Inside the girls' dormitory at Shrek Academy.
Four pale, flower-white legs swung back and forth around the dorm.
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya were wearing short bathrobes as they playfully tussled.
Tang Ya shoved Jiang Nannan onto the bed, pinned her hands down, and pressed her beneath her.
"Nannan, I saw everything."
"Come on, fess up. How far have things gone between you and Senior Guchen?"
Jiang Nannan was smothered by Tang Ya's ample bosom and struggled to catch her breath as she begged for mercy.
"No, we're just good friends."
Tang Ya narrowed her eyes and gave Jiang Nannan a wicked grin, her expression saying, Do you think I believe that?
Then she bound Jiang Nannan's hands with Blue Silver Grass and pinned them down with one hand.
"Nannan, you're being naughty."
As she spoke, she reached out and tickled her.
"Ha ha, I was wrong, I was wrong! Ha ha..."
"Everything I said was true."
Only then did Tang Ya let her go. She lay down beside Jiang Nannan.
"I know how you feel, but if you want to win him over, you've still got a formidable rival."
At that, Jiang Nannan blushed and buried her head under the covers. This time, though, she didn't deny it. Instead, she asked in a quiet voice:
"Who?"
Seeing Jiang Nannan's determination to keep going until she got what she wanted, Tang Ya shook her head and told her about the subtle relationship between Ma Xiaotao and Ye Guchen.
However, Ye Guchen hadn't told anyone about his relationship with Ma Xiaotao yet. For now, they could only guess that the two were close to becoming a couple.
At that, Jiang Nannan glanced at the sleeping Xiao Bai beside her, her gaze resolute.
"They're not together yet, are they? How can I know it won't work unless I try? Besides, I don't believe he doesn't have feelings for me."
Jiang Nannan's voice grew softer and softer, until, almost as if possessed, she added:
"Besides, plenty of people have three wives and four concubines..."
By then, she had buried her entire upper body beneath the covers.
Tang Ya looked at her best friend, exasperated by how hopelessly stubborn she was, and slapped her on the bottom.
"Fine, fine, do whatever you want. Beibei can only have me!"
Jiang Nannan kicked at the blanket and hid herself completely under the covers.
She didn't say a word.
Meanwhile, on the Dou I side.
Zhu Zhuqing was cultivating her Soul Power in the courtyard, while Ye Guchen was busy arranging the newly hired staff's onboarding.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion in the Dou I timeline was ready to open, but for now, it could only collect rare metals, medicinal herbs, and Whale Rubber. As for selling anything, he'd first have to win over Dugu Bo before he could feel safe doing so.
Just as Ye Guchen had finished assigning the newly hired staff their tasks, an unexpected visitor arrived at the door.
"Dugu Yan? What's she doing here? Has her grandfather come back?"
Three questions in a row. But as the saying went, a visitor was a guest, so Ye Guchen stepped forward to greet Dugu Yan.
"Miss, I'm sorry, but the shop hasn't opened yet. For now, we're only buying things. Is there anything you'd like to sell?"
Seeing Ye Guchen, who had easily subdued her the day before, acting like a businessman, Dugu Yan felt a strange sense of incongruity.
"You... need money?"
Dugu Yan was baffled. A genius Soul Master like Ye Guchen would be welcomed wherever he went. How could he be short on money?
"It's just a hobby."
Ye Guchen didn't answer her directly. Instead, he turned aside and invited her in.
"Would you like to sit in the courtyard?"
Dugu Yan didn't hesitate. In fact, she'd come specifically to see Ye Guchen.
The two soon reached the back courtyard. As soon as they entered, they saw Zhu Zhuqing sitting cross-legged in the yard, still cultivating her Soul Power.
"Level 28 Soul Grandmaster! And judging by her appearance, she can't be more than twelve!"
Dugu Yan couldn't help being surprised when she saw Zhu Zhuqing.
Even though she'd deliberately changed into a pale green dress and dressed up, she still paled in comparison to that figure cultivating in the courtyard.
Dugu Yan subtly puffed out her chest, then walked over and sat beside the courtyard table.
