Dugu Yan Eats the Aromatic Silk Beauty!

That question felt like an invisible hand clamping down hard around Dugu Bo's heart.

He raised his head and looked into his granddaughter's eyes.

Those dark green eyes held fear and confusion, but more than anything, a stubborn determination to know the truth.

Dugu Bo took a deep breath.

"Before this, even with Grandpa suppressing it for you every month, you wouldn't have lived past thirty."

Thirty.

The number struck Dugu Yan's heart like a heavy hammer.

She was seventeen this year.

Thirteen years remained.

No... if Grandpa had not been helping her suppress it, she might have already...

"Before this."

That was what Grandpa had said.

Dugu Yan keenly caught that phrasing.

"Grandpa, you said before this. Then what about now?"

The corner of Dugu Bo's mouth rose slightly, revealing a faint smile.

"Now, things are different."

He stood and walked toward a crack in the rocks beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

Within that crevice grew a strange plant.

Its entire body was violet-gold, with broad leaves and a tulip-like flower blooming at its peak.

The flower's colors constantly shifted—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—cycling through all seven hues in breathtaking beauty.

"This is the Aromatic Silk Beauty."

Dugu Bo gently stroked its petals. "It is one of the finest immortal herbs. Its effect is to evolve Martial Souls and eliminate their flaws."

"Evolve Martial Souls?"

"During the evolution, it improves the quality of the Martial Soul."

Dugu Bo turned to his granddaughter.

"Yan Yan, the Aromatic Silk Beauty is the opportunity Grandpa prepared for you."

"Eat it, and the Backlash Poison in your body will be completely removed."

"Your Martial Soul will evolve, and your body will be remade."

"You will no longer need to suppress the poison every month, nor will you have to worry about dying before thirty."

Dugu Yan's eyes reddened.

She looked at the dazzling immortal herb in her grandfather's hand, then at his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

She suddenly realized something.

Her grandfather's eyes were no longer dark green.

"Grandpa, your eyes..."

"Grandpa's poison has been cured too."

Dugu Bo nodded. "And Grandpa's Martial Soul has evolved. It is no longer the Jade Python Snake Emperor."

"Then what is it?"

"The Nine Nether Divine Dragon."

Dugu Yan froze.

A divine dragon?

Her grandfather's Martial Soul had changed from a snake... into a dragon?

"This is the opportunity Grandpa told you about yesterday."

Dugu Bo said, "There was an Earth Dragon Golden Gourd in this valley. Grandpa ate it, and his Martial Soul evolved. The Backlash Poison has also been completely brought under control."

"But there was only one Earth Dragon Golden Gourd, and Grandpa already used it. So Grandpa prepared the Aromatic Silk Beauty for you. Its effects are different, but it can solve your problem just the same."

Dugu Yan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to find her throat clogged by something unseen.

Grandpa had done all of this for her.

He suppressed the poison for her.

He searched for immortal herbs for her too.

And all these years, she had known nothing.

"Grandpa..."

"Don't rush to cry."

Dugu Bo's voice suddenly became somewhat heavy. "Grandpa has one more thing to tell you. This matter... Grandpa has hidden it from you for many years."

Dugu Yan wiped the corners of her eyes and looked at her grandfather.

Dugu Bo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes were filled with pain.

"Your parents' deaths... were not caused by a beast tide."

Dugu Yan's body suddenly shook.

"Everything Grandpa told you was a lie."

Dugu Bo's voice was hoarse. "Your father, Dugu Xin, and your mother... they both died from the Backlash Poison of the Jade Python Snake."

"That poison was passed down to them by Grandpa."

"It is a curse inherited through the bloodline of our Dugu Clan from generation to generation."

Dugu Yan's tears finally flowed beyond her control.

She wanted to say something, but she could not utter a single word.

"Grandpa did not dare tell you the truth."

Dugu Bo's voice trembled. "Grandpa was afraid you would hate me. Even more, I was afraid that once you learned you would walk the same path, you would give up in despair."

"So Grandpa lied. I deceived you for all these years."

Dugu Bo turned around to face his granddaughter.

A man who dared stand firm even against Titled Douluo now lowered his head before a Soul Elder barely in her thirties.

"Yan Yan, I'm sorry."

Dugu Yan looked at her grandfather's lowered head and those Dark Golden Dragon Eyes full of guilt.

She wanted to hate him.

But she could not.

Because Grandpa was a victim too.

Because over these years, Grandpa had suffered more than anyone.

She remembered his focus and caution every month when he cleared her meridians.

She remembered how, every time Grandpa looked at her, there was always an emotion in his eyes she could not understand.

So that was guilt.

So that was heartache.

Dugu Yan wiped away her tears, walked to her grandfather, and reached out to hug him.

"Grandpa, I don't blame you."

Dugu Bo's body stiffened.

"You did nothing wrong either."

Dugu Yan's voice choked up.

"You were harmed by your Martial Soul too. You have been trying to save yourself and save us. You have already done so well."

Dugu Bo's eyes finally reddened as well.

He reached out and gently embraced his granddaughter.

"Grandpa promises you."

His voice was deep and firm. "From today onward, I will never let you suffer even a little."

"Grandpa will cure your poison."

"Grandpa will help your Martial Soul evolve."

"You will live a long, long life—until your hair turns white and you are surrounded by children and grandchildren."

Dugu Yan nodded forcefully in her grandfather's embrace.

After a long while, Dugu Bo released his granddaughter and picked up the Aromatic Silk Beauty.

"Are you ready?"

Dugu Yan took a deep breath, fiercely wiped away her tears, and nodded.

A determined light flashed through her dark green eyes.

"I'm ready."

The Aromatic Silk Beauty lay quietly in Dugu Yan's palm.

Seven colors slowly flowed across its petals, releasing a refreshing fragrance.

The scent was neither too strong nor too faint. One breath of it invigorated the mind, as though even the soul had been cleansed.

"Eat it."

Dugu Bo's voice sounded beside her ear, steady and calm.

Dugu Yan took a deep breath and nodded.

She brought the Aromatic Silk Beauty to her lips. After hesitating for less than a second, she bit down.

The immortal herb melted the instant it entered her mouth.

There was no bitterness, nor was there sweetness.

Only a warm liquid slid down her throat into her abdomen, like a warm stream slowly flowing through her body.

At first, she felt nothing unusual.

Dugu Yan was even somewhat confused.

Was this really an immortal herb?

Why did it feel like she had merely taken a sip of warm water?

But the next moment—

Boom!

A massive surge of energy exploded from her abdomen!

Like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam, that energy frantically flooded her limbs, bones, organs, and entrails.

Her meridians were painfully stretched open in an instant, as if they were about to tear apart.

"Ah!"

Dugu Yan could not help letting out a muffled cry as her body began to tremble violently.

Dugu Bo reached out to support his granddaughter's shoulders. His Dark Golden Dragon Eyes remained fixed on her condition, ready to act at any moment.

But he did not move.

Because this was a necessary process.