Chapter 226: Yao Lao: Learning Another Move from My Disciple
"Xiao Yi Xian!"
Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up as he gazed at the familiar face—more mature now, yet still beautiful.
However, judging by her grayish-purple eyes, it was evident she was suffering deeply from the torment of the Calamity Poison Body.
Without the slightest hesitation, thunderlight flickered under Xiao Yuan's feet, and in the next moment, he appeared above the Blue Eagle.
Hiss!
Almost as soon as Xiao Yuan's figure materialized, Xiao Yi Xiang struck out with her palm.
"After all these years, your temper's grown quite a bit!"
Dou Qi gathered in Xiao Yuan's palm. Instead of retaliating, he simply grabbed her delicate hand. But the next instant, his Dou Qi was stained jet black. The terrifying poison Dou Qi infiltrated relentlessly—within moments, his entire arm turned black, looking utterly horrifying.
That familiar voice from deep within her memories stunned Xiao Yi Xian. But when she turned to look, all she saw was a tall, curvaceous, masked woman.
?
She was confused, but seeing that Xiao Yuan hadn't attacked her, she didn't strike again—though she also didn't care about the poison corroding his arm.
Xiao Yuan removed the veil hat and placed it over the little head of Zi Yan behind him, revealing his face.
"You… you're?"
The moment she saw his handsome face, Xiao Yi Xian's pupils contracted. Yet she quickly feigned indifference.
"Your acting is still as bad as ever. Seems I should've ignored your feelings and kissed you back then."
Xiao Yuan stretched out his other hand, hooked her chin, and gazed at her red lips with a light chuckle.
Hearing that, her eyes clearly dodged for a second. But soon her expression grew cold. She knocked his hand away, her gray-purple eyes calming again, and coldly said, "I'm not Xiao Yi Xian. You've got the wrong person."
"Then who are you?"
Xiao Yuan blinked, feigning confusion.
Xiao Yi Xiang was silent for a long while. Then she finally said slowly, "The Xiao Yi Xiang you knew is dead. The person I am now is the Poison Sect's leader—Heavenly Poison Woman."
Looking at her always-cold expression, Xiao Yuan suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Back then, even though she knew the truth about her body, she stubbornly held onto her kindness, wrapping herself tightly so that no one would be harmed because of her. That kindness, the smile that penetrated the heart, had charmed countless people. But now, all of that seemed so far away.
"Is it because of the Calamity Poison Body?"
Xiao Yuan clenched his fists. Letting her become this way brought a pang to his heart.
"I was born from calamity. My purpose for living is to spread calamity."
Seeing the complex expression on his face, Xiao Yi Xian's eyes flickered. She seemed to recall the past, and the indifference in her expression softened as she whispered, "I told you back then—one day, I would walk this path. That's the destiny of the Calamity Poison Body. It's always been this way."
"Hmph, I don't know about others, but you'll never walk that path. I promise!"
Xiao Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke solemnly.
"The me now… anyone who touches me will die in the most painful way. You don't understand what I've been through all these years."
A trace of sorrow appeared on her face. After leaving the Jia Ma Empire, she had believed she could overcome the Calamity Poison Body. But reality was cruel.
After leaving the empire, she stayed in a small village in the Cloud Empire for a year. There, she lived with an elderly couple who had no children. Seeing her as kind and lovely, they took her in as their own. The villagers treated her like family. That year was one of her happiest—after a life of hardship, this was the first time she'd experienced such heartfelt warmth outside her unforgettable friendship with Xiao Yuan in Qingshan Town.
She cherished that feeling deeply and swore many times to protect it. However, the outbreak of the Calamity Poison Body changed everything.
The elderly couple, who treated her like a daughter, died in agony before her eyes after touching her while she was unconscious. When she awoke, the kind expressions on their faces were still present—and it shattered her heart.
Afterward, more villagers died because of her. Eventually, under their fearful and hateful stares, she dragged her exhausted body away, carrying the old couple's corpses.
She buried them and knelt before their graves until she fainted. When she awoke again, her hair had turned completely white.
Touching that terrifying white hair, she finally understood—she was a harbinger of disaster. Bringing ruin to all around her. If that was the case, what use was kindness? Was it truly kind to treat others gently and then watch them die horribly?
After realizing that, the kind Xiao Yi Xiang was buried in the deepest part of her heart. What emerged was the cold and ruthless Heavenly Poison Woman.
Seeing the changing emotions on her face, Xiao Yuan sighed, then his expression shifted and he suddenly collapsed onto the Blue Eagle's head.
"Xiao Yuan! What's wrong?!"
Seeing the black spreading across his face, Xiao Yi Xiang panicked, forgetting her earlier coldness. She crouched beside him, wanting to examine him—but she hesitated, fearing her touch would worsen the poison.
The Blue Eagle below them also let out a mournful cry, clearly grieving Xiao Yuan's impending death.
"You're finally willing to acknowledge me?"
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Yuan's face. He reached out, seemingly trying to touch her cheek.
"I told you in that valley—I dared to touch you then, and I dare now. I still want to savor the feeling of the Calamity Poison Body. Touch me and I die? I'm not afraid!"
Seeing his worsening complexion, tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly changed her hand seals to withdraw the poison from his body. But a portion had already invaded his internal organs—even she, the owner of the Calamity Poison Body, had no solution.
"Stop talking!"
