vncnus 716. Upon receiving the news
716. Upon receiving the news
Xiao Yan was clearly not expected Huo Zhi to do this. He was slightly taken aback and subconsciously wanted to politely decline this overly precious gift.
Huo Zhi, as if afraid he would refuse, quickly stepped forward and, without saying a word, placed her warm jade pendant into Xiao Yan's palm.
Having done all this, Huo Zhi seemed to have exhausted all her courage. She dared not look at Xiao Yan's suddenly bewildered expression any longer, nor did she give him any further chance to refuse. She abruptly turned around and quickly walked away from Xiao Yan, leaving only a graceful but somewhat hurried silhouette. Her steps, rather than indicating departure, seemed more like an attempt to conceal the turbulent emotions within her and her slightly flushed cheeks.
Xiao Yan stood there alone, his fingers instinctively tightening as he clearly felt the slight coolness emanating from the warm jade pendant. In the end, he made no further excuses.
The spatial energy before him began to fluctuate violently. The vortex-shaped spatial passage leading to the outside world opened completely and steadily with a familiar light. Without hesitation, Xiao Yan carefully stored the jade pendant deep inside his storage ring.
The next second, he transformed into a black shadow that streaked out, plunging into the violently spinning spatial passage without looking back, his figure instantly swallowed by the distorted light.
……
The core area of the Medicine and Poison Valley in Central Continent, the residence of the Valley Master.
"Valley Master, someone outside wishes to see you," a maid dressed in light blue Valley attire respectfully announced from outside the door.
A clear, elegant female voice came from inside: "Who goes there?"
"It was a Dou Huang named Wang Zhuang, accompanied by a girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. Judging from the situation, they seemed to have come to the valley specifically to study."
"These kinds of things should be handled by the elders on duty according to the rules; there's no need to report them to me." The person inside spoke gently, with a hint of nonchalance in handling routine matters.
The maid did not leave immediately, but handed over another letter: "I understand, but those two also carried a letter with them. After reading it, the elders dared not make a decision and could only order it to be delivered to the Valley Master immediately."
"letter?"
A slender hand gently lifted a corner of the curtain. The owner of that hand hadn't fully stepped out, but calmly said, "Bring it in."
The maid dared not delay and immediately stepped forward, presenting the seemingly ordinary letter with both hands. As her slender, fair fingers twirled the envelope, seemingly casually brushing over a very distinctive mark outlined by a tiny flame in the lower right corner, the hand holding the letter suddenly paused.
The maid standing guard at the door almost held her breath. She could hardly believe her eyes—her master, who was always calm and composed, and whose expression remained unchanged even if a mountain collapsed in front of him, was now uncontrollably trembling slightly with his fingers holding the letter.
The inner room was eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional rustling of paper. The Valley Master stared intently at that seemingly brief letter for a full incense stick's time, as if trying to decipher every single stroke. Finally, as if startled awake, she abruptly raised her head, her voice carrying a barely perceptible urgency:
"Where are they? Bring them to me immediately!"
"Oh, by the way, get ready, I'll be leaving for a while!"
……
Meanwhile, in the corridor outside the reception hall of the Valley of Healing and Poisoning, Wang Ling'er nervously clutched the hem of her skirt, her eyes curiously taking in the surrounding fairyland-like spiritual flowers and exotic herbs. A mixture of surprise and trepidation surged within her: this was the sacred Valley of Healing and Poisoning, the place she had dreamed of countless times, and now she was truly inside!
But then came a deep worry: Would the high and mighty Valley Master approve of her? With Mr. Xiao Yan's letter, could she really stay in this place that countless doctors longed for, as he said?
Fortunately, her hopes were not dashed. When news arrived that the man known as Valley Master Xiao had decided to personally receive her, Wang Ling'er's anxiety eased considerably. However, when she actually stepped into the inner hall and saw the woman seated at the head of the table up close, Wang Ling'er was completely stunned. The expected awe and sense of distance were replaced by a reassuring warmth, something entirely unexpected.
This is Valley Master Xiao!
Her beauty was so striking that one dared not look directly at her, and her unique temperament was captivating. Yet, what was remarkable was that the gentle and peaceful demeanor between her brows naturally softened the aloofness befitting someone in a superior position.
"So beautiful... yet it doesn't evoke any sense of unfamiliarity, as if I've known her for a long time." This was Wang Ling'er's strongest feeling at that moment.
The woman at the head of the table turned her gaze to the uncle and nephew, but her first question wasn't about entering the valley: "Gentlemen, the person who wrote the letter to you... why didn't he return with you?"
Seeing this scene, Wang Zhuang's years of experience told him that the Xiao Yan he had encountered was not some fictional character, but the real champion of the legendary Pill Gathering.
Therefore, he dared not hide anything and told Valley Master Xiao in front of him everything: how his caravan first encountered Xiao Yan, how Wang Ling'er provided some assistance to them, how Xiao Yan eventually recovered his strength and turned around to help them, and how he finally instructed them to come to the Valley of Healing and Poisoning.
The Valley Master of the Medicine and Poison Valley, Xiao, was naturally Little Fairy Doctor. Upon receiving Xiao Yan's message, she was overjoyed. During Wang Zhuang's account, she inquired about various details in great detail. Only after confirming that Xiao Yan had not only fully recovered his strength but was also physically unharmed did she subtly relax her shoulders, her tense nerves finally easing, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, in the end, he chose to stay in the Eastern Region?"
"Yes, Valley Master," Wang Zhuang replied respectfully. "Mr. Xiao Yan has not revealed his specific plans to us, but he has clearly instructed us to personally deliver this letter to you."
"You two have worked hard, go and rest for a while. As for Ling'er... come find me here starting tomorrow."
Overjoyed to receive such a promise from Little Fairy Doctor, the two were especially delighted, Wang Ling'er, whose gaze was almost glued to Little Fairy Doctor's gentle and beautiful face, unable to look away.
After the two left, the maidservant who served Little Fairy Doctor asked, "Valley Master, preparations are complete. When do you plan to depart?"
"I'm not going."
"Huh?" The maid didn't react for a moment.
Little Fairy Doctor had already stood up and walked straight towards the passage at the back of the inner hall. As she passed by, a faint smile lingered on her lips, as if she were talking to herself, or perhaps to someone in the unseen world: "The children are all here, but all they did was send a message and they didn't even come. I'll see when they're willing to come back."
Little Fairy Doctor naturally knew perfectly well that there were ancient clans in the Eastern Region, and among those clans was Xun'er. After Xiao Yan appeared, he refused to return to the Medicine and Poison Valley immediately. What was he planning to do? It was obvious.