"What's wrong?"
Dugu Yan saw Ye Qing's face turn visibly pale when he heard her name, and frowned.
What was with this guy?
Just a moment ago, he'd been acting all high and mighty, demanding compensation. Now he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"N-no, nothing."
Ye Qing came back to his senses and forced out a smile uglier than a cry.
"I'm just a little... surprised."
Surprised that the person he'd slept with last night was a ticking poison bomb.
Surprised that he was only one Dugu Bo away from dying without a body left behind.
But then, a thought flashed through his mind.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
Dugu Bo's Medicine Garden, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, was home to Immortal Herbs capable of defying fate and changing one's destiny.
They should still be growing in Dugu Bo's garden, waiting for Tang San to harvest them in the future.
But why should that be?
Why should he, Ye Qing, after transmigrating, be stuck as an ordinary person with a Trash Martial Soul?
Just because he hadn't gotten a protagonist template like Tang San's?
No.
His opportunity was right in front of him!
If Immortal Herbs could defy fate and change one's destiny, wouldn't they work for him too?
"Back to what we were talking about."
Ye Qing took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute. "I don't want compensation."
"?"
Dugu Yan blinked in surprise.
"What happened last night was partly my fault too."
Ye Qing sighed, his face sincere. "If I hadn't been so weak-willed, I wouldn't have let you..."
"Shut up!"
Dugu Yan instantly bristled, her emerald eyes practically spitting fire.
What did he mean, "I hadn't been so weak-willed"?
If he was admitting he'd been weak-willed, then forcing herself on him would make her a wanton, insatiable woman, wouldn't it?
Ye Qing looked at Dugu Yan with such sincerity, he could've been the male lead in a romance drama. "Dugu Yan, you have to take responsibility for me."
"..."
"???"
Dugu Yan wondered if there was something wrong with her ears.
An ordinary person.
Was now saying she had to take responsibility for him?
"Are you out of your mind?"
Dugu Yan couldn't tell whether to be angry or laugh. "You're an ordinary person, and you want me to take responsibility for you? Do you know who I am?"
"I do. Dugu Yan."
Ye Qing began counting on his fingers.
"A gifted student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, wielder of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul, and the beloved granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo."
"!!!"
Dugu Yan's expression changed.
"How do you know all that?"
Her gaze turned wary.
She definitely hadn't told him any of that last night.
Even if she'd been drunk and babbling, she wouldn't have gone into that much detail.
Had this man investigated her?
Did he have some ulterior motive?
"That doesn't matter."
Ye Qing waved a hand, putting on a magnanimous air, though his heart was pounding like mad.
Of course he knew.
He'd read the novel in his past life, and he'd nearly memorized Dugu Yan's character profile.
"What matters is, as a woman, you did something like this, so you should accept the responsibility that comes with it."
Ye Qing's gaze was so candid it was almost shameless.
Dugu Yan fell silent.
She looked at the black-haired, black-eyed boy before her, trying to find a trace of deceit on his face.
But she found none.
Either he was truly an idiot, or truly brave.
Either way, he was ridiculous.
"Aren't you afraid to die?"
Dugu Yan couldn't help asking.
"Of course I'm afraid. Who wouldn't be?"
Ye Qing answered as if it were perfectly reasonable. "But I think my chastity matters more."
His shameless words really did make Dugu Yan want to laugh in anger.
"Oh, there's one more thing."
He abruptly changed the subject and held out a hand. "You have to help me check whether I've been poisoned."
Dugu Yan's expression darkened at once.
"You think I poisoned you?"
A dangerous chill crept into her voice.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul excelled at using poison, and she'd been suspected because of it more times than she could count.
But she'd never used poison against an innocent person.
That was her bottom line.
Yet Ye Qing shook his head.
"I never suspected you."
"I know you only use your poison against enemies."
Dugu Yan froze.
Ye Qing looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "I asked you to check because your own body has already been poisoned."
To be honest, he was a little uneasy.
Since Dugu Yan was poisoned, did that mean there was poison in her...?
"..."
She was stunned for a full three seconds, then burst out laughing.
"You're joking, right?"
"My grandpa is the greatest poison expert on the continent, and I learned from him. I'm an expert myself."
"Wouldn't I know whether I'd been poisoned?"
"If you're trying to fool me with some trick, that's a pretty poor excuse."
But Ye Qing didn't laugh.
"...You're serious?"
His grave, serious expression slowly wiped the smile from Dugu Yan's face.
"You can hear me out first."
"The Dugu Family's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul is indeed powerful. It's one of the finest Beast Martial Souls on the continent, giving its Soul Master unparalleled mastery over poison."
"But have you ever wondered why no one in the Dugu Family is left besides you and your grandpa?"
Dugu Yan's gaze suddenly narrowed.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul comes with poison."
Ye Qing spoke slowly. "That poison doesn't just attack enemies. It also turns on its wielder."
"The stronger your Soul Power, the more poison builds up."
"Your hair and eyes are emerald green. That isn't their natural color. It's an outward sign that poison is eroding your body."
"Your grandpa has green hair and green eyes too, right? The only reason he's still alive is that he's strong enough to suppress the poison by force."
"But his descendants don't have Soul Power as strong as his. They'll all succumb to the poison, one after another."
"Until you were the only granddaughter left."
"!!!"
Dugu Yan's expression changed completely.
She wanted to argue.
She wanted to curse Ye Qing for spouting nonsense.
But she couldn't get a word out.
Because she suddenly thought of her father, her uncles... and all those relatives she'd never met.
Her grandpa never spoke of them.
Whenever she asked, he would fall silent for a long time, then change the subject.
She'd always thought they were painful memories he didn't want to revisit.
But what if... what if Ye Qing was telling the truth?
"One more thing."
Ye Qing looked at her and asked softly, "Whenever it rains, do you feel stabbing pain in both sides of your ribs?"
"!!!"
Dugu Yan jerked her head up.
Her emerald eyes were full of shock.
"How do you know?!"
She'd never told anyone about that symptom, not even her grandpa.
The pain was mild, so mild that she'd always thought it was an old injury from training or fighting.
But how could Ye Qing know...?
"Because the poison in your body has already started taking effect."
Ye Qing sighed. "Your Soul Power Level isn't very high yet, so the poison is still building up and your symptoms are mild."
"But once you reach Soul Emperor level, the poison will erupt completely."
"By then, not even the gods will be able to save you."
"..."
Dugu Yan's lips trembled.
Her first instinct was to think he was exaggerating to scare her!
But every word Ye Qing said had hit a sore spot she'd never spoken of to anyone.
"Who are you, exactly?"
Dugu Yan's voice was hoarse.
How could this fair-skinned, tender-looking boy know the Dugu Family's secrets?
How could he even know something she herself didn't?
Seeing Dugu Yan looking utterly shaken, Ye Qing silently gave himself a pat on the back.
This was working.
With that spectacular move, he'd successfully seized the initiative.
He gave her a sunny smile. "Just an ordinary person who was victimized by a female hooligan—and who happens to know how to cure the poison in your body."