Scraping Poison from the Bone, Severing a Limb, Rebirth

Yu Mingfei said nothing as he brushed past Dugu Bo.

He had long been confident that he could resolve Dugu Yan's problem.

Or rather, anyone who knew of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the effects of Immortal Herbs could solve Dugu Yan's problem.

That was why he had let Ye Lingling confront Dugu Bo.

He wanted to see just how far things had developed.

Yet he had not expected to hear such explosive gossip involving himself.

Dugu Yan likes me? What kind of joke is that?

If it were true, there was no way I wouldn't have noticed at all.

Creak—

The wooden door opened, and dim lamplight fell across Yu Mingfei's face.

He took in the scene inside the cabin.

A low bed stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by medicine racks. A sickly sweet stench rushed at him.

Dugu Yan lay on the bed. She was no longer maintaining the Serpent Tail form from her Martial Soul Possession, instead lying there in human form, staring blankly at the ceiling.

At the foot of the bed, her left leg had lost its former fair, slender appearance. It was now blackened and swollen.

That sickly sweet reek came from there.

Yu Mingfei stood beside the bed and observed Dugu Yan's condition for a while.

Seeing that she gave no response, he pulled over a chair and sat down.

"How did you end up like this? Are you still practicing your Poison Arts?"

Dugu Yan numbly shifted her eyes. After a long while, her gaze finally focused on Yu Mingfei's face.

"You came...

"If I don't practice Poison Arts, what else can I do?

"What difference is there between an Azure Phosphorus Snake Spirit Master without poison and a dead person?"

Yu Mingfei did not know what to say. He gave a dry laugh before adding, "Have you thought about your grandfather? It won't feel good for someone with white hair to send off someone with black hair."

Dugu Yan hesitated for a moment. "Grandfather's obsession is for me to become a Titled Douluo as well and inherit his legacy."

"Did you know your grandfather has suffered for decades because poison has devoured his body?"

Yu Mingfei showed no mercy as he directly shattered her illusion.

Dugu Yan's eyes trembled.

Yu Mingfei continued, "Through his Poison Arts, he evolved the Jade Phosphorous Serpent into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor and cultivated all the way to Titled Douluo. The pain and torment he endured day and night were more than ten, even a hundred times worse than yours.

"You're only at Rank Thirty-something. How much poison could you possibly have accumulated in your body?

"His poison could massacre an entire city overnight.

"That terrifying, vast quantity of poison surges through his body every day.

"Can you imagine it?"

Dugu Yan parted her lips, wanting to say something, but she did not know how to begin.

Yu Mingfei shook his head and stopped looking at her pale face tinged with bluish-black.

"You can't imagine it. All your mind tells you is that your grandfather's Poison Arts are powerful, that you should learn from him and practice diligently every day without rest.

"Not even damage to your Martial Soul could stop you from cultivating.

"You never considered whether he would want to see you like this.

"Or how great a shock and injury seeing you like this would be to him."

Dugu Yan sat there in a daze.

Yu Mingfei went on, "He has already experienced the same thing once, twice, over the past several decades...

"And now, in his twilight years, you want him to go through it again.

"You're so cruel."

Those words were like an awl, brutally shattering Dugu Yan's stubbornness.

Her reason instantly collapsed. Tears streamed down her face as she trembled with remorse and broke into loud sobs.

"Grandfather... I'm sorry..."

Outside, Dugu Bo's shoulders shook violently.

A man who could endure poison devouring his body without changing expression now had bloodshot eyes.

"It's Grandfather's fault... I created these harmful Poison Arts and even passed them on to you, Yanyan.

"And I was even proud of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. These damned Poison Arts..."

Dugu Bo lowered his head in agony.

He should have realized it long ago, but now...

Ye Lingling stood by the window with a complicated expression, looking at her sister on the low bed, tormented beyond recognition.

Inside the cabin, Yu Mingfei still wore that calm expression.

"What use is crying? What is with that expression? What are those tears for? Can your tears solve the problem?

"When you ignored the damage to your Martial Soul and forced yourself to practice Poison Arts, did you not think of this?

"Regret? Is regret useful?"

Tears and mucus covered Dugu Yan's face, and nothing remained of her formerly exquisite appearance. Weakly, she reached out and tightly grabbed Yu Mingfei.

