The forest canopy in the Magical Beast Mountain Range swallowed sunlight like a jealous beast. Only thin, fractured beams slipped through the leaves, dancing across Su Chen's skin as he crouched on a thick branch high above the forest floor.
His skin, still carrying that faint golden sheen from his Iron Skin cultivation, made him blend perfectly with the dappled light. But camouflage wasn't the reason he was still.
His [Olfactory Sense] was going into overdrive.
Blood.
Cheap alcohol.
And something else—a medicinal fragrance hiding beneath a sharp, acrid poison that made the air itself feel dangerous.
He exhaled slowly. "Mercenaries. And… someone cornered."
Below, the trees opened into a rocky clearing. Twenty men with the Wolf Head Mercenary Company insignia surrounded a lone figure.
A young woman.
White dress.
Slim frame.
Beautiful in a gentle, almost fragile way—too soft for this brutal mountain range. She clutched a satchel to her chest like it was the last thing tying her to sanity.
Xiao Yi Xian.
The name struck him with the weight of future calamity.
[Target: Xiao Yi Xian]
[Race: Human (Cursed)]
[Physique: Woeful Poison Body – Dormant]
[Potential: SSS – Calamity Class]
Su Chen's voice dropped to a whisper. "So this is the girl fated to become a walking catastrophe."
Right now, though? She was just a scared doctor being pushed against a cliff wall.
The mercenary captain, Mu Li, stepped forward with the kind of grin that made Su Chen's muscles tense. "Little Fairy Doctor… hand over the map. Do that, and maybe we'll let you leave alive."
Xiao Yi Xian's face paled further, but her voice stayed steady. "I told you, I don't have it. And you should stay away. My body… I'm not safe to touch."
Mu Li laughed like she'd told a joke. "Grab her!"
Two mercenaries lunged.
She bit her lip, pulled a white pouch from her satchel, and flung its contents at them.
Poof.
Their screams cut the forest air a second later—raw, guttural cries as blisters erupted across their faces.
"Damn her! She used poison!" Mu Li roared, backing away.
Su Chen leaned forward on the tree branch, already preparing to drop.
Mu Li began channeling energy, his aura turning green, swirling like storm winds around bark.
"Green Wood Beast Transformation!"
Muscles swelled. Fur sprouted. Nails extended into claws.
"That's the one I'm here for," Su Chen murmured.
Time to move.
He didn't bother with stealth. He didn't care for dramatic entrances. He simply pushed off the branch.
And fell like a meteor.
BOOM.
The ground cracked under his impact. Dust blasted outward, swallowing the entire clearing for a moment.
When it cleared, a young man in black clothes stood between Xiao Yi Xian and the mercenaries. He didn't look at them.
He looked at her.
"You hurt?" His voice was calm—unexpectedly gentle for someone who'd just cratered the ground.
Xiao Yi Xian's lips parted. "I… no. But he's a 2-Star Dou Master. You should be careful."
"System," Su Chen muttered. "Translate that."
[2-Star Dou Master = Level 15 Elite.]
"Alright," he said casually. "Manageable."
"BOY!" Mu Li roared, beast form fully unleashed. "I'll tear you apart!"
He charged. Fast. Enhanced. Deadly.
Su Chen didn't draw his sword yet. Didn't dodge.
"Iron Skin."
Mu Li's claws slammed into Su Chen's neck.
CLANG.
The sound rang across the clearing like someone striking metal. Sparks flew.
Su Chen didn't even blink.
Mu Li stumbled back, horror creeping across his mutated face. "Hard body cultivation?!"
Su Chen tilted his head with an expression that wasn't arrogance—just pure, clinical judgment.
"Is that it? My turn."
He raised his left arm.
[Flesh Manipulation.]
His muscles twisted, bones thickening, arm ballooning into a monstrous piston of biological power.
He punched.
No flourish.
No technique.
Just raw strength.
