The date for Canaan Academy's enrollment had not yet arrived, so Wutan City temporarily became a base for Mo Yuhan and the other two to rest and recuperate.
The rented courtyard was located in a relatively secluded corner of the city's west side, with green bricks and grey tiles, covered in tenacious vines, making it quite serene.
Mo Yuhan dedicated almost all his time to cultivation.
The Dou Qi vortex slowly rotated within his Dantian, absorbing the world energy that was far denser on Dou Qi Continent than on Douluo Continent.
Xuan Huang Flame flowed through his meridians like docile yet domineering magma; each circulation brought a scorching sting and an increase in power.
He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed beneath an old Sophora japonica tree in the courtyard, his tender face appearing calm and focused in the morning light, a faint, metallic-textured, pale yellow halo surrounding his body.
"Yu Han."
A clear, slightly hoarse call, like a stone dropped into still water, broke the courtyard's tranquility. The voice came from the half-open carved wooden window of the east wing.
Mo Yuhan slowly retracted his power, and the pale yellow halo surrounding him receded into his body.
He opened his eyes, his dark pupils clear as water in the morning light, and looked in the direction of the sound.
The light inside the window was soft.
Bibi Dong leaned against the soft couch by the window, seemingly having just woken up.
At this moment, she was only wearing a moon-white silk nightgown of extremely soft texture, its wide sleeves slipping down to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair wrist, so slender it seemed it would break with a snap.
The neckline of the nightgown was somewhat casually open, with two thin silk ties loosely fastened, revealing a delicate, jade-like collarbone and the faintly visible, full, rounded edge of an astonishing curve below.
The morning light filtered through the window lattice, casting a hazy golden edge upon her, outlining her breathtaking curves in a fleeting glimpse.
Her thick, silken purple hair was not tied up but loosely draped over her shoulders, with a few strands lazily falling in front of her slightly open collar, adding a breathtaking sense of languor and fragility.
Her complexion still bore the pallor of someone recovering from a serious illness, and her lips were very light, but her deep purple eyes, at this moment, had shed some of their former emptiness and lifelessness, gaining an indescribable complex expression, like a cold pond holding morning mist, silently gazing at Mo Yuhan in the courtyard.
As Mo Yuhan's gaze first touched the fleeting glimpse of snowy skin beneath the moon-white silk and the lazily scattered purple hair, his heart felt as if something had suddenly squeezed it, and his breathing instantly hitched.
An indescribable burning sensation rushed to his cheeks and earlobes. He almost instinctively lowered his eyelids quickly, his thick eyelashes fluttering in a panic, not daring to look again.
His gaze was fixed on a small bluestone slab in front of his feet, as if a peerless cultivation technique was engraved there.
"Aunt… Auntie."
His voice held a hint of imperceptible nervousness, clear with the unique hoarseness of a teenager's voice-breaking period, "Did you call me?"
"Hmm."
Bibi Dong's voice was still slightly hoarse, carrying a trace of morning fatigue, but her gaze never left Mo Yuhan's slightly reddened earlobes.
She seemed unaware of anything inappropriate in her attire, or rather, she didn't care.
In her eyes, Mo Yuhan in her memory was still just a child who would only act spoiled by her side.
Mo Yuhan took a deep breath, suppressing the stirring in his heart, trying to maintain his outward composure, and stepped into the east wing.
A faint bitter scent of herbs, mixed with a faint yet soul-penetrating cold body fragrance, wafted over him.
He walked straight ahead, stopping a few steps away from the soft couch, and slightly lowered his head.
"Sit."
Bibi Dong pointed to the soft couch.
Mo Yuhan sat down as instructed, his back perfectly straight, his hands on his knees, his fingertips slightly curled.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Only the occasional bird chirping from outside the window and Bibi Dong's faint breathing could be heard.
The morning light danced on her exquisite profile, and her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes.
"Spirit Hall…"
Bibi Dong finally spoke, her voice very soft, as if she was talking to herself, or perhaps asking a question, "How is it now?"
She knew that Mo Yuhan must have secretly returned to Douluo Continent, but he hadn't mentioned it to her, fearing it would trigger her pain.
Mo Yuhan looked up, meeting her deep purple eyes.
They no longer held complete desolation but rather a sense of release.
He knew that his aunt would ask this question sooner or later.
"Qian Xunji announced to the outside world that Auntie and I… colluded with external enemies and that he personally ended your life."
Mo Yuhan's voice was very calm, as if stating something unrelated to him.
However, he clearly concealed some rumors.
