Two days later.
"Has the HHeaven Dou Imperial Battle Team made any moves since their return?"
Li Zhexian asked Xue Qinghe casually, as if making small talk.
Xue Qinghe shot him a glance and said lightly,
"Who are you actually asking about?"
"Just asking in general."
Xue Qinghe gave a cold snort but still replied:
"Yu Tianheng suffered two consecutive humiliating defeats. He's gone back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and is now undergoing special training under his grandfather, Thunderclap Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen."
"As for the others…"
"Ye Lingling hasn't stepped outside."
"Dugu Yan's been shut in her estate as well."
As he spoke, even Xue Qinghe found it strange.
"Come to think of it…"
"Dugu Yan isn't exactly the quiet type."
"Why has she been so quiet these last two days?"
Li Zhexian gripped his fishing rod, feigning indifference.
Good.
Quiet is good.
Honestly, he'd been worried that with Dugu Yan's slightly unhinged personality, she might do something insane.
But from the looks of it, she hadn't taken their last encounter to heart.
"Sigh. Only problem now is—need to find a new source of serpent venom."
That afternoon.
Li Zhexian returned to his courtyard.
Just as he reached the gate, his expression suddenly shifted.
Crap.
Why is Dugu Yan here again?!
He hesitated for a moment—
Then turned on his heel and began to walk away.
But before he could get far—
Creak—
The courtyard gate opened from the inside, and a cold voice called out behind him:
"Aren't you curious what else your little sweetheart said?"
Li Zhexian stopped and turned around, frowning at Dugu Yan.
"What do you want this time?"
Dugu Yan leaned lazily against the doorframe, arms crossed in her signature pose.
She stared straight at him, those venomous green eyes swirling with both humiliation—and a strange, quiet anticipation.
"I'm not convinced."
"I want to fight you again."
Li Zhexian curled his lips.
"Not interested."
Dugu Yan twirled a strand of her violet hair around her finger, speaking lazily:
"If you don't agree, I won't tell you what else your little sweetheart said."
Li Zhexian's brows furrowed.
"Dugu Yan, do you really think I won't go all out just because your grandfather is a Titled Douluo?"
Dugu Yan's breathing grew faintly quicker.
"Exactly. You won't."
With that, she beckoned to Li Zhexian and gracefully flipped into the courtyard. Li Zhexian's eyes flashed with a hint of anger, and he quickly followed.
Minutes later.
Swish—!
A glint of cold steel swept through the air.
Dugu Yan let out a pained gasp. Her sleeve tore open, revealing a clean cut across her pale arm.
She was panting, disheveled.
Her left cheek was red and swollen again. A few strands of hair stuck to the blood trickling from the corner of her lips. Both sleeves were torn to shreds by sword qi, her arms laced with several shallow wounds.
Li Zhexian's voice was cold and stern:
"Dugu Yan, are you still not going to yield?!"
Dugu Yan wobbled as she forced herself to stand.
Head lowered, her hair veiled the twisted, manic curve tugging at her lips.
"Li Zhexian, I'll never give in!"
Li Zhexian's sword-like brows furrowed—but she wasn't done:
"Even if you make me spit venom again, I still won't yield!"
Huh?
Li Zhexian froze for a moment.
Right.
The serpent venom I need… is standing right here.
"Dugu Yan, if you keep pushing, don't blame me for harvesting venom again."
"Go ahead! Try it!"
In a few swift moves, he subdued her.
Grabbing her by the jaw, Li Zhexian pulled out the same teacup from before and pressed it to her red lips.
"Spit. The. Poison."
Watching Dugu Yan limp away from the courtyard—
Li Zhexian began to question if he'd been too rough.
He called after her:
"What else did Zhu Zhuqing say to you?"
Dugu Yan, eager to get home and savor the memory of everything that had just happened, replied absentmindedly:
"She said she likes you. And next time, she wants you to kiss her."
Li Zhexian: "…"
With a sweep of sword light, he cleared the wreckage in the courtyard.