Choking with sobs, she looked at him pleadingly.

"Yu... Mingfei, you definitely... have a way, don't you?!

"I don't... want to die... I want to take care of Grandfather..."

Yu Mingfei gently held her slender, pale hand.

After days of torment, that hand had become somewhat bony.

"Even if it means giving up your Poison Arts?" Yu Mingfei asked.

"Mm!"

Dugu Yan had finally come to her senses and no longer clung to her obsession.

"Even if you have to endure immense pain?" he asked again.

"Mm!"

Dugu Yan's gaze was resolute.

"Even if I use this favor to demand something in return..."

Before Yu Mingfei could finish the second half of his sentence—

The cabin door burst open.

Dugu Bo's tall figure blocked the candlelight spilling outside.

His eyes were red, the tear tracks at their corners not yet wiped away. He stared fiercely at Yu Mingfei.

"Yu Mingfei! So long as you can save Yanyan, you may take anything Old Man has!

"Even if you want Old Man to be your dog, Old Man will have no complaints and will let you command me as you wish!

"If you want revenge against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Old Man will go poison every one of the eighteen hundred members of the Yu Family right now!

"As long as..."

Dugu Bo's voice trembled.

"As long as you can save Yanyan!"

Yu Mingfei gently set Dugu Yan's hand down and looked at the two people in the doorway.

"Dugu Bo, find a jade vat large enough to fit Dugu Yan. It cannot be too thin or too thick.

"Ye Lingling, come in and help.

"Tie her body to the bed. Do not let her move in the slightest."

Their eyes instantly lit up, and they each sprang into action.

The last time Yu Mingfei had spoken in that tone, Dugu Yan's symptoms had immediately eased.

At this point, this was their only path left.

Yu Mingfei rose and took off the bamboo basket, setting it aside.

Then he picked up the medicinal cleaver in the corner and removed its blade.

After washing the blade clean, he lifted the lampshade and held it over the candle flame, letting the tongues of fire lick over it to sterilize the edge.

Ye Lingling was quick and efficient. She had already found rope and firmly secured her sister in place.

Dugu Yan took several deep breaths and calmed herself.

Though she did not know how Yu Mingfei intended to treat her, she believed he could do it.

Yu Mingfei gripped the medicinal cleaver and stood before the bed.

"The treatment process will be rather bloody.

"I sent Dugu Bo away because I was afraid he would not be able to accept this sight."

After the two of them had prepared themselves mentally, Yu Mingfei continued.

"Ye Lingling, use your Martial Soul and continuously treat Dugu Yan.

"Pay attention to your use of Soul Power. Do not overexert your Soul Skill; simply maintain steady healing.

"Don't worry. If you run out of Soul Power, stop and recover. Leave the rest to me."

Once she summoned the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul and was ready—

Yu Mingfei walked to the foot of the bed, cut open the clothing around Dugu Yan's left leg, and reminded her with his head lowered.

"Dugu Yan, bite down on this towel. Your left leg has lost feeling due to the poison for now.

"But that may not remain the case in a moment. Time is short, and we have no time to find anesthetics.

"But don't worry. You Cannot Die."

As his words fell, [Word Spirit: Cannot Die] took effect on Dugu Yan.

A dull response echoed in Yu Mingfei's ears.

He raised the blade and viciously sliced open Dugu Yan's thigh.

That Jade Phosphorous Serpent Left Leg Bone was right there!

The eastern sky gradually brightened as the faint morning light appeared.

By the time Dugu Bo rushed back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the detoxification and treatment inside had already ended.

Yu Mingfei had moved a chair to the entrance of the cabin.

His face was pale as he stared absentmindedly at the sky.

Ye Lingling carried a bucket and rag in and out, dumping bucket after bucket of reddish-black bloody water into the ditch behind the cabin.

The smell of blood permeated the entire valley.

Dugu Bo shuddered at the scent of rust.

Uneasily, he walked up to the cabin. Instead of looking at the doors or windows, he fixed his gaze on Yu Mingfei.

"Yanyan... how is she?"

Yu Mingfei looked up at the sky and replied calmly.

"Her left leg was amputated. Can you accept that?"

Dugu Bo's heart trembled.