Dugu Yan Acts on Heaven's Behalf?! Lan, the Lustful Scoundrel! The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!

At the thought of this, Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed so red it seemed ready to drip blood, even the tips of her ears turning a soft pink.

Seeing this, Ye Lingling reached out with a soft hand and gently patted the back of her friend's hand.

"Yanyan, don't be angry anymore."

Her voice was gentle, carrying a soothing power much like her healing spirit skills.

"I don't think he did it on purpose."

Who would have thought that this attempt at comfort would be like pouring oil on a fire.

Dugu Yan whipped her head around, her beautiful eyes wide and round, looking rather adorable in her indignation.

"Not on purpose?"

"What, are you saying he meant to do it?!"

"This Young Lady must teach him a lesson! I'll make him realize that Dugu Yan is not someone to be trifled with!"

Watching her friend's puffed-up expression, Ye Lingling smiled helplessly and continued to persuade her.

Subconsciously, she reached up to touch the area over her own chest.

That day, although Lan's attack hadn't struck her directly, the fierce gust of wind that had grazed her still left her heart trembling with lingering fear.

"Yanyan, why don't we just let it go."

Ye Lingling said softly.

"I think he's actually quite a good person."

As soon as these words fell, the anger on Dugu Yan's face instantly froze.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, looking her best friend up and down.

"Lingling, you're acting strange!"

Dugu Yan's tone was full of scrutiny.

"That guy is the culprit who knocked you off the arena, yet you're actually speaking up for him?"

She leaned in closer, asking word by word.

"You... you haven't fallen for him, have you?"

Ye Lingling's heart skipped a beat, as if it had been struck hard by something.

She pulled her hand back from her chest as if she had been electrocuted, waving it frantically while her gaze drifted away.

"H-how could that be!"

Ye Lingling's voice carried a hint of panic, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

"Why would I ever like that guy!"

Seeing her best friend's desperate denial, the scrutiny on Dugu Yan's face slowly faded, and she nodded with satisfaction.

"That's good."

She turned around, casting her gaze back toward the koi swimming leisurely in the lotus pond, her tone carrying a hint of warning.

"Otherwise, if that guy kept coming to bother you every day, I don't think you'd be able to handle it."

Dugu Yan snorted, as if she had already imagined such a scene.

She stood up abruptly, her skirt swirling to release a fragrant breeze.

"Lingling, come with me!"

"That bastard is still in Heaven Dou City, he hasn't gone anywhere!"

Dugu Yan clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, her beautiful eyes burning with a raging fire of revenge.

"Come with me to teach him a lesson!"

With that, she could no longer restrain herself, turning and storming off with a fierce momentum, leaving behind only a resolute silhouette.

Ye Lingling did not follow immediately.

She remained sitting quietly on the bluestone, watching her friend's hurried back disappear around the corner of the path.

A vibrant green leaf spiraled slowly through the air, drifting down from above.

She reached out instinctively, her soft palm catching the falling leaf steadily.

The leaf still held the warmth of the sunlight.

She brought the leaf to her lips, whispering in a voice only she could hear.

"If it were him..."

"I could handle it."

Her eyes gazed at the surface of the lotus pond, where the water reflected the sky, as well as her own lonely face.

"Besides, I haven't had any family left for a long time anyway."

"We are both lonely people; perhaps... only he could truly understand me."

She slowly lowered her head, her gaze falling upon her own chest.

Her fingertips unconsciously brushed across the spot that had been swept by a powerful gust of wind during the match.

"And besides..."

"In that instant when he struck me, I actually felt... an indescribable sense of relief."

"It was as if a strange electric current surged from there and spread throughout my entire body..."

Just then, Dugu Yan's impatient call came from the distance, interrupting her deep contemplation.

"Lingling! What are you dawdling for?"

"Hurry up and keep up with me!"

Ye Lingling snapped back to reality, quietly tucking the leaf into her sleeve as if hiding a monumental secret.

She stood up and called out in the direction of the voice.

"Coming, Yanyan."

The two walked one after the other along the bluestone path of the Crown Prince's Mansion, heading toward the lakeside outside the city.

Dugu Yan's pent-up fury seemed to have found an outlet; she walked at a rapid pace, the wind she stirred up causing the roadside flowers and grass to sway.

Ye Lingling followed behind, her steps appearing slightly hesitant.

The leaf in her sleeve still held her body heat, along with the secret thoughts she dared not speak aloud.

The closer they drew to the lake, the thicker the moist water vapor in the air became.

Soon, a vast expanse of water appeared before them.

Under the afternoon sun, the lake surface shimmered like shattered gold.

Dugu Yan's gaze swept across the water like a hawk, quickly locking onto a specific direction.

Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

Following her line of sight, Ye Lingling's heart skipped a beat.

Not far away in the lake, a figure was shirtless, his skin glowing with a healthy luster under the sun, his fluid muscle lines brimming with power.

Who else could it be but Lan?

What made their pupils constrict even further was that standing beside Lan was a woman with an alluring figure.

The woman had long purple hair, a scorpion tail faintly visible behind her, skin as white as snow, and a stunningly beautiful face; she was currently smiling brightly while saying something to Lan.

"Shameless indeed!!!"

Dugu Yan gritted her teeth.

She turned her head sharply, grabbed Ye Lingling's arm, and pointed toward the lake, her voice filled with disdain and the satisfaction of catching someone in the act.

"Look, Lingling!"

"I told you this guy wasn't a decent person!"

"Bathing in the lake with a woman in broad daylight, and such a beautiful scorpion girl at that!"

The more Dugu Yan spoke, the angrier she became, her chest heaving.

"Indulging in lewdness in broad daylight! He's nothing but a lecher!"

Seeing the expression on the Purple Scorpion Girl's face, she grew even more incensed and added on her own.

"Look at that woman's expression; she might even be forced by him!"

Dugu Yan wore a look of utter disgust, as if she had already passed judgment on Lan.

Ye Lingling stared blankly at the scene in the lake, her mind buzzing and turning completely blank.

The figure she had just envisioned in her heart—the one who could understand her loneliness—was now frolicking in the water with another woman.

Could it be... that he really is this kind of person?

In the lake, Lan frowned imperceptibly.

The Purple Scorpion Girl beside him sensed his change in demeanor and asked softly.

"Master, what is it?"

Lan cast his gaze toward the tree-lined shore, his tone indifferent.

"We have guests."

Before the words had even faded, Dugu Yan on the shore could no longer restrain herself.

"You shameless scoundrel!!!"

With a furious shout, she lunged out from the woods like a bolt of green lightning.

"Jade Phosphorous Serpent!"

With Martial Soul Possession, a dark green serpent shadow emerged behind her, three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—pulsing rhythmically as a jade-green serpent-headed sword appeared in her hand.

Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed bright red, a mix of anger and the embarrassment of being caught in the act.

She pointed her sword at Lan in the lake and shouted sharply.

"You were definitely doing it on purpose that day at the arena!"

"And today, you're doing this kind of thing here in broad daylight!"

"Watch me uphold justice on behalf of the heavens!!!"

A trace of impatience flickered across Lan's eyes.

"Are you sick?"

This woman was truly inexplicable.