Then, he began preparing for his second attempt at brewing.
But suddenly, his brows furrowed.
He picked up the teacup filled with venom and gave it a shake.
"…Something feels off."
"That venom was too easy to get this time…"
Li Zhexian wasn't the type to dwell on things endlessly.
If he couldn't figure it out, he'd just move on.
So, he resumed brewing immediately.
The sun dipped toward the western horizon, casting a brilliant orange glow over the land.
Li Zhexian stared at the now-blackened mash with a face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Failed again!"
"Brewing is harder than I thought!"
"Even a drop more or less venom throws the whole thing off. I have to figure out the proportions myself."
It was all part of the learning curve.
After he successfully brewed Serpent's Venom Rice Spirit, future brews would go much more smoothly.
"The problem now is…"
Li Zhexian groaned as he sighed:
"I'm out of venom again."
"Dugu Yan's already shown up twice. That's rare enough."
"And I beat her up pretty badly today. She'll probably avoid me from now on."
...
At the Dugu Residence.
"Grandpa, I'm heading upstairs to cultivate."
Dugu Yan, now wrapped in a long outer robe, greeted Dugu Bo mid-training and hurried upstairs.
Dugu Bo nodded with his eyes closed.
"Mm."
But once the second-floor door shut—
His eyes snapped open.
A phantom image of a Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor flickered across his pupils.
"The smell of blood…"
"Did Yan Yan get hurt?"
"Who dares hurt my granddaughter?!"
Fury surged across Dugu Bo's aged face. But the next second, his dark green brows knotted in confusion.
"But… she didn't look like she'd been wronged."
"No. If this happens again, I'll follow her and find out for myself."
The next day.
Li Zhexian returned from Lotus Lake.
Before he even reached the courtyard gate—
He spotted a tall, familiar figure standing there from afar.
Li Zhexian: "…"
Now he realized what felt off yesterday—
Dugu Yan… was basically delivering venom to him on her own initiative!
He walked up with a headache forming behind his temples.
"What exactly do you want?"
Today, Dugu Yan wore a fitted green vest that exposed her slender waist. Loose pants below accentuated her long, tall figure.
Her bare arms showed no signs of yesterday's injuries.
First, because Spirit Masters healed quickly.
Second, because the Dugu family was wealthy—and they had access to top-grade medicine.
"I want to defeat you."
Dugu Yan licked her lips. Her gaze on Li Zhexian held a greedy gleam—like a viper staring down prey.
Comfort.
Unreal comfort.
Yesterday had felt so good she could barely contain herself.
Even in her dreams, all she saw was Li Zhexian's sword slashing her arm, Li Zhexian grabbing her jaw and forcing her to spit venom…
Compared to the torment she'd endured from her own Martial Soul for fourteen years, his violent actions were like tearing off a festering scab—painful and sweet, surging through her veins with delicious clarity.
Dugu Yan admitted—
She was hooked.
Li Zhexian felt a chill in his heart from Dugu Yan's gaze and immediately said, "I surrender. You win."
Dugu Yan furrowed her slender brows. However, immediately after, her lips curved into a smile and she said, "Even if I don't know what you need serpent venom for… don't you want more of my poison?"
Hearing this, Li Zhexian looked conflicted.
He did need the venom.
Given one more chance, he was sure he could brew a successful batch of Serpent's Venom Rice Spirit.
He had considered using venom from other Spirit Masters.
In fact, he'd even mentioned it to Xue Qinghe earlier.
But the only other Spirit Master in the palace with a serpent-type Martial Soul…
Was a eunuch.
And frankly, using venom from a eunuch gave him the chills.
After some thought—
Li Zhexian sighed and pushed open the courtyard gate.
"Fine. Come in."
"Heh~"
Dugu Yan followed him in triumphantly.
Creak—
The courtyard gate slowly closed.
A gust of foul wind suddenly blew.
Outside the gate—
Dugu Bo stood silently, face like thunder.