Xiao Long paused midstep when he heard those three words, then turned to look at her, his eyebrows climbing high.
Why did everything this girl said today keep veering in the wrong direction?
When he had asked her for a jade pendant that morning, she had blushed as red as a monkey's backside.
Now she had blurted out something like that, making it sound as though he had done something shameful.
He answered without missing a beat, "I just treated a few lingering ailments of hers. You know I have an Ancestral Method that can suppress certain conditions."
Her eyes first settled on Xiao Long. His clothes were perfectly neat, and there was nothing unusual about his expression. Then she glanced over the face of Xiao Yi Xian behind him.
The girl did look much better than when she had been sitting in the courtyard earlier. Even her lips had gained a little color, rather than looking frighteningly pale.
Xiao Xun'er turned those words over in her mind.
She remembered how, when her Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame had flared up in a backlash, Xiao Long had pressed a hand against her back and forcibly subdued the fiery energy raging inside her.
That really had been nothing more than suppressing her condition. It had nothing to do with any of that other nonsense.
Her face warmed. The wild thoughts she had entertained a moment ago scattered, and she gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
Xiao Yi Xian stood beside Xiao Long. After the Horse Talisman's treatment, her body felt much more comfortable, and her energy had returned.
She looked at Xiao Xun'er's delicate little face, then glanced at the back of Xiao Long's head.
Over the past few years, she had dealt with all kinds of people on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. One glance was enough for her to read a person and the look in their eyes.
She had heard the undertone in Xiao Xun'er's earlier "that quickly?" loud and clear. This young girl probably saw her as some kind of romantic rival.
Xiao Yi Xian found it a little amusing. With her constitution, never mind falling in love-even getting too close to people was difficult. Where would she find the leisure to pine after a man?
Over all these years, Xiao Long was perhaps the only person who had grown relatively close to her...
Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly pressed down the thought that had surfaced in her heart. Until her constitution was dealt with, romance was out of the question.
"My name is Xiao Yi Xian. You must be little sister Xun'er."
Xiao Yi Xian smiled, her voice clear and crisp, pleasant to the ear.
"Xiao Long mentions you quite often."
At that, Xiao Long turned to look at Xiao Yi Xian, bewildered. When had I ever mentioned Xiao Xun'er often?
Yes, he had mentioned her once or twice.
Once, when they had met in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Yi Xian had asked where his home was.
He had told her he belonged to the Xiao Clan in Wutan City, casually adding that he had a younger sister at home. But that had been two years ago.
And it certainly had not been often.
This girl spun a tale the moment she opened her mouth, without even drafting it first.
Noticing Xiao Long's gaze, Xiao Yi Xian tilted her head and smiled at him. She was a woman; she knew what words could put another woman at ease.
All she needed to say was that Xiao Long often mentioned her, and most of the jealousy in Xiao Xun'er's heart would dissipate. Why make things so tense that swords were drawn and bows bent?
Besides, she had not lied. Xiao Long really had mentioned her. She had merely turned those two occasions into "quite often."
Sure enough, Xiao Xun'er's expression relaxed considerably.
Most of her lingering stiffness melted away. The corners of her mouth lifted, and her voice grew lighter too. "Sister Xiao Yi Xian, Brother Xiao Long has told me about you too!"
Now Xiao Long was genuinely shocked.
He had absolutely never mentioned Xiao Yi Xian in front of Xiao Xun'er. Not a single word.
His mind raced, and his first thought was Ling Ying.
That old man spent all day hiding in the shadows and following Xiao Xun'er. He had never stopped since the day she arrived at the Xiao Clan.
Perhaps he had spotted Xiao Long meeting Xiao Yi Xian in the Magical Beast Mountain Range and reported it to Xiao Xun'er afterward.
But on second thought, that did not add up either. His Rainbow Stone could control shadows. How could he fail to sense an extra person lurking in the shadows nearby?
Within a hundred zhang, he would immediately detect any presence hiding in the shadows that did not belong to him.
