The peach blossom mark shone brightly. Inside the clinic, everyone had different expressions and thoughts.
Zi Yan, standing nearby, looked at the peach blossom marks in Medusa's and Xiao Xue's palms and let out an innocent exclamation:
"What pretty little flowers! They even glow!"
At this moment, everyone was seated, except for Xun'er, who had just arrived and stood blankly at the entrance, staring at the two peach blossom marks.
Her lips moved slightly, but she couldn't speak.
The instant Xiao Xue saw Xun'er, she subconsciously closed her palm, forcefully suppressing the active peach blossom mark.
Medusa followed suit, also suppressing the glowing mark in her palm.
Xiao Xue felt a bit awkward; she hadn't wanted Xun'er to see this scene.
Or rather, she didn't want Xun'er to see that she and Medusa shared the same mark.
If Xun'er had only discovered that she possessed the peach blossom mark, it wouldn't have been a big deal.
But if Medusa had it too, that was a different story.
It was like in some TV dramas, where girls liked to keep photos of their best friend tucked inside their wallet or handbag, or use them as a screensaver.
In reality, most people wouldn't actually do that.
After all, wouldn't it be incredibly awkward if other friends saw that the person in the photo wasn't them, or if they put up a photo only to find that the person they considered their best friend had put up someone else's photo?
Xiao Xue felt that her relationship with Xun'er was rock-solid, requiring no superficial gestures.
But now it was as if she had just told Xun'er, "You are my best friend," only to immediately turn around and use a photo of Medusa as her screensaver.
Using it as a screensaver was bad enough, but being caught by Xun'er made it something that three mouths couldn't explain clearly.
—It severely damaged the relationship between best friends.
Xiao Xue, in a rather transparent attempt to cover up, put her hands behind her back and looked at Xun'er at the door, saying, "Xun'er, long time no see..."
Xun'er gritted her teeth, clenched her hand into a fist behind her back, and after a moment of tension, slowly released it.
Then, the usual smile appeared on her face, and she said affectionately, "Sister Xue'er!"
She then walked into the clinic, closed the door behind her, and looked at Medusa, asking, "This elder sister must be Queen Medusa, right?"
Although Xun'er concealed her emotions well, Xiao Xue, who knew her intimately, still sensed that something was off.
Moreover, Xun'er was young; how could she compare to the centuries-old Medusa?
As the ruler of a nation, Medusa was also skilled at reading people.
With one glance, she could tell that this newly arrived young girl harbored considerable hostility toward her.
Furthermore, this girl was actually a Dou Wang; her talent and background were likely no weaker than Xiao Xue's.
That made sense. How could anyone close to a genius of Xiao Xue's caliber be ordinary?
Being resented by such a person immediately—though she didn't know why—was definitely not good news for Medusa.
Medusa/Xiao Xue: What a headache.
On the other side, Xiao Yan and the others silently watched the situation unfold.
Xiao Yan didn't find anything strange about it. After all, everyone in the room now knew that Xiao Xue was a princess of the Snake-People Race.
A princess's status in the Snake-People Race was second only to Queen Medusa.
Combined with Xiao Xue's background and alchemy skills, she could stand on equal footing with Medusa, or even surpass her.
Therefore, Medusa's presence here was not difficult to explain.
Furthermore, given his sister's luck, it was perfectly normal for her and Medusa to acquire two peach blossom marks with some kind of effect during their training in a certain secret realm.
Thus, Xiao Yan didn't think too much about it.
On the other hand, the way the Little Doctor looked at Medusa was different, carrying a hint of suspicion and scrutiny.
Qing Lin, meanwhile, looked down at her toes, without any excessive sense of rivalry.
She was originally of humble birth; it was her teacher who had pulled her out of the mud.
How could she compare herself to the dignified Empress of the Snake-People Race, the Dou Zong expert Medusa, or Miss Xun'er?
Therefore, her mindset was actually quite balanced.
She didn't possess much possessiveness towards Xiao Xue.
She felt satisfied just being able to stay by her teacher's side.
As for Zi Yan, she was cheerfully gnawing on a Magic Core, treating the core in her hand like a melon.
"Ahem."
Medusa quickly recovered her composure, acting naturally as if nothing had happened.
After all, she had lived for centuries; she wouldn't lose her composure because of a little girl's gaze... the one next to her with the peach blossom being the exception.
However, judging by the current situation, it was unsuitable for her to remain here.
Staying here would only cause more trouble.
"I'll be leaving now. Call me when you need me..."
Medusa hesitated, ultimately deciding not to say, "when you need me to take the heat."
After speaking, she flashed away, disappearing instantly from the clinic, having hidden herself somewhere unknown.
Of course, Medusa had something else she didn't say—
In the future, unless absolutely necessary, let's not contact each other. I'm afraid the people around you might misunderstand... or know.
Medusa promptly left, abandoning Xiao Xue to deal with the subtly smiling Xun'er alone.
"Sister Xue'er, what's that peach blossom about?" Xun'er asked, coming over and linking arms with Xiao Xue.
"It's nothing, just a useless decoration," Xiao Xue immediately denied.
The bond between her and Xun'er was absolutely unquestionable; it wouldn't be shaken by a single peach blossom.
To prevent Xun'er from dwelling on the topic, Xiao Xue immediately pulled her out the door, leaving the others looking at each other in confusion.
After stepping outside the clinic, Xiao Xue took a jade bottle from her storage ring and handed it to Xun'er: "Here, this is for you."
Inside the jade bottle was the Transforming Fire that Xiao Xue had catalyzed using the Earth Core Lotus Seed.
She naturally couldn't give this item in front of Xiao Yan and Yao Lao, or it would cause a lot of trouble.
"This is the Transforming Fire catalyzed from the Earth Core Lotus Seed of the Green Lotus Core Flame," Xiao Xue explained.
"The Green Lotus Core Flame is a wood-born Heavenly Flame, containing certain wood attributes."
"Find an opportunity to refine it; you might be able to gain a trace of Wood Power and become an alchemist."
For a young lady like Xun'er, being an alchemist or not didn't really matter.
After all, no matter what, the Gu Clan would never lack resources for her.
However, the profession of alchemist was arguably the most respected on the Dou Qi Continent, without exception.
Everyone harbored a desire for it.
Since Xun'er wanted to become an alchemist, and Xiao Xue had the means, helping Xun'er was certainly feasible.
Xun'er looked at the cluster of green flames sealed inside the jade bottle using a special technique.
After the Transforming Fire was catalyzed by Xiao Xue, it was sealed directly into the jade bottle and could be consumed and refined immediately.
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