Chapter Sixty: The Jia Ma Empire—Incursion at the Border (Part Two)

Just as Lin An had expected, it wasn’t long before the Little Medicine Fairy regained consciousness from her stupor. When she saw Lin An and Nalan Yanran standing a short distance away, both unharmed and not having touched her, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“Little Medicine Fairy, why did your Calamity Poison Body suddenly erupt at this moment?” Lin An asked.

“You know about the Calamity Poison Body?” A hint of desolation flickered across her face. If they knew about such a cursed constitution, surely they would keep their distance from her.

“That’s right, I know a bit about it,” Lin An replied.

“It’s nothing, really. The Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion and the Wolfhead Mercenary Corps were pressing me hard. I refused to be threatened by them, and if they kept pushing, I was prepared to take them down with me. So, when I fled, I consumed a large amount of potent poison. It hadn’t erupted for a long time, so I thought I was fine. But as soon as I relaxed, it suddenly struck. Thankfully you knew in advance what it was; otherwise, if either of you had touched me, you might have died instantly,” she explained.

“I see,” Lin An nodded, finally understanding.

“The trouble brought by the Calamity Poison Body—I can actually help you resolve it,” Lin An suddenly said, shocking the Little Medicine Fairy.

“Are you telling the truth?” She could hardly believe it. Since ancient times, the Calamity Poison Body was considered incurable. Those born with it met tragic ends; she herself had prepared for such a fate since discovering her constitution. How could a mere passerby offer a solution?

“It’s true. I have no reason to deceive you,” Lin An assured her.

“If you truly can help me overcome the Calamity Poison Body, I will surely repay you someday,” she said, longing to live like a normal person—free from the daily torment of poison, the pain of venom seeping into her heart, and the fear that her touch might kill others.

“In that case, let me help you,” Lin An said.

She nodded, signaling her willingness to trust him and cooperate however needed.

Lin An then brought her into the Hall of Yama, exchanged for the Innate Poison Body in the Bloodline Shop, and bestowed it upon her.

With her eyes closed, the Little Medicine Fairy could clearly feel the various poisons entrenched in her body being drawn, converging toward her dantian, then transforming into invisible streams and finally vanishing altogether.

Yet she sensed these five elemental poisons hadn’t truly disappeared. The innate poison was colorless and tasteless, able to kill invisibly. At the same time, her cultivation surged—from the realm of Fighter straight to that of a two-star Dou Practitioner. She could tell that her cultivation would advance rapidly in the short term.

“It’s over now... you’re safe,” Lin An said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She instinctively flinched, but seeing Lin An unharmed, her anxiety finally eased. Kind at heart, she’d always been willing to help others despite her loneliness, but fate had cursed her with a constitution that inspired terror in all. Especially after acquiring the so-called treasure, when the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion and the Wolfhead Mercenary Corps pursued her relentlessly, she’d had no choice but to swallow more poison. For someone like her, once the habit of taking poison began, it was impossible to stop; her need for toxins would only grow.

She’d even decided that, once free of her pursuers, she’d find a remote place and live out her days in solitude.

“Thank you—thank you so much!” The Little Medicine Fairy said gratefully.

“Now that there’s nothing left to keep you here, why not return to the Cloudmist Sect with me tomorrow?” Nalan Yanran suggested.

“So you’re from the Cloudmist Sect? If you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you. But… is my body truly all right now?” she asked hesitantly.

“If my junior says you’re fine, then you’re fine,” Nalan Yanran replied with utter confidence in Lin An.

The Little Medicine Fairy nodded in agreement. “But tonight’s dinner… I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it.”

“Haha, that’s no problem at all. To tell you the truth, my junior’s cooking is superb. We’ve lived in the Magic Beast Mountains all this time, and it’s been his meals that kept us going,” Nalan Yanran said with a soft laugh.

Lin An was a little speechless—so it fell to him to cook again. Fortunately, there was still fresh magic beast meat in his spatial ring, so dinner would be no trouble at all.

...

The next day, before dawn, Lin An heard someone calling his name in the Hall of Yama. He woke from cultivation and entered the hall.

“Coming to me at this hour—what’s the trouble?” he asked.

The pleading figure before him was none other than Jia Xingtian of the Jia Ma Empire.

“I didn’t want to ask you for help, but the matter we’re facing is beyond my power to resolve,” Jia Xingtian said bitterly, helplessness written on his face.

“What do you mean? What’s happened?” Lin An was intrigued. Given the current state of the empire, there shouldn’t be any major crises. After all, the Cloudmist Sect and the Queen Medusa of the Tagore Desert—former threats—were now on his side.

Could it be... the Chu Yun Empire?

“It’s the Chu Yun Empire!” Jia Xingtian replied. “Half a month ago, for reasons unknown, the Chu Yun Empire—usually peaceful, with only minor border conflicts—suddenly invaded our frontier with elite forces, including hidden experts and tireless death warriors. Our troops have been losing ground at every turn. Even transferring the garrison from beneath the Cloudmist Sect Mountain has done nothing to stem the tide. That’s why I thought of you, young master—please, lend your aid to the Jia Ma Empire!”

Jia Xingtian fell to his knees, the urgency of the situation clear. At first, he hadn’t thought to seek Lin An’s help. As a nine-star Dou Emperor with the now-mighty national magical beast, he’d expected to intimidate any would-be invaders. Unexpectedly, the Chu Yun Empire produced a Dou Ancestor-level master and an unknown but powerful magical beast, crushing their forces in an instant. If not for a hasty retreat, they might all have perished.