[Please recommend! Please give me recommendation votes!]
Hearing this, Lian'er's expression changed slightly. She took a small step back and looked at Xiao Yan with eyes full of wariness, leaving him rather embarrassed.
Xiao Yan's thoughts raced. He gathered his words before speaking again:
"Of course, by leaving, I don't mean leaving Qingyang City. You'll still live in Qingyang City, and I promise you won't hurt innocent people ever again."
At Xiao Yan's words, the little girl's eyes lit up with delight, and a lovely smile blossomed on her face, drawing a faint smile from Xiao Yan as well.
"Really, big brother? Lian'er won't hurt anyone ever again?"
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, saying to Lian'er:
"Mm, I'll cure your illness, and I'll bring you a big sister who's had the same illness to be your master. She's a friend of mine! Your master will treat you very well and help you become really strong!"
Lian'er's face filled with delight at his words. Ever since Xiao Yan had acted and dispersed her poisonous fog, she had been convinced that he was a formidable expert. Hearing him say this made her even more certain.
After all, experts had exacting standards. They generally chose their own disciples, and many liked to search for hidden treasures in the mortal world. It was common enough for them to find a disciple with extraordinary talent.
Thus, when Lian'er heard Xiao Yan say he would find her a master, she was overjoyed. Once she had a master, she would no longer have to be afraid. She would become an expert herself, and no one would dare bully her.
So, after exchanging a few words with Xiao Yan, Lian'er was eager to follow him.
In any case, as long as she stayed in Qingyang City, it no longer mattered whether she took a master. As long as she followed Xiao Yan, she would be safe.
And so, Xiao Yan and the little girl happily left the place together.
The little girl naively imagined that she could live safely in Qingyang City without hurting anyone, and have a formidable master to protect her.
And wasn't Xiao Yan thinking along the same lines? After finally coming across another Woeful Poison Body, he had also found a disciple for Xiao Yi Xian. How could he not be happy? How could he not look out for her?
That was right, a Woeful Poison Body. This was the third time Xiao Yan had seen one. The first was naturally Xiao Yi Xian, who had endured countless hardships before finally managing to bring her Woeful Poison Body under control.
As for the second, it was naturally the valley master of Ice River Valley, Venerable Bing He, Bing He. Although his Woeful Poison Body was artificial, if it were allowed to fully develop, its power would likely be no weaker than that of a genuine Woeful Poison Body.
So the Ice River Valley master Bing He whom Xiao Yan had encountered naturally counted as another Woeful Poison Body he had seen.
As for Lian'er, whom he had met this time, she possessed a completely genuine Woeful Poison Body. Her constitution was only in its initial stage, however, and still had quite a long way to go before it fully developed. Thus, Xiao Yan wanted to protect Lian'er while she was still at this early stage.
For one thing, he wanted to keep her from hurting others. For another, he wanted to protect her and leave Xiao Yi Xian a disciple to her liking. This way, he could have the best of both worlds.
As Xiao Yan led Lian'er along, she hid behind him the whole way, following close as if she were afraid someone might see her. Xiao Yan kept reassuring her along the way, telling her not to be afraid, which brought her even closer to him.
Before long, the two of them, one tall and one small, arrived at the Liu Clan residence. When the two guards saw that Xiao Yan had returned, one immediately ran inside to summon Liu Huabai and the others.
The other came before Xiao Yan and bowed. After a brief glance at Lian'er, he led Xiao Yan and Lian'er into the Liu Clan residence.
A moment later, Liu Huabai, the Liu Clan head, Liu Xincheng, and the other Liu Clan elders came before Xiao Yan with smiles on their faces and bowed to him.
Seeing Xiao Yan return, they all assumed he intended to stay a while longer. Unexpectedly, however, Xiao Yan explained the purpose of his return as soon as they met.
Seeing the rueful looks on Liu Huabai and the others' faces, Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head slightly before speaking:
"I didn't come back to stay with the Liu Clan any longer. I wanted to ask you for another favor."