He was afraid that if he mentioned the rumors of illicit relations, his aunt would truly become furious.
And in the depths of his dark eyes, a cold glint flashed, "Qian Xunji took this opportunity to purge dissidents. Grandfather Ju and Grandfather Gui were marginalized, and the forces that previously supported Auntie were either reassigned or met with misfortune. Inside the Holy Hall, Qian Xunji and his lackeys from the Consecration Hall now hold sole dominance."
Every word was like a cold needle, piercing Bibi Dong's heart.
Her hand resting on the armrest of the soft couch, her knuckles were slightly white.
In the depths of her purple eyes, the faint glimmer that had just gathered, a bone-chilling killing intent suddenly permeated the room, and the temperature of the room seemed to plummet! The water in the teacup on the table silently condensed a thin layer of frost.
Mo Yuhan watched her quietly, offering no comfort.
He knew that any comfort at this moment would be pale and powerless.
In fact, this hatred was what was currently sustaining her life, and it was also one of the driving forces for her to regain her strength.
After a long while, the terrifying killing intent slowly receded like a tide.
Bibi Dong closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes held nothing but an unfathomable, icy cold pond.
"When we go back…" Her voice was hoarse, "But now is not the time."
Mo Yuhan was afraid that Bibi Dong would act impulsively upon hearing this news, "Auntie, your injuries are not healed, and your foundation is damaged. Qian Xunji's power is immense; we need time, we need greater strength, we need a… perfect opportunity."
He paused, then added, "The elixirs of Dou Qi Continent will greatly benefit the repair of your foundation. The Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill from Canaan Academy is just the first step."
The cultivation speed on Dou Qi Continent was clearly much faster than on Douluo Continent.
Bibi Dong silently looked at Mo Yuhan, at this child who was only eight years old but possessed a maturity far beyond his age.
His eyes were clear and firm, carrying an undeniable strength.
This strength brought a faint warmth to her heart, which had been frozen by hatred and pain. She softly "hmm"ed, signifying her approval.
The room fell silent again.
But this time, the atmosphere seemed to have eased somewhat. Bibi Dong's gaze shifted, falling on the swaying tree shadows outside the window, seemingly lost in thought.
After a while, she spoke again, her voice carrying a rare hesitation and… a subtle hint of the confusion appropriate for a woman of her age.
"Yu Han… that little girl called Little Fairy Doctor…"
Mo Yuhan's heart stirred, and he looked up at her.
"She…"
Bibi Dong's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the soft silk sleeve, her brows slightly furrowed, "These past few days, I often see her lost in thought alone, her eyes… very empty. Sometimes in a corner of the courtyard, sometimes in her room."
"At first, I thought she was compounding medicine, trying to taste its properties, after all, she is a physician."
Her voice paused, a glimmer flashing in her purple eyes, "But later, I realized something was wrong. The medicines she consumed… the quantity grew larger and larger, and… I recognized several of them as highly poisonous substances. It was definitely not as simple as just testing medicine."
Mo Yuhan's heart sank suddenly.
What was bound to come, had come.
He was silent for a moment, and the air in the room seemed to solidify.
Bibi Dong's gaze rested on his face, filled with scrutiny and inquiry
"Auntie."
Mo Yuhan finally spoke, his voice deep and carrying a weight beyond his years. "What you saw… is correct. Little Fairy Doctor sister… she wasn't testing medicine."
He lifted his head, looking directly into Bibi Dong's deep purple eyes, and said, word for word, "She was… eating."
"Eating?" Bibi Dong's brows furrowed even tighter, a cold glint flashing in her purple eyes. "Are you saying… she was taking poison?"
"Yes." Mo Yuhan nodded slowly, his gaze complex. "And, she must take poison. Otherwise… she will die."
Bibi Dong leaned forward slightly, the collar of her nightgown opening a bit more with the movement, revealing more of the breathtaking, creamy curves of her skin. But at this moment, Mo Yuhan had no time to appreciate the enchanting sight; his mind was completely occupied by the heavy secret about to be unveiled.
"Explain more clearly."
Mo Yuhan took a deep breath, as if trying to exhale the heaviness in his chest.
He gathered his thoughts and began to explain in a tone as calm yet clear as possible:
"Little Fairy Doctor sister… she possesses an extremely rare, extremely strange physique—the 'Woeful Poison Body'."
"Woeful Poison Body?"
Bibi Dong repeated the unfamiliar term, her purple eyes showing genuine surprise for the first time.
On the Douluo Continent, she had never heard of such a physique.
"This is a… cursed physique."
