Dugu Bo Returns

Dugu Yan belatedly realized why Lin Huai had just asked that question.

Lin Huai continued:

"Tell us about the Imperial Fighting Team. After all, Heaven Dou will eventually belong to us. When we meet at the Soul Master Tournament, we'll know to go easy on them."

Hearing him so casually decide the future of the Heaven Dou Empire,

Dugu Yan opened her mouth, her expression complicated. In the end, she said nothing more and simply introduced the Imperial Fighting Team.

As things stood, the Imperial Fighting Team

was captained by Dugu Yan, with Ye Lingling as vice-captain.

Yu Tianheng had originally been vice-captain, but Dugu Yan couldn't stand the clingy pest.

After she'd beaten Yu Tianheng up several times, the vice-captain position had gone to Ye Lingling.

Even now, Yu Tianheng still professed his love to her. The only response he got from Dugu Yan was her fist.

The others were unchanged, more or less as they'd been in the original story.

"Qin Ming is someone who cares deeply about Shrek. When he finds out Shrek has disbanded, he'll definitely try to get it incorporated into Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"If Shrek can't join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he'll leave with them."

Dugu Yan didn't dispute Lin Huai's prediction.

She'd heard at the academy just how highly Qin Ming thought of his alma mater.

Dugu Yan shook her head, abandoning any further deliberation.

In any case, Lin Huai was there to advise her.

As an old member who'd joined Spirit Hall early on, she would naturally follow the Holy Son's arrangements.

Then she fixed her blazing gaze on Hu Liena.

"Sister Na, you must be a Soul King too, right?"

"How about a match between us?"

Hu Liena glanced at Lin Huai. Seeing that he approved of the two of them fighting, she nodded.

Watching the two women head to the training grounds, Lin Huai didn't follow.

Hu Liena was sure to win in the end.

Without a way to counter mental attacks, Soul Masters of the same rank, no matter their specialty, basically couldn't beat Hu Liena.

Meanwhile, back at her home,

Ye Lingling went to find her grandfather as soon as she returned.

When Ye Tianxin saw his granddaughter, his face warmed with affection.

"Back early today, Lingling?"

Ye Lingling took a moment to gather her thoughts before slowly telling him what Lin Huai had said.

Her eyes held a hopeful glimmer.

She hoped Ye Tianxin would take a chance with her. She truly didn't want this terrible curse to keep being passed down.

Ye Tianxin closed his eyes. In his mind, the faces of his daughter and wife in their final moments surfaced.

He let out a long breath.

Ye Lingling was nervous too.

"Grandpa will meet that Holy Son tomorrow."

Ye Tianxin reached out and stroked Ye Lingling's head, his voice heavy with an undissipating sorrow.

"Don't worry. If there's even the slightest hope, I won't let you live with that curse."

Ye Lingling's eyes grew misty.

She threw herself into Ye Tianxin's arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Ye Tianxin gently patted his granddaughter's back, a faint shimmer appearing in his eyes as well.

Ye Lingling's coldness was only a shield. She'd shown her true self only to Ye Tianxin and Dugu Yan.

Back with Lin Huai, the outcome of the two women's fight was, naturally, Hu Liena's victory.

Thinking back to Hu Liena's black fourth Soul Ring during the battle,

Dugu Yan spoke with envy and regret.

"Grandpa couldn't find a Mental Attribute Head Soul Bone that was over ten thousand years old back then, so I could only absorb a Soul Ring that was nine thousand years old."

That was only natural. Even Spirit Hall had very few Mental Attribute Head Soul Bones.

Now, with the organization focused on raising the next generation, even Head Soul Bones that had just reached ten thousand years were being traded away by the elders and the worshippers in exchange for contribution points and limb Soul Bones with higher age limits.

Lin Huai offered some comfort:

"Head Soul Bones are rare to begin with, and now they have to be at least ten thousand years old."

"If her teacher weren't the Pope, even Sister Na might not have gotten one."

Hu Liena sat beside Dugu Yan and explained as well:

"Exactly. If I hadn't absorbed a Head Soul Bone, I don't think I could've managed a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring, even with my talent for mental power."

"Besides, the age of your Soul Rings is already far beyond that of other geniuses."

Dugu Yan smiled.

With Lin Huai and Hu Liena, she truly felt a kind of care she'd never felt from her teammates.

"Anyway, I'm just complaining. What are we having tonight? Should we eat at a restaurant?"

Lin Huai blurted out:

"Let's eat at home. Without top-grade ingredients, we don't have to fuss over our meals."

Dugu Yan motioned for a servant to arrange dinner.

The three of them chatted and laughed, sharing amusing stories.

Dugu Yan also learned that this harmless-looking boy had actually won the hearts of three talented girls!

Who would've thought that the little fellow who'd seemed uninterested in women a few years ago had turned into such a playboy?

Lin Huai noticed that Dugu Yan's hair was an unusual color.

"Sister Yan, why is your hair still purple?"

Normally, after taking the Immortal Herb,

the flaw in Dugu Yan's Martial Soul should have been resolved, and her hair should have returned to its original color.

But it was still light purple, though it suited her rather well.

"Oh, this?"

Dugu Yan held a lock of purple hair in her hand,

waving it at Lin Huai and Hu Liena with a faint, curved-browed smile.

"I thought purple suited me better, so I dyed my hair that color."

Dugu Yan seemed to think of something and suddenly broke into a radiant smile.

"Actually, my grandpa doesn't like his gray-white hair much either."

"He often dyes it back to green."

A line suddenly came to Lin Huai's mind:

I'll dye this thing green!

The two of them had once hated the effects of their Martial Soul's flaw.

Who'd have thought that after making up for it, they'd both dyed their hair back to that poisoned look?

She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"No wonder everyone thinks Grandpa is so moody. A normal person wouldn't dress himself up in a way he used to hate."

Hu Liena gently stroked Dugu Yan's back.

Before she could offer any comfort, a deep voice rang out.

"I was wondering who was in my home. So it's the Holy Son himself, gracing me with a visit!"

Dugu Yan stood up.

Though she was a little puzzled, she still cried out excitedly,

"Grandpa!"

"Lin Huai came to see you."

Dugu Bo sat down beside the stone table.

Lin Huai poured him some tea and teased him:

"Elder Dugu, make yourself at home. Treat this place as your own."

Dugu Bo laughed and said, "You're an amusing little fellow," but still took the tea and drank some.

The two women smiled.

Dugu Yan then asked the servants to add a few more dishes that Dugu Bo liked.

Only then did she turn to Dugu Bo and ask,

"Grandpa, why did you come back early this time? Did you need to pick something up?"

Dugu Bo stroked his granddaughter's head and teased her:

"I happened to have nothing to do, so I thought I'd come keep you company. That way, you won't keep saying I never spend time with you."

In truth, Dugu Bo had been summoned by Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu worried that if his disciple and Little Fox were alone together, things might heat up between them.

Qian Renxue might end up with nowhere to cry, so he'd simply sent Dugu Bo back early to help Lin Huai take care of what needed doing.

That way, he could shorten the time the two of them spent alone together.

As both a teacher and a grandfather, Qian Daoliu had certainly gone to a lot of trouble.