Chapter 44 Heart-to-Heart

Chapter 44: Heart-to-Heart

In Xiao Se's understanding, there were three ways to help the Little Fairy solve the Woes of the Poisoned Body.

The first was the poisonous pill method that Yao Lao had obtained.

The second was the soul bones from the Douluo Continent. By storing the toxins within a soul bone, one could evade the eruption of the Woes of the Poisoned Body. However, this was not a long-term solution, as the capacity of a soul bone to contain poison had its limits. Once the toxins in her body exceeded the Dou Zong level, this soul bone would likely lose its effect, unless it was an external soul bone capable of evolution.

The third was the Venom-Venom Fruit from the One Piece world. In a sense, the Venom-Venom Fruit could completely resolve the issue of the Woes of the Poisoned Body. Moreover, the Dou Qi Continent lacked the Seastone factor that could restrain Devil Fruits, so there was no need to worry about exposing weaknesses to others. However, the probability of acquiring it was the slimmest, as Xiao Se had yet to exchange for any items related to the One Piece world.

Among these three, the second was the easiest to handle, because in these dozen or so exchanges, items from the Douluo Continent were frequent visitors.

Sometimes Xiao Se would think that perhaps the person who created this system was just like him, holding a grudge against the three scumbags: Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Dai Mubai.

Author's note: That's right, I do hold a grudge against them, and I won't stop until I torture Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Yu Xiaogang to within an inch of their lives.

Sitting on a flat stone slab and quietly gazing at the Little Fairy, Xiao Se felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, a slight sense of self-blame welling up in his heart. Back then, in order to forge a bond with the Little Fairy, he had chosen to hand the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture over to her. Now, because of this damned butterfly effect, the Woes of the Poisoned Body had awakened four years early. He couldn't tell whether this was right or wrong.

"Sigh..." Letting out a soft sigh, Xiao Se slowly fell into deep thought. After a long while, the seven-colored luster on the Little Fairy's cheeks gradually faded. Xiao Se muttered under his breath, "Is she waking up?"

Before long, inside the tent, the Little Fairy's tightly closed, beautiful eyes finally fluttered open. Her delicate hands moved slightly as she sat up and covered her lovely face, a helpless smile touching the corners of her lips as she choked out softly, "Damn it, I couldn't control it again." Because her back was turned to Xiao Se, the Little Fairy did not realize he was right beside her.

Hearing the soft, sobbing sound made by the Little Fairy, Xiao Se felt a twinge of discomfort in his heart. He slowly stood up, stretched out his fair hand, and gently patted the Little Fairy on the head.

Felt the gentle touch on her head, the Little Fairy's entire body stiffened. A moment later, she relaxed, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and turned to look at Xiao Se, her eyes red as she asked, "Why did you wake up so early?"

"The sun is already high in the sky. Look, I've built the wooden house, and I've already laid out the ready-made bedding inside. You won't ever have to live in a tent again." Xiao Se smiled gently, pointing toward the wooden house not far away.

Hearing this, the Little Fairy's pretty eyes widened slightly as she gazed at the quaint little wooden house, then looked back at Xiao Se. She lowered her head, a trace of desolate sorrow appearing on her lovely face. A moment after, she spoke, "You saw it all."

"Mm, the Woes of the Poisoned Body," Xiao Se smiled wryly.

"You didn't touch me, did you?" Suppressing the panic in her heart, the Little Fairy suddenly seemed to remember something and asked urgently.

"Though it's true you're very pretty, I'm not even thirteen yet. How could I do something worse than a beast? At the very least, I'd have to wait another two or three years," Xiao Se teased with a mischievous smile.

"Go die!" Hearing Xiao Se's teasing remark, a blush instantly bloomed across the Little Fairy's lovely face. She threw a dainty fist and pounded him lightly on the chest a few times, then continued to ask, "Stop being so unserious. Answer me honestly, did you touch me or not?"

