You were eavesdropping, and now you're butting in, too?
Dugu Yan looked at Yu Tianheng, who was shuffling toward her, then at Fang Xuan standing beside Ye Lingling. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head.
They said comparison was the thief of joy. Put two things side by side, and one was bound to look worse.
How come her best friend could casually find herself such an outstanding boyfriend, while the one she'd found was a complete blockhead?
Yu Tianheng caught the look Dugu Yan shot him, the one that said she might as well be widowed, and sheepishly scratched his head.
"Brother, may I ask what you wanted to say?"
Yu Tianheng's sudden interruption took Fang Xuan by surprise. After all, this matter didn't seem to have anything to do with him.
I'm not trying to steal your girlfriend, so why'd you suddenly jump in?
"Don't get me wrong, brother. I don't mean anything by it. Ye Lingling is a member of my team, and as captain, I failed to look after her. That's on me."
"To be honest, I'm partly responsible for what happened. How about I make it up to you for my negligence?"
"On behalf of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, I can clear away some obstacles for you."
There was no way to keep the relationship between Ye Lingling and Fang Xuan a secret. Fang Xuan certainly couldn't stop people from gossiping behind their backs.
Dugu Yan could do it, but given her temperament, she might overlook something.
He'd volunteered to take responsibility for two reasons. First, he wanted to make a good impression on Fang Xuan and Ye Lingling.
After all, Fang Xuan was clearly a peerless hidden genius. How could he pass up the chance to win him over?
Then there was Dugu Yan. After pulling a stunt like this, if he didn't show some remorse, she'd definitely nag him about it later.
For the sake of his future happiness, he had to do something.
Most importantly, he hadn't meant to eavesdrop.
When he'd come looking for them earlier, Dugu Yan had kicked the door to pieces. Their group hadn't gone far, and the three of them had been chatting without bothering to lower their voices.
Now, he wasn't the only one who'd heard everything. The others outside had heard it all, too.
And they'd been absolutely stunned by what they'd overheard.
Choosing a Soul Skill, a Martial Soul that generated a special plant at random every seven days, five million as the bride price, and so on.
It was all utterly astounding. If they'd had an excuse, they would've rushed in long ago.
"Oh, so you do know you were in the wrong. I thought you had no idea."
Faced with Dugu Yan's mocking tone, Yu Tianheng had no answer.
He had been at fault. If Fang Xuan hadn't been the one standing there today, Dugu Yan would've turned on him for sure.
Someone had gone missing, and it had taken him a whole night to notice. That was a serious failure of duty.
"Wait, you're not trying to get a cut of my money, are you?"
As if something had just occurred to her, Dugu Yan suddenly eyed Yu Tianheng warily and warned him.
"Don't even think about taking any of my money. I earned it myself."
When it came to spending money, Yu Tianheng wasn't much better off than she was.
It was a sorry state of affairs. They were both rich kids, yet somehow they had less money than the owner of a teahouse in some small town.
Who could they even complain to? Truly, a single coin could bring a hero to his knees.
"I won't take any, I won't. It's all yours."
Yu Tianheng quickly waved his hands when he saw her reaction. He knew Dugu Yan's situation.
Dugu Bo doted on his granddaughter and gave her all sorts of good things. The one exception was pocket money, of which he gave her very little.
After all, in his eyes, the family already had everything they needed, so there wasn't much need to spend money.
But Dugu Bo had no daughter, and that was where he'd missed out. He didn't really understand all the things girls needed money for.
A few hundred Gold Soul Coins might have been enough in a small town, but in Heaven Dou City, that was downright miserly. No wonder she'd fly off the handle at him.
If he ran short of money, he could always ask for more, and there was a good chance they'd give it to him. Everyone in the clan knew he was pursuing Dugu Yan, after all.
They certainly wouldn't be stingy when it came to money.
Fang Xuan didn't know much about the two of them, and he wasn't particularly interested in finding out.
He could easily see through Yu Tianheng's little scheme.
Still, he didn't refuse.
More friends meant more paths forward. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan might be the first to be wiped out by Spirit Hall, but Yu Tianheng had a remarkably strong life force. Besides, it was still early, and plenty of things could be changed.
Originally, he hadn't planned to get involved with Tang San.
There were plenty of opportunities in this era, and with his talent, becoming a god wouldn't be all that difficult.
There was no need to go out of his way to butt heads with Tang San. He'd been in Suotuo City for so many years without running into him once or having any dealings with him.
His whole approach was to mind his own business and keep the peace.
If worse came to worst, he could just lie low—or head over to the Sun Moon Empire for a look around.
Even if the blind fools in the Divine Realm failed to notice him, he could still become a god through faith himself.
After all, there was more than one path to godhood. And the Sun Moon Continent hadn't even been fully explored yet.
He could find a little tavern and give a few speeches. Surely gathering the faith of an entire continent would be enough.
With Yu Tianheng joining them, the matter came to a close.
Dugu Yan and the others left, but Ye Lingling stayed behind.
According to Dugu Yan, she couldn't keep this best friend anymore. Ye Lingling's loyalty had swung so far to the other side that she might as well let him take her in.
Looking at Ye Lingling, who stood there awkwardly, Fang Xuan gave a helpless smile.
"There's an empty room upstairs. I'll tidy it up for you. You can make do with it for now."
Fang Xuan had always run the teahouse alone. He hadn't hired any staff, mainly because he was afraid the plants that appeared might affect other people.
Although Ye Lingling had now become his wife in all but name, they hadn't gone through the proper formalities yet.
Sharing a room really would put her in an awkward position. He just didn't know what Dugu Yan had been thinking. Why get upset at a time like this?
Had he given her too little money?
Just then, a burst of laughter came from outside the door.
A group of people appeared at the entrance.
Ye Lingling and Fang Xuan turned toward them. Several teenage boys and girls were standing in the doorway.
Fang Xuan met their eyes, and the air grew awkward.
"Oh! A beauty."
A fat boy in the group had noticed Ye Lingling standing by the counter.
His round eyes stared straight at her curvaceous figure. His gaze was so lecherous that he looked like a lustful demon.
Ye Lingling frowned. His eyes made her deeply uncomfortable.
Fang Xuan noticed, too, and shot the people at the door a hostile look.
He said coldly, "We're closed today. And you, fatty—keep your eyes to yourself. If you're that desperate, go to a brothel. Don't stare at my wife."
Fang Xuan didn't mince words. If he couldn't even protect his own woman, he might as well become a eunuch.
"Boss, what's that supposed to mean?"
Dai Mubai, standing beside Ma Hongjun, couldn't help speaking up.
"My brother only glanced at this young lady, and you're already insulting him. Is that any way to treat your customers?"
If Zhu Zhuqing weren't there, Dai Mubai might already have thrown a punch.
Only he was allowed to bully the fatty. Since when did an outsider get to tell him what to do?
"You don't need to teach me how to run my business. I already said we're closed today. You can leave."
Fang Xuan had been relatively polite, since he'd already recognized who they were.
He'd only suspected Ma Hongjun before, but once Dai Mubai appeared, he was certain.
That pair of sinister eyes and lecherous gaze—wasn't he Lustful Tiger Dai Mubai?
As for the others, there was no need to say more.
"To think we'd run into them here. How interesting."