Xiao Yan's roar echoed like thunder across the mountain range, causing the fading silhouette to pause momentarily. From a distance, observing the figure's brief hesitation, Xiao Yan's suspicions were instantly confirmed. He had not expected to see her again after all these years—yet why had she changed so completely now? Had her supposed厄难 toxic constitution finally erupted? Thoughts swirling within him, Xiao Yan did not hesitate. With a sudden振 of his fiery wings, he surged directly toward the silhouette. Feeling Xiao Yan's movement, the figure trembled slightly but did not turn around. Thick gray mist surged forth from within, then burst with a subtle rumble, and the figure vanished mysteriously. As the figure disappeared, the burst mist rapidly dispersed and soon dissolved into nothingness. Xiao Yan's figure sliced across the sky. When he pursued, the black silhouette had vanished completely, leaving him with a stern face, fists clenched, and murmuring under his breath, "This person... why won't he see me?" Behind Xiao Yan, Medusa swiftly caught up, her gaze carefully scanning the vast expanse of the sky, then slightly frowning, asking, "Do you know that person from before?" "If my guess is correct, he's an old friend of mine from many years ago. Only..." Xiao Yan offered a wry smile, pausing thoughtfully before deciding not to mention the ordeal of Xiao Yixian's toxic constitution. "His mastery of poison is truly unusual. However, during our earlier encounter, I noticed his mental state fluctuated—sometimes alert, sometimes confused. Perhaps that's why he's avoiding you." Medusa didn't press further, but shifted the conversation, murmuring thoughtfully. Xiao Yan's face remained tight, and though he searched everywhere with growing reluctance, he still found nothing. He finally sighed, realizing that the worst scenario she had described at their parting had now come true. "He has gone. Return now. Ziyan is still in the valley," said Medusa. Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded and turned around, hesitated a moment, then turned back once more, gazing into the vast expanse of the forest. Suddenly, he spoke firmly, "Little Healer, I don't know what has happened to you over the years, but I have always said—no matter how you change—I, Xiao Yan, will always regard you as a friend. That promise has never wavered, not even now!" His voice, carried by the surging aura, rolled through the mountains and valleys, gradually fading after a long while. Yet, Medusa showed no response. Xiao Yan smiled faintly, then turned and took up the pace, flying toward the valley alongside Medusa. On a mountain peak where towering rocks stood in clusters, a silhouette watched distantly as the figure turned. Pale hands tightly gripped a massive stone beside it, and with each firm grasp, the stone suddenly exhaled plumes of white mist, hissing continuously. Only after watching Xiao Yan return to the valley did the silhouette slowly release its hold, leaving behind a dark palm impression several inches deep on the stone. Beneath the black cloak, the previously composed gaze now flickered with a touch of bewilderment. Moments passed, and then, gradually, memories long buried surfaced—fragments of a young man named Xiao Yan emerged clearly. "Xiao Yan…" a clear, resonant female voice emerged from beneath the cloak, distinct from the earlier hoarse, strained tone—clearly a deliberate effort to conceal her identity. "I didn't expect to meet you again... I've come here for a month each year, but now that you're here, I'll never return again..." With a pale hand slowly lifting the cloak draped over her head, snowy strands of hair cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing a pale, slightly thin face into the air. The contours of that face still bore traces of her former self, yet the warm, comforting smile and ethereal grace of her youth had faded. In their place were eyes of gray and purple, appearing strangely otherworldly, tinged with a quiet coldness and detachment. Yet on this face—once regarded as the face of the Death God in the Yun Cloud Empire—there now lingered a subtle trace of memory and bittersweet emotion. "Don't blame me for not seeing you," she said. "All I've wanted is for you to always keep in your heart the gentle young healer I once was—not this woman now, whose hands are stained with countless streams of blood, the poison-wielder." "I never expected that the words I spoke back then would have come true so completely. I hope we won't meet such fate again. This is my destiny—born in adversity, and ending in adversity." With her gray-purple eyes gazing distantly at the small