Chapter 29: Sometimes the Dead Are More Useful Than the Living
Wan Yao Zhai.
Bad news travels fast, and the incident where Xiao Yi Xian used poison to fend off an attacker quickly spread throughout Qingshan Town, including Wan Yao Zhai.
When Xiao Yi Xian arrived at the clinic and sat at her usual spot, it didn't take long for the shopkeeper, Master Yao, to approach her with two guards.
Xiao Yi Xian frowned. What was this about?
"Xiao Yi Xian, after a thorough discussion and deliberation among everyone in Wan Yao Zhai…" Master Yao began gravely, "we have decided that it's best for you to leave. As compensation, we are willing to offer you 5,000 gold coins."
Xiao Yi Xian's expression shifted. Though she had already considered leaving the town, being abruptly expelled caught her off guard, leaving her unsure of what to do.
"Master Yao, I've worked for Wan Yao Zhai for five years…" Xiao Yi Xian murmured, her eyes growing red. She had always been alone, and Wan Yao Zhai had been her only sanctuary.
"We need a healer, not a poisoner," Master Yao replied indifferently.
Her breath hitched, and a pang of pain struck her heart. Those words were like a sharp blade stabbing into her.
"I understand…" Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip, gathered her belongings, and left the clinic, heading back to her home.
On a high balcony overlooking the town, Mu Li quickly received word of Xiao Yi Xian's expulsion from Wan Yao Zhai.
He raised his glass and laughed heartily. "Uncle Hemon, everything is going exactly as planned!"
"Tomorrow will mark the day of our victory!" Hemon cheered, equally elated.
Meanwhile, all over Qingshan Town, news about Xiao Yi Xian spread like wildfire. The fact that just a single touch from her had caused a five star Dou Fighter to lose an arm shocked everyone.
Such terrifying power was something only a Dou Shi could possess or so they thought. But Xiao Yi Xian had achieved this with nothing but her body. To the townsfolk, she was no longer a healer but a true poison master.
"That's horrifying…" one mercenary muttered, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Just a few days ago, I let her take my pulse…"
This comment instantly drew a chorus of agreement.
"Exactly! Who would've thought that such a beautiful young woman could secretly be a venomous poison master, like a scorpion in disguise?"
"I've been taking medicine she prescribed for days…" another mercenary stammered, his lips trembling. "Damn it, what if the medicine was poisoned?"
"No one knows. Only a poison master like her would know such things," a nearby mercenary sneered, his tone dripping with schadenfreude. "Maybe you should ask an alchemist or, better yet, a stronger poison master to check for you?"
The man's face turned green at the suggestion. He had no means of finding an alchemist, let alone daring to approach a stronger poison master.
"She can't stay in Qingshan Town it's too dangerous!"
"You're right! Xiao Yi Xian must leave. She's a poison master, a killer without mercy. Who knows who her next victim will be?"
"Even Wan Yao Zhai has expelled her. With Master Yao's years of experience as a healer, this confirms our suspicions!"
"So, what do we do now?"
"We need to bring this to the leaders. If the sky is falling, it's their job to hold it up!"
"Yeah, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group and the Blood Battle Mercenary Group should take the lead on this!"
"Right, let's go find them!"
"What are you waiting for? Let's "
Bang!
The sound of a bottle smashing onto the ground silenced the entire crowd. Shards of glass flew everywhere, cutting into the faces of those nearest to the impact.
"You're all a bunch of bastards!" the bearded mercenary shouted, his voice filled with rage. His beard bristled as if blown by an invisible wind. "Ask yourselves has Xiao Yi Xian ever hurt anyone?"
"She's spent years saving lives, and this is how you repay her?"
But this time, no one sided with him.
"She's a poison master. That alone is enough. I won't accept treatment from a poison master, nor will I feel grateful to one," someone retorted coldly.
"Exactly. And she's no ordinary poison master," another chimed in. "She doesn't even need a medium to release her poison her body itself is toxic. A mere touch is enough to kill."
"Even her Dou Qi is filled with poison!"
"Poison masters deserve to die. A poison master like her deserves death even more!"
In the corner of the room, a figure cloaked in a black robe trembled faintly. Beneath the hood, a pale hand clenched into a fist, her knuckles turning white.
Under the shadow of her hood, Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip, drawing blood that trickled down her chin.
Betrayal. Sadness. Pain. Regret.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yi Xian made up her mind. It was time for her to leave Qingshan Town.
"No matter what you all think, I still believe Xiao Yi Xian is kind hearted!" the bearded mercenary declared, his voice firm and unwavering. "I'll go see her tomorrow to have my wounds treated. I'll prove to all of you that she's a good person!"
In Xiao Yi Xian's dim, gray world, a flicker of light appeared. His words reignited a small glimmer of hope within her.
Not everyone hated her. Not everyone despised her.
As laughter and ridicule filled the room, Xiao Yi Xian quietly slipped away. She decided to delay her departure by one more day just long enough to treat her final patient with care.
In a building near the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's base, the bearded mercenary knelt on the ground, head lowered.
"You said exactly what I told you to say?" Mu Li asked, looking down at him.
"Yes," the man replied, his voice trembling.
"Good." Mu Li clapped the mercenary on the shoulder, laughing. "Let Xiao Yi Xian sleep soundly tonight. Tomorrow will be her last day… and you'll be free."
"…Understood." The bearded mercenary remained kneeling, not daring to protest. His wife and child were still in their captors' hands.
The next day.
Inside her room, Xiao Yi Xian opened her eyes. The purple gray Dou Qi surrounding her slowly dissipated.
Looking around, she saw that everything she needed to pack was already stored in her storage ring. Today, after treating her final patient, she would leave Qingshan Town for good.
"This place can no longer tolerate me…" Xiao Yi Xian murmured with a self deprecating smile. Poison masters truly were despised wherever they went.
Outside her house.
A large crowd of mercenaries watched as the bearded mercenary approached Xiao Yi Xian's door. In full view of everyone, Xiao Yi Xian stepped out with her medical kit and changed his bandages.
Then, locking the door behind her, she handed the key to her landlord. With a small bag slung over her shoulder, she prepared to leave. In her hand, she crushed the jade slip Lu Bu had given her. Whether or not he was still in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, she wanted to see him one last time.
"You idiots actually doubted Xiao Yi Xian?" the bearded mercenary laughed, slapping his chest with pride. "I told you she wasn't that kind of person, but you didn't believe me!"
"You all owe her an apology!"
From afar, Mu Li and Hemon exchanged glances.
"Is it time?" Hemon asked.
"Of course…" Mu Li chuckled, tossing a small wax ball in his hand a white ball with a faint purple gray glow within.
"Sometimes, the dead are more useful than the living," Mu Li mused with a smile.
"Are the men in position?"
"Ready and waiting," Hemon confirmed, his fists clenching in anticipation.
Below, the mercenaries exchanged uneasy glances. Xiao Yi Xian might have been a poison master, but no one had actually died by her hands.
"She's still a good person…"
Suddenly…
Thud!
The sound of a body hitting the ground echoed through the air. The murmurs ceased as everyone turned toward the source of the noise.
Xiao Yi Xian spun around, only to see the bearded mercenary lying on the ground. His weathered face had turned an unnatural shade of purple gray, contorted in pain.
A muffled groan escaped his lips before blood gushed from his orifices. His lifeless body lay on the ground, his eyes wide open in horror.
Xiao Yi Xian's face went pale.
Did I… kill him?
From the rooftop, Mu Li smirked.
As expected, sometimes the dead are far more useful than the living.
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