"Darling, don't! Dong'er knows she was wrong."
Bibi Dong was struck as if by lightning. How could she sleep on the floor tonight?
She immediately begged for mercy, clinging to Ye Guyue's long, jade-like leg. "Darling, will you give Dong'er another chance?"
"Impossible. If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never learn."
Ye Guyue tried with all his might to shake his right leg free, but Bibi Dong refused to let go, holding on tight as she gazed up with her big, watery eyes.
"Senior Sister, if you don't forgive Dong'er, Dong'er will just stay like this."
"Then hold on. Let's see who outlasts whom." Ye Guyue gave a cold snort. He really needed to teach Bibi Dong a proper lesson.
She had forgotten who was in charge.
"Senior Sister~"
"Darling~"
Bibi Dong wheedled and cooed, making every melting sound she could think of, but Ye Guyue still wouldn't budge.
"Let go. We have proper business to attend to today. Keep fooling around, and I'll punish you by not letting you into bed for a whole year."
Ye Guyue's words were like an imperial decree. Bibi Dong, who had been shamelessly clinging to him just a moment ago, immediately let go and obediently stood up. She quickly put on her clothes, then bashfully linked her arm through Ye Guyue's.
"Senior Sister, you can't joke about that."
She understood the difference between one full meal and being fed every day.
Sleeping on the floor for one night was better than sleeping on it for a year.
"So you do know how to be afraid." Ye Guyue scolded her, exasperated.
Ye Guyue let Bibi Dong keep her arm linked through his.
The two checked out and left the inn. On their way back to Spirit Hall after leaving Heaven Dou City, they came across a stream. A plump fish leaped out of the water, catching Bibi Dong's eye.
"Senior Sister, I want grilled fish."
"No, you don't."
"I do." Bibi Dong immediately took Ye Guyue by the hand. "Come on, come on! We're already out on our honeymoon, Senior Sister. What's wrong with eating a fish?"
"Come on, just one fish."
Bibi Dong dragged Ye Guyue right into the stream. His delicate feet sank into the icy water, and quite a few fish even tried to bite his toes.
"These fish have no manners."
Ye Guyue grumbled, then caught two fish that had tried to take a bite and tossed them onto the bank.
"Senior Sister, your feet are so pretty."
Bibi Dong noticed Ye Guyue's dainty feet, crystal clear and translucent, and couldn't help praising them.
"Be quiet." Ye Guyue snapped at her.
Bibi Dong pouted and said no more.
Soon, they had caught five fish. Ye Guyue began scaling them while Bibi Dong built a fire.
Ye Guyue had grilled fish a few times before, so he handled the preparation with practiced ease.
As the fish sizzled and dripped with oil, Bibi Dong swallowed. "Senior Sister, that looks so delicious."
Ye Guyue chuckled. "Whatever I do, I do it well."
"Of course. You're amazing at night, too," Bibi Dong said with a smile.
"You're incorrigible." Ye Guyue gave a coy little scold and handed her the grilled fish.
Bibi Dong stuck out her tongue and took the fish. Just as she bit into it, a voice suddenly came from the nearby woods.
"Wow, that smells amazing! What is it?"
It was a man's voice.
Bibi Dong grew wary. Still chewing her grilled fish, she stared cautiously toward the bushes.
A pair of hands parted the bushes, and a stern-faced man in a green jacket stepped out.
"What a beautiful young woman."
The moment the man's eyes landed on Ye Guyue, they immediately grew heated. He straightened his collar and walked over. "Hello, miss. My name is Dugu Xin, and my father is Dugu Bo. May I have the pleasure of meeting you?"
Dugu Xin conjured a flower from thin air and held it out to Ye Guyue.
He had deliberately brought up his father.
Before Ye Guyue could answer, another figure emerged and hurried over to Dugu Xin, punching him on the head.
"You idiot! Aren't you embarrassed?"
Dugu Xin cried out in pain. "Father, what's wrong?"
Dugu Bo rebuked him. "That's no young woman. He's the Holy Son of Spirit Hall."
"The Holy Son?" Dugu Xin's eyes widened in disbelief. Could it be that he was into men?
Had he really been attracted to another man?
Dugu Bo cupped his hands and bowed to Ye Guyue in apology. "Your Highness, please forgive us. My son is a fool and has offended you."
"It's nothing. Your son isn't the first."
Ye Guyue answered without concern. He had encountered this sort of thing before, and it had practically become a regular occurrence in his life.
Dugu Xin coughed awkwardly. "Your Highness, please forgive me for the offense. I'll take my son and leave at once."
"Wait." Ye Guyue called out to them.
Dugu Bo paused and turned back. "Your Highness, what else do you require?"
Although he disliked Spirit Hall, he didn't dislike its Holy Son, Ye Guyue. Stories about him had spread all across the continent.
The Seven Great Elders had taken one person on a tour of the continent. Who hadn't heard of such a major event?
"Dugu Bo, would you like to join Spirit Hall?" Ye Guyue asked, chewing his grilled fish, his expression cool. "I know you don't think much of Spirit Hall, but what if I could cure the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison that plagues your Jade Phosphor Snake clan?"
At those words,
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted, and his expression grew complicated.
"Your Highness, you actually know about that?"
"I've traveled the continent for so long. Even if I've never eaten pork, I've seen pigs run," Ye Guyue said.
Bibi Dong laughed beside him. "Senior Sister, that's not right. Earlier..."
"Be quiet. Dong'er, if you dare say another word, I'll throw you in the river."
Ye Guyue's face flushed with embarrassment as he scolded her.
Bibi Dong hurriedly turned away, too scared to say anything.
Is Senior Sister angry? But she's so cute when she's angry. So tempting.
Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin took it entirely as a bit of playful banter between a married couple. The father and son simply stood there, forced to eat their fill of dog food.
"Sorry you had to see that." Ye Guyue composed himself and continued, "The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison can't be cured. It's been passed down through generation after generation, and no one has found a way to neutralize it. Dugu Bo, you've been poisoned too deeply for too long. Unless you break through to Titled Douluo, you don't have much time left."
Dugu Bo was silent for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment. "I won't hide the truth from you, Your Highness. It's exactly as you say. This old man has indeed been poisoned too deeply. If I can't break through to Titled Douluo, I have very little life left."
There was no denying it.
"So, I cure your poison, Dugu Bo, and you and your son join Spirit Hall?"
Ye Guyue stated his terms clearly and directly.
He hadn't expected his son to be drawn over by the smell of fish roasting along the roadside.
"Your Highness, if you really can do that, my son and I would naturally be willing to join," Dugu Bo said with a nod.
"Your Highness, can you really do it?"
Dugu Xin was growing more and more competitive, but when he saw Ye Guyue's cool gaze, why did he feel a desire to conquer him?
How strange.
"Since you've agreed, I won't go back on my word."
Ye Guyue immediately took the prepared Earth Dragon Golden Melon from his Storage Soul Tool and tossed it to Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin.
The two hurriedly caught it and looked at the fruit in their hands. It was ochre-yellow like a potato, with golden skin speckled with damp soil.
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