Yanxia Province.
The Xiaoxiang dical Clinic seed even more bustling than before.
A long line of mortal patients snaked out the door.
Chen Yin glanced at the crowd. Nan Xiaoxiang was probably busy, so he didn’t bother greeting her and headed straight for the backyard.
He walked along the familiar path and arrived at the secluded side house.
“Luo Luo~ Qingying~”
“I’m here to see you~!”
Chen Yin pushed open the door with a smile, but the room was eerily silent.
Neither Luo Luo nor Qingying was there.
Only one person remained.
…Ye Ling’er.
She was huddled in a corner of the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest.
Compared to when they had rescued her from the Kunpeng Sect, her complexion had improved significantly.
Her pale yellow and white embroidered dress clung to her thin fra, her delicate features still carrying a hint of her forr beauty.
But her face was still unnaturally pale, and her eyes were dull and lifeless.
She didn’t react to Chen Yin’s arrival.
This made him feel awkward.
“Um…”
He cautiously approached her and waved his hand. “Hi, hello?”
“Do you… rember ?”
Ye Ling’er remained motionless, like a deactivated robot.
Chen Yin frowned slightly.
Was her condition that bad? Had the poison flared up again?
He reached out to check her pulse.
But the mont his fingers touched her wrist, Ye Ling’er flinched and scrambled away, her eyes wide with terror.
“…!”
She hugged her head, her body trembling.
Chen Yin’s hand froze mid-air.
His gaze softened.
“…Don’t be afraid.” He said gently.
“Let check your pulse. I need to make sure the poison hasn’t returned.”
Ye Ling’er’s large, bright eyes shimred with tears. After a mont of hesitation, she slowly extended her hand.
Chen Yin gently placed his fingers on her wrist.
…There was no problem.
She was just scared.
He asked tentatively, “Do you rember ?”
Ye Ling’er hesitated for a long ti, then nodded slowly.
“Brother… Chen…”
So she did rember him. Luo Luo and Qingying must have told her about him.
“You seem to be recovering well. Are you feeling any discomfort?”
Ye Ling’er lowered her head and, after a long silence, shook her head slightly.
What a quiet child. Chen Yin sighed softly.
At that mont, a gentle voice ca from behind him:
“She’s much better than when she first arrived.”
“Initially, she didn’t react to anything, no matter who spoke to her.”
“Even now, she’s still wary of strangers. It’s rare for her to speak to you.”
Chen Yin turned around and saw Nan Xiaoxiang, dressed in white, leaning against the doorfra, her arms crossed.
“I thought you were busy in the front hall, Miss Nan.”
“I wouldn’t dare neglect a guest from afar, especially Young Master Chen.” She said nonchalantly.
So she had seen him.
Chen Yin turned to her and asked, “How is she doing now?”
“As you can see.”
Nan Xiaoxiang’s eyes softened with pity as she spoke about Ye Ling’er. “Although her physical condition has improved, the addiction remains. She needs to take the dicine every three or four days.”
“What’s even more difficult to treat… is the psychological trauma.”
This was sothing even Nan Xiaoxiang couldn’t cure.
She had been trying to help Ye Ling’er recover, but ntal illnesses were difficult to treat.
She couldn’t imagine how she would cope if she had been through the sa ordeal.
Chen Yin was silent for a mont, then turned to look at Ye Ling’er.
She looked like a small, frightened animal caught in a storm, her eyes filled with fear and vulnerability, devoid of a child’s usual energy and playfulness.
He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a lollipop.
“Here, have this.”
Ye Ling’er blinked at him timidly but didn’t reach out to take it.
Chen Yin suddenly rembered that day, when a strange man, his face a mask of kindness, had offered her a similar candy.
He had said it was delicious.
But after she ate it, her world had turned dark.
So, Chen Yin unwrapped the lollipop and took a bite, then offered another one to Nan Xiaoxiang.
“See? We both like it.”
Ye Ling’er bit her lip, then slowly reached out and took the candy.
She peeled off the wrapper, revealing the rose-colored lollipop.
She tentatively licked it with her small, pink tongue.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
…It was sweet.
It really was candy.
She took another lick.
Then finally put it in her mouth.
Nan Xiaoxiang watched in surprise as the girl, who had been like a lifeless doll, suddenly lit up with a childlike joy.
“It’s called a lollipop. Did Luo Luo tell you about it?”
Chen Yin said gently, “If you like it, I have more.”
Ye Ling’er, her head lowered, savored the candy for a long ti before finally taking it out of her mouth and whispering,
“Thank you, Brother Chen…”
Her soft, slightly embarrassed tone made Chen Yin’s heart lt.
