After breaking up with Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan didn't leave Heaven Dou City right away.
She was waiting, waiting for Yu Tianheng to come around.
Waiting for Yu Tianheng to apologize to her.
But she never did get that apology.
Dugu Yan knew that Yu Tianheng had truly made up his mind to listen to that good-for-nothing Yu Xiaogang.
Heartbroken, Dugu Yan cursed herself for being so blind.
On top of that, rumors about her grandfather had been spreading through the city more and more lately.
This made her even more restless. She wanted to leave Heaven Dou City and go find her grandfather.
She wanted him to stand up for her, to vent her anger on her behalf.
But after she left, she searched all the places her grandfather frequented and couldn't find him.
This left Dugu Yan worried.
The rumors about her grandfather had truly grown more and more rampant, and the things people were saying were too vile.
The rumors had even spread beyond Heaven Dou City.
Even someone as slow to catch on as her could tell that there was more to this than met the eye. It was very likely that someone from a powerful faction was fanning the flames.
Soon, Dugu Yan thought of Yu Tianheng.
She quickly understood.
This was all Yu Tianheng's doing—or rather, Yu Xiaogang's.
For the sake of their reputation, her grandfather was destined to be the one whose good name was sacrificed.
Dugu Yan knew her grandfather didn't care about such things.
If she were still with Yu Tianheng, perhaps she really would have swallowed her anger and let it go.
But now, they were strangers.
How could Dugu Yan swallow this humiliation?
So she came back in a storm.
She had only one target: Yu Xiaogang.
Whether it was her breakup with Yu Tianheng or the complete destruction of her grandfather's reputation, Dugu Yan was even more certain that Yu Xiaogang had done it all.
He thought everyone in the world was a fool.
Fuming, Dugu Yan charged straight into Yu Xiaogang's residence.
"Yu Xiaogang, you sanctimonious coward! You good-for-nothing who lives off women—get out here!"
Dugu Yan's spoiled temper had come roaring back. She didn't care in the slightest whether anyone considered him a God Teacher.
She stood right outside Yu Xiaogang's door and cursed him out.
Her fierce aura sent passersby scrambling out of her way.
Yu Xiaogang naturally heard Dugu Yan's curses from inside the estate. His expression turned especially dark and ugly.
He, Yu Xiaogang, was a God Teacher now. How could he tolerate a woman openly cursing him and tarnishing his reputation like this?
But he knew he had to maintain his image.
He was a God Teacher now, someone who had taught a god. How could he stoop to arguing with the likes of her?
"Tianheng, since you've already made your decision, you need to be decisive and make her give up completely."
With that, Yu Xiaogang looked at Yu Tianheng, who was sitting across from him.
His meaning was obvious: go deal with this.
"Uncle, I know!"
"Don't worry. I won't waver."
When Yu Tianheng heard Dugu Yan's voice, he had initially felt a little guilty. But when he heard her curse his uncle, that guilt vanished in an instant.
All that remained was anger and resentment toward Dugu Yan.
Indeed, he admitted that he had approached Dugu Yan in the first place for Dugu Bo.
He'd wanted to become the clan's heir and win over a Titled Douluo as leverage for the clan.
During the time they spent together, he had been reasonably satisfied with their relationship.
But that satisfaction applied only to Dugu Yan. He was full of resentment toward Dugu Bo.
A Titled Douluo at level 91—someone who didn't know better might have thought he was a Peerless Douluo.
He had never once treated Yu Tianheng kindly, and was always berating him as a cowardly good-for-nothing.
In the past, Yu Tianheng had endured it for Dugu Yan and to win Dugu Bo over.
But now the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was gone, and there was no point in winning Dugu Bo over anymore.
Besides, with his uncle behind him, he had an even stronger backer, and his own strength had grown as well.
So he didn't take Dugu Bo seriously at all.
He even resented Dugu Yan.
I've already given in so much. I was willing to make you my secret lover. Is it really such a big deal that I won't give you a title?
And she still wouldn't agree!
The people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were all arrogant. No matter their status or circumstances, they looked down on everyone else.
And their circumstances had never been better—not even at the height of the clan's power.
They might not have a Titled Douluo, but they had a god standing behind them!
"Dugu Yan, shut up!"
Yu Tianheng rushed out of the room. Facing Dugu Yan, who was cursing him at the top of her lungs, he went straight for a slap.
And he struck her with the force of thunder.
It was a ruthless, merciless slap.
It split Dugu Yan's lip and drew blood.
Dugu Yan laughed. It was a bitter, wretched laugh.
She stared fixedly at Yu Tianheng before her, and the last sliver of hope in her heart crumbled completely.
Just yesterday, she had still been lying to herself, telling herself that Tianheng must have his reasons.
But today, the truth showed Dugu Yan that there was no such thing as a reason.
It had all been wishful thinking on her part.
"Yu Tianheng, I'll make you regret this!"
Dugu Yan stormed off.
After suffering such humiliation, all she could do was endure it.
There was no helping it. What else could she do besides endure?
She was only a level 69 Soul Emperor, while Yu Tianheng was already a Soul Douluo.
"Maybe we can change the plan for now!"
Qian Yu had just been about to leave the city with Lüzhu to go Soul Hunting when he saw what had happened. It struck him that if all he wanted was to eliminate Dugu Yan, there didn't seem to be any need to go to so much trouble.
Yu Xiaogang and the others had already given him a perfectly good reason to act.
As long as Dugu Yan died, Yu Xiaogang would have to shoulder the blame, whether he wanted to or not.
He'd overcomplicated things before.
After Dugu Bo's death, Dugu Yan wouldn't matter anymore.
The only reason he was going to target her was for the Spirit Bone she had.
What had happened was almost laughable to him.
His schemes had some effect, sure, but before he'd even had a chance to see them truly pay off, the other side had gone and done something foolish all on their own.
Could it really be that they're children of fortune, with some kind of intelligence-lowering halo? The moment their enemies meet me, they all get dumber.
Qian Yu thought it was absurd.
But then he remembered that this was Douluo Continent, and it all seemed reasonable again.
This was a world where even ambushing a supply train could be considered a brilliant stratagem, a world where anyone who proposed a bet was guaranteed a response. No matter what happened, it all made sense.
"In that case, we'll change the plan."
"We'll do a good deed and send her off to reunite with her grandfather."
"Her life will be too exhausting now that she has nothing left!"
Qian Yu murmured softly as he watched the direction Dugu Yan had taken out of Heaven Dou City.
Then, after confirming that no one was lurking nearby, he and Xie Yue quietly followed her, taking Lüzhu with them.
(I got held up going home for the New Year. I'll make up for it and do some editing tomorrow. I'm so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open.)
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