The blade pressed against her throat.
A chilling, bone-piercing cold spread out, raising goosebumps across Dugu Yan's skin.
Her emerald eyes narrowed into vertical slits. In disbelief, she exclaimed:
"You're not poisoned?! How is that possible?!"
Li Zhexian raised his head and took a swig from his gourd.
His Wine Martial Soul, after two stages of evolution, had long since gained the ability to detoxify poisons.
"If I lose, I'll accept it. Kill me or skin me—do as you like."
Dugu Yan lifted her graceful neck defiantly.
"Heh..."
Li Zhexian sneered and shook his head. The Qinglian Sword in his hand flicked, and with a crisp "smack!", the back of the blade struck Dugu Yan hard across the cheek.
The force wasn't light—her head whipped to the side from the impact.
"If you weren't Dugu Bo's granddaughter, you'd already be dead the moment you tried to poison me."
He usually didn't hit women.
But someone like Dugu Yan—an enchantress who pushed past all boundaries—deserved to be punished.
Yet she clearly wasn't listening to a single word.
Her seductive green pupils sharpened into slits, and faint green scales appeared below her neckline. Two venomous fangs extended from her crimson lips.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Dugu Yan, who had never been humiliated like this in her life, lunged forward with her mouth wide open—straight for Li Zhexian's neck.
Her three Spirit Abilities were all poison-based. But poison didn't work on Li Zhexian.
All she could resort to now were the most primitive, physical attacks.
A rush of floral-scented air hit his face. Staring at those glowing venomous fangs, Li Zhexian's eyes flickered.
"Wait… in the dream I had last night…"
"One of the basic wine recipes actually used serpent venom as the main ingredient."
The thought flashed through his mind.
His reaction didn't lag behind.
Whoosh—!
The Qinglian Sword swept out with a whistle.
Smack!
Once again, the back of the sword struck Dugu Yan's face.
This time, with even more force.
Dugu Yan stumbled back several steps.
Her already-reddened cheek now visibly swelled with bruised inflammation.
"Dugu Yan, if you attack me again, I won't go easy on you."
"Li Zhexian!! I'm going to kill you!!"
Dugu Yan's tall figure trembled as she charged again.
"You struck first."
Once more, the Qinglian Sword was pressed coldly against her throat.
The glinting edge forced her to calm down slightly.
At that moment—
Li Zhexian suddenly grabbed her jaw, forcing her over to the stone table in the courtyard.
Then—
With a flip of his palm, he grabbed the teacup from the table.
He forced Dugu Yan's pretty face close to it, her red lips pressed against the rim, venomous fangs touching the inner wall.
Her breath hitched sharply.
Fine green scale patterns emerged along her neck, and her fangs oozed sweet, venomous fluid.
In an instant—
The bottom of the teacup shimmered with a glossy layer of toxin.
Li Zhexian abruptly let go.
Dugu Yan staggered back and collapsed to the ground, completely drained.
Her chest heaved violently as she looked up at Li Zhexian's pleased expression—her eyes gradually welling with tears.
"Li... Li Zhexian..."
That enchantress—usually radiant and full of venomous charm—was crying.
Li Zhexian, having successfully harvested the serpent venom, glanced at her delicate form, now trembling and fragile, and muttered weakly:
"I gave you a chance."
"You were the one who insisted on fighting."
Dugu Yan wobbled to her feet, saying nothing as she headed for the gate.
But when she reached the courtyard entrance, she paused. With a flick of her hand, she slapped her Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse, and an item fell into her palm.
She didn't even glance at it.
She simply threw it at Li Zhexian.
He caught it on instinct.
As his eyes recognized the familiar wine gourd, his brow twitched.
Before he could speak—
Her cold voice rang out:
"That's from your little sweetheart in Suotuo City."
"She asked me to remind you: don't forget the promise you made her."
With that—
She leapt away, her figure quickly vanishing over the wall.
Li Zhexian let out a soft sigh.
Now he'd truly offended her.
He uncorked the gourd and took a sip.
Hmm. Not bad.