He pulled out a pile of candy from the System Shop, hard candy, soft candy, even ice cream and chocolate.
He placed them before Ye Ling’er, letting her choose whatever she wanted.
As she happily examined the treats, her eyes wide with childlike curiosity, Chen Yin turned to Nan Xiaoxiang.
“Where are Qingying and Luo Luo?”
“They went to the south side of the city to pick up so clothes they ordered for Ling’er.”
Chen Yin nodded, then, seeing that Ye Ling’er was still happily enjoying her snacks, he stepped outside and closed the door.
“Now, let’s talk about that letter.”
“Since you’re here, Young Master Chen, I assu you’ve agreed to my request?” Nan Xiaoxiang smiled faintly.
Chen Yin shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I just ca to visit Luo Luo and Qingying.”
“Would you really let such an adorable little girl like Ye Ling’er suffer from this poison forever?”
“I wouldn’t mind traveling to the Ten Thousand Mountains for her.”
Chen Yin said seriously, “But I do mind you not being honest with .”
Nan Xiaoxiang’s expression stiffened slightly.
“A mortal physician, skilled in Gu techniques that even low-level cultivators fear; willing to risk your life to enter the Azure Cicada Ancient Domain in search of the Heavenly Dao Fragnt.”
“Do you really expect to believe you’re not hiding sothing?” Chen Yin scoffed.
Nan Xiaoxiang’s beautiful face darkened.
After a long silence, she said softly, “Is this… really that important to you, Young Master Chen?”
“Not really. Your personal matters are none of my business.”
He shrugged casually. “But I don’t like being used as a pawn.”
“Tell why you really want to go to the Wu Xuan Cave with you. Depending on your answer, I might consider helping you.”
Hearing his blunt words, Nan Xiaoxiang hesitated.
After a long pause, she sighed and, for the first ti, a flicker of vulnerability crossed her face.
“As you suspected, Young Master Chen… I have a history with the Wu Xuan Cave.”
Chen Yin leaned against the doorfra, ready to hear her story.
“The Wu Xuan Cave is the most mysterious and feared sect in the Southern Region. Not only are their Gu techniques terrifying, but their knowledge of poisons is also unmatched.”
“The core teachings of the Wu Xuan Cave, their most powerful Gu techniques and poison manuals, can only be inherited by the Sacred Child, a child with a unique physique.”
…This sounds familiar. Chen Yin stroked his chin. “So, you’re the Sacred Child?”
Nan Xiaoxiang shook her head.
“The Sacred Child isn’t chosen at birth.”
“The Wu Xuan Cave gathers a large number of talented children from the Southern Region and, once they’re weaned, throws them into a dangerous place called the Yama’s Valley.”
“It’s a place filled with poisonous insects and plants, where even adults can barely survive for a month.”
“And those helpless children are left there to fend for themselves.”
“…Until soone manages to escape.”
Chen Yin frowned slightly.
“That’s inhumane.”
Nan Xiaoxiang closed her eyes slowly.
Her chest rose and fell, her emotions turbulent.
“It sounds cruel and unjust.”
“But cultivators don’t care.”
Mortal children were expendable.
If one of them beca the Sacred Child, it was considered a miracle.
“Isn’t that practically the sa as the demonic path?” Chen Yin asked skeptically. “Does the Wu Xuan Cave really dare to defy the entire cultivation world?”
“You’ll understand if you visit the Ten Thousand Mountains, Young Master Chen.”
Nan Xiaoxiang’s voice was cold and calm. “The Wu Xuan Cave is the absolute authority in the Ten Thousand Mountains. All the mortals there worship them like gods, never daring to disobey.”
“And they’re incredibly secretive and isolated. Few cultivation sects have any dealings with them.”
“They don’t care about quantity, only quality. They need fifty talented children before they open the Yama’s Valley.”
“If they don’t have enough, they won’t open it, even if all the children die. The last ti they opened the valley was hundreds of years ago.”
Chen Yin, after listening to her story, was still confused. “Wait, if you’re not the Sacred Child, why do you know so much?”
Nan Xiaoxiang bit her lip, her eyes downcast.
“…I’m not the Sacred Child.”
“But I was one of those fifty children.”
“I just… escaped from that hell.”
“But according to you, the one who escapes is the Sacred Child, right?” Chen Yin was even more confused.
“It’s simple.”
Nan Xiaoxiang looked at him intently.
“Besides , there was another person, even more talented than I am…”
“…who also escaped.”
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