Facing her question, Fang Ling was equally puzzled:
"Yeah, I found it strange too."
"Logically speaking, Sister Yanyan, you're the granddaughter of the Poison Douluo Bi Lin Mianxia, the strongest poison-type soul master in the world. You shouldn't be susceptible to poison."
"So how come…"
Dugu Yan's eyes flashed coldly as she stared silently at Fang Ling, not interrupting him.
Fang Ling scratched his head and gave a bitter smile. "At first, I thought I was mistaken."
"Sister Yanyan, you know I have good instincts, but what you don't know is that it's not just combat intuition."
"Even if it's hit-or-miss, after watching for so long, I finally decided to trust this thing that's saved my life more than once."
"Intuition…" Dugu Yan clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles cracking. Her fingertips dug into her palms, yet she felt no pain.
A sense of indescribable dread rose in her heart.
If it had been someone else saying this, she would have brushed it off as a bad joke.
An excuse made up on the spot to avoid something.
But this vague, intangible "intuition," which had pierced through Yu Tianheng's dragon-scale defenses right before everyone's eyes, left her thoroughly shocked. Her body even began to tremble.
Ye Lingling was equally astonished, as if she'd heard a shocking secret.
She instinctively held her breath, afraid to disturb anything.
Noticing Dugu Yan's condition, she leaned in close, trying to comfort her with her body's warmth.
"Lingling, thank you."
Dugu Yan patted Ye Lingling's hand and forced a smile.
Fang Ling's thunderbolt of a statement had pierced through her mental fog, instantly waking her up.
She suddenly understood many things.
Including her grandfather's unusual physical state despite being a Titled Douluo… her parents' mysterious deaths when she was a child… and the so-called "health pills."
At the time, it all seemed normal, but now...
Dugu Yan fell silent. She retrieved a jade bottle from her soul tool and poured out a brownish pill.
Holding it between her slender index finger and thumb, she carefully examined it under her gaze.
She introduced it to the two:
"This is a health pill my grandfather specially made for me. He said it could strengthen my body and balance my vital energy and blood."
"He even told me specifically that the ingredients are extremely rare, a family secret. Absolutely not to be shared with anyone else."
She sighed lightly, then handed it to Ye Lingling.
"Lingling, your Nine-Heart Begonia Clan is a long-standing medical family. You've studied medical texts since childhood. Can you tell what's in it by its smell?"
Ye Lingling tried, then shook her head slightly. "Sorry, I can't identify it."
"It's fine. After all, it was made by Grandpa." Dugu Yan smiled unnaturally, as if she suddenly didn't know how to smile anymore.
"What happened today is serious. I've dragged both you and Fang Ling into this. Please, do not tell anyone."
Just after saying that, Dugu Yan's expression changed, and she immediately corrected herself.
"No, please come home with me right away."
At the mention of meeting the eccentric and ruthless Poison Douluo, Ye Lingling immediately panicked. Her beautiful face was full of fear.
She instinctively looked at Fang Ling.
Fang Ling nodded solemnly. "Alright."
"Fang Ling~" Ye Lingling tugged at him, on the verge of tears.
"Now that we know this secret, we don't have the right to refuse," Fang Ling said coldly, gently squeezing her soft hand. "Even the Nine-Heart Begonia can't protect us from this."
"Sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this, Lingling." Dugu Yan felt like today's "test" had gone far too wrong.
She had only meant to help Lingling understand Fang Ling's true character, she hadn't expected the reason to lie with her instead.
She could only say, "Grandpa may seem fierce, bloodthirsty, and eccentric, but he's actually a reasonable person. He's never killed the innocent."
"Knowing too much makes you not innocent anymore. I only know that dead people keep secrets," Fang Ling muttered.
Dugu Yan couldn't argue. Her eyes turned sharp. "Then I'll use my life to guarantee both of your safety."
"Let's go."
Fang Ling held Ye Lingling's hand. Her palm trembled slightly.
While the contact tickled her a little, he also tried to comfort her. "Sister Lingling, don't worry. Watch me handle this."
Under Fang Ling's reassuring gaze, Ye Lingling finally regained a bit of strength. With a slightly teary voice, she replied, "Okay."
The three quickly left the academy and headed toward Heaven Dou City.
They didn't take a carriage, soul masters could travel very fast. Twenty kilometers wouldn't take long.
Heaven Dou City, Dugu Residence
At the gate, a servant recognized them and immediately opened the heavy doors respectfully.
"Young Miss."
"Mm."
Dugu Yan nodded slightly.
Normally, she'd exchange some casual words with the servants, but today her mind was a mess. She could only walk swiftly, bringing the two straight into the mansion.
As they paused briefly in a beautifully decorated corridor, Dugu Yan reminded them:
"I know you're afraid, but you're about to meet my grandfather. Just… be mindful of your manners."
She didn't know what exactly to caution them about, so she could only urge them to be respectful.
If that didn't work, then she'd give her life to protect them.
With guilt weighing heavily on her, Dugu Yan led Fang Ling and Ye Lingling to a pavilion, where they found Dugu Bo.
Before them was a tall, lean old man in a simple gray robe, with a slightly sinister air.
His hair and beard were a deep, dark green. His eyes gleamed like emeralds, cold and lifeless, radiating a chilling green light.
His cheeks were sunken, and his messy green hair looked like it hadn't been groomed in ages.
He sat expressionlessly in a recliner, or rather, his expression was stiff and unnatural.
Though right before them, his entire presence felt ghostly, like an illusion.
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy student, Fang Ling, greets Bi Lin Mianxia."
"Ye Lingling of the Nine-Heart Begonia Clan greets Bi Lin Mianxia."
Fang Ling and Ye Lingling immediately bowed in respect.
"Fang Ling and the little girl from the Ye family? Yanyan brought classmates home today, huh?"
Dugu Bo closed the yellowed book in his hand, sounding a little surprised.
Given his terrible reputation, he didn't expect anyone would actually dare visit the Dugu residence.
Pleased that his granddaughter had found friends, he smiled. "No need for formality. Relax."
However, Dugu Yan didn't answer. She simply stared at him, stunned.
"Yanyan, what's wrong?" Dugu Bo sensed something amiss.
A tear rolled from the corner of Dugu Yan's eye. Her voice trembled. "Grandpa, what exactly is the health pill?"
Dugu Bo's face changed instantly. He waved all attendants away and nearly crushed the book in his hand.
"Yanyan, who did you give it to? Who told you something?"
His eyes locked immediately on Fang Ling and Ye Lingling.
Fang Ling stepped in front of Ye Lingling. "Senior, please let me explain. This has nothing to do with Sister Lingling, and Sister Yanyan didn't give us the pill. I was the first to notice."
"So you're a gallant little one too."
Dugu Bo snorted and didn't press further. But the next moment, a massive soul pressure fell upon Fang Ling like a mountain.
In just an instant, it nearly suffocated him.
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