That left only one possibility.
This girl was lying too.
Was this what passed for courtesy between women?
How interesting!
Only moments ago, they had been sizing each other up back and forth, like two cats meeting atop a wall. Now look at them.
They were warmly calling each other sister, as though they had known each other for years. He truly could not understand friendship between women.
Xiao Long looked at Xiao Yi Xian. "Stay here for the next couple of days. I'll have someone prepare a guest courtyard for you, and we'll see how things go."
Xiao Yi Xian shook her head without a moment's hesitation. "No, I'd better head back."
As she finished speaking, she glanced toward Xiao Xun'er out of the corner of her eye.
With her constitution, staying somewhere crowded made her uneasy.
If poison gas leaked out while she slept at night, the entire Xiao Clan might suffer along with her.
It had happened before. Although it had only happened once, that one time had left her with a lifetime of pain.
She did not want something like that to happen to Xiao Long, the only friend she had now.
Xiao Long knew what she was thinking and did not press her.
Over the years, he had come to understand most of Xiao Yi Xian's temperament. She seemed easygoing, but she was actually terribly stubborn. Once she made up her mind, even ten oxen could not drag her back.
He nodded. "All right. I've just broken through to Dou Shi anyway, so I'll need to make another trip to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. I'll come find you then."
Xiao Yi Xian murmured her agreement, her expression easing a little.
Listening beside them, Xiao Xun'er felt the questions in her heart snowballing.
She could not help speaking up. "Surely it wouldn't hurt for Sister Xiao Yi Xian to stay a while? Brother Xiao Long's courtyard is big enough. One more person won't make it crowded."
But Xiao Yi Xian only smiled and waved a hand. "I appreciate your kindness, little sister Xun'er, but I still have some medicinal herbs to process. I'm afraid they'll spoil if I leave them out too long."
Xiao Xun'er did not ask any further questions.
Xiao Long stepped up to Xiao Yi Xian and lowered his voice. "Don't worry too much. I've already found a way to deal with your condition."
As he spoke, he was thinking about the Bittersweet Tree.
In the original story, Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body had ultimately been resolved by refining a Poison Pill, using a pill formula supplied by Yao Lao.
Unfortunately, even with Yao Lao reduced to a remnant soul, Xiao Long still could not use the Sheep Talisman to read his memories directly.
He could only keep entering his dreams to influence him, making Yao Lao more wholehearted and trusting toward the Xiao Clan brothers.
But now he had the Bittersweet Tree.
The Bittersweet Tree could nurture a Renewal Token. Once that token took shape, perhaps it could resolve the trouble inside her.
He just did not know whether Xiao Yi Xian would agree to give it to him.
Of course, he could not ask for it right there.
He had just received a love token from Xun'er, only to ask Xiao Yi Xian for one in front of her.
Xiao Xun'er might get so furious that she burned him clean away with her Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame!
His words made Xiao Yi Xian pause, but she knew Xiao Long would not joke about something like this.
She murmured her agreement.
"I'll be going, then. See you later."
Xiao Yi Xian waved to Xiao Xun'er as well. "Goodbye, little sister Xun'er."
"Take care on your way back, Sister Xiao Yi Xian."
Xiao Yi Xian turned and walked out at an unhurried pace. Her purple skirt swayed at the courtyard entrance before she rounded the moon gate and disappeared.
The courtyard fell quiet.
Xiao Xun'er turned her head and asked Xiao Long, "What exactly is wrong with Sister Xiao Yi Xian? Is she unwell?"
Xiao Long ruffled her hair, pressing his palm against the top of her head and mussing the hair she had just combed. "Stop thinking about it. That's her secret, and not a pleasant one for her."
Xiao Xun'er ducked her neck under his hand but did not evade it. She merely muttered, "It's not as if I'd go telling everyone."
"I know you wouldn't. But asking about something she doesn't want to discuss only puts her in a difficult position."
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