The Woeful Poison Body

"No matter what you see in a moment, you must never think of taking your own life.

That is my condition."

Xia Kong paused briefly, his gaze fixed firmly on Xiao Yi Xian's clear eyes, his tone growing more emphatic.

"Of course, what I want even more is for you never to wish for death, no matter when it is or how desperate your situation becomes. Trust me. I'll be standing behind you."

Xiao Yi Xian froze for a moment, her face full of bewilderment.

"Huh? What kind of condition is that?"

"You finally got something to hold over me, and that's all you're asking for?"

Have I lost the knack for swaying my hips, or can you not raise your spear? Amid her confusion, a faint, inexplicable disappointment flickered in her eyes, yet an almost imperceptible warmth stirred in her heart.

Xia Kong's words sounded both absurd and a little embarrassingly sentimental, but the solemn sincerity in those bright, dark eyes could not be faked.

"That's right. That is my condition. Will you agree?"

Xia Kong asked for confirmation again, raising his hand to offer Xiao Yi Xian the ancient scroll of the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

"I never wanted to kill myself in the first place. You really make no sense."

Xiao Yi Xian remained stubborn in her words, but the way she reached out and accepted the scroll had already given him her answer. Yet a sudden, ominous foreboding rose in her heart.

Though they had not known each other long, she had already gained some understanding of Xia Kong's temperament. He never loosed an arrow without a target; he would not say something so laden with meaning for no reason. Her gaze strayed toward the stark white skeleton in the center of the stone chamber, and she could not help wondering how this predecessor had died.

With her heart full of unease, Xiao Yi Xian slowly unrolled the scroll and lowered her head to study its contents.

The various poison formulas and methods of preparing medicines recorded at the beginning held her interest. But when she reached the passage describing the characteristics of an innate, unusual poisonous constitution-the woeful poison body-the gentle, tranquil smile on her face vanished little by little. The color drained from her face just as swiftly, leaving her white as paper in an instant.

"So... I have the woeful poison body. I was born a source of calamity."

Xiao Yi Xian murmured, utterly distraught.

Xia Kong understood perfectly the pain and despair churning within her at that moment.

When her constitution first erupted in childhood, her parents and everyone in her village had died in a single night. After that tragedy, she had resolved to become an Alchemist, but lacking the necessary talent, she could only settle for becoming a physician who saved lives and tended the wounded.

Yet reality had dealt her a brutal blow. Even living peacefully as a physician had become an extravagant hope. In the future, she would inevitably become a poison master reviled and feared by everyone in the Jia Ma Empire.

Even if she did nothing, the woeful poison body would erupt one day.

When that happened, myriad poisons would gnaw at her heart, her flesh would suffer endless torment, and her mind would spiral into uncontrollable madness. Not a blade of grass would survive for a thousand miles around her; every living thing would wither away.

What a scene of utter despair that would be.

If she did not want to become a madwoman, endure bone-eroding agony, or once again implicate the innocent people around her as she had in childhood, there seemed to be only one path left before Xiao Yi Xian-ending her own life. While the poison within her remained weak, she could strangle this calamity in its cradle.

Only then did she fully understand the purpose behind Xia Kong's earlier words.

Tears swiftly clouded her eyes. Looking at Xia Kong, Xiao Yi Xian forced an unbearably bitter smile.

She no longer had the strength to ask why Xia Kong seemed to have known everything in advance. It was as though her entire being had sunk into a gray gloom, and she stared blankly at a future in which she could see almost no hope or light.

Seeing that her emotions had settled slightly and she could finally take in his words, Xia Kong reached out and gently wiped the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. He deliberately lightened his tone, trying to comfort her.

"All right, if you keep crying, you'll turn into a little cat with a smudged face. That won't look pretty."

"Hic~"

Xia Kong's comfort was like the first ray of light breaking through the darkness.

"Wuu..."

Xiao Yi Xian let out a couple of muffled, aggrieved whimpers. Xia Kong's attitude toward her had not changed in the slightest; if anything, he showed her even more concern than before. The emotions pent up within her nearly burst their banks.

But the young woman's pride kept her from crying aloud in front of someone else. Afraid of losing her dignity before Xia Kong and never being able to hold her head up around him again, she could only struggle to hold it in, her shoulders trembling faintly.

Unable to bear the sight, Xia Kong reached out and drew her into his arms, letting her rest against his chest. He patted her back gently, again and again, helping her calm down.

The spacious stone chamber fell silent, leaving only their mingling breaths and heartbeats.

The warmth from his chest gradually dispelled the bone-chilling cold shrouding Xiao Yi Xian's heart, and her tangled thoughts slowly settled.

As her thoughts shifted, detail after detail surfaced in her mind.

Xia Kong seemed to have known all along that I have the woeful poison body?

He also seemed to have known that the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture contained the secrets of this constitution?!

He even knew some of my past!!!

Otherwise, he would never have made her promise beforehand not to take her own life, much less shown such perfectly timed, heartfelt concern, as though he truly shared her pain.

Though he knew everything, the affection he revealed was utterly genuine.

It was precisely this that dismantled her defenses layer by layer, until she had fallen completely without even realizing it.

She had fallen without a reason, yet it felt perfectly natural.

Having gathered herself a little, Xiao Yi Xian nestled in his arms and lightly clenched her fist. With a trace of almost coquettish resentment, she gave Xia Kong's chest a gentle thump, venting her grievance at having been maneuvered by him every step of the way.

"You... how did you know about this terrible, unfortunate constitution of mine?"

The soft punch felt like a massage to Xia Kong, leaving him thoroughly baffled. But he had known from the outset that he had approached Xiao Yi Xian with a purpose and had his own designs concerning her, so he paid no mind to the little gesture and quickly considered how to respond.

Just then, a sudden realization flashed through Xiao Yi Xian's mind. She recalled the scene from that night, and crimson instantly spread across her cheeks.

"Wait! Don't tell me you saw something that night?"

The scene from that night flashed uncontrollably through Xia Kong's mind: rippling water in the bathtub, a hazy outline faintly visible amid the petals, like a young lotus just revealing its pointed bud.

"No, of course not! It was such a brief moment, and the water was covered in petals. What could I possibly have seen?"

Xia Kong spoke with absolute certainty.

Half convinced and half doubtful, Xiao Yi Xian suppressed the jumble of fancies in her mind and repeated her earlier question.

"Haha, well, I told you before. I have a special source of information."

At that, Xiao Yi Xian's delicate brows drew together slightly. Clearly, she was not entirely convinced, because Xia Kong had used this excuse to fob her off before.

After a brief silence, she lifted her eyes to Xia Kong. They were filled with caution, and her voice faltered like a drowning person clutching at the last piece of driftwood.

"Then, when you said you would be standing behind me... does that mean you also have a way to resolve my woeful poison body?"

She asked with extreme care, afraid that the instant she touched a glimmer of hope, she would tumble into even deeper despair.

Xia Kong had originally intended to tease her a little-to shake his head and say there was no solution before revealing a turning point. But seeing the young woman in his arms so anxious and full of expectation, how could he bear to hurt her again?

Meeting her gaze, burning with hope, Xia Kong grew solemn and slowly nodded.