But not quite good enough for the Clear Spring Wine Gourd.
"Hm?"
He smacked his lips.
"Why does Zhuqing-jie's wine always carry a floral aroma?"
With a sweep of sword light—
He cleared the courtyard of clutter.
Li Zhexian eagerly began preparing to brew wine.
"Good thing I asked Qinghe for a bunch of ingredients!"
"Now I can try brewing it myself!"
He rubbed his hands together excitedly.
This batch of wine would be called Serpent's Venom Rice Spirit.
Among all the wine recipes he'd learned, this was one of the more basic ones, and the steps were simple:
Soak high-quality spirit rice, steam it until it broke down into a thick slurry, and ferment it with serpent venom.
Its effect?
Neutralizing all serpent-type poisons in the world.
"My wine already has detoxifying properties."
"But with this Serpent's Venom Rice Spirit, just one cup could purge all poisons."
Li Zhexian followed each step meticulously.
Time slipped by, and soon the sun dipped toward evening.
After completing the prep work, he stared at the viscous rice mash and carefully poured in the venom he'd just harvested from Dugu Yan.
Drip—
Drip—
The white rice mash turned a luminous green.
A faintly sweet aroma began to fill the air.
But before he could get too excited—
Sizzle—!
Sizzle—!
The green mash instantly blackened.
The fragrance turned into an acrid stench.
"..."
Li Zhexian's expression soured.
He knew it would be hard.
But the problem was—he didn't have any more serpent venom.
He looked at the now-empty teacup, exhausted.
"Should I go get more from Dugu Yan…?"
He recalled the tearful, devastated look on her face when she left.
Li Zhexian rubbed his temples in frustration.
"No. Better find another way."
Meanwhile—at the Dugu residence.
Bang—!
Dugu Yan slammed the courtyard door shut.
The noise startled Dugu Bo, who had been meditating among the flowerbeds.
"Yan Yan, what happened?"
Dugu Yan turned her face, her purple hair concealing her right cheek.
She quickly swept past the flowerbed and headed straight upstairs to her room.
"Nothing, Grandpa. I was cultivating."
Dugu Bo furrowed his dark green brows.
His instincts told him—
Something definitely happened.
But he didn't press further.
"I'll need to keep an eye on her for a while."
Upstairs.
Behind serpentine-patterned curtains, Dugu Yan sat cross-legged, cultivating with her eyes closed.
Under her fair skin, green veins appeared, crawling up from her neck toward her cheek—
Eventually sketching out a snake-shaped mark in verdant jade tones.
"Ugh!"
No one knew how much time had passed.
Dugu Yan suddenly groaned and curled up on her bed.
A pained moan slipped from her throat.
But—
If one listened closely, beneath that pain… was the faintest hint of pleasure.
Dugu Yan suddenly threw back her head—
Letting out a ragged, breathy gasp.
After a long while, she sat at the table, drenched in sweat, and poured herself a glass of water, sipping it slowly.
This scene happened daily.
Her Jade Phosphor Serpet Martial Soul came with potent toxins. During battle, it released venom.
But during cultivation—it slowly eroded her own body.
The process was agonizing.
But from the moment she awakened her Martial Soul at age six, fourteen years had passed.
And in that time, Dugu Yan had come to find—
A twisted pleasure buried within the pain.
She raised her delicate hand and touched her stinging cheek.
A jolt ran through her chest.
"Li Zhexian!"
"Damn you!"
She thought of the white-robed youth who had grabbed her jaw, forcing her to spit venom.
Her entire body trembled in humiliation.
But amidst that humiliation—
Lurking beneath it—
Was a perverse pleasure she didn't want to admit.
Like peeling off a scab and delighting in the sting.
Dugu Yan sipped her water, her lips resting on the cup's rim.
Her face gradually flushed.
Suddenly, two venomous fangs sprang out, releasing poison into the glass.
But—
She felt nothing.
The conflicting mix of shame and excitement swirled in her eyes.
With a sudden forceful grip—
Smash!
The cup exploded in her hand.
"Li Zhexian!"
"Just you wait!"