She shook her head, her eyes full of pain.
"I have to. Otherwise, you'll really think I'm scared of this so-called Calamity Poison Body!"
Xiao Yuan shook his head, and from his heart a pale brown flame spread outward, vaporizing all the poison. In his Qingmu Qi Palace, pale green energy circulated through his body, rapidly healing the damage.
Watching him recover before her eyes, Xiao Yi Xian's gray-purple eyes were filled with confusion.
What… just happened?
Inside the ring, Yao Lao was silent. He suddenly felt that he should've learned this from that brat Xiao Yuan back then. If he'd had a beloved companion at his side, he might not have been ambushed and killed. If they had all been there, even the Hall of Souls would've suffered a defeat.
More importantly, with a woman like that around, he wouldn't have had to treat that ungrateful wolf as his son.
Totally lost…
Youth really is a treasure!
Yao Lao shook his head and began taking soul notes seriously, condensing his spiritual power into a notebook.
Xiao Yuan sat up from the Blue Eagle's head, gently patted its big head, then turned to Xiao Yi Xian. Reaching out, he wiped away the tears on her cheek.
"I told you—I'm not afraid of you becoming a walking source of poison. But if you deny me again, I'll make sure all those things I bragged about in the past come true!"
He cupped her soft, pale cheeks seriously, staring into her eyes as he said each word with sincerity.
Even with her current disposition, recalling the crass threats of that youth made her blush. But she quickly recomposed herself and glared, "So you were faking it just now?"
"What else could I do—pin you down and beat the truth out of you until you admitted you were Xiao Yi Xian?"
Xiao Yuan rolled his eyes helplessly. Back then, part of his act was due to uncertainty about her true nature—and partly youthful mischief. But truly hurting a girl like that? He could never do it.
"Even if I admit it, what's the point? My hands are soaked in blood. The Xiao Yi Xiang from before was buried beneath that sunset long ago. I'm now the Poison Sect's leader—Heavenly Poison Woman!"
She lowered her gaze, her mood sinking.
But soon she lifted her head, her face solemn. "Xiao Yuan, I probably won't live for many more years. Can I stay by your side? If one day my poison erupts again, I hope you'll be the one to end this calamity. Dying by your hand… might be the best ending for me."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
At first, Xiao Yuan was a bit pleased—but upon hearing the rest, his expression darkened instantly.
"You are not allowed to die!"
She gave a bitter smile and replied, "Even if you're immune to my poison, there's no way to cure it."
She had searched for years, yet found no way to neutralize the Calamity Poison Body.
"It's innate, yes. And extremely hard to cure," Xiao Yuan nodded. Seeing her dimmed eyes, he added firmly, "It may not be curable, but I can help you fully control it!"
"Control?"
She was slightly surprised, then frowned and scanned his serious expression—hesitating.
"As long as you can completely control it, you'll no longer unintentionally poison others. Instead, the poison within you will become something you can wield at will," Xiao Yuan said.
Her eyes sparkled, but she hesitated again. Then, "Can you really do that?"
"Trust me."
Xiao Yuan nodded solemnly. Thanks to Yao Lao, this was possible.
Her gray-purple eyes locked on his. After a while, she nodded gently. "What do I need to do?"
In response, Xiao Yuan took out the scroll Yao Lao had given him and handed it over.
As soon as her slender hand reached out, the scroll flew into it. Excitement flashed in her eyes as she cautiously opened it.
Moments later, her face visibly darkened.
Such harsh requirements—hope was truly slim!
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Yuan said softly, "You don't need to worry about the three Heavenly Flames. I can handle that. But the magic core of the Sky Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast and the Bodhi Transformation Saliva will take more effort. You'll need to stay alert for any leads."
She blinked, clearly surprised. "You have three Heavenly Flames?"
She looked him over, stunned—how could one person have three?
In response, Xiao Yuan chuckled and flicked his finger. A pale brown flame appeared and quickly split into black-white dual flames and a dazzling orange-red one. Then a fourth—an icy white flame—flew from his storage ring.
Staring at the three floating flames before Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yi Xian's dull eyes finally regained a trace of joy. "No wonder you're immune to my poison—it's the protection of the Heavenly Flames!"
"But even with them, the Sky Poison Scorpion Dragon's core and the Bodhi Saliva are still nearly impossible to obtain…"
Seeing her troubled look, Xiao Yuan smiled. "It's still better than having no hope at all. I'll do my best to help you."
She nodded lightly. It was indeed better than no hope.
"Fine. When I return, I'll thoroughly search for intel on those items. If I find anything, I'll let you know."
She returned the scroll and said softly.
"You're going back to your sect?"
Xiao Yuan asked casually.
"Mm. I came out this time to find a rare poison. Just refining part of it helped me break through to Five-Star Dou Huang. If I refine the rest, I should be able to reach Seven-Star."
She nodded seriously.
"Aren't you going to invite me to your place?"
Xiao Yuan grinned.
She hesitated for a moment, then looked over his outfit. A strange smile appeared. "Sure! Miss Xiao!"
Xiao Yuan calmly put the veil hat back on and, in a cool female voice tinged with mischief, replied, "Let's go, beautiful~"
Hearing his womanly voice, Xiao Yi Xiang involuntarily glanced downward… then quickly looked away and muttered under her breath, "Perverted creep!"
(END CHAPTER)
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