"You?!"
Xiao Yixian's face was filled with shock, her gaze sweeping over Lin Ran with disbelief. She couldn't understand what he meant by that.
She had to admit that Lin Ran was powerful. Everything this young man had demonstrated thus far had far exceeded her expectations. But the Woeful Poison Body was a disaster in itself. How could he possibly suppress it?
"Yes, me."
Seeing the confusion on her face, Lin Ran smiled. He flicked his finger, and a strand of crimson-gold Dou Qi surged out.
It flickered like a candle flame, or perhaps a dancing sprite, swaying gently at his fingertip.
Xiao Yixian looked on curiously. The Pure Yang Dou Qi instantly flowed from Lin Ran's fingertip into her body.
Her expression changed slightly, but she quickly sensed something unique.
As the Dou Qi entered her, she felt a warm current surge through her meridians, gently flowing like spring water.
'What is this…?'
"As you feel now, and as you felt earlier," said Lin Ran with a calm smile, "my power can purify your poisonous Dou Qi to a certain extent. This purification doesn't reduce your strength. On the contrary, it enhances the quality of your Dou Qi, and even tempers your meridians and flesh."
'It really… does feel like that…'
Xiao Yixian closed her eyes, sensing the flow of warmth within. That soothing, secure feeling—something she hadn't experienced since her Woeful Poison Body awakened—now flowed through her with gentle clarity.
'Wait… does this mean that if I stay by his side and continue to receive his Dou Qi… then my Woeful Poison Body can remain under control, or even be purified completely?'
"You've thought it through, haven't you?"
Lin Ran's handsome face wore a gentle smile, though he said no more. His silence left her heart fluttering uncertainly.
As she recalled how Lin Ran had treated her—his manner, his gestures—a sudden realization struck her.
She hesitated. Then, as if making a life-changing decision, she bit her lip lightly and bowed deeply.
"Please, Young Master, take me with you."
"Oh?"
Lin Ran looked surprised. "Why do you say that?"
"You may not know, but even without considering the Woeful Poison Body, I can no longer live peacefully in Qing Mountain Town."
She spoke softly, explaining about the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, Mister Yao, and the incidents that had occurred.
"If I stay here any longer, something terrible will happen. My conflict with them is one thing, but I don't want innocent people to suffer because of me."
"So please, take me with you. Also…"
She pressed her lips together slightly, her cheeks flushing red. "I noticed that you don't have anyone to take care of you. My strength may be low, but I can still help with daily matters, so…"
"Following me won't be easy. It'll be exhausting," Lin Ran said as he gently lifted her chin. "Are you sure?"
Xiao Yixian turned her face away, shyly letting out a soft hum of agreement.
"Very well, go prepare your things."
"Mm!"
She slipped from his hand as if fleeing and began packing up her belongings in the room.
In truth, she didn't have much. Just a few changes of clothes, barely any jewelry, and most of her possessions were jars and bottles—herbs, powders, potions.
Each of them carried a unique scent—pungent, metallic, bloody. It was obvious at a glance what they were.
Soon enough, she had everything ready. Though the quantity was small, it still looked like a mountain of bundled items.
Watching her stand there with an embarrassed yet polite smile, Lin Ran raised an eyebrow and casually tossed her a silver-white ring.
"Put it all in here. There's no soul imprint. You can keep it."
"Th-thank you, Young Master…"
She fumbled to catch the spatial ring.
This kind of ring was crafted from a rare material called Storage Stone, within which was a pocket of space used to store inanimate objects. Because of the rarity of the material, spatial rings were incredibly precious.
Typically, they were categorized into low, mid, and high grades. The lowest-grade rings offered one to ten cubic meters of space and weren't very durable.
Even so, on the open market, a low-grade ring would cost at least a hundred thousand gold coins—and that was if one could even find one.
Mid-grade and high-grade rings were unimaginably rare. Only the heirs of major clans might have a mid-grade one. As for high-grade rings—Xiao Yixian had only heard legends. It was said there were only a handful in the entire Jia Ma Empire.
She probed the ring with her soul force. Instantly, her consciousness entered its inner space without any resistance.
Her scan lasted only a moment, and when she withdrew her consciousness, her eyes lit up with undisguised joy.
There wasn't much inside—most of it appeared ordinary.
But for someone like her, just beginning her cultivation journey, this was nothing short of a treasure trove.
Rare herbs hard to find in the outside world, scrolls of Qi Methods and Dou Techniques, piles of gold, and even third- and fourth-rank Monster Cores…
Most astonishing of all, the space inside exceeded a hundred cubic meters.
'A high-grade spatial ring…'
"This… this is too valuable, Young Master…"
"It's all I've got. I'm not going to carry your bags for you, am I?"
Lin Ran smiled faintly. "Also, calling me 'Master' feels a bit distant. My name is Lin Ran. I come from the Central Plains. Since you've decided to follow me, from now on, call me Young Master."
"Y-Young Master…"
Her head lowered in shyness. She had never addressed anyone so intimately before.
"Good."
Lin Ran's smile grew.
Due to a lack of vital energy, his cultivation had hit a bottleneck. Even the Dou Qi of his flesh cauldron was no longer effective.
But Xiao Yixian's Woeful Poison Body could drastically enhance his Dou Qi strength—and might even help him break through. What others viewed as a catastrophe… was a treasure to him.
'What is poison to them is nourishment to me.'
Now with a spatial ring, Xiao Yixian quickly found more items to pack inside. Lin Ran wasn't in a hurry. He simply watched her calmly as she worked.
About ten minutes later, she had everything sorted. Looking a bit embarrassed, she glanced toward Lin Ran.
"Apologies, Young Master… I made you wait."
"I wouldn't say I was waiting. But what do you want to do about those people outside?"
"Mm?"
(End of Chapter)