The night grew colder and darker. An Bing Qing stopped from digging when she had piled up fourteen Blood Bud Roots, all a century old. She looked up, Xue Zi Hui was now sitting in the lotus position with closed eyes; he must be fighting against the poison, she thought.
She took all the hand length Blood Bud Roots within her arms and walked towards him. This time, she didn't get too close as she had remembered he didn't like people getting close to him; in the past, at first, he kept his distance with her as well. She stopped a meter before him and took seat; she didn't want to be that far away from him. It had been ages since she had last seen him; if she counts her previous life, it would be around seven and a half years' time. Her last meeting with him came to her mind. He told her he had something urgent to take care off and he won't be able to see her for some years. She was surprised for the long time but didn't ask much; and she just told him to take care, that they will see the next time. Now, remembering, his last words were a little weird, '-Even if you are you and I am I, I will always care for you. You always have that in mind. Farewell', her heart tighten up as she recalled them; she had many things to think about at that time and didn't paid much attention to them as he always had come and gone as he pleased. 'Do his words had have a deeper meaning?' she asked herself.
She was still pondering about when she heard, "Little girl, you were so valiant before as to dare to attempt take this Lord's wrist, are you scared now?"
Listening to his words, she wanted to laugh; she admitted that in the past she was scared of him at first, but not now. They had been friends for so many years and had faced life and death together, how can she be scared of him?
She rolled her eyes and rebuked, "Scared, me? Though I don't know what kind of poison you have been poisoned with, it must be one around rank four-earth. I'm sure you can't mobilize your energy as your physical condition must be deplorable. You can't hurt me. Even if you can, knowing how strong your will is, I'm confident I can run away". She paused and added in reproach, "Also, I'm not a little girl. I have a pretty name, An Bing Qing, you better remember it well".
He looked at her with cold eyes, 'It seems I have underestimated this little girl but, do we really know each other?' He pondered a bit but after reaching no answer, he returned to his topic and said with slight coldness, "So, you have some medical knowledge. Then, little girl, can you detoxify this Lord's poison?"
She sniggered; he had put in no regard her name. She took a deep breath and asked casually, "Are you going to let me check your pulse?" She was worried about him but didn't want to be that evident. She had messed up things earlier and blurted out many things, she couldn't help it; but she really need to try and keep to herself some things from now on.
He smirked and replied, "Little girl, what do you think?"
She pouted her mouth and asked, "Then, you give me some of your blood to study it".
He just looked at her, his smirk didn't vanish but the coldness in his eyes increased.
Seeing a pair of purple eyes that conveyed the same question, she coughed and asked, "Do you know what kind of poison it is? If you know, his Lordship can tell me? You know, diagnosing by just watching has its limitations". There were many skilled and experienced doctors who can diagnose with just watching; they were all old mans, but she could do it since she was young. The strange book she had gotten that was written in a weird language has many uncommon ways to diagnose and medicate people; but with her strength many things were still restricted for her.
After a while, he said, "It is the Glacial Green Toad's poison".
Her heart shook. She supressed her inner shock and asked, "What rank?"
"It was a rank four Glacial Green Toad".
She bit her lower lip and looked at him deeply, 'How could he attempt to fight such a dangerous and powerful beast?' She shook her head in her heart, 'Well, it is just like him. That toad must have been in his way and he, being someone who doesn't know how to give up, fight with it head on or something like that'.
"Do you kill it?" She asked.
He gave it a good thought before answering with low mood, "I wasn't able to. But I will".
"Ah", she nodded but her heart sank. After a pause, she said, "I… there is no much I can do. Though is a rank four Glacial Green Toad, its poison had reached the five-earth rank. I'm not strong enough to purge out the poison. But… I can give a shot and try to refine the Blood Detoxification Pill".
He wasn't disheartened; he had thought it will be so. In fact, he was amazed, 'Is this little girl and Alchemist too?' He has begun to look at her with other eyes but he didn't show it and asked with a smirk, "Why a try?"
"Well…" She smiled reluctantly, "I'm only a two-earth Alchemist; I still can't refine that pill as it is a three-earth one. And even if I can, it will only clean your blood and innards a little. But you will be able to mobilize your energy and coupled with other pills, you will be able to fight and look for the Purple Snake Spirit Fruit for you to eat it and clean your poison. My knowledge is limited as well as my strength; I can only think about this solution".
He regarded her reluctant but serious speech; the Purple Snake Spirit Fruit was very poisonous. If the one he is supposed to eat is a hundred years' one, its poison will be of the same rank like the one it is in his body. But strangely, he didn't feel she wanted to hurt him. He decided to trust this little human girl.