Under the might of the Eight Extremes Collapse, the Crimson Flame Demon Bear finally collapsed to the ground, dying with unwillingness in its eyes. It simply couldn't believe that with its strength, it would fall so easily at the hands of a mere human child. 'Has the new generation of human cubs become this monstrous already?'
After killing the beast, Xiao Yan pulled out a dagger and cut open the bear's skull. He'd hoped to find a magic core, but instead, a crimson glow burst forth, and a red flame rose from the demon bear's body.
"A beast flame? This guy actually had one in its body?" Xiao Yan blinked in surprise. Though there was no magic core, beast flames were far rarer and more valuable. They only appeared in fire-type magic beasts, and even then, very rarely.
Even though it was just a beast flame from a second-rank beast, it could still fetch a high price at an auction, especially among alchemists. But for someone like Xiao Yan, who already possessed Black Flame, this low-tier beast fire had little appeal. It wasn't even strong enough to trigger an evolution of his Flame Mantra.
Still, Xiao Yan took out a jade bottle and stored the beast flame inside. Regardless of usefulness now, it could always be sold later—or serve some niche purpose. He remembered a scroll from his previous life, Flame Refining Art, which allowed one to cultivate a special fire called "Transformative Flame," stronger than normal beast fires, though still inferior to Heavenly Flames.
To cultivate that, however, one needed base fire materials, and this beast flame was the perfect candidate.
After sealing the flame, Xiao Yan drew another bottle and collected a sample of the beast's blood. Even Yao Lao in the ring seemed puzzled, but he trusted his disciple enough to not ask questions.
Once he'd finished, Xiao Yan turned toward the white-clothed girl who was still panting.
"You alright?"
"I-I'm fine…" she finally regained her senses and looked at him with gratitude. "Thank you… really."
"It was nothing. You don't need to be so polite." Xiao Yan offered her a seemingly warm smile and gestured to the roasted fish by the fire. "You look hungry. Want to join me?"
"Really? Thank you so much!" Her eyes lit up and she nearly jumped with joy. After being chased by the demon bear, she was starving. Without a care for appearance, she eagerly grabbed a roasted fish and began devouring it.
Watching her scarf down the meal, Xiao Yan couldn't help but think, 'Hard to believe this little bunny turns into the infamous Heavenly Poison Woman in the future. She's so green... if I had any ill intentions, I could've taken her out with a poisoned fish.'
"I'm Xiao Yan. What's your name?" he asked while casually eating another fish.
"I don't really have a name, but people call me Xiao Yixian. You can call me that too," she replied, mouth half full.
"No name, huh…" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. That usually meant she was an orphan. It made sense, though. The Calamity Poison Body she carried was congenital. If not triggered, it stayed dormant, but even in the womb, the toxins would contaminate the mother—and by extension, the father.
From a certain perspective, the Calamity Poison Body was like a death sentence for the whole family.
Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't overly sympathetic. What he really cared about now was how to persuade this future Heavenly Poison Woman to join his side early on.
"Xiao Yixian is a good name. Suits you. Who came up with it?"
"I'm a healer. I've helped a lot of people. So they started calling me that."
"A healer, huh… never expected that from you." Xiao Yan stared at her for a moment, a bit lost in thought. He could still faintly see traces of the future in her youthful features. 'Who would've thought that the ruthless woman who poisoned thousands once spent her childhood healing the sick? Time really is the cruelest forge.'
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she frowned. "If you don't eat soon, your fish will get cold."
"It's nothing. Just curious why that beast was chasing you."
"I was out gathering herbs. Got lucky and found a rare one. Didn't expect that demon bear to also be after it. I picked it while it was gone, but it came back just as I was leaving. You can guess the rest…" she sighed.
"You were out gathering herbs alone?"
"Not really. I had a few guards. But once they saw how fierce that beast was, they ran and left me behind."
"I see." Xiao Yan nodded, then asked casually, "So what did you pick? Can I take a look?"
