Seeing Ignaz's behavior, both Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling felt their anger begin to subside somewhat.
However, Dugu Yan knew Ignaz's nature all too well - this pitiful act was most likely just for show, while inside he was probably scared out of his wits.
Dugu Yan walked up to Ignaz and glared at him.
"Big Brother Iggy, look me in the eyes. While Yan Yan and I were having a private conversation, some mysterious person actually had the nerve to eavesdrop on us!"
"What? Which scoundrel dares to be so brazen as to spy on the Ye family clinic? I'll kill him!"
Ignaz immediately smashed the vase he was holding, flew into a rage, and prepared to storm out of the room.
"This person must still be inside the clinic. If we don't search carefully and let the thief escape, we'll be in real trouble."
"Stop!"
Dugu Yan directly blocked Ignaz from pursuing the matter and continued,
"The Ye family clinic isn't some place any common thief could just waltz into. It must have been a patient with Spirit Sage level strength or higher. If you go chasing after them, Big Brother Iggy, you could very well end up dead. Absolutely do not pursue this."
"You're right, little sister. You think things through so thoroughly - I almost got myself killed."
Ignaz went along with Dugu Yan's words in his response, thinking this way she wouldn't suspect that he was the eavesdropper.
However, just as Ignaz was congratulating himself on dodging this bullet, Dugu Yan stepped right up close to him and glared.
"That thief was you, Ignaz, wasn't it?"
Seeing this, Ignaz hesitated for a moment. Just as Dugu Yan was about to confirm her suspicions and prepare to beat him up, Ignaz suddenly stepped back several paces, his eyes full of disbelief and disappointment, saying with extreme grievance,
"Little sister, how could your big brother possibly be so despicable as to do such a shameful, contemptible thing? I never thought... I never thought that you and Miss Lingling would distrust me so completely. If that's how it is, if that's how it is..."
Then Ignaz stood back up, gripped Dugu Yan's hands with utmost solemnity, and patted them consolingly.
"I'm grateful for all the help the Ye and Dugu families have given me during this time. Even my most trusted little sister suspects me now. Take care of yourselves - until we meet again."
As he spoke, several tears actually rolled down from the corners of Ignaz's eyes. At this moment, he looked exactly like a wrongfully accused child, utterly heartbroken.
Suddenly realizing she might truly be wrong, Dugu Yan grabbed Ignaz's hand and then hugged him tightly.
"Don't you dare try to leave. Before my grandfather returns, if you step one foot outside the Ye family or even Heaven Dou City, you'll be as good as dead."
"Big Brother Ignaz, Yan Yan didn't mean it just now. We shouldn't have wrongly accused you."
Even Ye Lingling, standing to the side, couldn't bear to watch. After all, if the eavesdropper really was Ignaz, wouldn't he have slipped up somehow? Instead, he was not only looking out for them but seemed genuinely hurt.
"Yan Yan, I won't leave. Just don't hug me so tight - you're suffocating me."
Ignaz pushed Dugu Yan away from him, but just as they were looking at each other, Dugu Yan launched another sudden attack with her question.
"Was it you?"
Just as Ignaz was about to say it wasn't, a faint, smug smile at the corner of his mouth was caught by Dugu Yan.
"I knew it was you, Iggy the Liar! You're asking for it!"
She threw a punch toward Ignaz's abdomen. He immediately jumped back, successfully dodging Dugu Yan's attack.
"Little sister, are you trying to murder me?"
"Iggy the Liar, your smile gave you away! Lingling, you take the left and I'll take the right - let's corner him. I want to see whether he'll confess or not!"
Seeing Dugu Yan's anger growing, Ye Lingling immediately moved to surround Ignaz. The two girls, step by step, forced him into a corner.
"Speak up - how much did you overhear?"
"Not much, just a little bit."
Seeing that Dugu Yan had already determined he'd been eavesdropping on their conversation, Ignaz felt he should defend himself somewhat.
"How much is 'a little bit'? Talk."
At this moment, eight thin needles emitting black vapor had appeared between Dugu Yan's clenched fists.
"Uh..."
"Ha! I can see you heard everything! Lingling, activate your healing spirit skill. Let me take care of him - I'm going to let Big Brother Iggy get a good taste of what we call 'the dual nature of medicine and poison.'"
Seeing Ignaz's hesitant appearance, Dugu Yan felt endless shame and indignation, her footsteps heavy as she walked toward him.
"If you dare resist, when grandfather returns, I'll have him deal with you personally. His poison is strong enough to kill a Spirit Douluo."
Seeing Dugu Yan slowly approaching, Ignaz covered his face with both hands and clamped his legs tightly together.
"Little sister, I was wrong! Don't stab randomly - whatever you do, don't stab the face!"
"Even if you don't tell me, I already know."
Dugu Yan manipulated the eight poison needles, stabbing toward every acupoint on Ignaz's body.
"Ah! Gentler! Slower! It hurts—"
Ye Lingling on the side couldn't bear to watch directly, but inside, she felt quite satisfied.
"Sister Yan Yan, that's enough. Don't actually hurt him badly, and I'm only a Spirit Grandmaster - I can't maintain treatment for long."
A green light suddenly rose at Ignaz's feet along with nine-star begonia petals drifting down, but she deliberately restrained her spirit power, keeping the treatment at a relatively low level to achieve detoxification without pain relief.
However, for Ignaz, the poison needles really did hurt when they stabbed him. Of course, initially there were some special symptoms - numbness, itching, burning, and other sensations. But for someone whose martial spirit had tetanus properties, while these poisons had some effect, they weren't enough to threaten his life, especially with Ye Lingling healing his injuries on the side.
"Once I reach level 50, I'm definitely going to add a poison-attribute spirit ring. Then your toxins won't work on me anymore."
Even in his pain, Ignaz was still muttering to himself. However, Dugu Yan heard a few words crystal clear.
"Oh really! You want to add a poison-attribute spirit ring for your fifth spirit ring? Since you have such ideas, then I won't hold back!"
The eight thin poison needles were directly replaced with another eight, darker in color and more toxic medium-sized poison needles, as she continued employing her most familiar "toxic therapy" technique.
Holding his head, Ignaz was experiencing such humiliation for the first time, and in front of two girls no less.
"Please come back soon, senior! I'd rather be disciplined by you than by these two 'beautiful and kind-hearted' girls."
At this moment, all he could think about was that delicate, gentle, yet somewhat cold face from before. If Bing'er were here, she definitely wouldn't just stand by and watch.
...
In an Unknown Forest
"Achoo—"
Dugu Bo sneezed.
"Someone's cursing me - it's definitely that kid again."
Dugu Bo stood up and stretched, feeling incredibly refreshed. Not only had his spirit power completely recovered, but his level 95 had also loosened slightly, with his spirit power level improving.
You have to understand that for a Titled Douluo to increase even one level of spirit power takes at least several years, often decades, and some Titled Douluo can never advance a single level in their entire lifetime.
"Who would have thought that fighting that dragon would make my spirit power grow so quickly?"
"Hahaha—"
Dugu Bo looked up at the sky, which had already grown dark.
"It's time to go back! Otherwise, who knows what inappropriate things that kid might do to Yan Yan."
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones