Meanwhile, at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy dormitory, Yu Tianheng strode up to his door.
He reached out to open it and noticed a slip of paper tucked in the crack. He quickly pulled it out and read:
"Tianheng, I don't know if Grandfather is at home today. It's already late. If I don't return tonight,it means I'm staying at the estate. Tomorrow will depend on the situation,if I'm not back, please help me ask Instructor Qin Ming for leave. Don't worry about me."
After reading, he didn't think much of it. He lightly crumpled the note, pushed open the door, and went inside.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, at the Dugu residence, Dugu Bo strode in.
"Master, the young lady came back yesterday afternoon. It seems she… she might have cried. She didn't eat dinner and stayed locked in her room. This morning, when I went in, there was still no sign of movement,same as now," the butler hurriedly reported.
Dugu Bo's expression darkened instantly. As shrewd as he was, he immediately guessed it must have something to do with the reply from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
The result was obvious,it had made his granddaughter sad.
"I understand. Go to the kitchen and prepare some food for me and Yan'er." He waved his hand and strode toward the backyard.
Soon, he arrived at Dugu Yan's room, knocked lightly, and called in a low voice, "Yan Yan, are you up?"
"I,I'm up," came her quick reply. After some rustling and the sound of footsteps, the door opened.
She had just washed her face. Though the swelling in her eyes had gone down, they were still slightly red and sunken. Her expression looked worn out,it was clear she had cried for a long time yesterday and slept poorly at night. Dugu Bo immediately judged the situation, and a chill settled in his heart.
Yu Tianheng. Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. His gaze flickered.
"Grandpa, come in and sit," Dugu Yan said softly, avoiding his gaze and lowering her head.
Dugu Bo nodded calmly and walked inside.
Sitting at the table, he asked with a slight nod, "The reply from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan came? Tell me, what did they say?"
Dugu Yan lowered her head further, bit her lip, and whispered, "They said they can agree to the engagement if they receive a ten-thousand-year strength-type spirit bone as a betrothal gift."
She quickly added, "That was the elders' decision,Tianheng had no power to change it."
"Are you kidding me?! Bang!" The table beside him shattered under his palm as Dugu Bo shot to his feet. Dugu Yan flinched, head bowed, trembling, not daring to speak. It was the first time in her life she had seen her grandfather this angry in front of her.
Dugu Bo's expression was cold as ice. He looked directly at her, took a deep breath, and said in a low, harsh tone, "Yan Yan, let me be blunt with you."
"That Yu Tianheng,I didn't like him from the start. Him? Fit to be a clan heir?"
"He's nearly twenty years old and can't even make a decision about a five-thousand-year spirit bone without asking his elders first. I am a dignified Title Douluo,am I worth less than a spirit bone? I only have one granddaughter. If he marries you, would I not help him? Such a simple truth,any street vendor could understand it, but he doesn't!"
"How can I trust such a foolish, indecisive man with you?"
"And Xiao Hai's words,weren't they clear enough?"
"Even if he didn't realize that the spirit bone was meant to save your life, he's well aware of your long-term illness, isn't he? The last time you caught a cold and your poison flared up, he was there, wasn't he?"
"Was he blind not to see your pain? You've endured that pain since you were a child,how could he not think of it?"
"And when he learned there was a chance to cure you, what did he do? The first thing that came to mind was to write a letter to his elders? Is he joking?"
"I remember I said at least five thousand years, right? At least,wasn't that clear enough?"
"I was hoping he would show the responsibility of a man, a future husband, and fight for you. But what did he do?"
"He wrote a letter, handed it in, and just sat there waiting for fate to decide!"
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is internally divided,an outsider like me knows this. He's a direct heir, almost twenty years old,does he not know? Since he knows, did he ever think that his request might be opposed by those who don't support him becoming clan head? Did he ever consider going home himself to plead for his sick fiancée, to improve her chances of survival?"
"No. Not at all."
Dugu Bo's eyes grew colder as he spoke. "And he dares to say he loves you? He doesn't even value his future wife's life,just hands the decision to someone else! How could I dare entrust you to him?"
"In my eyes, his care for you isn't even as much as Xiao Hai's,a stranger, a child. That boy immediately understood I was testing him and hinted to Yu Tianheng about it. Isn't that already doing him a favor?"
"And Xiao Hai, on the very first day he met you at the academy, after learning about your illness, started working on a way to cure it. Do you think he could solve something I've been trying to fix for decades just like that?"
"Have you thought about the effort and dedication he's put in?"
"Ask yourself,does Yu Tianheng's effort in treating you even come close to a fraction of Xiao Hai's?"
"One letter,just one damned letter!"
"And now the clan's reply is here. What do they mean by this? Do they think I, Dugu Bo, am a fool? That I'd accept a ten-thousand-year spirit bone as a betrothal gift, only to have them go back on their word later? So that if you break up, I'd just get a free spirit bone? Am I, a Title Douluo, unable to afford one myself?"
"A ten-thousand-year spirit bone as a betrothal gift,damn it, do they think my granddaughter is some commodity to be bought and sold?"
"They've got the nerve to even say that!" His face flushed with anger.
"And Yu Tianheng,what a useless waste! After receiving the reply, he didn't even think about resisting,just told you outright!"
"Did he ever think to keep it from you for a while, return to his clan, and fight for you?"
"At least then, I could have seen that he valued you!"
At this point, his expression suddenly grew serious as he stared at Dugu Yan.
"Yan Yan, be honest with Grandpa. Have you and that boy Yu Tianheng gone that far yet?"
Because of the poison in himself and his family, aside from cultivation, Dugu Bo spent all his other time on studying poisons. Matters between men and women never interested him much,truthfully, he couldn't tell.
Right now, Dugu Yan's eyes were already red. Tears overflowed, ran down her cheeks, and dripped from her sharp chin to the floor. Hearing her grandfather's heavy-toned question, she felt no shyness,only sorrow and confusion. Facing her grandfather's searing anger, she had no will to resist and subconsciously choked out the truth.
"N-no…"
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