With Xiao Yi Xian's current temperament and innate kindness, she would never deal a killing blow unless her own life faced a mortal threat.
Thus, Xia Kong had already concluded that the various poisons Xiao Yi Xian had laid out were only meant to render someone unconscious, leave their limbs limp, and completely seal off the circulation of Dou Qi within their body, rather than take their life.
So he acted out the corresponding signs based on those possible symptoms.
The truth was just as he had expected: Xiao Yi Xian had used a mixed confusion poison blended from several toxic substances. Seeing that Xia Kong's reaction matched seventy to eighty percent of her expectations, she harbored little suspicion.
Watching this mysterious young man fall so easily to her tricks, Xiao Yi Xian could no longer suppress her delight. A pair of shallow dimples appeared on her pretty face, making her look especially lively and adorable.
She bent slightly closer and carefully studied the "sleeping" young man before her.
His features were handsome and refined, with a hint of coldness in his brows and eyes, yet his overall bearing was bright and striking. He was certainly a fine-looking man. His appearance faintly matched her fantasies about a future partner. Yet this very person had just behaved so presumptuously and rudely.
What should I do with this bastard who barged in without permission or invitation?
Xiao Yi Xian fell into a brief dilemma.
Kill him outright? Judging by what the young man had done earlier, that seemed far from warranted, and she had no desire to stain her hands with a life. But if she simply let him leave, she feared he would return to harass her after waking, and the hurt she felt would be hard to soothe.
Xia Kong could clearly sense how close Xiao Yi Xian was, her warm breath brushing softly against his cheek. His heart stirred, and he nearly broke character, but he forcibly suppressed every movement and quietly waited for the girl to decide. He was also very curious about how she would deal with him.
As she pondered, Xiao Yi Xian's gaze happened to fall on Xia Kong's hand.
The cup of tea was still held steadily between his fingers. Not a single drop had spilled!
Xiao Yi Xian's heart gave a sudden jolt, and she instinctively stumbled half a step backward.
Could it be that he wasn't poisoned at all?
Looking at Xia Kong's profile as he seemingly slept peacefully, she was filled with doubt. If he wasn't poisoned, why pretend to pass out? If my only means of defense failed, I'd have no way to resist him at all.
Amid her doubts, an implausible thought rose uncontrollably in her mind, one she could scarcely believe herself-could he have a special constitution like mine, with some unique attraction between us, and have come looking for me because of it?
No wonder I couldn't quite forget him after meeting him just once.
Xiao Yi Xian would never admit that she kept thinking about him because her heart had stirred for him. Instead, she instinctively attributed it to an attraction between special constitutions that did not actually exist.
With an anxious jumble of feelings, Xiao Yi Xian tightly clutched her medicine pouch in one hand and slowly reached out with the other, intending to lift his eyelid and confirm Xia Kong's true condition.
Her fingertips touched Xia Kong's eyelid without incident.
Her heart had only just begun to settle, and she had yet to fully release her breath, when Xia Kong's eyes shifted slightly and a faint smile quietly curled his lips.
"Ah!"
A startled cry escaped her lips. Without thinking, Xiao Yi Xian raised her hand and flung another dose of knockout powder from her medicine pouch straight at Xia Kong's face.
"Heh."
Amused by Xiao Yi Xian's instinctive reaction, Xia Kong chuckled.
Even if the knockout powder had no effect on him, Xia Kong did not want a faceful of powder choking him. He swept his hand out, applying the deft force of Scorching Wood Palm and using Dou Qi to generate suction. He gathered every bit of the airborne powder, then rubbed it together in his palm, forming a grayish-white pellet.
"All right, stop shouting. I haven't even laid a hand on you. Any louder, and you'll probably bring all the guards outside the courtyard running."
After that brief panic, Xiao Yi Xian quickly regained her composure. The wariness in her eyes did not lessen in the slightest, however, and she quietly shifted her feet, discreetly putting more distance between them.
"Y-you clearly weren't poisoned. Why did you deliberately pretend to faint and scare me?" Still shaken, Xiao Yi Xian even stammered a little.
"Wasn't that exactly the result you wanted? I was only granting your wish! Besides, you looked quite happy when you were smiling just now."
Xia Kong straightened up and settled back into his seat. He picked up the teacup from the table, brought it to his lips, and took a small sip, leisurely savoring the tea.
Xiao Yi Xian's lively eyes were filled with disbelief.
Is there something wrong with this man's head? He knows the tea is poisoned, yet he's drinking it as though he's savoring some rare, exquisite wine.
"You know this tea has been tampered with, so how can you still dare to drink it?" His actions had thoroughly bewildered her, leaving her unable to collect herself for quite some time.
"This is tea Xiao Yi Xian personally poured for me. Who knows how many people in Qingshan Town couldn't get such a cup no matter how much they begged? Naturally, I have to treasure it."
Although his words carried a touch of teasing flattery, Xiao Yi Xian felt an inexplicable flicker of delight upon hearing them.
He says such lovely things. Maybe I shouldn't have called him sick in the head to myself?
By now, she had vaguely realized that the man before her had no intention of harming her. Her courage grew considerably, and she was no longer as tense and awkward as before.
"But what exactly is going on with you? The tea, the cup, the incense, the bath flowers, the chair-even the gauze curtains were soaked in poison. With so many confusion poisons mixed together, even a Dou Shi or a Da Dou Shi would be knocked out! You were exposed to all of them, so how are you still acting as though nothing happened? Do you also have some special constitution that makes you immune to poison, like me?"
Hearing Xiao Yi Xian enumerate every poison trap she had set as readily as someone counting their family treasures, Xia Kong felt his head begin to ache.
As expected of the Heavenly Poison Woman who would one day make people pale at the mere mention of her. Practicing medicine and saving lives was only her sideline; poisoning was the instinct carved into her bones.
"All right, Xiao Yi Xian. The reason I wasn't poisoned is naturally because I took an antidote beforehand!"
Seeing that Xiao Yi Xian still had questions to ask, Xia Kong raised a hand to halt her curiosity and gave a brief introduction.
"There's no need to rush to figure everything out. We have plenty of time ahead of us. We've been friends for so long, yet I haven't had the chance to introduce myself. My name is Xia Kong, and I'm from Wutan City. I came to Qingshan Town partly to gain experience, and partly for you!"
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