Meeting Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling

The next day.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Lin Chen appeared there, but he didn't choose to stake out the academy gates. That might have caused trouble.

Instead, Lin Chen picked a street corner across from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

It was the perfect place to watch the students leave after class, and he wouldn't attract the attention of the academy's gate guards.

After school.

One beautiful figure after another emerged from the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Lin Chen held his breath and focused on watching the people coming out.

At that moment.

Dugu Yan walked along contentedly, her arm linked with Ye Lingling's.

But as they approached the academy gates, Dugu Yan began to slow down. Her eyes darted about as she looked in every direction.

Beside her, Ye Lingling fought to hold back a grin, afraid to laugh and let her best friend notice something was up.

She still wanted to keep her Diary Copy a secret, so she couldn't let anything slip.

"Mm, I see him."

"There's a sneaky little brat at the street corner across the way. He must be the Diary Owner, Lin Chen."

After looking carefully, Dugu Yan spotted Lin Chen.

At the same time.

Lin Chen spotted his target.

"Green hair, a seductive look, shoulder-length hair, and a silver-haired girl beside her. That must be Dugu Yan."

Having found his target, Lin Chen prepared to put his plan into action: first, he would get Dugu Yan's attention.

With that in mind, Lin Chen walked over.

Watching Dugu Yan take only a few steps every five meters, Ye Lingling knew perfectly well what was going on, but pretended to be puzzled, hoping to tease her.

"Yanzi, why are you walking so slowly today?"

Dugu Yan was startled by Ye Lingling's sudden question.

She'd been concentrating, and Ye Lingling had interrupted her.

"Ah, am I?"

"Lingling, I'm walking pretty fast."

At that, Ye Lingling winked at Dugu Yan, wearing an unmistakably gossipy expression.

"Hmph, I don't think so."

"Yanzi, your eyes practically ran all the way to that street corner. Could it be that you've taken a liking to that Little Brat over there?"

Dugu Yan's face flushed slightly, and she immediately shook her head.

Just as Dugu Yan was about to come up with an excuse.

Lin Chen had already reached her.

Seeing him approach, Dugu Yan swallowed the words she'd been about to say and carefully sized up the adorable, handsome little boy in front of her.

"Mm, he's quite the looker."

Just like Bibi Dong, Dugu Yan's eyes gleamed. Lin Chen's looks had captivated her at once.

Fair and tender skin, chubby cheeks, golden eyes, and the air of a young nobleman...

Any girl who saw a cute little boy like Lin Chen would probably feel tempted to tease him.

Ye Lingling's eyes lit up, too. The Diary Owner, Lin Chen, really did have a handsome face.

Seeing Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling look at him like prey, Lin Chen felt as if he'd seen that look somewhere before.

Why were these two women acting just like Bibi Dong?

He stopped himself from dwelling on it, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke:

"Um, you're Dugu Yan, right?"

"I wanted to tell you that your Martial Soul has a flaw, and you won't live past thirty."

"And I can fix the flaw in your Martial Soul."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chen stared intently at Dugu Yan, eager to see her reaction.

At the same time.

Lin Chen tensed, ready to summon his Golden Dragon Martial Soul at a moment's notice.

He had three Spatial Jade Slips, but until he obtained some other life-saving treasures, it was best not to use them.

At that, Dugu Yan slipped into acting mode. Her gaze turned cool, and she looked at Lin Chen with icy green eyes.

"Little boy, you shouldn't say things like that carelessly. There'll be a price to pay."

Seeing Dugu Yan's increasingly icy gaze, Lin Chen thought she seemed pretty normal.

Had Dugu Yan not received a Diary Copy?

After giving it a moment's thought, Lin Chen put the question out of his mind.

The important thing now wasn't to dwell on that. It was to get to know Dugu Yan and earn her trust.

Lin Chen met Dugu Yan's cold gaze without fear.

"I'm not making things up. If you don't believe me, you can tell your grandfather what I'm about to say. I'm sure he'll understand once he hears it."

Just as Lin Chen was about to tell Dugu Yan the Celestial Herb redemption code.

Dugu Yan reached straight for Lin Chen, her eyes turning icier than ever.

"Ridiculous! How could the Martial Soul of the Jade Phosphorus Clan have a flaw?"

"You little brat, you're asking for a beating. I'll teach you a lesson, and then you'll know better."

Seeing Dugu Yan's hand reaching for him, Lin Chen hurriedly dodged, stunned.

Dugu Yan was fighting dirty! He hadn't even finished saying what he wanted to say before she interrupted him with a fight.

She couldn't just interrupt his casting like that!

Watching from nearby, Ye Lingling's lips twitched. Her best friend was so deep in character she couldn't snap out of it.

Now it was time for her to step in.

Otherwise, if Dugu Yan really beat Lin Chen up, she'd ruin their relationship.

Then getting Lin Chen to help Dugu Yan deal with the poison in her body would be a lot harder.

"Yanzi, don't rush."

"Maybe this little boy really does have a reason for saying that. Why not hear him out before deciding what to do?"

Ye Lingling grabbed Dugu Yan's arm, afraid she'd charge forward and start beating Lin Chen.

"Fine, Little Brat. Why did you say my Martial Soul has a flaw?"

"And that I'm fated not to live past thirty? Are you cursing me to die?"

After Ye Lingling talked her down, Dugu Yan put her plans to bully Lin Chen aside for the time being.

The most important thing now was to keep Lin Chen talking. If he really left, she wouldn't be happy about it.

"Well..."

"Let's find somewhere less crowded to talk first. Otherwise, you might lose your temper again."

Seeing Dugu Yan stand down, Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the students leaving school around them, making his meaning perfectly clear.

"Fine."

Then Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling led Lin Chen into Heaven Dou Royal Academy, eventually stopping beside a small grove.

"There aren't many people here. You'd better give me a satisfactory explanation, Little Brat, or else..."

Dugu Yan glanced at Lin Chen, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Dugu Yan, do the soles of your feet get itchy in the middle of the night? And on rainy days, does your body feel worse than usual?"

With the knowledge from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, Lin Chen could also assess Dugu Yan's physical condition. She had poison in her body, but not much had accumulated yet.

Her condition was far better than Dugu Bo's. But as her cultivation increased and she grew older, the poison caused by the flaw in her Martial Soul would take Dugu Yan's life.