Chapter 43: The Awakening of the Calamity Poison Body

Chapter 43: The Awakening of the Woeful Poison Body

Not long after, Xiao Se and the Fairy Doctor rode the blue hawk up into the sky above the canyon mentioned in the original story.

Looking down at the thousand-foot-deep valley shrouded in clouds, the Fairy Doctor could not help but gasp, looking astonished as she asked, "Isn't this the area where the Ten-Thousand Medicine Pavilion usually gathers herbs?"

Xiao Se nodded slightly and smiled, "The very bottom is a natural basin-shaped canyon. Because it is enclosed on all sides with no passages, and the upper part is sealed by clouds and mist, very few people know about it."

"Mm." The Fairy Doctor lifted her beautiful, fair chin slightly and guided the blue hawk down toward the bottom of the valley.

The blue hawk descended gradually to the valley floor. The moment they passed through the thick fog, both Xiao Se and the Fairy Doctor noticed that the ambient energy of heaven and earth within the valley was noticeably much richer than that of the outside world.

Upon landing, the Fairy Doctor discovered that it was indeed as Xiao Se had said. Various rare herbs grew throughout the valley, and waves of medicinal fragrance, mingled with rich energy, rushed toward them. Just a whiff of it instantly refreshed the spirit.

"How is it? Not bad, this place?" Looking at the Fairy Doctor's rather appreciative expression, Xiao Se smiled faintly.

"It's truly wonderful. I really didn't expect you to find such a treasured land, Xiao Se." Turning her head, the Fairy Doctor looked at Xiao Se with a bright, charming smile and said.

"As long as you're satisfied. From now on, barring any accidents, I'll be staying here until I break through to Dou Shi. Since there are plenty of herbs here, you can study the *Seven-Color Poison Scripture*. However, when gathering herbs, remember to leave the root systems intact. I've concocted a special spiritual liquid that accelerates plant growth, so they'll grow back very quickly." Seeing the Fairy Doctor's smiling, pretty face, Xiao Se smiled. Although it sounded like a statement, his tone carried a consultative warmth.

Hearing this, the Fairy Doctor nodded slightly and agreed without the slightest hesitation. With such a treasured land available, it was precisely what she wished for.

As if driven by some inexplicable impulse, a thought flashed through the Fairy Doctor's mind: *Perhaps living here with him forever wouldn't be bad either.*

Seeing that the Fairy Doctor agreed, Xiao Se smiled and retrieved a single-person tent from his storage ring. As he set it up, he said, "It's getting late now. Just make do with this tent for tonight, and tomorrow I'll build two wooden cabins."

"Mm. And what about you?" Seeing Xiao Se's practiced movements in setting up the tent, a soft, gentle smile bloomed on the Fairy Doctor's lovely face as she asked.

"Me?" Xiao Se paused slightly, a mischievous grin instantly tugging at the corner of his mouth. He turned his head toward the Fairy Doctor and teased wickedly, "There's only one tent here, so of course we'll be sharing it."

"Go to hell." Hearing this, the Fairy Doctor's smile instantly froze. She pulled a pouch of completely non-toxic medicinal powder from her bosom and showered it upon Xiao Se.

The sky gradually grew dark. After finishing dinner, the two chatted about their respective life experiences. Amidst Xiao Se's light teasing, the Fairy Doctor burrowed into the tent with a blushing face.

In the distance, by the campfire, Xiao Se had just finished harvesting a round of herbs needed for alchemy. He poured diluted green liquid from the Heaven-Centering Bottle over the soil, then sat cross-legged on the cool stone slab. Urging the *Burning Flame Technique* and the *Returning Origin Soul Technique*, he began to absorb and exhale the energy of heaven and earth. He had to admit that the ambient energy here was exceptionally rich, multiplying Xiao Se's cultivation speed several times over.

