The lakeshore was deathly silent.
Dugu Yan stared at that figure's back, feeling as though her soul had been sucked right out of her.
She murmured to herself.
"Grandpa..."
"He's a Titled Douluo..."
In her heart, her grandfather, Dugu Bo, was the sky itself—the pinnacle of strength on the continent and the goal she had spent her life striving toward.
But now, that sky had collapsed.
It had been casually crushed beneath the foot of a girl who looked several years younger than her.
Her gaze involuntarily fell upon the figure in the middle of the lake.
This woman had not only possessed a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, but also power so unfathomable it seemed supernatural.
What exactly was she to Lan?
Above the lake, Ice Empress listened to Dugu Bo repeatedly calling her "Great-Aunt" from the bottom of his heart, and the corners of her lips curled slightly.
It was time.
My turn to show off... ahem, my turn to demonstrate the bearing of a true powerhouse.
She slowly turned around. Her gaze passed over Dugu Bo, kneeling on the ground, and settled on the distant night sky. Her eyes grew faraway and profound.
An indescribable air of desolation and aloofness spread from her petite frame.
In a tone that seemed to have weathered the vicissitudes of countless ages, she spoke softly.
"When I reach the heights, I find myself forever alone, with no one to speak to. The lonely winter chills me to the bone..."
"What, then, do I seek at such heights?"
As her voice faded, it seemed that only her lonely echo remained between heaven and earth.
An aura of supreme badassery swept across the scene in an instant.
"..."
Dugu Bo shuddered.
He jerked his head up, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Ice Empress changed.
If he had only been afraid before, now he felt reverence from the depths of his soul.
The woman who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen suddenly appeared immeasurably grand in his eyes, as if she had merged with heaven and earth itself.
Indeed. With such a realm and such strength, who across the entire continent could stand beside her? Who could understand her state of mind?
The higher you climb, the colder it gets!
Senior, you've had it rough!
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, standing on the shore, were equally astonished.
Then, their surprise gave way to complicated expressions.
Mixed in was a trace of sympathy.
So... even someone as powerful as her was this lonely?
"Keep pretending. Go on."
Lan stood to the side, speechless.
If he hadn't known that Aunt Bing was a chatterbox by nature, someone who felt miserable if she didn't get to say several thousand words a day, he might almost have believed her.
Aunt Xue's famous line had clearly been mastered to perfection.
The way Ice Empress was forcibly suppressing the corners of her mouth told him just how pleased she was with herself.
Ice Empress slowly drew back her gaze, maintaining her aloof demeanor as she turned around indifferently.
Dugu Bo grew even more reverent at the sight.
As expected of someone who could shatter his Ninth Soul Skill with one kick. That presence, that bearing—flawless!
However.
The instant Ice Empress's gaze met Lan's from a short distance away,
the age-old aloofness and indifference on her face crumbled in an instant.
In their place was unbridled joy and excitement.
"Lan'er!"
Her bright, cheerful call shattered the desolate atmosphere.
The next second,
as everyone watched in utter disbelief,
the peerless powerhouse who had just been lamenting the "lonely winter" lifted her skirt, broke into a run on her little legs like a frolicking fawn, and raced across the ice toward Lan.
She threw herself into his arms like a fledgling returning to its nest.
Then, like an octopus, she clung to Lan with both arms and legs.
She even nuzzled her delicate little face against his chest.
"Lan'er, I've missed you to death these past few days!"
"Did you miss Aunt Bing, too?"
"..."
Lan felt his chest tighten, making it hard to breathe.
Only after a moment did Ice Empress finally let go, thoroughly satisfied.
And at that moment,
whether it was Dugu Bo on the lake, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling on the shore, or even Scorpion Girl, who had been so inconspicuous in the corner,
everyone's jaws had dropped to the ground.
Wha... what was going on?
Dugu Bo's mind had completely crashed.
Senior? Immortal maiden? Great-Aunt?
Weren't you a Super Douluo who could shatter Jade Phosphorous Divine Light with one kick?
Where had all your imposingness gone?
Where had your frigid, lofty air gone?
What happened to "the lonely winter chills me to the bone"?
How... how had you turned into this in the blink of an eye?!
The contrast was far too great!
The wind swept across the frozen lake, unable to stir up even a ripple.
Only Dugu Bo's ragged breathing rang especially clearly in the dead silence of the night.
One moment, she had been a peerless expert looking down upon all living things and lamenting her eternal solitude.
The next, she had become the neighbor girl, acting coy and demanding a hug.
After a long while, Dugu Bo rose from the ground.
"Senior!"
Dugu Bo forced out a smile.
"This old man failed to recognize Mount Tai. I failed to discipline my granddaughter and offended Young Master and Senior. Please forgive us!"
"Yan Yan! Apologize!"
On the shore, Dugu Yan came to her senses as if waking from a dream.
She... was supposed to apologize to that bastard?
The bastard who had taken liberties with her and hit her... hit her there?
A flush of humiliation spread instantly from her neck to the tips of her ears.
Just as Dugu Bo was about to lose his temper again, a calm voice rang out.
"No need."
Lan gently pushed Ice Empress away from where she was still rubbing against him, and looked past Dugu Bo toward Dugu Yan.
"I've already taught her a lesson."
Lan spoke indifferently.
"I'm sure she'll remember it for the rest of her life."
At his words, Dugu Yan's body shuddered, and her cheeks grew even hotter.
That bastard!
Lan ignored her and turned his attention to Dugu Bo.
"Dugu Bo."
"I hear you have quite a few rare plants growing in your garden."
Ice Empress blinked her jade-green eyes curiously, looking from Lan to Dugu Bo.
Seeing Dugu Bo's troubled expression, Lan's lips curved in the faintest smile.
"In return,"
"I can help you cure your poison."
The short sentence struck Dugu Bo like a bolt of lightning to the crown of his head.
"Wha... what?"
"R-really?"
Dugu Bo slowly regained his composure.
A trace of doubt rose in his heart.
"Young Master Lan... it's not that this old man doesn't believe you..."
"But my poison cultivation has long since fused with my Soul Bone, sinking deep into my marrow. I've studied it for decades and still found myself helpless. Do you really have a way?"
He was the continent's number one Poison Douluo.
If even he couldn't solve the problem, how could a young man who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen possibly manage it?
Lan remained unmoved.
He held up one finger.
"There's more than one way to solve your problem."
Dugu Bo was taken aback.
Lan slowly raised a second finger.
"At least two."
"..."
Dugu Bo's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.
Lan paid no attention to his reaction.
"The first method is a Soul Bone."
"A Soul Bone?" Dugu Bo froze, not quite understanding.
Before you continue