A Last-Minute Prayer

Just as Dugu Yan stood there in a daze, a strange longsword radiating a frigid sword intent stopped three inches from her throat.

"Stop!"

This terrified the two guards, who hurriedly cried out to intervene, yet they dared not step forward for fear of provoking Ye Guchen, leaving them to pace anxiously on the sidelines.

"You lost!"

Ye Guchen retracted Shark Tooth, and only then did Dugu Yan snap back to reality, subconsciously touching her neck.

However, she could not accept her defeat for the moment, nor could she understand why the person before her possessed such astonishing talent.

"You..."

After struggling for a long time, that was the only word she could manage.

Seeing this, Ye Guchen did not linger; he offered a slight cupped-fist salute and walked past Dugu Yan.

Not until Ye Guchen's figure vanished from her sight did she turn around abruptly, but all she could see was his receding back.

"Sigh!"

Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and she could only mutter under her breath.

"How could he be like this!"

Immediately, she picked up the pastries from the ground and stormed into Dugu Manor.

The two guards didn't even dare to breathe, forced to act like invisible air on the sidelines.

Dugu Yan sat down in the garden, looking at the pastries before her, but they suddenly lost their appeal; at this moment, her mind was filled only with the image of that youth who had flashed by so quickly.

"It's just that his soul power is higher than mine... No, that's not it, I just didn't react in time!"

The more Dugu Yan thought about it, the more restless she became.

"Hmph, if we were at the same level and I had reacted, he would definitely be no match for me!"

Yet, even as she said it, she didn't believe it herself.

Looking at her favorite pastries, they suddenly seemed like an eyesore.

Dugu Yan knocked them onto the ground in a fit of pique.

The guards nearby could only bow their heads frantically, trying to minimize their presence.

"What are you two hiding for? Come here!"

"It's over..."

The two felt that something terrible was about to happen, and they walked before Dugu Yan with their heads lowered.

"I'm asking you, what is that man's name? What is his background?"

Hearing this, the two answered honestly, taking the opportunity to hand the business card Ye Guchen had left behind to the little ancestor before them.

"That is all we know."

The two only wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible and return to their posts; they were truly terrified of the young mistress before them.

"Fine, fine, go!"

Dugu Yan took the business card and the medicinal pill, impatiently shooing them away.

Looking at the card, she silently recited his name.

"Ye Guchen..."

After the initial contact at Dugu Manor, the body of Dou II did not remain idle. Ye Guchen arrived at the library and gathered a pile of books concerning various poisons, preparing to cram at the last minute to brush up on his knowledge before Dugu Bo came looking for him.

Fortunately, the books within Douluo Continent were quite concise and did not start by explaining the definition of poison; otherwise, he feared Dugu Bo would have arrived before he had even understood a few types of toxins.

"Brother Guchen!?"

Ye Guchen looked up and saw that Huo Yuhao was also in the library.

"Little Yuhao, come and sit."

Ye Guchen gestured for him to sit opposite him, "However, I am busy studying toxicology right now, so I'm afraid I won't be able to attend to you."

"It's fine, Brother Guchen, you go ahead with your work."

Huo Yuhao picked up a book on the basic theory of Soul Tool and sat obediently across from Ye Guchen.

"I've never seen Brother Guchen look so serious before."

Huo Yuhao watched Ye Guchen, who was intently flipping through the books, his gaze complex.

"His talent is already so outstanding, yet he is still so hardworking. Huo Yuhao, how can you afford to slack off?"

With that, Huo Yuhao buried his head in his book, but after reading a few pages, he suddenly remembered, "Poison! Isn't the Tang Sect known for using poison? Perhaps I can help Brother Guchen."

"However, I have only just joined the Tang Sect; I will have to go find Teacher Xiao Ya for this."

Immediately, Huo Yuhao gently pushed back his chair, slowly placed the book back on the shelf, and left on tiptoe, fearing that even the slightest sound would disturb Ye Guchen.

Just after Huo Yuhao had left, a tall beauty with a pair of rabbit ears atop her head, holding a small white tiger in her arms, and wearing platform shoes on her snow-white legs, sat down opposite Ye Guchen.

She made no sound as she sat down, resting her chin in her hands. Her dark eyes lowered, gazing with infinite tenderness at Ye Guchen as he studied intently.

