Little Fairy Doctor gently took Xiao Tian's hand, and their fingers naturally intertwined.
After walking a considerable distance away from the black market street, Xiao Tian first stopped by the Alchemist Guild to return his identification token. He politely declined President Frank's warm invitation to stay longer.
The two then found a luxurious-looking inn and checked in. The innkeeper, upon seeing Xiao Tian's alchemist robe, immediately became extremely attentive and arranged the most spacious and luxurious room for them.
That night, the pair simply embraced each other and slept peacefully. They did not take the final step. Little Fairy Doctor's Calamity Poison Body had not yet been fully controlled, so losing her virginity would risk triggering its violent origin. Meanwhile, Xiao Tian had not yet gathered three types of Spirit Thunder.
Everything else, however, they explored freely.
The next morning, warm sunlight filtered through the window and fell upon the couple sleeping in each other's arms.
Xiao Tian opened his eyes first and gazed at the sleeping beauty nestled against his chest. Unable to resist, he gently caressed her soft hair.
"Little lazy cat, it's time to wake up," he said with a smile.
Feeling her body stir slightly, he knew she was awake but too embarrassed to open her eyes. He playfully patted her soft bottom and teased, "Still pretending to sleep?"
The Little Fairy Doctor knew she had been caught. She opened her eyes and glared at him cutely. "You only know how to bully me. You get up first!"
"Alright." Xiao Tian leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly before lifting the quilt and getting out of bed.
Seeing him rise, the Little Fairy Doctor quickly pulled the quilt over her head, leaving only her bright eyes peeking out as she secretly watched him dress.
After washing up, Xiao Tian changed out of his alchemist robe and into his usual refined blue-and-white attire. The Little Fairy Doctor wore her favorite light purple dress, with a small blue bird perched obediently on her shoulder.
The two of them looked like a perfect golden couple as they walked downstairs. Under the innkeeper's overly enthusiastic farewell, they left the inn together.
"Where are we going now?" Little Fairy Doctor asked curiously.
"We'll leave the city first. I'll find a quiet place to help you practice some Dou Techniques, then we'll head toward the Tagor Desert."
Once outside the city, the pair arrived at a dense, secluded forest.
Xiao Tian looked around and nodded in satisfaction. "This place is perfect — quiet and unlikely to be disturbed. You can practice your Dou Techniques here."
Little Fairy Doctor took out a scroll. "Then I'll start with this simpler one — Corroding Bone Poison Palm."
Xiao Tian flew up and sat on a thick tree branch, carefully keeping watch over the surroundings.
Little Fairy Doctor sat cross-legged on the ground, opened the scroll, and studied it carefully. Following the described circulation route, she began gathering purple Dou Qi in her palm.
About half an hour later, she extended her right hand and pushed forward gently. A purple palm imprint wrapped in poisonous mist shot toward Xiao Tian, growing larger as it flew.
"Wow, are you trying to murder your husband on the very first try?" Xiao Tian joked.
Feeling that the palm strike lacked real offensive power, he didn't bother dispersing it. Instead, he secretly formed a thin Dou Qi veil around himself. When the palm hit, he pretended to be knocked back dramatically and fell to the ground.
"Ah! Why didn't you block it? Are you okay?!" Little Fairy Doctor panicked. She rushed over and helped him up, letting him lean against her.
Xiao Tian rested against her soft body and sighed dramatically. "I'm aching all over right now, like my bones are falling apart. Quick, check if my face has been poisoned."
Little Fairy Doctor lowered her head and examined him carefully. "No… there are no signs of poisoning."
"Come closer and look again. You might not see clearly from so far away," Xiao Tian coaxed with a serious expression.
Believing him, Little Fairy Doctor leaned in closer. Just as her face neared his, she caught the mischievous glint in his eyes and saw his head moving forward sneakily.
Her mind cleared instantly. Like a detective who had solved the case, she realized she had been tricked. Her face flushed red as she pushed him away.
"I don't have much Dou Qi at all! With your strength, my attack is no different from a mosquito bite! Your clothes aren't even scratched, yet you pretended to be seriously injured just to take advantage of me, you big bad guy!"
Seeing he had been exposed, Xiao Tian laughed. He slammed his palm on the ground, using the force to flip gracefully into the air with a two-and-a-half-turn twist before landing perfectly.
In the next instant, he pulled Little Fairy Doctor into his arms and looked at her highly pouted lips with amusement.
"Oh my, where did this little cutie come from? Your lips are pouted so much you could hang an oil pot on them."
Before she could retort, he leaned down and kissed her soundly, turning her protest into soft submission.
"Hmph! You big bad guy, you really got off easy this time," Little Fairy Doctor huffed, though her voice lacked any real anger. "If you play tricks again, I'll… I'll…"
She wanted to say she would hit him, but she couldn't bear to. She wanted to scold him, but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to say she'd bite him, but that would probably only please him more.
"I'll what?" Xiao Tian asked with a grin.
"Hmph! I'll ignore you for an hour! No… a whole day!" she declared huffily.
"Alright, I won't dare next time," Xiao Tian said obediently on the surface, though inwardly he thought: I'll definitely dare again.
"Fine, big bad guy. I'm going to continue practicing my Dou Techniques," Little Fairy Doctor said, breaking free from his embrace.
Although she loved being held by him, she knew she couldn't remain a delicate vase by his side forever. In the future, he would undoubtedly attract many women. If she wanted to stand beside him properly, she had to grow stronger through her own efforts.
Xiao Tian watched her with a faint smile: You're quite perceptive.
Little Fairy Doctor returned to her spot and took out the next scroll — the Profound High-Rank Dou Technique: Poison Vine Entanglement.
A short while later, several thick purple vine-like objects, each about the thickness of a baby's arm, appeared around her.
"Xiao Tian, I succeeded!" Little Fairy Doctor called out with a sweet, proud smile.
"You're not going to use me as a test subject again, are you?" Xiao Tian appeared beside her in a flash.
"Hehe, no. Just watch."
She extended her hand toward a large tree in the distance — one that would require two people to embrace. Four purple vines shot out instantly, wrapping tightly around the trunk.
Xiao Tian walked over and touched one of the vines. He could hear a sizzling sound as the poison corroded the bark. "Is it only for binding? Can it attack as well?"
"Yes. Step back a little."
Xiao Tian retreated ten steps. Little Fairy Doctor clenched her hand in the air. The vines instantly tightened with a loud bang, crushing the sturdy tree into several pieces.
"Besides binding and crushing, it can also whip and pierce like multiple flexible whips," she explained seriously. "The poison on the vines has both paralyzing and corrosive effects. As long as the opponent can't break free immediately, they will gradually weaken."
Xiao Tian nodded in approval. "Then this technique is quite comprehensive."