"Xun Er."
Xiao Ting stood up to welcome her and had Xun Er sit between him and Little Fairy Doctor. He wasn't surprised by Xun Er's arrival. This childhood sweetheart had always been a little domineering and possessive.
The guards around Xun Er would definitely report immediately that he had contacted a beauty. Who knows—they might fantasize Xun Er would dump him because of it.
"I was just startled by what Little Fairy Doctor said." After Xun Er sat, Xiao Ting answered her question.
"Little Fairy Doctor?" Xun Er's gaze scrutinized the new guest.
"She is the resident physician at the Thousand Medicinal House in Qingshan Town. You also know Uncle handed several markets on the Xiao Family's West Street to me to manage. Old Doctor Zhang at the third market's medicine hall is getting old and needs someone to take over. A few days ago, I heard Miss Ya Fei from the Miteer Auction House mention Little Fairy Doctor with approval, so I tested her a bit..." Xiao Ting explained in detail to Xun Er.
The reason for contacting Little Fairy Doctor fit existing circumstances; he had guided things to look natural. Whether Little Fairy Doctor or Xun Er investigated, they'd find everything reasonable. If they suspected a scheme, it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
"So she's an older sister who studies medicine." Xun Er's smile softened, and the wariness in her eyes faded.
"My name is Xiao Xun Er. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Xun Er." Little Fairy Doctor was polite, as befitting a young miss of the main family.
Xun Er smiled with her eyes. "You are a physician hired by Big Brother Xiao Ting, not a servant of the Xiao Family. Just call me Xun Er."
Little Fairy Doctor agreed and glanced at Xiao Ting.
"We're in an employment relationship. Listen to Xun Er." Xiao Ting nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Xun Er." Little Fairy Doctor relaxed.
Xun Er asked, "Big Brother Xiao Ting, what did Little Fairy Doctor say earlier that made you lose your composure?"
"She brought information about a cave mansion left behind by a powerful expert." Xiao Ting had no intention of hiding it. "I've only just hired her as the resident physician, and she already told me such information. Tell me—wouldn't I be shocked?"
Little Fairy Doctor's action had indeed surprised him.
On the Battle Qi Continent, only Dou Practitioners truly cultivated. Dou Masters were the cornerstone; Dou Grandmasters were the mainstay.
Only at the Dou Spirit level could one be considered a notable strong expert—a figure in third-rate empires who might leave behind a cave mansion inheritance. In other words, a cave mansion discoverable in the wilderness would mean its owner was at least a Dou Spirit in life.
The opportunity Little Fairy Doctor openly handed over was priceless even to the current Xiao Family.
"I see." Little Fairy Doctor feigned surprise.
"This really is an unexpected pleasant surprise."
"Mm." Xiao Ting nodded and asked, "What exactly is the situation with that cave mansion?"
He didn't question whether Little Fairy Doctor had ulterior motives—such things couldn't be asked directly; one had to observe and reason.
"That day..." Little Fairy Doctor recounted how she had discovered the cave mansion entrance.
"So you only discovered what looked like a cave entrance left by an expert on a cliff?" Xiao Ting didn't show disappointment. Instead, his tone sounded more convinced.
Little Fairy Doctor and Xun Er (internally): He really knows how to act!
"I can confirm it's the entrance to a cave mansion left by an expert, and it's highly likely no one has discovered or explored it yet." Little Fairy Doctor spoke with certainty. "I'm very familiar with that herb-gathering area. It's not my first time at that cliff, and I had never seen that cave entrance before."
"If I'm not mistaken, the cave entrance was previously hidden by rocks and vines. Some recent change exposed it. The shape shows it was man-made but aged."
Since she had already Oberserver through the Journal copy, Little Fairy Doctor spoke without reservations.
"Regardless, it's a place worth exploring." Xiao Ting's expression turned serious. "There's no time to lose—delays could cause complications. I'll tell Uncle right away and lead people to explore it first."