Liu Huabai and the others raised their brows slightly and exchanged glances. Looking at the calm Xiao Yan, who showed no sign of wanting to stay, Liu Xincheng was the first to speak:
"What does Senior need our Liu Clan's help with? If it is within our ability, our Liu Clan will certainly do everything we can to help Senior."
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, then said with a smile:
"Actually, it isn't anything important."
Smiling, Xiao Yan looked at Lian'er, who was clutching his sleeve beside him, then turned back to Liu Xincheng and continued:
"It's just that after I left, I found this little girl. I saw that his constitution was good and he had extraordinary talent. As it happens, I have a good friend who was much like her when she was young, so I've reserved this disciple for her. But I can't find my friend right now, and I may run into some trouble before long. That's why I want to leave her in the Liu Clan's care for the time being."
The faces of Liu Huabai and the others twitched. He had gone out once and brought back a disciple with extraordinary talent. Either he had an incredibly discerning eye or his standards were far too low, but given Xiao Yan's strength, his standards were naturally not low.
Didn't that mean the disciple he had found for his friend already had a bright future ahead of her? If the Liu Clan could befriend her and establish a connection with her future master, wouldn't the Liu Clan's rise be inevitable?
Besides, Xiao Yan had personally brought her to them. Hadn't he done so deliberately? A sharp gleam flashed in Liu Xincheng's eyes, and his gaze toward Xiao Yan was filled with gratitude.
Xiao Yan had given the Liu Clan this excellent opportunity. How could Liu Xincheng not treasure it? Looking at Lian'er standing beside Xiao Yan, he pulled his wrinkled old face into a smile that looked very kindly.
Xiao Yan smiled slightly at this. He glanced at the timid Lian'er, then turned to Liu Huabai and said a few words. Liu Huabai dismissed the elders, keeping only the first elder, Liu Xincheng, and the four of them entered the great council hall together.
A moment later, a young man jogged into the hall.
Liu Xiang's eyes were tightly shut as Xiao Yan pressed a finger to the center of his brow. A flash of light appeared, and Liu Xiang's whole body trembled violently. After a few breaths, Liu Xiang slowly opened his eyes and nodded to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan looked at Liu Huabai and the other two and said solemnly:
"I hope this matter remains known only to the three of you. If anything happens to Lian'er in the future, I'll be counting on you."
The three nodded firmly. Xiao Yan turned to Lian'er, brought two fingers together, and touched them to the center of her brow. Lian'er timidly drew her head back, but she did not dodge.
Xiao Yan smiled and withdrew his fingers. A flash of fire appeared, and a lotus-shaped fire mark identical to the one on Xiao Yan's brow appeared on Lian'er's. Lian'er frowned and reached up to touch the slightly warm mark. She pursed her lips but said nothing.
Xiao Yan turned back to Liu Huabai and the other two, particularly Liu Xiang. Only after quite a while did he speak again:
"As for Lian'er's situation, I imagine you already know most of it from the message I transmitted to you just now."
The three nodded and answered in agreement. Seeing this, Xiao Yan continued:
"Then you also understand the sealing method?"
The three nodded again, and Liu Xincheng chuckled:
"Hehe, if we still couldn't do it even after Senior personally enlightened us, then we really would have lived our lives in vain."
Everyone smiled again at his words. Xiao Yan looked at Liu Xiang and continued:
"Of the three of you, I feel relatively reassured about Clan Head Liu and the first elder. Only you, Liu Xiang, have seen little of the world. When Lian'er's condition erupts, you might not be able to control it. That's why I've left my Fire God Seal inside Lian'er. It's enough to completely suppress the poisonous fog in her body, so you can rest assured when the time comes. I won't let anything happen to you."
Liu Xiang's expression changed slightly, but in the end he nodded with a resolute look. Seeing this, Xiao Yan smiled in satisfaction, then headed out of the hall.