The night was cool like water.
In a quiet room, a faint scent of medicine lingered in the air.
At a small table in the room, a woman in a white dress was bent over, carefully preparing a powder that glowed faintly. Occasionally, she would lightly sniff it with her delicate nose.
Not far away, a young man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. There was a strange symbol on his forehead, and the symbol was intermittently emitting silver light.
Perhaps it was due to his memory loss, his mind was free of distractions, and he wasn't thinking about anything.
For the past two days, while Xiao Bai was practicing the "Heavenly Heart Perception Chapter" in his mind, he had entered a strange state that seemed to resonate with the symbol on his forehead.
During this state, he could vaguely hear calls and voices in his ears. But when he tried to listen closely, there was nothing to hear.
Moreover, the symbol on his forehead seemed to emit a faint attraction, making his soul instinctively want to enter it.
But in this state, his spiritual senses were unusually sharp, and his intuition warned him that stepping into it now would surely lead to trouble. Thus, he resisted the pull every time.
After about half an hour, Xiao Bai withdrew from his cultivation state and slowly opened his eyes. His brows furrowed slightly, confused about the source of the attraction in the symbol on his forehead.
"What's wrong? You look troubled."
Hearing the voice, he noticed Xiao Yi Xian sitting not far away, her chin resting on her hands as she watched him intently with her beautiful eyes.
"It's nothing," Xiao Bai shook his head.
Xiao Yi Xian didn't press further. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke softly, her eyes filled with hope. "Xiao Bai, I'm leaving this place. Come with me—I'll take you somewhere else, okay?"
Ever since the news about her possession of treasure leaked, the owner of the Thousand Medicine Pavilion had grown greedy. Though she had managed to fend him off with excuses, his patience was clearly wearing thin.
Ever since acquiring the Seven-Colored Poison Codex, she had needed a large amount of medicinal materials for experiments, and this place was perfect. However, it was no longer suitable to stay here.
If Xiao Bai were still in good condition, his strength would have been enough to protect them.
However, from what she had observed over the past two days, though he hadn't shown it openly, subtle details made it clear that he was enduring immense pain.
She didn't want him to fight, afraid that further injuries would worsen his condition. If that happened, she would never forgive herself.
For the safety of both of them, they had no choice but to leave.
"Okay," Xiao Bai replied indifferently. It didn't matter to him—he could go anywhere.
Xiao Yi Xian's face brightened with a radiant smile. "Good. Stay close to me later—I'll take you away."
At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and a middle-aged man's voice sounded: "Xiao Yi Xian, are you there?"
Before Xiao Yi Xian could respond, the door was pushed open, and the man scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Xiao Bai for a moment.
The situation of this young man had already been investigated by his subordinates. It was reported that Xiao Bai had been severely injured and unconscious a few days ago. He was said to be a former friend of Xiao Yi Xian, but that didn't matter to him.
He waved his hand, and four guards filed into the room, staring at the two of them.
"Xiao Yi Xian, have you made your decision? I gave you three days to reply, and out of respect for our years of friendship, I even extended it by two more. If you refuse to cooperate... well, that would truly sadden me."
"Hehe... Mr. Yao, why don't you take a look at your palm? Doesn't it feel a bit... unusual?" Xiao Yi Xian ignored his words, smiling leisurely instead.
The middle-aged man frowned slightly at Xiao Yi Xian's words and raised his hands to inspect them. His expression immediately darkened.
His right palm had taken on a faint bluish tint. Panicked, he shouted, "You poisoned me? When?"
He had been cautious ever since entering the room. Recently, Xiao Yi Xian had been withdrawing various medicinal herbs from the Thousand Medicine Pavilion. At first, he hadn't thought much of it—as a physician, it was normal for her to need herbs.
But after the rumors spread, he investigated and realized she had been taking herbs with toxic properties. That was when he became wary.
Though he had grown greedy over Xiao Yi Xian's treasures, he had remained careful in his actions. Yet, despite his precautions, he had still fallen victim.
"Just a little trick," Xiao Yi Xian replied with a soft smile, ignoring his question. "Given Mr. Yao's knowledge of medicine, you should know that without the antidote formula, you'll succumb to the poison within a month—at best, mental paralysis; at worst, death."
Her gentle voice carried no warmth, instead sending a chill down his spine.
Struggling inwardly, Mr. Yao's expression shifted between anger and hesitation before he finally spat out through gritted teeth, "Judging by the state of your room, you're planning to leave. Hand over the antidote, and I'll let you go. How about it?"
"I've been at the Thousand Medicine Pavilion long enough to know exactly how trustworthy Mr. Yao is. Don't expect me to believe you. Let us leave, and I'll give you the formula," Xiao Yi Xian replied calmly, shaking her head with a smile.
Xiao Bai watched the scene quietly from the side. He hadn't expected this seemingly gentle girl to have such methods, and he couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
"You—!" Mr. Yao's face twisted with fury as he stared at Xiao Yi Xian's composed demeanor. Finally, with a reluctant wave of his hand, he dismissed the guards behind him.
"Xiao Bai, let's go." Xiao Yi Xian turned and took Xiao Bai's hand, leading him out of the room.
Mr. Yao followed behind, his face stormy. The prey he had thought was already in his grasp had slipped away!
Once they reached an open area in the courtyard, Xiao Yi Xian took out a whistle and blew into it softly. The sound waves rippled through the air.
Moments later, a giant blue eagle appeared above them, circling a few times before descending gracefully.
Xiao Yi Xian guided Xiao Bai onto the eagle's outstretched wing.
At this point, Xiao Bai leaned in and whispered, "Should I kill him?"
"Absolutely not!" Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly replied. "Your injuries aren't healed yet—no fighting!"
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she added in a lower voice, "Be careful later. Don't fall off. If you're scared... you can... hold onto me."
"Who do you think you're looking down on?" Xiao Bai shot her a glance and said flatly.
*This blockhead!* Xiao Yi Xian fumed inwardly, torn between embarrassment and frustration. She had been considerate of him, yet he didn't even appreciate it!
Turning away, she tossed the antidote formula down without another word. With a command, the blue eagle soared into the sky, leaving Mr. Yao's resentful gaze far below.
"Did you really give him the antidote?" Xiao Bai asked, standing steadily on the eagle's back. If someone had coveted his belongings, he would have reduced them to ashes long ago—antidote? In their dreams.
"Hmph!" Xiao Yi Xian first snorted, expressing her earlier displeasure, before explaining, "The formula is real. No matter what, when I first came to Qingshan Town alone, the Thousand Medicine Pavilion gave me a place to stay. Even if it was just a business arrangement, I still owe them that much. This settles the debt."
*She's a sentimental girl,* Xiao Bai thought, watching her back.
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