Misunderstanding

"Yu Tiancheng!" Tailong saw him come out and immediately launched his attack, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Explain yourself! What did you do to that girl? Look how badly you've bullied her!"

Yu Tiancheng: "...?"

He looked at Dugu Yan, who was staring at him with tearful eyes, her lips trembling, clearly at her emotional breaking point.

"Miss Dugu, what is this..."

"Yu Tiancheng!" Dugu Yan rushed forward, abandoning all decorum, her hands gripping his sleeve tightly, her voice shaking hard. "Are those things you said really true? Can you really cure my grandfather's poison?"

This revelation carried too much information. The surroundings instantly fell silent.

The anger on Tailong's face froze.

In the distance, the students who had been waiting to watch a "seduce and abandon" drama stared wide-eyed.

Wait... poison? Cure? Save Poison Douluo?

Wasn't this the wrong script?

Ye Lingling sighed, stepping out from behind Dugu Yan, her cool voice laced with helplessness: "Classmate, you've misunderstood. Yanzi came to find Yu Tiancheng because he might be able to cure the chronic, severe poison afflicting His Excellency Dugu Bo, her grandfather. She's anxious, not what you imagined."

"Chronic... severe poison?" Tailong turned his head stiffly to look at Dugu Yan.

The girl was still clutching Yu Tiancheng's sleeve, crying with genuine emotion, but it wasn't the grievance of being wronged—it was something heavier, more desperate, like the panic of watching a loved one fall off a cliff with no way to catch them.

"So... you didn't bully her?" Tailong's voice was as dry as sandpaper scraping.

Yu Tiancheng glanced at him without speaking, but the meaning in his eyes was clear: What do you think?

"Then why was she crying like that..."

"A loved one's life hangs by a thread." Yu Tiancheng's voice was calm, but it struck like a heavy hammer on everyone's heart. "Wouldn't you be anxious?"

Tailong's dark face flushed red, a rare sight.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he couldn't utter a single word of defense.

Muffled laughter came from the distance; a few students couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Come inside and talk." Yu Tiancheng didn't look at him again, stepping aside to open the courtyard gate. "This isn't the place for conversation."

Only then did Dugu Yan notice the dense crowd around them. Her face flushed slightly, and she let go of his sleeve, but her steps didn't stop as she eagerly followed Yu Tiancheng inside.

Ye Lingling also entered. As she closed the gate, she turned back to Tailong, still standing dumbfounded, and nodded lightly: "Thanks for leading the way, but it was indeed a misunderstanding."

The courtyard gate shut.

Tailong stood there, feeling like a fool.

Outside, the murmuring had already exploded.

"Hahaha, Tailong, your imagination is too wild!"

"She came to beg for a life-saving cure, and you just conjured up a whole drama!"

"Yu Tiancheng can cure Poison Douluo's poison? Really?"

"Dugu Yan came crying to beg him herself—how could it be fake?"

The news spread like wildfire, instantly burning through the entire Blue Tyrant Academy.

Inside the courtyard.

Yu Tiancheng poured tea for his two visitors, watching Dugu Yan, who was still wiping her tears, and cut straight to the point:

"What I said in the diary is all true. I can cure the accumulated poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul."

Dugu Yan trembled all over, jerking her head up: "Really... really?"

"But there are two problems." Yu Tiancheng raised two fingers. "First, whether your grandfather trusts me. Second, I need a few medicinal herbs from his herb garden as a catalyst."

"I'll talk to Grandfather!" Dugu Yan said urgently. "I'm familiar with the herb garden too—I'll take you—"

"That's the problem." Yu Tiancheng cut her off. "I can't leave the academy right now."

"Why?"

"My aunt, Dean Liu Erlong, doesn't agree to me going to the Sunset Forest. She thinks it's too dangerous." Yu Tiancheng gave a bitter smile. "She's grounded me in the academy."

Dugu Yan grew anxious: "How can that be! Grandfather, he..."

"So I need your help." Yu Tiancheng looked at her. "Or rather, we need a reason that Dean Liu can't refuse."

Ye Lingling looked thoughtful: "You mean..."

"Miss Dugu," Yu Tiancheng said seriously, "I need you to come with me to see my aunt. As Poison Douluo's granddaughter, tell her in person how serious the situation is, and ask her to allow me to go to the Sunset Forest—and, ideally, get her to agree to you accompanying me."

"With you there, entering your grandfather's herb garden will go much more smoothly. It's also a kind of guarantee—Poison Douluo's granddaughter personally accompanying me is much safer than me barging in alone, isn't it?"

Dugu Yan understood. She nodded firmly, a fighting spirit rekindling in her eyes: "Alright! Let's go see Dean Liu now!"

She stood up: "As long as I can save Grandfather, I'll do anything!"

Just then, a clear, cold voice came from outside the courtyard: "No need to look for me. I'm here."

The courtyard gate pushed open, and Liu Erlong strode in, dressed in red. Her gaze swept over the three people in the yard, finally landing on Yu Tiancheng, her expression complicated.

"Dean Liu!" Dugu Yan immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Dugu Yan of Heaven Dou Royal Academy begs you to allow Yu Tiancheng to go to the Sunset Forest! This concerns my grandfather Dugu Bo's life. I implore you!"

Dugu Yan wasn't sure whether Liu Erlong had a Diary Copy, so she stated it directly.

Liu Erlong looked at the young woman before her—swollen eyes and earnest expression—then glanced at Yu Tiancheng, whose face remained calm. The last shred of hesitation in her heart dissolved.

"Forget it." She sighed. "Since things have come to this..."

Before she could finish, a streak of emerald light suddenly descended from the sky, landing precisely on the stone table in the courtyard.

It was a jade slip, carved with a ferocious serpent head pattern.

Dugu Yan's expression shifted. "It's Grandfather's Message Jade Slip!"

Dugu Bo had been monitoring Dugu Yan's movements from Heaven Dou City. Early this morning, he noticed something was off with her and followed all the way. By now, he had already grasped the full situation.

She hurriedly picked up the jade slip and infused it with soul power. Several lines of murderous text emerged on its surface:

"Yan'er, since someone boasts they can cure you, let him come."

"Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. If he does not arrive within three days, say no more."

"If he deceives you, or fails to cure you..."

"This old man will have his entire family buried with you."

The last four characters were practically chiseled into the jade slip with raw soul power. The killing intent radiating from them made the temperature in the courtyard plummet.

Liu Erlong's gaze turned icy. Soul power flickered around her, and her red robes stirred without wind.

Ye Lingling instinctively stepped back half a pace, her face pale.

Even the crowd gathered outside the courtyard felt the chill seeping through the walls. The clamor died abruptly.

Only Yu Tiancheng remained seated on the stone stool, his expression as calm as if he were reading an ordinary note.

He lifted his teacup, took a sip, then raised his eyes to Liu Erlong:

"Aunt, can I go now?"

Liu Erlong stared at the murderous jade slip for a long moment, then slowly nodded.

"You can go." Her voice was cold as ice, each word deliberate. "But I'm coming with you."

"If Dugu Bo wants to touch you, he'll have to get through me first."