Yellow-Haired Ghost Fire Girl Old Deng! Dugu Bo, what do you think?

A few days later.

Sunset Forest.

Two people stood before a dense, emerald-green poisonous barrier.

Dugu Yan held Ye Qing's arm, her posture intimate and natural, her long emerald hair fluttering gently in the breeze.

"Once we pass through this poisonous barrier, we'll be at my grandfather's herb garden."

Dugu Yan turned to look at Ye Qing, a hint of tenderness in her eyes.

Compared to a few days ago, her entire temperament had softened significantly.

If the Dugu Yan from before was a drawn sword, then the current her was a sword tucked back into its scabbard.

Well, it was still a sword.

But in front of Ye Qing, this blade had sheathed all its sharpness.

Ye Qing was very satisfied with this.

His body was indeed incredibly formidable.

During their repeated bouts at the hotel over the past few days, he had suppressed Dugu Yan every single time, making this unruly young lady completely submissive.

The ancients truly did not deceive him when they spoke of affection growing with time.

Although, the way that word "time" was used here seemed to carry a different meaning...

Forget it, never mind.

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing his expression drift, Dugu Yan couldn't help but ask.

"I was thinking about how we... accumulated our affection over time, and how our relationship keeps getting better."

Ye Qing didn't change his expression.

"Is that so?"

Dugu Yan glanced at him suspiciously, feeling that whatever this guy had just said was somehow off.

However, she wasn't in the mood to pursue it right now.

Because what came next was the real test.

"This antidote pill can neutralize the toxicity of the barrier."

Dugu Yan took an emerald-green pill from the small pouch at her waist and handed it to Ye Qing.

"Even though your soul power has increased, you don't have any poison resistance after all. If you don't take it, you'll be down within a few steps."

Ye Qing took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

A cool current slid from his throat into his stomach, then spread throughout his limbs and bones.

"Let's go."

Dugu Yan took a deep breath and gripped Ye Qing's hand tightly.

Ye Qing reminded her, "Remember what I told you; don't drop the ball."

"I know, I know." Dugu Yan rolled her eyes at him.

Always talking about bed this and bed that, just blurting it out without a shred of shame.

Ye Qing squeezed her hand. "I, Ye Qing, never drop the ball in this life."

The two stepped side by side into the emerald-green poisonous barrier.

The barrier was thick, comparable to a red-alert heavy fog.

Ye Qing could only feel Dugu Yan's hand gripping his tightly.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the poisonous barrier before them suddenly dispersed.

The view suddenly opened up.

Then, Ye Qing saw the most fantastical scene he had ever witnessed in his life.

A valley.

One half was crimson red, the other half was ice blue.

Ice and fire converged at the two ends of the valley, forming a strange, circular spring.

And all around that spring, plants covered the ground.

Ye Qing's breathing quickened slightly.

This was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!

The starting point of Tang San's rise, one of the greatest cheats in the entire Douluo Continent!

Just as he was preparing to properly admire this legendary treasure land, A terrifying pressure descended from the sky!

"Yan-yan, who is this?"

A cold, sinister voice exploded across the valley.

A green figure appeared before the two of them like a phantom.

It was a tall, thin man.

His emerald-green hair hung loose over his shoulders, and his green pupils flickered with a gloomy light, his entire being radiating the dangerous aura of a venomous snake.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze landing on Ye Qing.

That look was like a blade, scraping against Ye Qing's skin and making his hair stand on end.

"Yan-yan."

His voice was low and dangerous. "Who is he?"

Dugu Bo!

Titled "Poison."

The number one poison master on the continent.

A level 91 Titled Douluo.

At this moment, this terrifying existence was staring at Ye Qing as if looking at a mouse that had stumbled into a snake pit.

Ye Qing took a deep breath, his heart rate accelerating to its limit.

It was here.

The real trial had arrived.

Dugu Bo had been in a foul mood these past few days.

To be precise, an extremely foul mood.

Ever since his granddaughter Dugu Yan had suddenly rushed back and demanded point-blank, "Grandpa, does our family's Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul cause people to be poisoned?", he knew he couldn't hide it anymore.

He had wanted to laugh it off and brush it aside.

But that girl Yan-yan was as stubborn as a mule this time, determined to get to the bottom of it.

With no other choice, he had to lay the truth out on the table.

The Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul carried a bloodline poison. The stronger the soul power, the deeper the toxins.

Apart from him, who could barely suppress it with his Titled Douluo cultivation, all his other descendants had died from the poison.

Yan-yan's father, uncles, and aunts... not a single exception.

And as for Yan-yan herself, once she reached the Soul Emperor level, the toxins in her body would erupt completely.

At that point, even the gods couldn't save her.

When he finished speaking, Yan-yan didn't cry.

She just sat in silence for a long time before standing up and leaving.

Dugu Bo didn't stop her.

He didn't know how to.