"Sure!" She wiped her hands clean and pulled out a pale yellow crystal chunk from a pouch at her side. "Here, this is it."
Xiao Yan took it, examined it closely, then handed it back. "Looks like basic Yellow Lotus Essence. Nothing rare about it."
"You've got no eye for herbs! That's not Yellow Lotus Essence—it's Blood Lotus Essence!" Xiao Yixian huffed indignantly.
"Blood Lotus Essence?" Xiao Yan blinked innocently. "What's that?"
"It's super rare! Looks like Yellow Lotus Essence, but worth hundreds of times more. They grow together, so people often mix them up." Her tone was laced with pride—clearly, she saw herself as one of the few who could tell the difference.
"Oh? And how do you tell?"
"Easy." She leaned in and scratched a mark into the crystal. "Outside's just camouflage. The real Blood Lotus Essence is inside. See that red sheen beneath the surface? That's how you know it's real."
"But… there's no red inside yours," Xiao Yan said, looking at the piece in her hand.
"That can't be! I checked earlier!" She hurriedly turned it over and over, but no matter how she looked, the red hue was gone.
"Think you made a mistake?" Xiao Yan asked innocently, glancing at his ring.
"No way…" she murmured in disbelief.
She didn't realize the real cause: the so-called harmless boy across from her had swapped the crystal right in front of her eyes.
Xiao Yan had long mastered his sleight of hand. From her first impression that he didn't know herbs, to the lightning-fast swap when she handed him the Blood Lotus Essence—it all played perfectly into his deception. The real one now rested safely in his ring.
"Hey, it's like that old saying: every cloud has a silver lining," Xiao Yan chuckled. "If not for that crystal, we wouldn't have met. Must be fate, huh?"
"That makes sense… but who's this 'Old Man Saiweng'? Did he lose a horse or something?" Xiao Yixian blinked.
"Uh… it's a saying from another place." Xiao Yan quickly explained the tale. After listening, Xiao Yixian smiled. "You're a really nice person, Xiao Yan."
He paused. That was the first time anyone had ever called him that.
In his past life, Xiao Yan had tried to be a good person. But in that brutal world, kindness was a weakness. Everyone—family, teachers, lovers—harbored hidden knives. If he hadn't become the ruthless Flame Devil Saint, he would've been swallowed alive.
The same probably applied to Xiao Yixian. She'd only become the Heavenly Poison Woman after being betrayed and hurt too many times.
"Done eating? Let's get moving." Xiao Yan finished his meal and looked at her expectantly.
"Move? Where to?"
"Taking you home, of course. It's dangerous around here. I might as well play the good guy to the end. Can't let a delicate girl like you get eaten by magical beasts."
"I'm not that unlucky… but thank you." Xiao Yixian blushed, clearly relieved. She'd been thinking about asking him for help but hadn't known how. Now he offered first.
"If you really want to thank me, treat me to a meal when we get there." Xiao Yan patted his heavy ruler. "Stick close. If you wander off, I might not be able to protect you."
"Okay!" she replied cheerfully. Despite her words, she felt completely safe. Xiao Yan had already killed a second-rank beast like it was nothing. As long as they didn't encounter anything third rank or higher, she was confident in his protection.
"So, how are you this strong at your age?" she asked as they walked past the bear's corpse.
"Hard work, obviously." Xiao Yan waved his hand and stored the corpse in his ring. No sense leaving behind good meat.
"That's such a boring answer. Who else gets that strong from 'hard work' alone?" Xiao Yixian pouted.
"Then don't ask. Magic beasts have sharp hearing. Keep talking and one might come over."
"Don't treat me like I know nothing! And seriously, what are the odds I'd run into another beast just from walking a bit?"
"ROAR!"
A huge blue wolf burst out of the bushes.
Xiao Yan sighed. "Honestly… did you piss off some evil spirit or something?"
(End of Chapter)
---
Read 100+ Chapters on Patreon of This Fanfiction.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.