"I didn't. For certain reasons, I happen to know a bit more about the Woes of the Poisoned Body than you do for the time being," Xiao Se shook his head, catching one of the dainty fists she threw at him, and smiled.

Fussing with Xiao Se like this made the Little Fairy's mood feel much better. As teardrops rolled down her delicate cheeks, she lowered her head and asked with some hesitation, "Then aren't you afraid of me?"

Staring into the Little Fairy's darting, beautiful eyes, Xiao Se released her dainty fist, a warm, faint smile curving his lips as he gently pulled her into his embrace.

The sudden warm embrace caused the Little Fairy's delicate body to instantly tense up. Her heart fluttered in a panic, and she stood frozen in place, letting Xiao Se hold her in his arms without knowing what to do.

Words carrying a warm breath sounded softly beside the Little Fairy's ear, gentle and soothing: "In my eyes, no power is inherently evil. The key lies in whether the person wielding it can maintain their original heart and keep the most basic moral bottom line. As long as you can act with a clear conscience, what does it matter if you become a poison master?"

Hearing this, the Little Fairy snapped out of her daze. Her tears paused, and a resolute expression immediately surfaced in her beautiful eyes.

"Thank you, Xiao Se." Closing her lovely eyes slowly and opening her arms, the Little Fairy hugged Xiao Se back, her tender, lovely face resting against his chest. Everything was left unsaid.

A long while later, the two separated from their embrace, yet neither showed any awkwardness. They merely smiled gently at each other, and with Xiao Se supporting her, the Little Fairy walked into the wooden house.

"How is it? Not bad, right? Although a bit simple, it's far more comfortable than living in a tent." Inside the living room, Xiao Se pointed toward the rooms, a somewhat proud smile on his face.

"It really is nice. There's even a living room." Gazing at Xiao Se's face, which was filled with a warm and sunny smile, a wave of warmth surged through the Little Fairy's heart. Her rosy lips parted slightly, and in a voice only she could hear, she whispered to herself, "Thank you, Xiao Se. Perhaps you will be my only friend. No matter what I become in the future, even if I turn into a notoriously vicious poison girl, in front of you, I will still only ever be the Little Fairy of Greenhill Town."

Just as those words fell, the familiar breath of his voice brushed against her ear once more: "Just friends? We could clearly take it a step further."

"Ah—!" Xiao Se's sudden approach made the Little Fairy jump like a startled cat, her hair standing on end. She shoved Xiao Se away, an alluring blush sweeping across her lovely face, and scurried in a blind panic into one of the slightly smaller rooms, slamming the door shut with a loud *bang*.

Watching the Little Fairy's flustered and retreating figure, Xiao Se chuckled softly. He walked slowly up to the bedroom door, gave it a light knock, and teased playfully, "Little Fairy, I'm leaving lunch in your capable hands! I'm going to gather some medicinal herbs for alchemy. Oh, right, actually, the Woes of the Poisoned Body isn't as terrifying as you imagine; there are still ways to cure it."

With that, Xiao Se turned and left the wooden house.

Once the sound of Xiao Se's footsteps faded into the distance, the Little Fairy opened the bedroom door with a blushing face. While feeling touched in her heart that Xiao Se trusted her to make lunch, she couldn't help but recall his words: "We could clearly take it a step further."

Stomping her foot in sudden embarrassment and anger, she trotted hurriedly out of the house.

Before long, Xiao Se returned from gathering herbs, and the Little Fairy had finished cooking the meal.

"Wow, I could smell the fragrance from far away! Hehe, little lady, get a bowl ready for this master first." Walking briskly over to the small pot, Xiao Se plopped down onto the stone slab, striking the pose of an arrogant young master.

Seeing Xiao Se's comically "overbearing and tyrannical" appearance, the Little Fairy burst into a fit of laughter. She fetched a jade bowl, ladled out some rice soup, handed it to Xiao Se, and scolded with a smile, "Eat, eat... Careful it poisons you to death..."

Author's note: Second chapter, asking for recommendation tickets and monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)