Never again

19. Poisoned

"No!" The old shouted. "I refuse to believe it! Let me try."

Placing a hand on her wrist, he sent a strand of his qi into her. But before it could get far, it was blocked and unable to continue further. His face began to crumble, growing paler.

With glaring rage in his eyes, he shouted furiously, "Who was it?! Who dared to poison you?!"

Poison? She was poisoned?

"Old man, are you sure that I'm not a waste?" Xi Rin asked, her face is serious unlike her usual nonchalant and joking attitude.

"I haven't gone senile if that's what you're thinking." The old man rolled his eyes. "If I hadn't witnessed something like this before, I would have thought you were a waste too. Nonetheless, you're inflicted with a very dangerous, slow-acting poison. It works slowly and invisibly, rotting your insides while showing no signs on the outside and before anybody would notice, you'll be long dead.

And from the looks of it, you would have only lived for another year or so before dying without knowing why." He stated, with a certainty that scares her.

Hearing those words, it chilled her to the bones, however, Xi Rin's brows couldn't help but scrunch in confusion. She did a thorough search of the body's memory, but nothing of sort came to mind. For as long as the previous body's owner could remember, she was trash from birth. Her dantian was incapable was storing qi and even if she tried, it would always end up with her vomiting blood.

But now that she knows that she isn't a waste, should she be happy knowing that she could have cultivated if not the poison? Or be angry that her chances were crushed before she could try?

But there's no point in being happy nor mad right now, she sighed at her misfortunes and closed her eyes to think.

Don't get her wrong, she's not a pushover who would bow her head down to anything and everything. Especially since she got poisoned like this. Whoever wanted her life, better prepare to give up theirs instead.

A tooth for a tooth. An eye for an eye. She will get her revenge but now is not the time.

Opening her eyes again, "Say, is there a way to rid of the poison?"

"I do..." The old man trailed start, his brows furrowed, "But it's going to painful."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"W-what?" The old man stuttered, not understanding her question nor the sudden mischief in her eyes.

Quirking an eyebrow up playfully, "Let me see... who was it that wanted me to go through impossible, life-and-death trials again? Hmmmmm... I can't really remember ah."

The old man's eye twitched. This brat... is she mocking him?

"You know what, a little bit of pain can do a brat like you some good. Hmph!"

And with that, the grave, sombre atmosphere disappeared completely and turned into a more light-hearted and happy mood.