The violent poison Dou Qi dissipated in an instant, leaving only the two figures embracing in the room.
A long moment passed, and their lips finally parted.
Seeing Xiao Yixian's face flushed deep red, her legs almost giving out, Lin Ran's lips curled slightly into a smile. He didn't make any further moves, simply standing there, watching her quietly.
He had to admit, from this angle, Xiao Yixian looked truly beautiful.
She had always carried a clear, ethereal air about her, but now, thanks to the intoxication from the poison, her cheeks were dusted with rouge, her eyes carrying an unnatural allure. That contrast between purity and seduction made her charm spike to a whole new level.
It wasn't until quite some time had passed that Xiao Yixian finally returned to her senses from that almost dreamlike state.
Suddenly, her beautiful eyes snapped open wide in shock.
Seeing the handsome face so close to hers, Xiao Yixian let out a soft squeak, immediately covering her burning cheeks with her hands, and dove into the thin blanket to hide. Her wide eyes shimmered as if they could burst into tears at any moment.
"You, you, I… I..."
She stuttered uncontrollably, unable to form a complete sentence. Then, as if something important came to mind, she abruptly poked her head out from under the covers and looked around.
"The poison... right, the poison!"
She had consumed a tremendous amount of poisonous material in a short time, and then lost control of her poison Dou Qi. She was almost certain that her Woeful Poison Body had already erupted just moments ago.
But when she looked around the room…
Everything was just as it had been before. The air was clear, the furnishings untouched.
Xiao Yixian froze, puzzled. She lowered the blanket hesitantly and stepped off the bed, walking to the window and glancing outside.
The little courtyard remained as peaceful as ever, with lush grass, clear air, birds chirping from time to time, and butterflies fluttering past.
'How could this be? My poison body definitely...'
She murmured, then her delicate body tensed up all at once, her beautiful face showing pure shock as she turned to stare at Lin Ran.
"It... it was you?!"
Though she'd been semi-conscious during the earlier surge of poison Dou Qi, the only one who could've possibly suppressed her poison body outbreak with such ease was the mysterious man before her.
Someone who could touch a Woeful Poison Body without suffering, who could suppress the terrifying poison eruption and leave no trace of harm to the surroundings—could such a person really exist?
"It was me."
Lin Ran smiled casually, walking up to Xiao Yixian and pinching her still-pink cheeks.
"Woeful Poison Body might be strange, but it's not something that can kill just anyone. If it were a mature, full-stage Woeful Poison Body, maybe I'd find it troublesome. But you? A little girl who's just awakened her poison constitution—you think you can affect me?"
'Little girl...? You don't look that much older than me!'
Xiao Yixian glanced at Lin Ran's youthful and handsome face and muttered internally.
The fact that her poison body had been suppressed without harming the environment greatly eased the anxiety that had been weighing on her for so long.
Still, she didn't lose her manners. Instead, she gave Lin Ran a deep bow and offered a sincere thank you.
"Sir, though I don't know why you came here, I truly thank you for helping me. You've relieved me of a major burden."
"If there's anything I can help you with, please just say the word. I'll do my best."
Xiao Yixian understood perfectly well—there's no such thing as a free lunch. A stranger showing up from nowhere and helping her control her poison body outbreak, and in such an... unusual way?
She had gained something. That meant she owed something in return.
"Something you can help me with?"
Lin Ran rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze shamelessly scanning up and down her body. Xiao Yixian's cheeks only grew redder under his eyes. But his calm tone brought her focus back.
"You really think you have something I need?"
'Right... what do I have that someone like him could possibly want?'
Medical skills?
A healer might be useful to ordinary people or low-ranked cultivators. But for true powerhouses, such a skill was meaningless.
If they suffered minor injuries, they could heal themselves. If the wounds were serious, they had alchemists.
And alchemists—well, even the lowest-ranked ones were far above what a doctor could offer.
Then... her body?
She had to admit, she was fairly confident in her appearance. In the entire Qing Shan Town, every mercenary practically drooled over her.
If it weren't for the goodwill she'd built up over the years, treating mercenaries and forming solid roots, she might've long since been dragged away by those lustful beasts.
Still, she wasn't naïve.
She knew something very well.
On the Dou Qi Continent, true experts never lacked women.
This young man before her could casually suppress her poison body with ease, showing power far beyond a mere Dou Shi.
Dou Ling?
Dou Wang?
She didn't know. The strongest in this town was barely a Dou Shi.
But regardless of his exact strength, someone this young, with such talent, was either a prodigy... or the scion of a great clan.
For a genius like that, beautiful women would throw themselves at him every day.
Her skills were worthless. Her beauty was nothing special to him. Then what else did she have?
Xiao Yixian's expression tightened.
There was only one answer.
"The Woeful Poison Body..."
"See? This is why I like talking to smart people!"
Lin Ran laughed.
"To the world, your poison body is a disaster, a curse. But to me, it's something completely different."
"I won't beat around the bush. Your poison body is beneficial to my cultivation. I want you to follow me and assist in my training."
A Woeful Poison Body was a living catastrophe to most people.
But to Lin Ran? It was a treasure.
Even if Xiao Yixian didn't practice the Pleasure Sutra, just her natural poison Dou Qi alone was enough to strengthen Lin Ran's pure yang Dou Qi.
He needed her.
Watching the changes in her expression, Lin Ran smiled and said,
"Of course, I'm not a tyrant. I won't force you to do something you're unwilling to do."
"In return, I'll help you stabilize your poison body, so it won't erupt again."
"Maybe... I can even help you fully control it."
"I imagine you wouldn't want to be feared, hated, and shunned by the world as a poisonous demon, would you?"
(End of Chapter)