Jiang Nannan watched Ye Guchen in silence, as if time itself had frozen in that moment.

She noted his focused expression as he flipped through the pages, the way he would occasionally frown in thought or nod slightly, the rhythm of his fingers tapping against the paper possessing a unique cadence.

He really is so earnest...

Jiang Nannan whispered softly, her voice so low that only she could hear it.

She couldn't help but recall the time Ye Guchen had spent a fortune to hire a Healing-type Soul Saint to treat her mother's illness; from that moment on, a different kind of affection had taken root in her heart for the man before her.

The white tiger in her arms, sensing its master's mood, immediately wriggled free and darted into Ye Guchen's lap, rubbing against his clothes.

"Have you seen enough?"

Ye Guchen's voice suddenly rang out. Jiang Nannan started, only then realizing he had looked up, his deep eyes watching her with a playful glint.

"Guchen, what a coincidence running into you here. But this works out perfectly—this is the soul beast meat I've acquired over this past period."

Jiang Nannan showed no embarrassment at being caught; instead, she took out a storage soul tool ring and placed it before Ye Guchen.

"Didn't I tell you? You can just send this to me directly through Xiao Bai. There's no need to insist on delivering it yourself."

Ye Guchen took the ring, his tone devoid of reproach, filled only with concern.

Hearing this, Jiang Nannan lowered her head and muttered, "If I didn't do it this way, it would be hard to even see you once."

Such a soft sound naturally didn't escape Ye Guchen's ears. He placed Xiao Bai on the table and gently stroked its fur.

"I have indeed been a bit busy these past few days, to the point where I haven't had time to visit you. My fault, my fault."

Jiang Nannan looked at the stack of books on the table and picked one up at random.

"I can help you."

"Alright."

Ye Guchen happened to be in need of someone to help organize his notes.

"Then why don't you help me organize the notes I made this afternoon?"

The two sat shoulder to shoulder, one flipping through the classics while the other handled the summarizing, occasionally exchanging a few words or debating a point of toxicology.

Xiao Bai, resting on the table, had fallen asleep at some point, curled into a fluffy white ball and emitting faint purrs.

Time slipped away unnoticed, and the sunlight outside the window shifted from gold to orange-red.

Without realizing it, Jiang Nannan leaned closer and closer to Ye Guchen. Just as she steeled her resolve and prepared to rest her head on his shoulder—

"Brother Guchen, I brought Teacher Tang Ya..." Huo Yuhao's voice came from the doorway, then abruptly cut off.

Jiang Nannan immediately sat bolt upright, her face flushing crimson.

Huo Yuhao stood frozen at the entrance of the library, with Beibei and Tang Ya standing beside him.

The three of them stared at Ye Guchen and Jiang Nannan sitting shoulder to shoulder and head to head in the reading room, unsure whether to enter or retreat.

Beibei was the first to react, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful arc as he patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "Yuhao, I suddenly remembered I have something to attend to. Why don't we come back another day?"

Tang Ya also turned around and said, "That's right, I have things to do as well. Let's come back tomorrow."

"Ah? But Brother Guchen, he..." Huo Yuhao looked bewildered.

"He's busy." Beibei emphasized the word "busy," pulling Huo Yuhao away. Before leaving, he didn't forget to look back and shout, "Senior Guchen, Nannan, carry on! We won't disturb you!"

"Wait—" Ye Guchen tried to call them back, but the two had already vanished from the doorway.

Jiang Nannan's face was red to the roots of her ears, and she buried her head in the pile of books in embarrassment.

Seeing that everyone had left, she finally poked her head out from the books. After such a scene, she felt too shy to stay any longer.

"I, I'm leaving first!" She scrambled to her feet in a panic, nearly tripping in her platform shoes.

"Hey, take Xiao Bai with you." Ye Guchen nudged Xiao Bai on the table, signaling it to follow.

"I'll come help you again tomorrow!" Jiang Nannan dropped those words and fled the library as if escaping.

Xiao Bai quickly caught up and leaped onto her shoulder.

Ye Guchen watched her retreating figure, her rabbit ears twitching slightly in the sunset like those of a startled rabbit.

He chuckled softly and lowered his head to continue reading the books on the table.