The seven days were up, and the seed sprouted once more.
A tender shoot emerged, surrounded by white light. Before long, a small, slender plant appeared in Fang Xuan's palm.
"What's this? Okra!"
As the plant formed, information automatically surfaced in his mind.
[Poison-Infused Okra (Spiked Okra): Edible. After consumption, grants the ability to inflict poison. Martial Soul Skills can carry a neurotoxin that interferes with the flow of Soul Power in the opponent's body. Its potency is proportional to the amount consumed and the user's Soul Power. (Consumption nourishes yin and kidneys and improves one's complexion)]
"???!"
Something was off. There was definitely something off about this thing!
What was this about nourishing yin and kidneys? He'd only just gotten married, and now it had given him something like this. It was hard not to read into it.
Then, to prove that he didn't need such a thing, Fang Xuan absorbed the Poison-Infused Okra and replaced his fourth Soul Skill with it.
[Fourth Soul Skill: Mystic Spiked Poison Okra (can condense into a physical form)] [Effect: All of the user's attacks gain the effects of consuming Poison-Infused Okra. A layer of spiked armor also covers the user's body, allowing attacks to be reflected and inflicting a paralyzing toxin.]
It was a skill with two forms. Fang Xuan had obtained skills like this before, so he wasn't too surprised.
Still, as he looked at the skill, he couldn't help feeling like something was hunting him down.
"Ahem, an occasional supplement can't hurt. After all, taking care of your health is a good thing."
At dusk, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of food. Fang Xuan looked at a plate of freshly fried okra, sniffed it, then picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
A sticky, slippery sensation spread across his palate. The texture was as awful as ever, but the taste wasn't bad.
"It tastes all right. I'll have Lingling try some later."
Glancing at the sun nearing the horizon, Fang Xuan figured it was about time to go pick her up.
After finishing all the okra on the plate, Fang Xuan got up and prepared to bring Ye Lingling home.
Ye Lingling stood quietly beneath the old ginkgo tree at the entrance to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The setting sun filtered through the branches, scattering flecks of gold across her.
Today, she wore a plain white dress, its hem embroidered with faint silver patterns. When she moved, the designs rippled like waves, like moonlight shattered across a lake.
Her black hair was loosely pinned up with a white jade hairpin. A few strands had been brushed against her cheek by the evening breeze, making her face look even more luminous, like polished jade.
Her brows curved gently, and a touch of warmth shone in her amber eyes.
A breeze passed. She raised a hand to gather her wind-tossed hair, and her sleeve slipped back to reveal a pale wrist. A red string circled it, tied to a rice-grain-sized white jade bell that made not a sound.
She stood with her back straight but relaxed, her neck long as a swan's. The sunset shone from behind, bathing her in a soft golden glow. Her clothes fluttered in the breeze; she truly looked as though she'd stepped out of a painting.
Passing students stole glances at her in pairs and threes, but none went over to speak with her. They probably knew she was already married.
Ye Lingling paid no attention to their gazes. She simply looked into the distance, as if waiting for someone.
Ye Lingling had changed tremendously, inside and out. She was no longer as shy and aloof as before, and her temperament had grown much gentler.
But a flower already had an owner. No matter how lovely it was, no one else could lay a hand on it.
Not to mention that this flower had been raised by its owner himself.
"Why hasn't he come yet? He's so slow."
Dugu Yan leaned against a nearby tree trunk, grumbling in annoyance.
Yu Tianheng stood beside her, calm-eyed, as if he was already used to this.
"Honestly, getting married changed you so much. It's taking me a while to get used to it."
She meant it. Ye Lingling had changed so much, it was like she'd become a different person. Dugu Yan was still having trouble adjusting.
"Then you should get married too. He even delivered the betrothal gifts to your door, and you're still keeping him waiting."
Ye Lingling found the situation between Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng rather puzzling. She'd accepted the betrothal gifts, and even the crucial issue with their Martial Souls seemed to have been resolved.
