Yang Yunhai's gaze flickered for a moment, but there was no trace of displeasure on his face, as if he had already expected this.
"As expected, in the end, he's still the direct heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Family interests will always come first. The key is, after so long, he never even mentioned it to me. I thought that after training together for so many days, and with us being comrades in the future, there would be at least some camaraderie. For the sake of the team and the upcoming Soul Master Tournament, I figured I should at least maintain some goodwill and protect the relationship between teammates."
"But now it seems I was thinking too simply. I overlooked the nature hidden behind his identity."
"The name Yu Tianheng will never represent an individual,it represents a clan. So even if I really helped the team win the Soul Master Tournament championship in the future, and even if I was the biggest contributor by defeating Yu Tianheng, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would still interfere. They wouldn't allow me to obtain even a single soul bone, regardless of whether Dugu Yan intervened for me or Yu Tianheng tried to excuse himself."
"This is already evident from how the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan handled the matter with Dugu Bo."
"A guaranteed profit with no risk, yet they weren't even willing to use an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul bone as capital, let alone three soul bones over thirty-thousand years old."
"And Yu Tianheng, at that time, would certainly act just as he did toward Dugu Yan this time,accepting the decision of his elders without question."
As his thoughts turned, a certain idea suddenly sprang to mind.
"I need to change my strategy. Yu Tianheng is not to be trusted,it would be best if he voluntarily left the team. And the best starting point would no doubt be Dugu Yan, who is currently disheartened."
Given Yu Tianheng's baffling actions earlier, there's no way Dugu Yan has no thoughts about it. She's the granddaughter of the shrewd Dugu Bo, not some naive girl.
Uh… from Dugu Bo's earlier grumbling, it seems he's already criticized Yu Tianheng in front of her, Yang Yunhai suddenly thought.
After all, with her poison soon to be cured, she wouldn't need to seek protection from outsiders anymore. Naturally, that means the man who deeply hurt her and made her grandfather dissatisfied would have to get lost.
Suddenly, Yang Yunhai began to understand why Dugu Bo had told him all this.
This was clearly a hint, wanting him,as a teammate, a lifesaver, and someone who still had some standing in Dugu Yan's heart,to help nudge things along and push for a breakup between her and Yu Tianheng.
Damn, this old fox actually wants to use me!
Still… just what I wanted, he thought inwardly.
Given Yu Tianheng's situation, after a breakup, he wouldn't even need others to fan the flames,he'd likely have no face to stay around on his own. After all, from his perspective, he himself was the root cause of this mess. Confidently thinking he could impress his girlfriend's grandfather with a letter, only to be completely undermined by his own clan elders,this was utterly humiliating.
After such a breakup, how could he have the face to show up in front of his ex-girlfriend again?
Unless he was completely shameless.
While he was thinking, Dugu Bo's voice sounded again: "It's fine that Yan told me about this, since our Dugu family only has the two of us left, and both of our martial souls are beast-type. We can't even make use of the rare treasures you mentioned, so it's clear I have no reason to harm you."
He first cleared himself of suspicion.
"But Yu Tianheng,his identity means he will never represent himself alone, but the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"And the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan doesn't just have beast-type martial soul users under its banner. That means you yourself hold considerable research value."
"Moreover, even setting martial souls aside, a single rare treasure let a commoner soul master leap from level 21 to level 30, and also evolve his martial soul, ending up defeating the clan's direct heir who was eight levels higher."
"Does that count as an offense?"
"Heh, the old fogeys in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan don't have as big a heart as I do."
"So it's possible they might send someone to capture you."
"In this matter, Yu Tianheng might not be wrong as a clan heir. But as a friend and teammate, reporting it to the clan without thinking through the consequences is really underhanded. I imagine he never told you about it before or after, right?"
"From small things, you can see the bigger picture. I think his character is questionable."
"Not to mention, if this really happened, my granddaughter and I could very well have to risk our lives because of his actions."
