at the sheer cliff behind them. "I want to go down below that cliff."
"Why?"
Ling Feng looked at Xiao Yi Xian in puzzlement. She led him to the edge of the cliff, pointed toward a spot below, and slowly explained.
"It's like this. There's a hidden cave below that cliff, probably left behind by someone from an earlier generation. I discovered it by chance while gathering herbs. But a magical beast lairs outside the cave, so I didn't dare go down. If that Three-Headed Ape hadn't chased me into a corner today, I wouldn't have run here, intending to go down and stake my life on one desperate gamble..."
"A cliff? A cave?"
Before Xiao Yi Xian finished speaking, something seemed to occur to Ling Feng. As he thought it over, his eyes suddenly widened. I remember Xiao Yi Xian finding a fortuitous opportunity in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Could it be... this is the treasure cache containing the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map?!