A sixth-tier alchemist personally roasting fish, using seasonings potent enough to rival fifth-tier pills—twenty gold coins were barely enough to smell it, let alone eat it.
Finally tasting the irresistibly tempting roasted fish, Yun Yun glanced curiously at Xiao Yan, who was staring straight at her. "Why are you looking at me like that? Those coins could buy a whole cartload of fish."
"Eat if you want. But when the poison kicks in, don't expect me to have an antidote," Xiao Yan said as he stood up and quietly took a few steps back.
After taking a small bite, Yun Yun noticed Xiao Yan's reaction and soon sensed something strange in her body.
It was as if a stream of molten lava was surging through her veins, her body burning unbearably.
Could there really be poison? Yun Yun couldn't help but scrutinize the roasted fish in her hand.
After a careful look, she still found nothing unusual.
Just then, the scorching heat abruptly dissipated, vanishing without a trace.
Yun Yun couldn't help but chuckle to herself. As a Dou Huang, how could I possibly fear some mere poison?
If I put the fish down now, wouldn't I just be letting some lowly Dou Zhe mock me?
With that thought, she gracefully sat in the spot where Xiao Yan had been roasting the fish and began eating, taking small, delicate bites.
After a few mouthfuls, however, she realized something was truly off. The lava-like surges from the fish made it impossible for her to suppress them with her Dou Qi.
Silently watching as Yun Yun's delicate face gradually flushed crimson, Xiao Yan devoured the rest of his first fish in a few bites before picking up a second one and digging in.
Even his Dou Qi—forged from the fusion of four Heavenly Flames—couldn't immediately withstand the impact of the Fallen Heart Flame's special medicine. Yun Yun's Dou Qi, inherited from the Yunlan Sect's Life and Death Gate, stood no chance.
Yun Yun was now truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
She did regret her gluttony, but every time she thought of stopping, Xiao Yan's silent, watchful gaze made her abandon the idea.
If a mere Dou Zhe can eat this, then as a Dou Huang, I refuse to believe I can't handle a single fish!
She took a bite, paused for a few breaths, chewed more slowly than usual, and each time the burning sensation subsided, she circulated her Dou Qi through her meridians to ease the discomfort.
Before long, Yun Yun felt as if she were being roasted by an alchemist's flames. Her face was flushed with an alluring redness, and the roasted fish slipped from her fingers, falling onto the grass.
"What in the world did you put in this fish?" Yun Yun clutched her heaving chest as she staggered to her feet.
Even though she had stopped eating, waves of heat continued to surge inside her like rolling flames, growing more intense by the second. Worse still, an inexplicable desire began to stir within her.
Xiao Yan, fully aware of her condition, replied calmly, "For me, it's a powerful tonic that replenishes Qi and blood. But for ordinary people, the medicinal potency is too much to bear—it could make their blood boil until they die."
Truth be told, he wasn't feeling too great either. The overwhelming heat was affecting his rationality. If not for his iron self-control, he would've long since torn Yun Yun into a helpless "little lamb."
But this was precisely the effect he had aimed for with the Fallen Heart Flame's special medicine. The hotter the burn, the faster the Fallen Heart Flame would condense.
"Just who are you?!" Yun Yun's hand glowed with a cyan light as a peculiar-looking sword materialized in her grip. Her breath was sweet as orchids as she spoke, "Such skills… you're no ordinary Dou Zhe!"
"Before asking for someone's identity, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Xiao Yan, who had eaten far more fish than her, exhaled sharply, his breath resembling twin dragons of steam.
As he spoke, he focused on gathering the medicinal energy, directing it toward his heart to forge the Fallen Heart Flame.
Strand by strand, the medicinal energy was forced into his heart by his soul power, gradually condensing into a cluster of crimson flames that flickered faintly.
Under the glow of these flames, Xiao Yan felt as if his heart had swallowed a miniature sun—unbearably scorching.
Thump! Thump!
The violent pounding in his chest sent waves of heat surging through his body, and sweat instantly drenched him.
Fortunately, thanks to his extraordinary physique—honed by his unique cultivation method—his body could withstand this. If it were Yun Yun, her heart would've already been burned to a crisp.
Under the infusion of his soul power, the crimson flames turned invisible, losing all color and form.
If not for his mastery over flames, one might never recognize this twisting, intangible anomaly as a type of fire.
Drawing from his experience in comprehending the soul skill Plowing Spirit, Xiao Yan easily imbued the flames with a soul-suppressing effect.
Invisible, colorless, and capable of suppressing souls—only now did these flames begin to resemble the true Fallen Heart Flame.
As the flames flickered, scorching heat radiated from the intangible fire. Alongside the overwhelming heat, Xiao Yan finally began to feel a faint stinging pain in his meridians and bones.
"Yun—" Yun Yun had barely begun to reveal her identity when she suddenly felt the "poison" in her body intensify. She clutched her rapidly pounding chest, gasping.
Not wanting to drag her sect into disgrace, she steadied her breath and bit her lip before saying, "Yun Zhi."
The atmosphere between them should've been tense, but thanks to the strange "poison," Yun Yun's voice came out soft and honeyed—so much so that she wished she could vanish into the ground out of sheer embarrassment.
"Yao Yan," Xiao Yan replied. Since Yun Yun hadn't given her real name, he saw no reason to reveal his.
"You cunning Yao Yan!" Yun Yun suddenly lashed out, thrusting her sword toward him.
Faced with this shaky, off-target strike, Xiao Yan sidestepped and effortlessly caught her wrist. With a slight squeeze, he forced her to release her grip on the sword in pain.
Clang!
The peculiar sword fell to the ground.
The pain brought a sliver of clarity to Yun Yun's mind, allowing her to tap into a fraction of her Dou Huang-level strength. Her palms blurred as she unleashed a flurry of strikes.
But Xiao Yan was far stronger than her. Now that he had control over the medicinal energy in his body, his Dou Qi was no longer suppressed.
With a single motion, Xiao Yan guided Yun Yun's wrist toward her own left arm, rendering her barrage of palm strikes useless. His effortless maneuver left her effectively sealing her own arm.
Yun Yun struggled against his grip, but his strength was immovable as a mountain.
The soft, bouncy mounds pressed against him repeatedly tested the limits of Xiao Yan's self-control.
Realizing she was outmatched in raw power, Yun Yun abruptly pulled back, creating a slight gap between her crossed arms.
Seizing the moment, her jade-like hands shot out, gripping Xiao Yan's wrist tightly before yanking him forward.
The medicine had stripped away her usual composure, reducing her to the impulsiveness of a reckless girl. Only one thought filled her mind—Yao Yan, if I'm suffering, you're coming down with me!
Before Xiao Yan could react, Yun Yun pulled his hand toward the twin peaks of her chest—firm and rounded like upturned jade bowls.
In that split second of stunned hesitation, they both tumbled onto the grass.
(End of Chapter)
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