Temperament, So Damn Temperamental

Looking at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well before him, overflowing with resources and teeming with all manner of rare flowers and grasses, Fang Xuan's eye twitched violently.

Happiness had arrived far too suddenly; this Dugu Bo was truly a man of intense temperament.

He had only just offered a small taste of sweetness, and now he had brought Fang Xuan straight to his home base. This was something he truly hadn't expected.

But since he was already here, he couldn't very well return empty-handed, could he?

"Pick whatever you like, don't stand on ceremony with me."

Dugu Bo waved his hand with such grand, unrestrained generosity that Fang Xuan was left dumbfounded.

He remembered that in the original story, when Tang San cured Dugu Bo, the man hadn't acted like this at all. Where had the deviation occurred?

What Fang Xuan didn't know was that the biggest difference between him and Tang San was their status.

After all, he was currently Dugu Bo's nominal disciple, even if he hadn't taken the title to heart himself.

But in this era, a disciple was truly considered half a son.

Have you ever seen a father be stingy with his son? Especially when this son was so outstanding—he would naturally want to dump every resource he had onto him.

It was just a medicinal garden; Dugu Bo didn't really think much of it. After all, he didn't recognize any of the immortal herbs, or else it wouldn't have been Tang San's turn to reap the benefits.

It was just that this time, the one reaping the benefits wasn't Tang San, but him.

"That... Senior, I only need one or two stalks, that will be enough. As for the rest..."

"One or two stalks? Are you looking down on your master? Today, you are going to fill an entire sack and take it with you."

"And why are you still calling me Senior? I am your master now. If you keep acting so distant, are you trying to betray the sect?"

These two sentences completely blocked any further protest from Fang Xuan, leaving him somewhat between laughter and tears.

What is even happening?

He had originally thought that building favor would take time, planning to take it slow and not be greedy the first time to ensure sustainable development.

But in this situation, it was clear that his favor rating was maxed out—it had even gone off the charts—which left him feeling completely bewildered.

In the end, under Dugu Bo's forced supervision, Fang Xuan really did carry a sack full of medicinal herbs back home.

Dugu Bo even delivered him personally to his doorstep.

Standing at the entrance of the Ye Family estate, Dugu Bo patted Fang Xuan on the shoulder with a smile.

"Good disciple, just stay home for these next few days. Your master is a man of experience; you've just gotten married, so it's better not to run around outside too much. Spend more time with your wife."

"Your master can afford to wait."

Dugu Bo had been anxious before because he was worried about whether Fang Xuan could actually deliver, but now, not only had the boy succeeded, the results seemed excellent.

This allowed him to set his mind completely at ease. As for the matter of the poison, there was no need to rush; taking it slow was fine.

What mattered most now was building a relationship with his precious disciple. If he were to be snatched away by someone else one day, he would truly die of regret.

"My dear lady, take good care of my disciple. If you need anything, don't hesitate to send someone to notify me. We're all family now, so don't be a stranger."

With that, Dugu Bo left, leaving the three of them staring in stunned silence.

"What did you do?"

Ye Qinru looked at Fang Xuan, completely unable to understand Dugu Bo's recent behavior.

Her son-in-law had only been out for half a day; how had he managed to turn Dugu Bo into this?

The treatment he received felt even more affectionate than that for a biological son.

"Mom, I don't really understand this myself. It's just..."

Fang Xuan then recounted everything that had happened after he arrived at Dugu Bo's place to Ye Qinru.

Upon hearing it, Ye Qinru had an instant realization.

"He's treating you like his own son."

"What?!"

What the hell? He went out for a trip and became someone else's son? Did that mean Dugu Yan would have to call him "Dad" when they met?

Pah, what am I thinking about?

He quickly shook his head, trying to cast that bizarre thought aside.

"Mom, what do you mean by that? Is the 'son' you just mentioned the same 'son' I'm thinking of?"

Seeing Fang Xuan's confusion, Ye Qinru smiled.

"Don't worry, it's a good thing. Have you forgotten that you are his disciple?"

"I've told you before, a disciple is half a son. A master and disciple with a good relationship are really no different from a father and son."

"Although Dugu Bo has a somewhat eccentric personality, he's actually a decent person. You did him a huge favor, and since your status as his disciple is now common knowledge, it's only natural for him to treat you this way."

After hearing Ye Qinru's explanation, Fang Xuan was left feeling both amused and helpless.

He had wondered why Dugu Bo was acting so strangely; he hadn't figured it out because he had never taken the title of "disciple" seriously. From beginning to end, he had only viewed it as a cooperative relationship.

To put it bluntly, it was just an act—a ruse to deceive everyone else.

Yet the other party had turned the fake act into reality, which caught Fang Xuan somewhat off guard.

Looking down at the Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Pouch hanging from his waist, Fang Xuan smiled helplessly.

It seems having such a wealthy and generous master isn't bad at all.

With this kind of grand gesture, no one else could have possibly reached this level.

After all, who else would carry immortal herbs around in a sack? Only Dugu Bo would dare to do such a thing, which showed just how much the old man truly valued him.

"I originally thought this old guy would hold a grudge over the last time you tricked him and had come to cause trouble. I didn't expect you to have subdued him directly."

"As expected of my son-in-law, you really have the talent."

"Don't you agree, my dear daughter?"

As she spoke, Ye Qinru did not forget to bring Ye Lingling into the conversation, though her suggestive tone left Ye Lingling blushing furiously.

Clearly, during the time Fang Xuan had been away, the two of them had chatted about other things.

"Mom, Lingling, you two go inside first. I have something to discuss with you."

Now that the immortal herbs were in his hands, it was time to see if he could resolve the flaws in their martial souls.

Hearing this, the mother and daughter followed Fang Xuan into the room. After closing the door securely, Fang Xuan took the two immortal herbs he had specifically selected from the Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Pouch gifted by Dugu Bo and presented them to the two women.

The moment the two immortal herbs appeared, a faint medicinal fragrance filled the entire room.

Ye Qinru and Ye Lingling were instantly captivated. As someone who had dealt with medicinal plants for a long time, Ye Qinru could immediately discern the extraordinary nature of the two plants before her.

"Son-in-law, this is..."

"Immortal herbs. I picked them from Dugu Bo's herb garden. Consuming them should be able to resolve the flaws in your martial souls."

As he spoke, Fang Xuan pushed the two immortal herbs toward the mother and daughter respectively.

The one for Ye Qinru was called the Silk Velvet Fragrant Immortal Herb, which possessed the inherent ability to grant immunity to all poisons and dispel negative status effects; theoretically, it should be highly suitable for breaking the curse-like restrictions of their martial soul.

After all, if Ye Lingling were to have a child, she would be the first to suffer, so the effects of the Silk Velvet Fragrant Immortal Herb were more compatible with Ye Qinru.

As for the one he gave to Ye Lingling, it was the Silk Velvet Tulip, which possessed the miraculous ability to purify martial souls and assist in their breakthrough and evolution.

The Nine-Heart Begonia and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda were both top-tier support-type martial souls; there was no reason why the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda could evolve while the Nine-Heart Begonia could not.

Two immortal herbs with two different effects, yet both were the best combinations Fang Xuan had chosen based on their individual circumstances.

Whether it would work or not could only be known after trying, but even if it ultimately failed, consuming the immortal herbs should still significantly improve their physical conditions.

Even if it truly came to that, there was a high probability it would not be life-threatening.

As long as their lives were preserved, everything else was not a problem.

Only by staying alive was there hope; if one died, then everything was gone. Besides, he did not like those melodramatic tropes of resurrection from the dead.