Mo Yuhan's voice carried a hint of pity. "Those who possess this physique are naturally unable to cultivate Dou Qi normally. Their bodies… are like a bottomless abyss, with an instinctive, irresistible craving for highly poisonous substances. Only by continuously devouring potent poisons can they sustain their life force, and even… gain power."
He paused, watching the growing shock in Bibi Dong's eyes, and continued: "Poison, which is a deadly, gut-wrenching poison for ordinary people, is for the Woeful Poison Body… sustenance. Their bodies transform the potent poison into a special kind of Poison Dou Qi, and their cultivation also grows with the ingestion of poison, at a speed far exceeding normal people. However, this sounds like a shortcut, a unique talent…"
A bitter curve appeared at the corner of Mo Yuhan's mouth: "But the price… is extremely tragic."
"As more and more poisonous substances are devoured, and their toxicity becomes stronger and stronger, the Poison Dou Qi within their bodies will become increasingly terrifying and difficult to control. Their bodies will gradually be corroded by the potent poison, enduring unimaginable pain. What's even more terrifying is…"
His voice deepened, carrying a chilling coldness that made one's heart palpitate, "When the Poison Dou Qi in their bodies accumulates to a certain critical point, or when their emotions fluctuate violently, when they are heartbroken…"
"What happens?" Bibi Dong's voice unconsciously tightened.
"They lose control."
Mo Yuhan's voice was decisive, carrying a chilling cruelty. "The terrifying potent poison will instantly erupt from their bodies, like the source of a plague. Wherever it passes, life will be devastated, and all things will wither! And they themselves… will, in the poison explosion, become the most intense source of poison, ultimately… leaving no bones, only a dead land completely contaminated by potent poison, difficult to heal for a thousand years."
The room was deathly silent. The crisp birdsong outside the window now sounded incredibly piercing.
Bibi Dong sat there quietly, her moon-white silk nightgown making her complexion appear even paler.
The morning light outlined the exquisite contours of her profile, and in her deep purple eyes, turbulent waves surged.
Shock, and pity.
And, a deep apprehension about that terrifying outcome.
She remembered the gentle smile and clear eyes of the herb-gathering girl when she first met Little Fairy Doctor in Qingshan Town.
She was just like herself when she was young.
She also remembered her careful and focused attention when she nursed her injuries while traveling together in the Monster Mountain Range.
In Wutan City, her unwavering determination to protect her side when facing the Jia Lie family's encirclement, despite her fear.
How could such a seemingly delicate girl harbor such terrifying, destructive power within her body?
And what she endured every day was the agonizing pain of relying on devouring potent poisons to sustain her life?
"Does she… know herself?" Bibi Dong's voice was a little dry.
"She knows." Mo Yuhan answered affirmatively, his eyes complex. "She knows her fate better than anyone. So… she secretly takes those highly poisonous substances, enduring pain unimaginable to ordinary people."
He remembered Little Fairy Doctor's face, instantly pale yet forcing itself to be calm after each time she took poison, and her slightly trembling hands hidden in her sleeves. A wave of bitterness surged in his heart.
He didn't know if giving Little Fairy Doctor the Seven-Colored Poison Manual in advance was a wrong decision, but the path was chosen by Little Fairy Doctor herself. Even if he hadn't made this decision, it wouldn't have helped her at all.
On the contrary, he was confident that he could definitely help Little Fairy Doctor resolve the drawbacks of the Woeful Poison Body before her poison erupted.
"She treasures the Seven-Colored Poison Manual not because she likes poison, but because… it's her only way to live, her only hope to try and control the potent poison within her body."
"Control?" Bibi Dong keenly caught that word.
"Yes." Mo Yuhan explained, "The Woeful Poison Body is not entirely without a solution. The Seven-Colored Poison Manual states that if one can find the legendary 'Poison Pill Method' and condense a 'Poison Pill' that contains all poisons within the body, perhaps one can completely control the power of the Woeful Poison Body and no longer suffer from its backlash."
"Furthermore, one can truly control that world-destroying poison power. However, the materials required for this Poison Pill Method are all rare and potent poisons in the world, and the refining method is extremely dangerous. A slight mistake could lead to eternal damnation."
He looked at Bibi Dong, somewhat nervously saying, "Auntie, Little Fairy Doctor sister is my friend, and in Qingshan Town, she helped us out of a difficult situation. On the way to Wutan City, she also meticulously cared for your injuries. She never had any intention of harming anyone; she just wants to… live."
"So, I hope you will keep this secret for her."
