18: Chapter 18 The Lingering Shadow

Ling Yuan and Zi Yan stepped into Wan Yao Pharmacy, where the faint fragrance of medicinal herbs permeated the air.

Xiao Yi Xian was lowering her head, carefully bandaging the wounded arm of a mercenary. Her movements were meticulous, and she was softly reciting precautions to him.

Ling Yuan and Zi Yan did not disturb her, choosing instead to wait for her to finish.

However, the mercenary ahead of them hadn't even finished his treatment yet.

A man leading two burly fellows barged in swaggeringly. His gaze was arrogant, and he completely failed to notice Ling Yuan in the corner. Ignoring the fact that others were queuing, he walked straight up to Xiao Yi Xian's counter.

The few customers who were originally queuing in the shop were startled by this sudden commotion; some even stood up immediately and quietly retreated toward the door.

Xiao Yi Xian looked up, a flash of anger crossing her face. Her tone carried a hint of reprimand: "Mu Li, what do you want? Can't you see I'm treating a patient and there are people queuing?"

Mu Li crossed his arms over his chest, a frivolous smile curling the corners of his mouth as his eyes swept over Xiao Yi Xian's body:

“Hehe, Xiao Yi Xian, I'm obviously here to see you for medical treatment. Why else would I come here?”

“If you want treatment, go to the back of the queue. It is this Young Master's turn.” Xiao Yi Xian frowned and pointed a finger at Ling Yuan.

A short, stout lackey stood with hands on hips, shouting loudly at the remaining customers in the shop:

“Listen up, everyone! Xiao Yi Xian is a bit tired today and won't be seeing patients anymore. Everyone come back tomorrow! If you don't want trouble, get out now!”

Those customers were already afraid of Mu Li's influence. Hearing this, how could they dare to stay? They all lowered their heads and hurried out of Wan Yao Pharmacy. In an instant, only Ling Yuan, Zi Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Mu Li's trio remained in the shop.

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the empty shop and then at the arrogant trio. Feeling both annoyed and angry, she bit her lip and said to Mu Li:

“Mu Li, you've gone too far! You're clearly not sick; you're just here to cause trouble on purpose!”

Another tall, thin lackey beside Mu Li stepped forward, intending to advise Ling Yuan to be sensible and leave immediately.

“Kid, if you know what's good for you...” As he spoke, he reached out to push Ling Yuan.

But at the very moment his hand was about to touch Ling Yuan's sleeve, a cold glint flashed in the depths of Ling Yuan's eyes.

An invisible Soul ripple suddenly shot out from his eyes, striking the tall, thin lackey directly between the eyebrows.

The tall, thin lackey didn't even have time to react. His body stiffened violently, his eyes widened, and his Soul was instantly shattered. He fell straight to the ground, devoid of any breath.

Ling Yuan hadn't expected this. He had originally intended to keep a low profile and leave a good impression on the kind Xiao Yi Xian.

He hadn't expected to be met with such a low-level lackey coming to provoke him.

He had only seen such plotlines in novels before; he hadn't expected to actually encounter it himself.

Since he had already made a move, he might as well keep killing.

Ling Yuan had no interest in using words to reason with these people, and even less desire to play out some drama of pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger for the sake of showing off. It was a waste of time.

He raised his hand, and an invisible surge of Dou Qi instantly gushed out, firmly enveloping the remaining Mu Li and the short, stout lackey.

The two couldn't even make a sound before being dragged by the Dou Qi, violently flying out of Wan Yao Pharmacy toward the distance, quickly disappearing from sight.

Immediately after, a dull "thud" was heard. Mu Li and his lackey were squeezed and directly exploded into a bloody mist, leaving not even a fragment behind.

Outside Wan Yao Pharmacy, several passing pedestrians happened to witness this scene and couldn't help but scream: "Murder! Someone's been killed!"

However, the moment Mu Li's group was sent flying, Ling Yuan had quietly set up a barrier, isolating the space outside the shop.

The screams, the bloody scene, and even the scent of blood from outside were all blocked by the barrier. Sitting behind the counter, Xiao Yi Xian saw nothing and smelled nothing.

Speaking of which, that minor antagonist Mu Li had actually helped him clear the room.

To thank Mu Li, Ling Yuan planned to send Mu Li's entire family down to accompany him later.

Xiao Yi Xian was still somewhat dazed; everything had happened too fast just now.

She had only seen Mu Li's trio suddenly dragged away by an invisible force, and she subconsciously looked toward Ling Yuan.

Only the three of them remained in the shop now. The only one who could have acted was this Young Master before her.

She was secretly astonished: she hadn't expected this Young Master, who looked so young and handsome, to possess such extraordinary strength. Mu Li's trio didn't even have the chance to fight back before him.

She had long been annoyed by Mu Li, who often came to harass her.

“Young Master has great strength. Do you need a consultation for some illness? I will see to you quickly, and then you should leave fast to avoid getting into trouble.”

Seeing her somewhat nervous appearance, Ling Yuan's lips curled slightly as he asked intentionally:

“Oh? And why is that? I just helped you solve a problem, so why do you want me to leave so quickly?”

A look of worry appeared on Xiao Yi Xian's face as she hastily explained:

“Young Master might not know, but Mu Li's father is Mu She, the leader of the Qingshan Town Mercenary Group. He has a significant background in Qingshan Town and his strength is quite remarkable, having already reached the Dou Master Realm. Since you've touched his son, he will certainly not let it go and will come to seek revenge!”

Ling Yuan gave a light laugh, completely unconcerned.

A mere Dou Master Realm was not even worth mentioning in his eyes; he could slap a whole pile of them to death with one hand.

However, he could also see that Xiao Yi Xian was truly worried for him. This kindness was etched into her bones, not faked in the slightest.

“Alright, then I'll trouble you.”

“Help me take a look at this. This is a 'prescription' given to me by a previous physician. I don't quite understand it, so I'd like to ask for your help to examine it.”

Ling Yuan raised his hand and took a Multi-colored Scroll from his storage ring—it was precisely the Seven-Colored Poison Manual—and handed it to Xiao Yi Xian.

Seeing the peculiar design of the scroll Ling Yuan handed over, Xiao Yi Xian immediately felt a surge of curiosity.

Upon taking it and seeing the contents within, her delicate body suddenly stiffened, and then she couldn't help but shudder, as if she had been burned by something.

This shudder was like a switch being flipped; after that, her body couldn't stop trembling. Her fingers gripping the scroll tightened more and more, her knuckles turning white.

Xiao Yi Xian was not stupid; she knew that Ling Yuan's purpose for coming here was not for medical treatment at all.

He perhaps had already seen through the uniqueness of her Physique...

Xiao Yi Xian deliberately forced herself to calm down: “This thing, where did you get it from?”

Ling Yuan shook his head slightly, his tone indifferent: “Where it came from is not important. What is important is that I know your Physique is the Calamity Poison Body described in there.”

With a bang, Xiao Yi Xian's mind exploded. Her face turned pale, as if her greatest secret had been exposed.

This was the secret she kept hidden in the deepest part of her heart. From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever known. It was also the shadow she wanted to forget but could not escape.

Those who once knew this secret had all been poisoned to death by the out-of-control poison Qi within her body.

Her parents, the villagers, and all those elders...

Familiar faces flashed through her mind one by one, finally freezing on the painful expressions they had when they collapsed.