"Big Brother Xiao Ting, why not take Xun Er along?" Xun Er smoothly suggested and winked. If she went, her guards would accompany her, making it safer than sending Xiao Zhan personally.
Xiao Ting understood and nodded. "Alright, we'll go together."
"Help me look after Little Fairy Doctor. I'll tell Uncle I want to go out for training for a few days." With Xun Er accompanying him, Xiao Ting didn't plan to inform the family about the cave mansion in advance.
"Go ahead, Big Brother Xiao Ting." Xun Er smiled.
Once Xiao Ting left the courtyard, both Xun Er and Little Fairy Doctor relaxed and burst out laughing with a "pfft."
"Big Sister Little Fairy Doctor, your acting was great." Xun Er poured tea for Little Fairy Doctor. "Big Brother Xiao Ting asked me to look after you. Have some tea."
"It's all thanks to Little Sister Xun Er teaching me well." Little Fairy Doctor drank it all in one go.
The step of proactively reporting the cave mansion had been Xun Er's suggestion. She had also given pointers on what to say in front of Xiao Ting to avoid slips.
"I just don't want Big Brother Xiao Ting to worry too much." Xun Er spoke her truest thought. "The sooner Big Brother obtains the Rainbow Poison Book, the sooner you can fully awaken your Woeful Poison Body justifiably. Then Big Brother Xiao Ting can hire you as a guard as soon as possible."
"Even relying on yourself, you could break through to Dou Ancestor in less than five years. With help from Big Brother Xiao Ting and me, that time will be even shorter."
"At that time..."
A dark glint flashed in Xun Er's eyes as she smiled. "...you'll be able to protect him properly, and he can move about freely."
Little Fairy Doctor didn't notice the abnormality and nodded seriously. "Don't worry. Once I become stronger, I'll protect him with my life." Whether she could resolve the disaster of her life depended entirely on Xiao Ting.
…
On the other side, Xiao Ting found Xiao Zhan and said he wanted to go out for training.
"You're a Dou Master now, so going out for training is fine, but I'm afraid someone might target you." Xiao Zhan's expression was grave.
The three major families in Wu Tan City didn't want each other to grow stronger. Assassinating another family's genius to leave them without successors was not unheard of.
"That's exactly why I came to talk to Uncle." Xiao Ting looked relaxed. "When the time comes, make sure people from the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families 'accidentally' learn my exact whereabouts, and leak that I've reached four-star Dou Practitioner."
He deliberately emphasized "accidentally." Xiao Zhan wasn't a fool. After a slight daze, he reacted: "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. How can you use yourself as bait? No, this won't do."
"With your talent, you should work to become stronger and reach Dou Spirit as soon as possible. At that point, Jia Lie and Ao Ba will be nothing more than roadside dogs—you won't even need to pay them attention."
"Uncle, if we can scheme, we should." Xiao Ting had a different opinion. "Back when our Xiao Family was still a Dou King family, we didn't take Jia Lie and Ao Ba seriously; they were affiliated families of the Xiao Family. But after our family suffered calamity, these two stabbed us hardest."
"Once is enough. If we can kill these two dogs early, we should do it."
Xiao Zhan was conflicted. He felt nothing was more important than Xiao Ting and Xiao Yan growing up.
"Oh right, Xun Er is coming with me." Xiao Ting added.
Hearing that, Xiao Zhan's expression changed instantly. "Xiao Ting, what do you think about spreading that you accidentally discovered a cave mansion left by a Dou Spirit expert and plan to secretly explore it? We can lure Ao Ba Pa and Jia Lie Bi over?"
Xiao Ting: "..."
There was no Dou Spirit cave mansion. But there was at least one left by a Dou King. Xiao Zhan was bold—he actually wanted to use Xun Er as bait for a borrowed-knife murder. That would require Uncle to go personally to have any chance of luring the snake out of its hole.
"Killing a few Dou Masters in secret is enough."
Xiao Ting shook his head.
…