When Xiao Yixian woke from unconsciousness, dawn had already broken. Xiao Yan sat not far away, calmly wiping the heavy black ruler with a white cloth, carefully cleaning off the bloodstains. The corpses and blood that had covered the village the night before were gone. It was as though peace and calm had returned to the quiet little village.
If not for the charred black marks on the street, Xiao Yixian might have thought everything last night was just a terrible nightmare. But those traces—too stubborn to erase—reminded her that a massacre had taken place. And all of it stemmed from her own compassion.
"Those people… what happened to them?" Xiao Yixian asked, her voice low as she looked at Xiao Yan's peaceful face.
"Relax. Not a single one left." Xiao Yan responded flatly. "You probably won't object to me wiping them all out this time, will you? Well, not that it matters. I already did it."
"What about the others?"
"Half died, half lived. Better than I expected." Xiao Yan gave a casual click of his tongue. "The Shechao Mercenary Corps looked fierce, but they were surprisingly cowardly. A few threats and they lost their nerve. Honestly, what a useless rabble. Deserved to die."
"Where are they now?" Xiao Yixian asked softly.
"Recovering from their injuries in the same place they were tied up yesterday." Xiao Yan glanced at her and smiled faintly. "Wanna go see them? Just a piece of advice—better not go now. If you do, I won't be able to protect you."
Xiao Yixian looked at him, her expression conflicted. Though she had been knocked out early the night before, she hadn't forgotten the sight of Xiao Yan standing indifferently while villagers were slaughtered around them. Now he still wore the same smile, but to her, it carried a chilling coldness.
She didn't respond. Or perhaps she didn't dare to. Instead, she turned and walked silently toward the village square. Just as Xiao Yan had said, the injured villagers had gathered there to recover.
Before she could even figure out what to say to them, someone noticed her. A few children with bad tempers immediately picked up stones and hurled them at her.
"You witch! What are you doing back here?!"
"No… I'm not—"
"If it weren't for you bringing those people here, our village wouldn't be like this! Get out of here!" one child shouted, and several adults—faces dark and resentful—also glared at her with hostility.
"Tsk tsk… What a united little village. I'm so touched I could cry." A slow clap interrupted the chaos. Xiao Yan leaned casually against a large tree, smiling as he watched the scene unfold. "If only you lot had shown the same courage yesterday when those thugs had their blades at your throats, maybe I'd have a little respect for you."
"You!" The villagers, who had just been shouting, immediately went silent. The same child who had thrown the first rock now cowered behind his mother, terrified. Clearly, Xiao Yan's terrifying display of power from the night before had left a deep impression.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongues? Weren't you all so vocal a moment ago?" Xiao Yan sneered. "Bully the weak, fear the strong. Pathetic."
"And what are you supposed to be?" a child mumbled defiantly from within the crowd. But the words had barely left his mouth when Xiao Yan vanished from where he stood. A hand shot forward and grabbed the boy by the throat, lifting him into the air.
"Go on, say that again if you dare." Xiao Yan smiled, but his tone carried a deadly chill. The boy trembled uncontrollably.
"Xiao Yan! Stop!" Xiao Yixian rushed forward in alarm, trying to stop him.
But Xiao Yan didn't let go. His eyes scanned the crowd, now full of fear, and his smile only grew warmer. "No need to be so afraid. Show me the same courage you showed her just now."
"..."
"Now that I think about it, I'm actually your savior, aren't I?" Xiao Yan chuckled. "You were all supposed to be slaughtered last night. If I hadn't killed those mercenaries, none of you would be alive right now. So tell me—don't you owe me a little gratitude?"
"Yes, of course…" After a long silence, a man who looked like the village chief forced a smile. Though he cursed Xiao Yan in his heart, he still put on a polite facade. "Young sir, is there something you want? If it's within our means, we will offer it without question."
"I have no interest in your pile of junk." Xiao Yan scoffed and tossed the boy to the ground. He turned back to Xiao Yixian. "Let's go."
"Go?"
"What? You still want to stay here?" Xiao Yan smiled. "You think they'll let you?"
Xiao Yixian looked around at the villagers, saw the hatred in their eyes, and bitterness welled in her heart. She knew he was right. From this moment on, she could no longer stay here. The villagers would never accept her again.
Once they left the small village, Xiao Yixian finally let her tears fall. "It's all my fault…"
"Your fault? Did you kill them?" Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "I know you've got a kind heart, but can you not blame yourself for everything?"
"But… they died because of me…"
"Wrong. They died because someone killed them. Not because of you." Xiao Yan patted her on the shoulder. "Don't overthink things. If you do, you'll drive yourself mad."
"Isn't that just lying to myself?"
"You could say that." Xiao Yan shrugged. "Back then, when I was like you, a certain wicked woman taught me the same lesson."
He didn't want to linger on the topic, so he quickly changed it. "Where are you planning to go next?"
"There's a small town nearby called Qingshan Town. I plan to go there and keep practicing medicine," Xiao Yixian replied softly. "What about you?"
"I'll continue my cultivation, of course," said Xiao Yan nonchalantly.
"Looks like we'll have to part ways." Xiao Yixian gave him a complicated look and sighed silently in her heart.
"Goodbye." Xiao Yan waved.
Just as Xiao Yixian turned away, he suddenly chopped her on the neck, knocking her out. Without missing a beat, he pulled out a sack and stuffed her inside.
'You think I went through all that effort just to be a childhood memory?' he thought. 'There's no way I'm letting the future Heavenly Poison Woman walk away. She's staying with me.'
(End of Chapter)
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