Yet the two of them still hadn't made any progress. Ye Lingling was utterly bewildered. After all, she had no experience with this sort of thing. She was the type to overtake others on a bend, while Dugu Yan wasn't even racing on the same track.
"Who's keeping him waiting? It's his own family's business he hasn't sorted out."
Hearing that, Dugu Yan felt utterly helpless. She turned a deeply aggrieved look on Yu Tianheng, leaving him a little embarrassed.
"What happened?"
From Dugu Yan's tone, it sounded like the problem wasn't between the two of them, but within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"What else? It's all because of this guy's second uncle."
"Second uncle?"
Ye Lingling was confused. What did Yu Tianheng's second uncle have to do with the two of them?
"Have you ever heard the name Yu Xiaogang?"
Ye Lingling shook her head. She didn't know much about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan; she knew more about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"He's something of a celebrity, but not for anything good. We were still young when he became famous. He..."
Yu Xiaogang's story wasn't hard to dig up. Dugu Yan had found it with a quick search.
But it was a case of not knowing until you looked—and then being stunned by what you found.
"Academic plagiarism. He pursued the Spirit Hall's saintess, Bibi Dong, who's now the pope, when he was young. Then he broke up with Bibi Dong and set his sights on his own cousin. It almost turned into a scandal."
"Wasn't that cousin named Liu Erlong?"
Dugu Yan couldn't quite remember, so she turned to the somewhat awkward-looking Yu Tianheng to confirm.
Yu Tianheng was embarrassed, but could only nod helplessly.
It had happened, after all. What good would it do to hide it?
With the answer confirmed, Dugu Yan went on. It looked like she'd done her research quite thoroughly.
"His own Martial Soul isn't even a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. I heard it's a Mutated Martial Soul. I forget exactly what it is, but apparently he loves farting. Anyway, it's pretty ridiculous."
"And this guy's already in his fifties, but his Soul Power is still stuck at level 29. He's nothing but a good-for-nothing."
"Of course, that's not even the craziest part. The craziest part is that he's Yu Yuanzhen's own son—Yu Tianheng's biological second uncle."
"My grandfather used that to make an issue of it, saying there was something wrong with their bloodline. What if I had a kid like that someday?"
"His grandfather got so furious, he almost came to blows with mine."
"..."
Ye Lingling fell silent when she finished listening.
Wasn't that just picking a fight on purpose? But the worry wasn't entirely unreasonable. Dugu Bo had only one descendant, Dugu Yan, so it was normal for him to worry too much.
Of course, it was more likely that he'd picked the fight on purpose.
Thinking back to how the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had behaved at her wedding, it seemed they'd copied someone else's homework.
After all, Dugu Bo had used that exact same tactic to make trouble for Fang Xuan.
Now they'd used it against him. No wonder he'd picked a fight.
In any case... this didn't seem like something she could get involved in.
"So, what's the situation now?"
Just then, Fang Xuan's voice came from nearby. The three of them jumped at the sound.
"Hey, why do you walk so quietly? Would it kill you to give us a heads-up?"
Startled, Dugu Yan immediately snapped at Fang Xuan for his rude behavior.
"I saw you were talking so animatedly, so I didn't want to interrupt. Besides, I walked over in plain sight. If you didn't notice me, what was I supposed to do?"
Fang Xuan looked innocent. He'd been standing there for quite a while and had heard every complaint Dugu Yan had just made.
He couldn't help wanting to laugh. He'd never imagined that the matter between those two could somehow get Yu Xiaogang involved.
But that was just like Dugu Bo. Fang Xuan had been wondering where he'd gone these past few days.
It turned out he'd infuriated Yu Yuanzhen and gone off to hide from the fallout.
Fang Xuan didn't pay much attention to Dugu Yan's reaction. All he wanted now was to take his wife home; this matter had nothing to do with him.
But just as he took Ye Lingling's hand and prepared to leave, Yu Tianheng called out to him.
"Brother Fang Xuan, I know you're clever. Could you help me come up with a plan?"