The morning light filtered through the window lattice. Mo Yuhan looked at the roundness revealed beneath Bibi Dong's moon-white nightgown, gently sniffing the bitter herbal scent that permeated the room and the faint, cool body fragrance emanating from his auntie.
After a long while, an extremely soft sigh, like a feather, floated into the silent room.
"I… understand."
Her voice was still cool and clear, but it lacked the previous sharpness, gaining a hint of indescribable complexity.
Mo Yuhan straightened up, meeting Bibi Dong's deep, star-like purple eyes, and a huge stone quietly fell from his heart.
He knew that with his auntie's character, since she had said it, she would absolutely not reveal a single bit.
"Thank you, Auntie." He said softly.
Bibi Dong said nothing more, only slightly turned her head, her gaze returning to the window.
Sunlight danced on her thick purple hair, casting soft shadows on her pale cheeks.
The breathtaking curves outlined by the moon-white silk nightgown, in Mo Yuhan's eyes, were no longer just enchanting scenery that made him blush, but were now imbued with a heavy and complex hue.
Auntie, Little Fairy Doctor sister, they both carried unimaginable pain and burdens.
And as for himself… he still had a long way to go.
The air in the Mittel Auction House, a mixture of expensive incense and various medicinal herbs, metals, and even magical beast materials, had gradually become familiar to Mo Yuhan.
Ever since he frequently came to the auction house to bid for medicinal herbs useful to Little Fairy Doctor or beneficial to his aunt's injuries, he had become a regular customer there.
Ya Fei had noticed this child, whose demeanor was remarkably different from ordinary people, ever since the battle in the market.
The astonishing feat of an eight-year-old Dou Zhe had already spread throughout Wutan City, and coupled with the mysterious woman always shrouded in a cloak and the delicate Alchemist maiden who always followed him, he was inherently a topic of much discussion.
Ya Fei's attitude towards Mo Yuhan gradually shifted from pure business interest and an investigation into his background to a more deliberate closeness.
She deeply understood the value of connections, especially with a child whose potential was almost monstrous.
This deliberate closeness naturally extended to one of the core figures of the auction house—Grandmaster Gu Ni, a Second-Rank Alchemist.
Grandmaster Gu Ni was a gaunt-faced old man with sharp eyes, usually engrossed in his alchemy room and not particularly keen on auction house affairs, but he greatly admired Ya Fei, this shrewd and capable junior.
Under Ya Fei's intentional or unintentional arrangements, Mo Yuhan's interactions with Gu Ni also increased.
Sometimes, Ya Fei would 'happen' to take Mo Yuhan to view newly arrived medicinal herbs in the storeroom, passing by Gu Ni's alchemy room; other times, when Mo Yuhan inquired about the properties of a certain herb, Ya Fei would 'casually' suggest he consult Grandmaster Gu Ni.
Initially, Gu Ni maintained only a natural, slightly detached curiosity—a typical Alchemist's response—towards Mo Yuhan, this monstrously talented cultivator.
However, he would not refuse Mo Yuhan observing him while he was refining medicine, simply treating it as a way to curry favor with Mo Yuhan on behalf of his junior, Ya Fei.
Until one time, while Mo Yuhan was waiting outside the alchemy room for Ya Fei to handle an urgent batch of auction items, Gu Ni was refining a rather crucial 'Qi-Restoring Pill'.
Flames surged within the pill cauldron, and a rich medicinal aroma permeated the air.
Gu Ni was fully focused, beads of sweat seeping from his temples as he carefully controlled the temperature of the flames and the output of his spirit power.
However, just at the critical moment when the medicinal liquid was about to fuse into a pill, the energy inside the cauldron seemed to generate a subtle conflict due to a slightly inferior-aged auxiliary herb, and the balance was instantly broken.
A violent energy fluctuation suddenly overflowed from the cauldron's mouth, the pill cauldron trembled violently, and the runes on its wall flickered erratically, indicating that a cauldron of painstakingly collected medicinal materials was about to turn into charcoal.
It was at this critical juncture.
Mo Yuhan, who had been quietly observing from the corner, didn't even think; his body's instincts had already reacted.
His small figure stepped forward like a Gui Mei, his right index and middle fingers pressed together, and a flame, swift as lightning, pointed through the air at the restless pill cauldron.
"Chi—!"
The faint yellow flame, like a living spirit snake, shot out from his fingertip in an instant, accurately and precisely entering the violently fluctuating flame beneath the pill cauldron.
The appearance of this wisp of flame caused the temperature of the entire alchemy room to suddenly rise by a level, and the air seemed like water into which a stone had been thrown, rippling with invisible waves.
