Nie Kong followed the delicate jade hand up, only to find that the person who had intervened to save the day was a slender, graceful young woman in green, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. Her skin was as luminous and tender as ice and snow, and her features were breathtakingly beautiful. Silken, straight black hair cascaded down her back. Beneath crescent-moon eyebrows, a pair of bright eyes shone like stars in the night sky. Her nose was exquisitely formed, her cherry lips perfectly red, accented by a small beauty mark at the corner of her mouth that lent a subtle allure to her otherwise pure refinement.

The fair palm rested against Huai Song’s chest, and a swirl of azure spiritual energy, visible through her greenish-jade skin, threaded itself into his body like fine silk. Nie Kong, being the closest, distinctly perceived a faint heat emanating from her Water Spirit Power—a flicker of crimson light intermittently visible within the deep blue glow.

A variant Water Spirit Power!

Nie Kong felt a jolt of surprise. This maiden’s Water Spirit Power had somehow fused with Fire elemental energy! Aside from himself, this was the first person he had ever encountered possessing such a mutated spiritual affinity. This Spirit Domain City truly was a place where crouching tigers hid unknown dragons; one could stumble upon a spirit apothecary this rare just by chance.

Shaken from their initial shock, the surrounding crowd gradually regained their senses. Upon clearly seeing the features of the young woman in green, their spirits lifted—

“Wow! Miao Ge! It’s Miao Ge from the ‘Pill Heart Hall’!”

“That’s wonderful news! I never expected Miao Ge to show up at this ‘Apothecary Assembly Hall.’ Now we don’t have to worry; Huai Song might still be saved.”

“Right. Miao Ge has a variant Water Spirit Power, I heard she has a natural advantage in detoxification.”

“…”

A collective sigh of relief washed over the group. After all, they held no malice toward Huai Song, and they couldn’t bear to watch him perish from poison—especially since they had been the ones who encouraged him to consume that half-piece of green fruit. If anything dire happened to Huai Song, they would all carry some measure of guilt.

Since the immediate danger to Huai Song was being addressed, most of the onlookers shifted their attention back to Nie Kong, murmuring amongst themselves.

Nie Kong and Huai Song, a Second-Grade Spirit Apothecary versus a Third-Grade, consuming the exact same poisonous fruit, yet one remained unharmed while the other was afflicted. This stark contrast only amplified the strangeness surrounding Nie Kong, further piquing their curiosity. Was his body inherently immune to the toxin, or had he secretly taken some antidote beforehand? In their eyes, Nie Kong’s silhouette had taken on a mysterious aura.

Nie Kong paid no heed to the scrutinizing gazes surrounding him. He watched the focused young woman before him, inwardly surprised that this girl named Miao Ge held such renown in Spirit Domain City that the mere sight of her instantly calmed the people nearby.

“You…” Seeing the man writhing on the ground while Miao Ge intently examined his poisoning symptoms, Nie Kong couldn’t help but speak. Unfortunately, before he could finish his sentence, Miao Ge raised a single finger to her lips with a soft “Shhh,” signaling him to remain quiet.

“I…” Nie Kong lowered his voice.

“Shush!”

Miao Ge hissed again, a hint of annoyance crossing her face. Several lust-struck men nearby glared fiercely at Nie Kong, seemingly warning him not to interrupt Miao Ge’s healing work. Nie Kong felt utterly speechless; it was truly hard to do a good deed when one couldn't even interject. Fine, he’d keep quiet!

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Huai Song began convulsing more violently, his mouth opening and closing uselessly. His eyes were glazing over, and his gasps were growing shallower, as if death were imminent. Miao Ge couldn't help but frown slightly, murmuring a soft sound under her breath; it seemed the toxin within Huai Song was proving troublesome even for her.

Observing the change in Miao Ge’s expression, some of the disciples of Spirit Domain City watching on felt their hearts leap into their throats once more. This detoxification was not going to be as simple as they had hoped.

“Perhaps you could look at this.”

Seeing the worsening condition, Nie Kong ultimately could not stand by. He picked up the results sheet he had written and offered a kind reminder to Miao Ge.

Miao Ge paused, accepting the paper with a look of confusion. A flicker of surprise crossed her beautiful eyes as she glanced at Nie Kong before returning her attention to the patient.

“I see now!”

A pleased smile bloomed on Miao Ge’s face, gently tugging at the beauty mark at the corner of her lip, lending her expression a unique, captivating charm. Immediately, the gazes of many bystanders were drawn to her face, unable or unwilling to look away.

“Thank you.”

Smiling as she handed the paper back to Nie Kong, Miao Ge suddenly placed both her delicate jade hands flat against Huai Song’s chest. Her elegant, slender fingers began to tremble and ripple across the surface like waves.

Her fingers were light and agile, moving at incredible speed. In just a short while, the onlookers could only perceive a blur of motion and a rapidly flashing streak of blue light. Yet, despite her swiftness, Miao Ge’s movements remained graceful throughout, utterly devoid of any crude, earthly roughness.

Nie Kong watched with great astonishment. Each time her fingers descended, a surge of azure spiritual energy was injected into the man’s body, and each time they lifted, a wisp of green light seemed to be drawn out by her fingertips.

Nie Kong had no idea what Miao Ge’s variant Water Spirit Power was doing inside the man, but this method of detoxification was certainly an eye-opener for him.

In the time he had been on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, this was the first time he had witnessed someone detoxifying in such a manner.

During the final round of the ‘Myriad Spirits Apothecary Competition,’ the challenge had been to detoxify a ‘Green Shadow Dark Bone Beast.’ Unfortunately, he had been the last contestant to perform and had been waiting behind the high platform, never getting a clear view of the proceedings up front. Today, however, he was finally seeing another spirit apothecary’s process firsthand.

Miao Ge’s technique proved effective. After about a minute, the green hue on Huai Song’s body had faded slightly. Although his body still twitched and convulsed, the amplitude and frequency of the movements decreased, allowing the anxious onlookers to relax their held breaths.

If she could maintain this pace, the poison within Huai Song would likely be purged completely in a short time.

However, this detoxification method was clearly taxing. After roughly two minutes, a fine sheen of sweat broke out on her smooth forehead and dewy nose tip. A wine-like flush crept up her pale cheeks, and even the beauty mark on her lip quivered slightly, making her beauty all the more captivating and evoking a strong sense of pity from the crowd. Seeing her effort, people unconsciously began to worry for her.

With a final surge of effort, Huai Song’s poisoning symptoms eased further, but Miao Ge’s fingers slowed, finally stopping as she wearily lifted both hands.

Miao Ge sighed regretfully, “Huai Song, as fellow disciples, this is all I can manage. The good news is your life is no longer in danger. After purging the residual toxin, you should recover fully with only about six months of recuperation.”

“…”

Huai Song managed to part his lips in gratitude. No sound emerged from his throat, but based on the shape of his mouth, he was clearly saying the word, “Thank you.”

“You’ve handled the first half; leave the second half to me,” Nie Kong said with a sudden smile.

“You?”

Miao Ge frowned, looking at Nie Kong. She knew he had consumed half the fruit without ill effect, but his personal immunity didn't necessarily mean he possessed the skill to detoxify someone else. After all, he was only a Second-Grade Spirit Apothecary with insufficient cultivation; treating Huai Song seemed nearly impossible.

Yet, because he had written such an accurate test result, he must understand the toxin intimately. Perhaps he truly did have a solution. As Miao Ge’s thoughts churned with uncertainty, Nie Kong had already taken hold of Huai Song’s right hand, wrapping it in a dense cluster of verdant-green spiritual energy…

……