The hit folded Mu Li's chest inward with a sickening crunch. His beast armor shattered like glass. He flew backward, slamming into a tree with enough force to snap it, body crumpling lifelessly.
[Target Neutralized.]
[Copyable Attribute: Green Wood Beast Transformation.]
The remaining mercenaries froze. One dropped his weapon. Another took off running.
Su Chen pointed at the forest. "Leave."
They didn't need to hear it twice.
Within seconds, the clearing was empty except for two people.
Xiao Yi Xian pressed her back to the cliff, staring at him like she wasn't sure if he was savior or monster.
"Thank you," she whispered. "But you… you should go. The powder I threw—it's still in the air. If you inhale it—"
"I'm not worried about poison."
"Don't!" She tried to step away as he approached. "My body… it's dangerous. People get sick just being near me. Touching me is— is—"
Deadly.
The word hung in her eyes even if she couldn't bring herself to say it.
He kept walking.
Step.
Step.
Step.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
And then—
Warmth.
A hand cupped her cheek.
She gasped sharply, eyes snapping open. "No! Let go! You'll—"
Die.
But his hand didn't blister. Didn't rot. Didn't even redden.
Her poison Qi flooded into him instinctively, a tidal wave of death that should've melted flesh.
His Lich Bloodline swallowed it whole, drinking the toxin like sweet wine.
He didn't even flinch.
"See?" he said softly. "Still alive."
Xiao Yi Xian stared at his hand, trembling. The emotion that overtook her wasn't joy or relief—it was disbelief cracking into something fragile and painful.
"Why?" Her voice broke. "Why aren't you dying?"
"Because I'm built different," he said simply. "And so are you."
Her breath caught. Tears welled up before she could stop them.
No one had touched her for years. Not without fear. Not without disgust. Not without consequences.
But this stranger…
He held her like she wasn't a danger—like she was human.
He wiped a tear away with his thumb, gentle despite the destruction he'd caused moments earlier.
[Affection +20]
Su Chen stepped back, giving her space instead of overwhelming her. "I'm Su Chen. I'm looking for a guide in the mountains. And you know something about a cave, don't you?"
She swallowed hard, still staring at his hand. "You… want the treasure?"
"We split it," he said. "Fifty-fifty. You guide, I protect."
Then he added, quietly, "And I'll never be afraid to touch you."
Her face flushed harder than any poison reaction.
"Y-you… shouldn't say things like that," she mumbled, trying to compose herself. "The cave is this way. But… can we walk slowly? My legs… they're a bit shaky."
"I can carry you."
"No!" She practically jumped. "Walking is fine!"
They began moving through the forest together. She kept stealing glances at him—specifically his hands—still stunned by the simple fact he'd touched her without consequence.
He checked his new gains.
[Skill Acquired: Green Wood Beast Transformation.]
Useful. Layerable.
And then—
[Copyable Attribute: Poison Constitution (Woeful Poison Body).]
He touched her shoulder gently as they walked.
"Copy."
[Warning: Direct copying will cause Host to emit uncontrolled poison gas.]
[Alternative available: Copy Poison Qi Manipulation Talent.]
He took the safer option.
Now, poison wasn't something that happened to him—it was something he could shape.
"So," Xiao Yi Xian asked, voice soft. "Where are you from? You… don't look like anyone from around here."
"A far place," he answered. "And one that's falling apart."
She studied him for a long moment. "Then you're trying to save it?"
"No." He looked ahead. "I'm collecting power. And I just found something rare."
Her heartbeat stumbled. She looked away quickly, hiding her expression.
They reached the vine-covered cliffside.
"The cave is behind here," she said quietly. "But a Rock Snake guards it."
"Leave it to me." Su Chen stepped forward, drawing his indigo sword.
Xiao Yi Xian watched his back, fingers curling around her dress.
He touched me, she thought, almost dazed. And he didn't fear me.
A dangerous warmth bloomed in her chest.
I'm not letting him go.
Not now.
Not ever.