He was a Titled Douluo, the continent's master of poison, yet he was helpless against the lethal toxins inside his own granddaughter.

That sense of powerlessness was more painful to him than any poison.

"Should I go check on Yan-yan?"

Dugu Bo stood in the herb garden, looking out over the fields of medicinal plants, a flicker of worry in his emerald eyes.

That girl looked unruly on the surface, but she was actually very deep.

What if she did something foolish...

Just as he was hesitating, two auras intruded into his sensory range.

One was very familiar—it was Yan-yan!

The other was completely foreign.

Dugu Bo frowned, his figure flashing as he transformed into a green blur and vanished from where he stood.

He arrived before the two of them.

Dugu Yan was arm-in-arm with a black-haired, black-eyed youth, her posture intimate and her eyes tender.

Dugu Bo's heart skipped a beat.

Bad.

Very bad!

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze landing on the youth like a blade, his voice low and dangerous: "Yan-yan, who is he?"

Ye Qing felt every hair on his body stand on end.

The pressure of a Title Douluo was no joke; just standing there was enough to make him shudder.

But he held his ground, even subconsciously straightening his back.

"Grandfather."

Dugu Yan took a deep breath and began the script Ye Qing had taught her.

"This is Ye Qing, the person I like."

"I brought him here today because I hope to gain your support."

"Huh?"

Dugu Bo's mind buzzed.

The person she likes?

Yan-yan has someone she likes?

He froze for a few seconds before quickly calming down.

Yan-yan was at the age for romance, so this wasn't exactly a major issue.

He had always been open-minded regarding his granddaughter's love life.

Dugu Bo released his soul power, sweeping his perception across Ye Qing.

His brows furrowed almost immediately.

Level ten?

Fearing he had misperceived, he scanned him again.

Still level ten!

Dugu Bo's expression darkened, and he asked coldly, "Boy, what is your soul power level?"

Ye Qing remained neither humble nor pushy, his tone calm: "Level ten, Senior Dugu."

"Level ten?"

Dugu Bo laughed, though it was a laugh born of anger.

A boy who looked to be in his teens, yet his soul power was only level ten?

He had seen plenty of deadbeats over the years, but this was the first time he had encountered one this pathetic.

Even children of commoners with the slightest bit of talent would be at least level ten or twenty by their teens.

What did being level ten in your teens even mean?

It meant being at the very bottom of the soul master world.

His precious granddaughter, a heaven-sent talent, liked a level-ten piece of trash?

No.

Wait.

Dugu Bo suddenly thought of a more terrifying possibility.

Could this brat be a con artist?

Seeing that Yan-yan was simple-minded, was he deliberately seducing her to climb the social ladder?

Just as he was spiraling into these thoughts, Ye Qing spoke again.

"Senior Dugu."

Ye Qing looked earnest, his tone so sincere it was infuriating, "I like Yan-zi, and I am willing to marry into the Dugu family."

"Huh?"

Dugu Bo's brain crashed.

Marry into the family?

What did this brat just say?

Marry into the family?!

"You—"

Dugu Bo laughed in extreme anger, his emerald eyes overflowing with killing intent, "Say that again?"

Just as Ye Qing was about to speak, Dugu Yan suddenly stepped forward, spreading her arms to block him.

"Grandfather!"

Dugu Yan's voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the entire valley, "You cannot hurt him!"

Dugu Bo frowned: "Yan-yan, move aside. This brat is clearly deceiving you!"

"He is not deceiving me!"

Dugu Yan's face flushed bright red.

Half of it was acting, and the other half was genuine shame.

Ye Qing had taught her the lines countless times, but when the moment finally came to speak, she wished she could just crawl into a hole and disappear.

She knew that if she didn't put her foot down today, her grandfather's personality meant he would never let this matter rest.

"Grandfather—"

Dugu Yan squeezed her eyes shut, gritted her teeth, and went for it!

"Ye Qing and I have already done everything we should and shouldn't have done—we might even have a child by now!"

"He is the husband I have chosen! You are not allowed to hurt him!"

"..."

The entire valley fell silent.

The wind brushed across the surface of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, creating a faint, rustling sound.

In the distance, the poisonous miasma churned in silence.

Dugu Bo's complexion shifted from green to cyan, from cyan to white, and from white to black...

Not even a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda could change colors as fast as he did.

Done everything they should and shouldn't have?

A child?

A husband?

After blurting out those words, Dugu Yan felt so mortified she wanted to drop dead on the spot.

Yet, she stood her ground in front of Ye Qing, arms spread wide, shielding the bastard like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Ye Qing, standing behind her, was currently enduring the most difficult trial of his life.

Don't laugh!

Absolutely do not laugh!

He repeated the mantra over and over, yet the corners of his mouth still twitched uncontrollably.

A certain image suddenly flashed through his mind.

Blonde hair, ghost fire, a young girl, and an old geezer!