"Ye Guchen!" She called him by name. The arrogance in her voice had eased since that morning, but she still spoke with the reserve of a young lady from a distinguished family. "Tell me, what was the name of the pill you gave me this morning?"
Zhu Zhuqing had also come out of her cultivation. She looked at the woman before them, bewildered.
Leaning back in his chair, Ye Guchen looked at her with unruffled amusement. "What, Miss Dugu fed it to a servant, found that it didn't kill them, and got curious?"
Dugu Yan's face flushed scarlet. "You—The Dugu Manor would never do something like that!"
She took a deep breath, walked up to Ye Guchen, and slapped a Gold Soul Coin card onto the table. "Yesterday doesn't count. I want to fight you at the same level. If you win, the hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins on this card are yours!"
"Bring it on. Who'd turn down free money?"
With that, Ye Guchen suppressed his Soul Power to level 33, matching Dugu Yan.
The Shark Tooth Sword Martial Soul appeared in his hand, and three Soul Rings—yellow, purple, purple—rose and fell beneath his feet.
Dugu Yan wasn't to be outdone. Her level 33 Soul Power burst forth, and three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple—appeared as well.
But before the fight had even begun, she was already a step behind in Soul Ring Configuration.
"Watch out!"
"First Soul Skill: Jade Scale Red Poison!"
A cloud of red poison entered Dugu Yan's body, and her aura grew stronger.
Ye Guchen didn't move. He took out a Detoxification Pill and swallowed it, then, without forgetting Zhu Zhuqing, who was watching from the side, gave her one as well. After that, he quietly watched Dugu Yan's performance.
After her Soul Power had been boosted, Dugu Yan saw that Ye Guchen still hadn't budged and immediately felt slighted.
She then used her second Soul Skill, "Jade Scale Blue Poison."
Strengthened by her first Soul Skill, the poison mist she released was powerful enough to paralyze any Soul Elder.
But Ye Guchen was strolling leisurely through the poisonous fog. The sight left Dugu Yan dumbfounded.
"How is this possible?!"
If a poison master's poison didn't work, their attack power was the weakest of all, aside from support-type Soul Masters. Dugu Bo, the Titled Douluo who guarded the gate, could attest to that better than anyone.
"I've got no choice but to use that. I can always give him the antidote afterward."
Dugu Yan didn't care about anything else now. She immediately unleashed her third Soul Skill, "Jade Scale Purple Poison!"
But even as purple mist engulfed the entire area, Ye Guchen showed no sign of being poisoned.
She panicked.
She even began to doubt herself.
She immediately prepared to engage Ye Guchen in close-quarters combat.
But she was only a poison master. Her close-combat ability was on par with that of an ordinary Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster.
In just a moment, Ye Guchen subdued Dugu Yan by pinning her facedown against the table, without even using his Martial Soul.
"Honestly, are all girls this soft?"
Ye Guchen held Dugu Yan's hands in one of his, while his other hand pinned her shoulder.
Faced with the sensation beneath his hand, Ye Guchen could only silently remind himself that one should not touch what was forbidden.
After letting Dugu Yan go, Ye Guchen picked up the Gold Soul Coin card from the table and waved it at her.
"Thanks for your donation."
Dugu Yan accepted her loss gracefully and sat down across from Ye Guchen with easy confidence.
"A bet's a bet. I, Dugu Yan, can take a loss. But now can you tell me what that pill is called?"
Ye Guchen took a sip of tea and slowly uttered three words:
"Hundred Poison Clear."
"Big name for a little pill. It's only good against someone like me. If my grandfather came, hmph!"
Then Dugu Yan turned her gaze toward Zhu Zhuqing.
"She wasn't poisoned either, so I take it she took that pill too?"
When Ye Guchen didn't deny it, Dugu Yan nodded and stood up to leave.
"My grandfather will be back in a few days. I'll come again then."
With that, she left without looking back.
As soon as she was out the door, her icy demeanor vanished, replaced by embarrassment.
"How mortifying!"
Then she covered her face and ran back to Dugu Manor.
She'd come to show off her poison skills and open his eyes. Instead, she hadn't even managed to show her face before showing him her backside.
Before you continue