My dear granddaughter!
Really—have you no standards at all? Just because he's handsome, you're already head over heels?
Dugu Bo stared at her, absolutely dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"Hee-hee!"
Dugu Yan giggled, and Dugu Bo's lip twitched. He shot Yin Xuan a glare.
"Kid, you better treat my granddaughter right! She's the only one I've got; her life matters more than mine."
Yin Xuan wanted to say something… honestly, the whole thing seemed pretty wild. One gets taken with his looks and makes a bet, and the other just rolls with it.
"Grandpa, don't scare Xuan—he's shy. Honestly, this whole boyfriend thing started because of a bet; we didn't even date like normal people," Dugu Yan explained quietly.
"A bet?" Dugu Bo blinked, surprised. "What were the stakes?"
Dugu Yan gave him a sly smile. "If I won, Xuan had to be my boyfriend. If he won, I'd be his girlfriend."
Dugu Bo was stunned; it was like his sweet, sensible granddaughter had suddenly turned into someone else.
When he looked at Yin Xuan again, there was a little pity in his eyes. He sighed, "I totally misjudged you, kid."
"But you must be something special if you can beat my granddaughter. What's your Spirit? Which clan are you from?"
Yin Xuan replied, "A mutated Spirit—Shadow Demon Grass. No clan."
Dugu Yan added, "Grandpa, he even made up his own Spirit name."
Dugu Bo stared at him for a moment. "Is that so…"
Trying to help, Dugu Yan smiled, "Grandpa, Xuan has level twenty-six spirit power, and both his spirit rings are thousand-year ones!"
"What? That's real?" Dugu Bo's eyes went wide, and he started examining Yin Xuan more closely.
Dugu Yan whispered to Yin Xuan, "Xuan, maybe show grandpa your spirit rings?"
Yin Xuan didn't mind. Two purple thousand-year rings appeared alongside his Dark Blue Silver Emperor Spirit.
Dugu Bo actually took two steps back, shocked. "The first and second rings are both thousand-year spirit rings? Am I dreaming?"
"Why does everything today feel so off?" He started wondering if the Bilin Snake Emperor Poison in his body was making him hallucinate.
"Hee-hee! I knew it—grandpa, you'd be flabbergasted by Xuan's spirit rings!"
Dugu Yan was thrilled; this was exactly what she wanted.
"Xuan, see? Grandpa's really easygoing, right?" She laughed.
Seeing Dugu Bo absolutely stunned, Yin Xuan smiled, "Senior Dugu, you were just caught by surprise."
Dugu Bo shook his head, still shocked: "Honestly, you're lucky you didn't explode trying to absorb those spirit rings. And you did it twice!"
"But you turned disaster into good fortune… with two purple thousand-year rings, you can choose even crazier spirit rings in the future."
"Right, but that means you'll become a target—a prize for all the big powers. And if they can't have you, they'll probably try to destroy you."
Yin Xuan said, "That's why I'm with the Crown Prince for now. Thanks to him, I got into Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"I see…" Dugu Bo frowned but let it drop. "Let's eat together later. I've ordered lunch."
Yin Xuan thanked him, and Dugu Bo waved his hand. "Stay put. Yan, come with me."
"Xuan, I'll be right back. If you need anything, just ask," Dugu Yan said, smiling as she followed her grandfather.
Yin Xuan breathed out and sat down, thinking quietly.
"My dear granddaughter, it's not that I don't want you dating, but you're just too reckless," Dugu Bo complained.
Dugu Yan shot back, "I'm not reckless—I thought it through. Xuan's got looks, talent, and a simple background."
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes. "You just fell for his face. His background might be simple, but once he's tied up with Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, trouble's coming sooner or later."
Dugu Yan shrugged, "With a guy like Xue Beng, he can't compete with Xue Qinghe anyway. The throne's going to Xue Qinghe. By then, Yin Xuan'll be a top official, helping the new emperor. It's a good deal."
"These things are never that simple," Dugu Bo said. "But whatever, we'll see how it goes."
"Grandpa, I have something else to ask, about me," Dugu Yan said.
"About you?" Dugu Bo raised a brow. "What is it? Someone bullying you at school?"
"No!" Dugu Yan frowned. "Yesterday sparring with Xuan, I got hit with his Second Soul Skill. I felt something being pulled out, and afterward my body felt so light and comfortable!"
"And his Spirit Ability looked weird—the surface had traces of poison."
Dugu Bo's pupils shrank. He grabbed her wrist, sending spirit power inside to check.
He discovered the Bilin Snake Poison deep in Dugu Yan's flesh had actually weakened, and his face filled with shock.
"This… this—"
Dugu Bo was ecstatic. For so long, he'd been helpless against the Bilin Snake Poison inside her. He never told her she was poisoned or what really happened to her parents.
He never expected this. The poison he feared most had finally lessened.
"My dear granddaughter, you're saying that kid's Second Soul Skill can draw the Bilin Snake Poison out of your body?"
"Grandpa, I don't know what you mean." Dugu Yan frowned.
Where would Bilin Snake Poison come from inside her?
Dugu Bo sighed, "My dear granddaughter, I failed you. I failed your parents."
"Grandpa…" Dugu Yan was speechless.
"I hadn't meant to tell you. Only learned it from my father—your great-grandfather," Dugu Bo said quietly.
While they were talking, Yin Xuan was thinking, too.
The color of my spirit rings is always going to be a problem. I need to fix it fast, or if it changes next time…
I remember Blue Silver Domain doesn't have a Disguise ability on its own, but you can develop one through training.
My understanding of the Blue Silver Domain is pretty shallow—I need to work on it more.