An hour later, feeling his meridians slightly swollen, Xiao Se withdrew from his cultivation state. He sighed inwardly, *Sigh, the cultivation method's grade is still too low. Even with such rich ambient energy, wanting to break through to Dou Shi will take at least several months. Let's see what items can be exchanged by the end of this month; otherwise, I'll have to find a way to secure the Companion Purple Crystal Source first. I wonder if Red Kuei can hold off that mother lion.*

"Big Brother, what are you thinking about?" Dragon Kuei's graceful figure slowly drifted out from the Demonic Sword, landing beside Xiao Se. She wrapped her slender arm around his and smiled gently.

Hearing this, Xiao Se tenderly stroked Dragon Kuei's beautiful face and smiled, "Nothing much, just thinking about how to improve my strength as quickly as possible. By the way, what do you think of this girl, the Fairy Doctor?"

Dragon Kuei looked at Xiao Se with a mischievous glint in her lovely eyes and smiled sweetly, "Big Brother, you surely don't want to make the Fairy Doctor my sister-in-law, do you? Indeed, under normal circumstances, I would definitely object because I don't know her. However, after spending today together, surprisingly, I feel she's a very nice girl."

Hearing this, Xiao Se's old face flushed red. He changed the gesture of the hand stroking Dragon Kuei's cheek, gently pinching her soft cheek and pretending to be angry, "Oh? You even dare to tease your big brother now."

"Hehe..." As her cheek was pinched by Xiao Se, the smile on Dragon Kuei's pretty face grew even softer. Her voice came out slightly muffled, "Big Brother is just treating the Fairy Doctor differently, after all."

The brother and sister bantered softly for a while. Finally, Xiao Se pulled Dragon Kuei into his embrace and spoke from the bottom of his heart with deeply moving words, "If the day ever comes when Big Brother wants to marry, the very first person I marry will definitely be you."

Hearing Xiao Se's sudden confession, Dragon Kuei, nestled in his arms, nodded with a deeply blushing face, then turned into a blue flash of light and darted back into the Demonic Sword.

Watching Dragon Kuei's shy and flustered disappearance, Xiao Se smiled and shook his head. He retrieved a medicinal cauldron from his storage ring and began refining medicine, recovering Dou Qi, refining medicine, recovering Dou Qi—repeating this cyclical cultivation routine.

The night passed in silence.

Early the next morning, the sun shone brightly.

The warm sunlight filtered through the clouds and mist above the canyon, casting a refraction onto Xiao Se's fair face. Xiao Se lazily stretched his back, and seeing that the Fairy Doctor had yet to wake up, he simply decided to begin building the wooden cabins.

Felling trees, trimming timber, laying foundations, and constructing—all done in one go. Relying on his sharp soul perception, the sharpness of the Demonic Sword, and superb sword skills, Xiao Se effortlessly processed the timber into the ideal shapes.

Before long, a small wooden cabin featuring two bedrooms and one living room was completed. Afterward, Xiao Se made two beds and a set of tables and chairs, placing them in the rooms and the living room respectively. A single-story luxury villa was thus finished.

Outside the wooden house, Xiao Se looked with satisfaction at the newly built structure, a contented smile gracing his face. He turned and walked toward the tent, only to find that it was approaching noon, yet there was still no sign of the Fairy Doctor waking up.

A trace of unease instantly flashed through Xiao Se's heart. He cautiously lifted the tent flap, only to discover that the interior was filled with toxic fumes. With a swift sweep of his palm, a fierce gust of wind driven by Dou Qi erupted, expelling the poisonous mist out of the tent.

As the poison dispersed, the figure of the Fairy Doctor was revealed inside the tent. Her delicate body was slightly curled up, her beautiful eyes tightly closed, and her originally fair, pretty face was now glowing with seven-colored luster.

"Has the Woeful Poison Body awakened after all..." Shaking his head in astonished lament, Xiao Se slowly retreated several meters and sat cross-legged on the cool stone slab to wait quietly.

"Big Brother, is this what you call the Woeful Poison Body?" Dragon Kuei's curious voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Mm." Xiao Se nodded with a rather heavy heart, raised his head to look up at the sky, and murmured inwardly: *Perhaps I can find a way to solve it for her.*

(End of this chapter)