Grandmaster Gu Ni turned his head in shock, his slightly cloudy old eyes filled with disbelief.
That wisp of faint yellow flame, like a Sea God's calming needle, did not attempt to extinguish Gu Ni's flame, but rather, with an indescribable dominance and subtlety, instantly took over the core control of the furnace fire.
The originally violent and conflicting flame energy, under the 'pacification' and 'regulation' of this wisp of faint yellow flame, became docile and orderly like a tamed wild horse.
The medicinal liquid energy, which was on the verge of collapsing inside the cauldron, was also forcibly stabilized and harmonized by a powerful and scorching force, and the violent conflict was suppressed outright.
In just a few breaths, the trembling of the pill cauldron stopped, the violent energy fluctuations disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented, stable, and pure medicinal power fluctuation.
The flames inside the cauldron resumed their gentle pulsation, even more condensed than when Gu Ni had controlled them previously, and a richer, purer pill aroma wafted out in wisps from the gaps in the cauldron lid.
Grandmaster Gu Ni was dumbfounded, even forgetting to continue controlling the alchemy cauldron and flames.
He stared intently at the wisp of faint yellow flame slowly retracting into Mo Yuhan's fingertip, feeling the terrifying power and exquisite control contained within it, which made his spirit power tremble, rendering him utterly speechless.
Just then, Ya Fei, who had just finished handling the auction items, happened to push open the door to the alchemy room.
She had her usual warm, spring-like smile, ready to greet Mo Yuhan, but the sight before her left her somewhat startled.
Because she just happened to see Grandmaster Gu Ni's ghost-like expression of shock.
Mo Yuhan slowly retracted his fingers, and the faint yellow sparks lingering on his fingertips flashed and disappeared.
Following this, Ya Fei smelled a pill aroma that was even richer than what Grandmaster Gu Ni usually produced when refining pills.
"This... Grandmaster Gu Ni, what's going on?"
Ya Fei's rosy cherry lips parted slightly, and her narrow phoenix eyes, for the first time, lost their usual graceful ease.
Grandmaster Gu Ni suddenly snapped back to his senses, not bothering to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, and rushed to Mo Yuhan's front, his old face flushed with excitement, his eyes burning as if to ignite Mo Yuhan: "Little fellow, you... what kind of fire was that?! And your control over flames... You... have you studied alchemy before?!"
His voice was slightly distorted by excitement.
Mo Yuhan calmly withdrew his hand, as if he had just done something insignificant, and shook his head: "Grandmaster Gu Ni, I have never studied alchemy; I just have a natural affinity for flames."
He avoided the crucial point, not mentioning that he possessed the Xuan Huang Flame, a unique fire.
"Natural affinity?!"
Gu Ni's voice rose even higher, as if he had heard a fantastical tale, "Absolutely impossible! I've been refining medicine for most of my life, and I've never seen anyone with such an affinity for flames as you, able to... able to..."
He couldn't find the right words to describe the miraculous scene he had just witnessed, "able to so exquisitely regulate violent medicinal power and stabilize the pill cauldron! This is simply... simply miraculous!"
He excitedly rubbed his hands, pacing back and forth in the alchemy room, his gaze sweeping over Mo Yuhan as if appraising a rare treasure.
Ya Fei also recovered, suppressing the shock in her heart, and her captivating smile returned to her face as she gracefully stepped closer, smiling sweetly:
"Grandmaster Gu Ni, it seems your batch of pills was saved thanks to little brother Mo. Such talent is truly unheard of."
Her eyes sparkled as they fell on Mo Yuhan, filled with undisguised admiration and deeper curiosity.
Gu Ni chuckled, "Little fellow, would you allow me to test your alchemy talent?"
Mo Yuhan didn't think much of it; he was actually curious if he had alchemy talent, and his relationship with Gu Ni was good, so a test wouldn't hurt.
After the test, Gu Ni's expression suddenly became much more fervent, and then he paced back and forth in the alchemy room.
A moment later, he abruptly stopped, his gaze fixed on Mo Yuhan with a burning intensity, as if he had made a certain decision: "Little fellow! Are you willing... to take me as your Grandmaster and learn the art of alchemy?"
His voice carried a hint of nervousness, and an unprecedented solemnity, "Although I am only a Second-Rank Alchemist, I believe I have some insights into fire control and basic medicinal property fusion. With your talent, in time, your achievements will surely surpass mine!"
"You must be aware of the status and position of an Alchemist; anywhere on this continent, you will be revered. Wealth, resources, women—you can have them all at your fingertips