"Oh, I've asked all my questions. What else could there be?" Xiao Yi Xian said with a nervous laugh.
"Really? I'm heading back to the mountains in a few days," Xiao Heng said, his gaze fixed on her.
"You're going back? Be careful, then!" Xiao Yi Xian's expression was like a child caught misbehaving.
"I've read the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture. Don't you have anything to ask about the last page?" Xiao Heng pressed.
"The last page? I haven't gotten there yet," she replied, feigning curiosity.
"How do the poisons taste?" he asked bluntly.
"A bit bitter, a bit astringent," Xiao Yi Xian mumbled, her voice fading.
"Consuming poisons converts them into a unique poisonous Dou Zhi Qi, rapidly boosting cultivation. It's called the Calamity Poison Body," Xiao Heng said slowly.
"Hey, where are you going?" Seeing her move toward the door, Xiao Heng swiftly blocked it.
"Since you've figured it out, stay away from me. You're my savior—I don't want to hurt you," Xiao Yi Xian said, stepping back to keep her distance, her tone heavy with resignation.
"Why keep your distance? Because an uncontrolled Calamity Poison Body kills anyone it touches, leaving barren wastelands and dead livestock in its wake?" Xiao Heng advanced, cornering the retreating Xiao Yi Xian against the wall.
They were close now—close enough for Xiao Heng to catch the faint, unique fragrance she exuded, and for her to feel the heat of his breath. That scent's stronger now, he thought.
"Don't do this!" Xiao Yi Xian pushed against him with her small hands, but her efforts were futile.
"I'm an alchemist with a Heavnely Flame. Your poisonous Dou Zhi Qi doesn't scare me," Xiao Heng said, conjuring a blue flame in his hand. The room's temperature spiked, and beads of sweat formed on Xiao Yi Xian's fair forehead.
"You're lying!" Her sharp eyes met his calm ones. Steady as a rock on the outside, but my heart's racing, he admitted inwardly.
"Don't believe me? Release some poisonous Dou Zhi Qi, and I'll prove it," he challenged.
"Fine!" She summoned a small amount of qi to her hand.
"Wait, I'm only a Dou Zhe. I can't project qi outside my body to test it," she realized suddenly.
"You're right. You need at least Dou Shi to form a qi veil outside," Xiao Heng said, momentarily stumped.
"Let me go first!" Xiao Yi Xian demanded, her face now flushed. Xiao Heng hadn't noticed her embarrassment.
"Oh!" He quickly stepped back.
"How did you know? I just started taking poisons—there shouldn't be any obvious changes," she asked, puzzled.
"Alchemists have sharper soul perception and senses than most," Xiao Heng explained.
"Senses?"
"Yeah, your scent's different from our last two meetings. There's a faint trace unique to poisons," he said without thinking.
"My scent? You pervert! Have you been stalking me?" Xiao Yi Xian retreated to the bed, as far from him as the room allowed.
"Hey, I'm a gentleman! Don't sweat the details. Any guy would notice a beautiful girl like you. I'm just… observant," Xiao Heng said, his excuse as flimsy as it was bold. Lying through my teeth, but it's working.
"Really?" Xiao Yi Xian shot him a look that said, Keep spinning your story.
"Forget that. I've got a way to test it. Channel as much Dou Zhi Qi as you can into your hand—lots of it," Xiao Heng said, his eyes glinting with a sudden idea.
"What's your plan?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"What, afraid consumables?" he teased.
"Fine!" Xiao Yi Xian focused, her delicate hand turning a deep gray-purple as she gathered qi.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Leave it to me." Xiao Heng grabbed her gray-purple hand and, to her shock, began licking it vigorously. Startled, Xiao Yi Xian instinctively increased her qi output, trying to pull away.
After a full minute, his tongue was purple. "Ah, you pervert!" Xiao Yi Xian cried, frantically wiping her hand to remove his saliva.
"It was for the test!" Xiao Heng said, swallowing dramatically.
"Are you okay? Any signs of poisoning?" she asked, scanning him anxiously.
Thud! Xiao Heng's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, motionless, his breathing stopped.
"Xiao Heng, don't fake it! You said you had a Heavenly Flame!" Xiao Yi Xian checked his nose for breath. A minute passed—nothing. "I'm so sorry!" Tears streamed down her face.
"Don't cry, I was just messing with you!" Xiao Heng gasped, nearly suffocating from holding his breath. He pulled out a handkerchief, gently wiping her tears.
"Hmph!" Xiao Yi Xian snorted, but when she realized he'd faked it, she dropped him hard onto the floor.
"Ow!" Xiao Heng yelped. "I'm sorry, I won't make you cry again," he said earnestly.
"Can you really neutralize my poison?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, drying her remaining tears.
"Watch." He summoned a blue flame, enveloping a clump of her gray-purple qi. In an instant, it transformed into a white droplet. "Pure, attribute-less Dou Zhi Qi droplet," he said.
"Your innate Heavenly Flame can refine any inanimate object or living thing weaker than you," Xiao Yi Xian said, awestruck.
"Exactly. Higher-tier objects take longer—like a ninth-tier magic core would take years. Two tiers above is ideal for quick refining without drawing attention," Xiao Heng explained.
"So, no matter how far my Calamity Poison Body progresses, controlled or not, it can't harm you?" she confirmed.
"Correct."
"That's a relief!" Xiao Yi Xian exhaled deeply. Facing the world alone, shunned by all—that loneliness would've broken me, she thought.
"And I know ways to control your Calamity Poison Body," Xiao Heng added.
"What ways?" Her eyes lit up.
"First, the Poison Pill Method." He outlined the method, listing the required materials: three Heavenly Flames, a seventh-tier magic core, and rare herbs.
"Three Heavenly Flames, a seventh-tier core, and those herbs? I'm doomed!" Xiao Yi Xian gave a bitter laugh. Heavenly Flames were legendary on the Dou Qi Continent, and absorbing three was considered madness.
"It sounds like a tall tale, but someone I know—a little brother of mine—can handle it. We'll gather the materials over time, though it'll take a while," Xiao Heng said.
"There's a second method, one I devised by adapting the Poison Pill Method with my innate Heavenly Flame," he continued.
"Tell me more!" Xiao Yi Xian leaned closer, eager to hear every detail.
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