Lan continued.
"Exactly."
"Find a suitable Soul Bone and draw all the toxins in your body into it for storage. That way, your body can escape the toxins' corrosive effects. You might even be able to take it a step further and make this Poison Soul Bone your own."
"This... This could work!"
Dugu Bo's eyes lit up instantly, astonishing brilliance bursting from his cloudy pupils.
He was the grandmaster of poison. Lan had only needed to point the way, and he'd understood at once.
This method was practically made for him!
But what about Dugu Yan?
Dugu Bo couldn't help feeling anxious.
Lan spoke. "This method will only work for you."
Dugu Bo considered this.
"What do you mean?"
Lan's gaze remained calm.
"Your granddaughter can't do it."
"Her poison was inherited from you. It has spread through her limbs and bones since birth, entangled with her flesh and blood, her meridians, and even her soul."
"Her cultivation is too weak, and her body is too frail. She simply couldn't withstand the process of using a Soul Bone to draw out the poison."
"If we force it, there'll only be one result."
Lan paused, then uttered two words.
"Her body explodes."
Boom!
Dugu Bo felt as though he'd been struck by lightning.
He could disregard his own life, but Yan Yan...
"Then... then what about Yan Yan?!"
Dugu Bo panicked.
"Didn't you say... didn't you say there was a second method?!"
On the shore, Dugu Yan clenched her fists nervously, her eyes fixed on Lan.
At last, Lan looked away from Dugu Bo and turned his gaze to Dugu Yan's lovely face, both spirited and faintly pale.
"The second method is for her."
"We'll need a bathtub filled with hot water, along with a few special medicinal herbs."
"Then she'll soak in it."
Lan's voice was calm and unhurried.
"I'll use my Soul Skill to Devour the toxins in her body and absorb them, little by little."
The scene fell into another strange silence.
Dugu Bo was stunned.
Ye Lingling was stunned too.
Dugu Yan was completely dumbfounded.
She was supposed to... soak in a bathtub, while this man... drew the toxins out of her body?
This...
A scorching blush swept from her neck to her ears, and her whole face turned red as if it might drip blood.
"You!"
Lan looked at her furious, mortified expression without changing his own. He simply added, "Don't worry."
"I'm not interested in your body."
"..."
In an instant, Dugu Yan's mind went "buzz."
She wanted to rush over and fight the bastard, but she couldn't find a single word to refute him.
Dugu Bo came back to his senses as well.
For him, the first method was practically perfect.
But Yan Yan...
The second method did sound like it could cure her completely, but... it concerned a young woman's virtue, after all.
A man would see her naked...
That girl was proud and high-spirited. Could she accept it?
Dugu Bo looked at his granddaughter.
He wouldn't decide for her.
This was a choice only she could make.
Dugu Yan lowered her head.
Her heart pounded as if it might leap out of her throat.
Without thinking, she pressed both hands to her chest, clutching her tight-fitting purple dress.
Take off her clothes... soak in hot water...
Then let this man see her naked...
She sneaked a glance at Lan.
She had to admit, this man was strong, and... handsome.
A thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it.
Why... was she not repulsed? Why was there even a trace of... anticipation?
Impossible!
How could I fall for this annoying guy?!
Dugu Yan's thoughts swirled in confusion.
After a long struggle, she lifted her head. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's, yet it carried a hint of resolve.
"I... I'm willing."
As soon as the words left her mouth,
three voices rang out in unison.
"No!"
Lan raised an eyebrow.
He was a little puzzled.
Where had the three voices come from?
He glanced around.
Ye Lingling, and... Aunt Bing.
Ye Lingling rushed forward first and grabbed Dugu Yan.
Lowering her voice, she said urgently, "Yan Yan, how could you..."
"How could you let a man see you naked?!"
Dugu Yan grabbed her hand in turn, leaned close to her ear, and whispered a few quick words.
Ye Lingling's face turned bright red. She glanced shyly at Lan.
Then the two girls exchanged a look and, as if by unspoken agreement, nodded. Happy smiles appeared on both their faces.
They linked hands affectionately and stepped aside.
It was as if they'd reached some secret understanding.
Meanwhile, Ice Empress flashed into existence in front of Lan.
She put her hands on her hips, looking like an elder scolding a younger one.
"Men and women should keep their distance. Lan'er, you need to be careful about things like this."
Lan was just about to explain that it was only for treatment.
"Hmph!"
Ice Empress shot him a glare.
"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it!"
Before Lan could react, she turned and scooped up the Purple-Armored Scorpion-Tailed Girl, who was still standing nearby in a daze.
"Come on, come on! We're going to Heaven Dou City! I'm in a foul mood. This Empress is going to eat a feast!"
Before the words had even faded, the two figures shot into the sky as a streak of emerald light.
The emerald streak that was Ice Empress vanished in an instant, disappearing beyond the horizon.
Lan stood where he was, baffled.
A thousand question marks seemed to float above his head.
What was wrong with Aunt Bing...?
He'd never seen Ice Empress like this before. She was acting like a sulking little girl, and he had no idea why she'd suddenly become unhappy.
Could it be...
Another peerlessly beautiful figure appeared in Lan's mind.
Was she missing Aunt Xue?
He remembered clearly that Aunt Bing had an almost instinctive attachment to Aunt Xue.
As long as Aunt Xue was by her side, Aunt Bing always felt at ease.
His thoughts drifted, of their own accord, toward the snow-covered Far North.
He wondered how Aunt Xue was doing now.
Had things gone smoothly with the Titan Snow Demon Clan?
When they'd parted, they'd made an agreement.
Once Snow Empress had dealt with the clan's affairs, she would come find him at Skywater Academy.
By his reckoning, it shouldn't be long now.
Lan gathered his thoughts and swept his gaze over the scene.
Dugu Bo stood awkwardly where he was, looking from his granddaughter to Ye Lingling. He clearly hadn't recovered from what had just happened either.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, meanwhile, were still huddled together, whispering about something. Every so often, they glanced his way with knowing smiles.
Lan shook his head, too lazy to guess what they were thinking.
Then he remembered something else.
There had been three voices saying "No!"
Ye Lingling, Aunt Bing...
So who had been the third?
There didn't seem to be anyone else here.
He tilted his head slightly, picking up the lingering traces in the air, and looked toward where he remembered the voice coming from.
His gaze landed beneath a weeping willow by the lakeside.
A figure stood there quietly.
He wore a moon-white robe and a golden crown. His bearing was noble, and his face handsome.
It was none other than Xue Qinghe, crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.
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