"So every time I think about it, I feel irritated!"
"In short, I personally think that even if Yan's poison is cured, staying with Yu Tianheng will only lead to grievances at best and disaster at worst."
"So as her grandfather, now that her poison is gone, I think it's time to consider other options for her."
Yang Yunhai nodded slightly, indicating his understanding.
Wait,other options!?
His mind immediately recalled how, in the original story, Dugu Bo, after seeing Tang San's excellence, made that fierce declaration about marrying his granddaughter off to him. This was a man who could drug his own granddaughter to force the matter,and now Yang Yunhai had already proven himself outstanding.
Handsome, talented, stronger than his peers, and a lifesaver.
So… Yang Yunhai suddenly tensed up. After pondering for a moment, he lowered his voice and tentatively said,
"Grandpa Dugu, I already have a girlfriend."
"Xiaohai, what did you say?" Dugu Bo turned his head, looking confused.
Damn, how is this kid so sharp? He actually guessed it? Dugu Bo was inwardly startled.
Forget it, even if he said it, Dugu Bo wouldn't admit it,might even snap at him for being narcissistic. Thinking this, Yang Yunhai quickly changed his words and said politely, "Grandpa Dugu, I meant to say thank you for trusting me and telling me these things."
"Also, with all the thought you've given to Sister Yan, I'm sure she will understand you in the future."
Quick-witted kid… though it seems he got the hint. Dugu Bo nodded slightly. "I hope so."
Once again, he compared Yu Tianheng to Yang Yunhai and felt even more dissatisfied with the former.
"Let's go, Xiaohai. Take me to see the rare treasure you found for your little girlfriend," he said, changing the topic.
"Please follow me, Grandpa Dugu." Yang Yunhai nodded, then led the way to a white herb he had deliberately left unpicked earlier.
"This is called the Cloud Immortal White Peony. Its medicinal effect is just slightly inferior to the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma. Eating its stamens can strengthen the foundation and replenish vitality."
"Because it is cold in nature, only women can take it. If a man takes it, it will harm his yang energy and cause… a certain function to be lost. Because of this, it also has another name,'Sun-Severing Flower.'"
"It's a tonic, but also a poison."
"…That's ruthless." Dugu Bo was slightly surprised, then quickly recovered and said lightly, "Xiaohai, should we pick it now?"
Yang Yunhai shook his head. "There's still time, and it's not needed yet. Let's leave it for now. Picking it is simple,just dig it up whole."
"Alright, when it's needed, let me know and I'll come get it," Dugu Bo said, nodding.
"Mm." Yang Yunhai smiled and continued, "Grandpa Dugu, while you were away, I've gone through all the herbs here."
"I only recognize a small portion, but there are still dozens of types. Let me tell you about them."
"Quite a few are highly poisonous. Since you're skilled at making poisons, you might be able to use them in the future."
Anyway, they're useless to me,just giving them to him as a gesture of goodwill.
Better he learns them all and uses them to help me deal with Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Clan, and so on in the future. As long as I can break up Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng, without the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan connection, he'll be my true gold-medal enforcer, Yang Yunhai thought to himself.
Dugu Bo was touched. In any other faction, this kind of knowledge would be a closely guarded secret.
After all, if only you can recognize something, others will ignore it when they see it, leaving more for you to find and harvest.
"Thanks, Xiaohai." He patted his shoulder with a hint of emotion.
Such a good kid,where else could he find one? He had to bring him into the family as a grandson-in-law.
"It's only right. If Zhuqing and I were lucky enough to use rare treasures, it's thanks to you," Yang Yunhai said with a smile.
The words "repaying kindness" instantly came to Dugu Bo's mind, and his gaze toward Yang Yunhai became even more approving.
This old guy's eyes are looking weird again… Yang Yunhai immediately grew alert, but kept a calm expression as he turned toward another immortal herb.
He began explaining its properties to Dugu Bo.