"Is that so? Yinzhu has done well."
After hearing Luo Yinzhu's explanation, the voice behind the curtain softened once more, returning to its earlier gentle tone.
The silhouette lifted her jade-like hand lightly, and the layers of drapery billowed upward. A surge of bone-chilling cold swept out, even sharper than before, as the scene behind the curtain was revealed.
A bed carved from blazing sunstone jade — which should have radiated warmth — was instead coated with a thick layer of frost. Atop that frost sat a graceful woman in palace robes, cross-legged and composed.
Her features were exquisite beyond words, yet between her brows lingered a faint trace of chill. Her long black hair hung loosely over her shoulders, softening her cold beauty with an unexpected frailty.
Though her appearance seemed that of a woman barely in her twenties, the depth in her eyes carried the weight of countless years — a quiet sorrow that had long transcended youth. Her skin was pallid, unnaturally so, as if all warmth had been drawn from her body.
Her gaze drifted from Liu Xi to Xiao Yixian, a flicker of surprise flashing within.
'So young… far too young…'
Liu Xi merely glanced once before withdrawing his gaze. Beautiful, yes — but he had seen many beauties before, and his composure never wavered.
For a Half Saint, courtesy was due. He clasped his hands respectfully and said, "Liu Xi greets Valley Master Luo."
Xiao Yixian followed softly, "Xiao Yixian greets Valley Master Luo."
Valley Master Luo's voice carried the calm elegance of authority.
"There's no need for formality. At such a young age, to possess strength like yours… Master Liu's talent is truly extraordinary. And you, Miss Xiao — to think that the Woeful Poison Body could be controlled, even advancing into the Dou Zun Realm. Remarkable."
Liu Xi's eyes narrowed slightly. Unsure of her true attitude toward Xiao Yixian, he asked quietly, "I wonder, Valley Master Luo — how do you view the Woeful Poison Body?"
The woman smiled faintly, her lips curving like a blossoming lotus. In that moment, her beauty was dazzling beyond measure.
"Master Liu need not worry. I harbor no resentment toward the Woeful Poison Body — only a sigh for fate's cruelty. Nothing more."
Xiao Yixian's body relaxed; the tension that had quietly built within her finally eased. It wasn't fear for herself, but fear that her existence might bring trouble to Liu Xi.
Luo Yinzhu stepped forward, her delicate figure trembling slightly under the biting cold.
"Master Liu," she said through clenched teeth, "please… examine my mother first. If this Cold Poison can be expelled, I beg you to help her."
Liu Xi turned his gaze toward Valley Master Luo. The patient herself was present; naturally, her consent was required.
The Valley Master sighed faintly. After twenty years of torment, she had long accepted the possibility of death — yet no one truly wished to die when a chance of life remained.
"I must trouble you, Master Liu. If this cold poison, which has plagued me for over two decades, can be purged… I will never forget your kindness."
Liu Xi nodded. His expression was calm but sincere as he stepped closer to the jade bed. "Let us speak later of thanks. For now, Valley Master, please extend your hand. I need to assess the state of the Cold Poison within your body."
Valley Master Luo hesitated briefly, then obediently extended her slender jade hand — pure white as carved snow, the wrist pale and fragile beneath the frost.
Liu Xi stood by the bed and placed two fingers lightly against her pulse. The instant he made contact, a shocking chill surged through his fingertips, as if he were touching an ancient glacier rather than flesh.
His Spiritual Power flowed forth, shielded by the azure flame, diving into her body through the point of contact.
A soft sound escaped Valley Master Luo's lips — a faint hum of relief. It had been so long since she had felt warmth. Realizing her reaction, she quickly straightened, masking her embarrassment with a calm, stoic expression.
Both Xiao Yixian and Luo Yinzhu exchanged slightly awkward glances but said nothing.
Liu Xi, oblivious to their looks, had already sent his senses deep into Valley Master Luo's body — a world of endless frost and blizzards.
Her skin, flesh, blood, even her bones — all were invaded by a savage cold energy that gnawed at every inch of her being. Much of her tissue had already decayed into near-death.
Only her immense cultivation had sustained her life, the flow of Dou Qi barely keeping this frozen body from collapsing entirely.
Yet this Cold Poison was no ordinary ailment — it carried a strange will of its own, a remnant of some malignant force that absorbed Dou Qi to strengthen itself, maintaining endless vitality while devouring its host from within.
Liu Xi extended a strand of his Spiritual Power to probe deeper — and instantly felt it: a violent, ravenous, mindless intent within the cold energy.
It had no consciousness, only instinct — an insatiable desire to exist, to devour, to grow stronger.
He channeled his azure flame and burned a thread of that frost energy to ash. A hiss echoed through the depths of her body before he retracted his power, withdrawing from the Valley Master's form.
"Huff… huff…"
Liu Xi exhaled lightly, his face calm but his thoughts racing. That source of frost was terrifying — not merely in its power, but in the will fused within it. It was like a parasite gnawing at the bones, endlessly regenerating.
Though his flame could suppress it, the disparity in Dou Qi quality limited him. With his current 9-Star Dou Zong cultivation, he could not unleash the full might of his five fused Heavenly Flame — a flame whose strength rivaled even the top five on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
'If only I had the Dou Qi of a high-level Dou Zun… no, even just that of a Half Saint — I could annihilate this poison in an instant.'
"Master Liu," Luo Yinzhu's voice broke his thoughts. She looked at him anxiously. "Can my mother's cold poison truly be removed?"
He glanced at her, then at the pale-faced Valley Master, whose calm eyes still carried faint hope.
"To be frank," Liu Xi said, "I won't ask how this Cold Poison came to be. But with my current cultivation… to dispel it completely would be difficult."
At those words, Luo Yinzhu's face drained of color, her bright eyes clouded with sorrow. The Valley Master sighed softly, bitterness curling her lips. 'So this is fate after all…'
But before despair could settle, Liu Xi's voice continued:
"…However, there is a way. If we wish to purge this poison, we must take drastic measures — using external power to compensate for what I lack in Dou Qi."
Hope flared instantly in both women's eyes. Valley Master Luo remained steady, while Luo Yinzhu stepped forward eagerly.
"Please, Master Liu, tell me what you need. The entire Sound Valley treasury is at your disposal — whatever materials you require, take them freely, as long as you can save my mother!"
Liu Xi took out a jade tube and closed his eyes. His vast experience with medicinal ingredients surged through his mind, and within moments, he had formed a detailed list.
Channeling his Spiritual Power into the tube, he inscribed every herb and material required.
When it was done, he handed the jade tube to Luo Yinzhu with a faint smile.
"These are the auxiliary ingredients. The more, the better. The detoxification process will require repeated medicinal baths — this will not be a one-time effort."
Then he turned toward Valley Master Luo, his eyes gleaming with firm confidence.
"Valley Master, rest assured. With this plan, I have ninety percent certainty that I can completely eradicate the Cold Poison from your body."
For a brief moment, Valley Master Luo was stunned. The confidence radiating from his calm expression stirred something deep within her — a feeling she thought she had lost long ago. Could she truly recover?
Perhaps, for the first time in twenty years, she dared to believe she could.
(End of Chapter)
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This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on P4 treon, For those who want to read 2 chapters ahead for free, you can find me on P4 treon by searching for my username: Fallen_Archangel_.
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