NOVEL NEXT Chapter 174.2: Intimate Friend
“Captain Xiao Ding, are you planning to lead your members to avenge Master Xiao?” Yun Ying clenched her folding fan, clasped her fists, and said firmly, “I am willing to accompany you.”
“No!!!”
Before Yun Ying could finish speaking, Xiao Ding vehemently refused with a ferocious expression!
Although Xiao Ding was determined to seek revenge, it didn’t mean she had lost her self-awareness!
As a Da Dou Shi (Battle Grandmaster, 4th Level), going on this mission was akin to suicide!
Xiao Yan had already met with misfortune, and she couldn’t let Xiao Yan’s friends follow in his footsteps!!!
Upon hearing Xiao Ding’s vehement refusal, Yun Ying furrowed her brows slightly, about to speak again, when a voice filled with malice permeated the air.
“I’m going too.”
Xiao Ding was suddenly stunned by this voice, and Yun Ying also turned to look, seeing Xiao Yixian stepping out slowly from within the mercenary group.
Her originally purple hair had inexplicably turned gray!
“What— what’s wrong with your hair?”
Seeing Xiao Yixian’s gray hair, Xiao Ding immediately panicked.
Xiao Yixian had been left in the Desert Metal Mercenary Company by Xiao Yan. If something happened to her, how could Xiao Ding face Xiao Yan when she went down?
However, Xiao Yixian didn’t answer Xiao Ding’s question. With an expression devoid of joy or sorrow, she repeated her previous words.
“I’m going too.”
“No!” Xiao Ding regained her composure and gave the same reply to Xiao Yixian as she had to Yun Ying earlier. She reached out towards Xiao Yixian, but stopped short, whispering, “You were entrusted to my care by Yan’er. He’s gone now. If something happens to you—”
Just as Xiao Ding was about to touch Xiao Yixian’s shoulder, the latter abruptly stepped back, avoiding her.
“Don’t touch me.”
“You? What’s wrong—”
Xiao Ding’s eyes filled with confusion, but Xiao Yixian didn’t answer. Instead, she slowly extended her hand, as white as jade, lightly resting it on the stone wall of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company.
In the next moment, to the shocked gazes of Xiao Ding and the other members of the mercenary group, the stone wall corroded in an instant, leaving a hole as tall as a person in its wake!
And all this happened just because Xiao Yixian lightly touched it!!!
As Xiao Ding’s mind reeled in confusion, Xiao Yixian, who had been a mere Dou Shi (Battle Master, 3rd Level) just yesterday, suddenly erupted with a purple Dou Qi that sent chills down everyone’s spine!
A One-Star Dou Ling (Battle Spirit, 5th Level)! It was even higher than Xiao Ding’s level!!!
Seeing this scene, Yun Ying’s eyes revealed an unnoticed astonishment.
The Woeful Poison Body… And it’s different from those artificially transplanted ones in the Ice River Valley; it’s a natural Woeful Poison Body.
Wait, the last time I saw her, she wasn’t even a Dou Shi (Battle Master, 3rd Level), right?
Yun Ying suddenly understood.
It seemed that not only Xiao Ding but also Xiao Yixian had resigned themselves to death.
For the Woeful Poison Body, it wasn’t difficult to achieve such a rapid increase in levels within a short period.
But it wasn’t done so hastily because no one wished for death.
The Woeful Poison Body didn’t require much cultivation; it only needed the ingestion of poison to enhance one’s strength.
In theory, the more poison ingested, and the stronger its toxicity, the faster one’s strength could improve.
But this was theoretical.
Once the ingested poison exceeded the current tolerance limit of the Woeful Poison Body’s owner, they would die from the backlash of the poison before experiencing any strength increase.
However, this backlash also had a time limit.
At this moment, Xiao Yixian must have ingested a highly poisonous substance that exceeded her body’s tolerance limit. Essentially, she used her own life expectancy to exchange for this short-lived transcendent strength.
When the time came, the poison would take effect, leading to her death.
As Yun Ying had expected, Xiao Yixian spoke to Xiao Ding with an air of calmness.
“I don’t have much time left.”
“Without Xiao Yan in this world, there’s no meaning in me being alive.”
“But at least, before I die, I want to drag a few more Snake-People to accompany Xiao Yan in death.”
Xiao Yixian’s tone was calm, and her words were ruthless.
“Sister Xiao Ding, whether you take me to the territory of the Snake-People or not, my death is already inevitable.”
“If that’s the case, why bother considering anything else?”
Xiao Yixian’s expression lacked any radiance as she looked at Xiao Ding, revealing only a smile of despair.
“Seeking revenge for Xiao Yan is the only thing I can do now.”
After listening to Xiao Yixian’s words, Xiao Ding was unable to recover for a long time.
After a while, she lowered her head deeply, tears filling her eyes.
In a low voice, she apologized to Xiao Yixian.
“I’m sorry… If I had refused Xiao Yan…”
Xiao Yixian watched Xiao Ding bow her head silently. After a moment, she spoke softly.
“No need to apologize, Sister Xiao Ding.”
“Although I haven’t spent much time with Xiao Yan, I understand his personality well.”
“As long as his sister is still in the territory of the Snake-People with an uncertain fate, he will definitely go, regardless of whether you agree or not.”
Xiao Yixian was right.
Whether Xiao Ding agreed to Xiao Yan going to the territory of the Snake-People or not, he would definitely go.
Because Xiao Ding was there, and no one knew the situation.
The commission from the cloaked woman was just an incidental reason.
The reason Xiao Yan made that promise to Xiao Ding wasn’t to seek her permission.
It was simply to reassure her.
Although this promise had turned out to be false.
Hearing Xiao Yixian’s words, Xiao Ding’s grieving heart felt slightly relieved.
Although, it was only a little bit.
“That’s true…” Xiao Ding wiped away her tears and said in a deep voice, “He’s been like this since he was young, obedient on the surface but rebellious in his heart…”
Xiao Ding raised her head, closed her eyes, and let out a deep breath.
Then, she opened her eyes and looked at Yun Ying.
“Yun Ying… is it?”
“You’re Xiao Yan’s friend. I don’t want you to follow me because I don’t plan to come back alive from this trip to the territory of the Snake-People. And the members behind me feel the same way.”
“If you come along, you’ll die too. Will you still come?”
Upon hearing Xiao Ding’s question, Yun Ying didn’t immediately answer.
In her mind, she pondered a question.
What would Xiao Yan say if it were him?
After a moment of contemplation, Yun Ying clenched her folding fan, clasped her fists, and said firmly to Xiao Ding.
“Master Xiao is a trusted friend of mine. He treated me sincerely and stood up for me before. Now that he’s been persecuted by the Snake-People, how can I stand by and do nothing?”
“If I forget the enmity of my friend today and seek only to preserve my own life, then I dare say that I will never have the slightest face to walk this earth again!”
Seeing Yun Ying clasping her fists before her with such resolute words, Xiao Ding and Xiao Yixian were both stunned.
Despite their vastly different appearances, even genders, Xiao Ding and Xiao Yixian saw traces of Xiao Yan’s shadow in Yun Ying.
If it were Xiao Yan, he would definitely say the same.
Recalling the conversation between Xiao Yan and Yun Ying earlier, Xiao Yixian couldn’t help but sigh.
No wonder Xiao Yan was so concerned about you.
You and him are truly like-minded, aren’t you?
Xiao Ding also gradually came to her senses and looked at Yun Ying with a smile tinged with emotion.
“You truly deserve to be Xiao Yan’s trusted friend…”