valley, memories from that past time surfaced in her mind, gently lifting a warm smile from her face—a smile that had remained calm and composed for several years. In that smile, traces of the young healer once regarded as a celestial maiden by countless mercenaries of Qingshan Town still lingered. Yet, like a lotus blossom opening and closing in a single breath, the smile faded swiftly. She slowly closed her eyes. After a moment, when she reopened them, the calm detachment of before returned. Her gaze lingered one final time on the valley before she draped her cloak and turned away, no longer hesitating, her form gradually dissolving into a soft gray mist, vanishing silently... Although Ziyan's face was flushed purple, his consciousness seemed still clear; he hurriedly came forward upon seeing the two return, but his breathing was noticeably heavier than before. Holding onto Ziyan's arm, Xiao Yan sent a thread of his qi into his body, searching thoroughly—yet found no trace of poison. His expression grew slightly serious, as he had expected his specially prepared detoxifying pill to have a significant effect, but it appeared to be ineffective against this poison. "How is he?" Mei Du Sha asked promptly upon seeing Xiao Yan's actions. "I can't detect any abnormalities. It seems the poison is deeply concealed—though I still don't know the nature or severity of its toxicity," Xiao Yan shook his head. "That person himself is already a source of concern for me, let alone Ziyan. What should we do now?" Mei Du Sha said, her expression troubled. Xiao Yan hesitated slightly, then flipped his hand, and the jade bottle previously thrown to him by Xiao Yixian now appeared in his grasp. At this, Mei Du Sha frowned, asking, "Do you intend to use what he provided?" Who knows if this strange person is actually offering a genuine remedy? What if something goes wrong and damages Ziyan—who will be responsible? Observing her protective demeanor, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation. He hadn't expected the former to care for Ziyan so deeply. Thus, he had to say, "Although I don't know what exactly has happened to her, I trust she won't deceive me. Moreover, if we don't use this remedy, do you have any alternative? The poisoning cannot be delayed." Upon hearing this, Medusa hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, as there truly seemed to be no other option at present. "If the remedy proves faulty—no matter who this person is—I will personally take his life!" Watching Xiao Yan pour a crimson pill from the jade vial, Medusa still spoke with a cold, reserved tone, clearly still uneasy. Nodding with a sigh, Xiao Yan pressed the pill into Zǐ Yán's mouth, who obediently swallowed it. However, the taste seemed rather unpleasant, causing her to furrow her brows. Though the pill was unpalatable, its effects were clearly impressive—just as it entered her body, the deep purple hue on her cheeks began to fade visibly, and within mere moments, it completely disappeared. Seeing this, both Xiao Yan and Medusa breathed a sigh of relief. Xiao Yan wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, offering a faint, wry smile. He hadn't expected, with his current level of alchemical expertise, to be completely outmatched by a simple toxin thrown in by the young physician. Though their specialties differed, there were certainly overlapping principles between poisons and elixirs, and thus, he found himself somewhat helpless. "Oh, I truly have no idea what she's gone through these years. Not only has her strength surged to the point where even Medusa now has to take her seriously, but her poison arts have also grown so strange and unpredictable..." With a soft sigh, Xiao Yan's gaze drifted toward the small thatched cottage. Back when he was training, she had secretly been hiding there, taking doses of toxic medicine every day. The thought of such a kind and endearing girl having to endure such intense poison daily stirred a deep sense of tenderness in his heart. She was, by far, the woman he had seen face the most difficult fate over the years. Yet, compared to her remarkable growth in strength and mastery of poison arts, what troubled Xiao Yan most was her increasingly cold, even numb gaze—something utterly unimaginable from the once-warm, gentle girl he had known. Shaking his head vigorously to clear his thoughts, Xiao Yan walked steadily toward the small thatched hut. Regardless of what happened, he would first need to break through to the Battle Emperor stage. As for Xiao Yixian, he had a feeling he might see her again someday—though he wasn't sure what the scene would be like when they finally met.