Dugu Bo Appears, Lin Yan's Plan

Xue Qinghe did not argue further. He glanced at the committee members who had already departed not far away, then looked at Dugu Yan, who remained trailing behind Dugu Bo.

"Miss Dugu Yan, would you also like to go in and take a look?"

"Mm."

Dugu Yan nodded, and this time, Dugu Bo did not move to stop his granddaughter.

Because if what Dugu Yan had told him was true—that the boy named Lin Yan had crippled Yu Tianheng in a mere three moves—then this person was definitely suspicious.

Such a monstrous talent could not possibly emerge from the imperial family. What was this boy's background? How did he know Xue Qinghe? What was their relationship?

Carrying these many doubts, Dugu Bo cast a profound gaze toward Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe smiled faintly without a word, then turned to push open the door.

Creak...

The wooden door swung open, and the light from outside flooded into the room in an instant.

Standing behind Xue Qinghe, Dugu Bo saw the boy sitting cross-legged on the open floor, deep in cultivation.

The boy had fair skin and handsome features, his tousled purple hair lending him an air of innocence, yet also a somewhat bewitching beauty.

It had to be said that Lin Yan was among the most strikingly handsome students in the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

It was no wonder his granddaughter was so protective of him...

"Your Highness, Crown Prince."

Hearing the voice, Lin Yan opened his eyes. The joy displayed in his purple pupils was completely unmasked, much like a kindergartner seeing their parent near the end of the school day.

This reaction warmed Xue Qinghe's heart.

The feeling of being needed and treated as a source of reliance made him, who had been lonely for so many years, feel exceptionally happy.

Xue Qinghe gave a gentle, affirmative hum, then stepped aside to let Dugu Bo and his granddaughter pass.

"This is Dugu Yan's grandfather, the senior Poison Douluo. Come and greet him."

Dugu Bo?

Lin Yan was slightly stunned, but once he realized who it was, his heart surged with wild joy.

He hadn't expected that even though Yu Tianheng wasn't completely crippled, Dugu Bo would still come along. This was an unexpected windfall!

Yes, crippling Yu Tianheng wasn't just a whim of Lin Yan's to eliminate future trouble.

A small part of the reason was that he wanted to use this opportunity to draw out Dugu Bo and plant the impression that he and Dugu Yan were close—perhaps even that she was quite fond of him.

In this way, when he later brought up the poison of the martial soul and approached the medicinal garden, Dugu Bo would be inclined to give him a chance to explain, even if he felt suspicious.

Otherwise, if he appeared in Dugu Bo's sight under the guise of curing the poison without any prior preparation, the man would surely be suspicious and might even kill him on the spot without a word.

Hoo~

Since I have this connection through Dugu Yan, I won't need to rely on Spirit Hall to reach the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

It's perfect, as I hadn't yet figured out how to explain it to Qian Renxue. This timing is truly fortuitous.

Lin Yan bowed slightly to Dugu Bo.

"Greetings, Senior Poison Douluo."

Dugu Bo glanced at Lin Yan, then at his granddaughter, who looked as though she wanted to step forward to check on the situation but dared not move with Xue Qinghe present. He let out a cold snort.

"Hmph!"

"You cause your own trouble, and then expect others to clean up your mess."

Clearly, Dugu Bo's impression of Lin Yan was not good.

Perhaps it was because he had injured Yu Tianheng and damaged the relationship between Dugu Bo and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, or perhaps he was simply jealous of his granddaughter's affection.

In any case, Dugu Bo's attitude was icy.

However... seeing this, Xue Qinghe was displeased.

"Senior, Lin Yan has only just awakened his martial soul. There are many things he does not yet understand the implications of."

Xue Qinghe's expression was stern as he spoke, making it clear he was being protective.

Lin Yan was his person; even if he had made a mistake, it was not for others to criticize.

At this moment, Lin Yan seized the opportunity, feigning a look of grievance as he spoke to Xue Qinghe.

"Your Highness, I was merely desk-mates with Senior Dugu Yan for one class. It was Yu Tianheng who provoked me first because of that."

He intentionally brought up Dugu Yan while speaking, wanting to ensure that when Xue Qinghe faced the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, he would also involve Dugu Bo.

Xue Qinghe smiled with satisfaction.

"I have already understood the full story. The primary fault in this matter does not lie with you."

"But... why did you use flames to destroy his meridians?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan also fixed their gazes on Lin Yan. They, too, wanted to hear how this boy would answer.

To this, Lin Yan lowered his eyes slightly.

"I... I don't know. I cannot fully control the flames."

"Hah!"

Dugu Bo let out a disdainful scoff upon hearing this answer, then spoke.

"This old man is a Titled Douluo. You might be able to fool others with such words, but you dare to lie to my face now?"

"You reached level 16 in a mere four months; are you telling me you cannot even control your own martial soul?"

"Senior! You seem to have a lot of hostility toward Lin Yan."

Before Lin Yan could retort, Xue Qinghe spoke up first.

"Lin Yan's martial soul is the Evil Fire Demon Dragon, a powerful fire-attribute mutated martial soul. Is it really so unreasonable that he cannot fully control it at his current stage?"

"What is done is done. What we need to consider now is how to face the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family."

His attitude was incredibly firm, something that had never happened before.

In the past, Xue Qinghe would never speak too definitively to anyone; even with a commoner, he would always leave some room for maneuver in his words.

But today, he made his stance clear: he was going to protect Lin Yan. He looked exactly like a parent cleaning up after a child who had made a mistake.

Seeing this, Dugu Bo curled his lip.

"This brat is your person. How you deal with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family is your business; what does it have to do with this old man?"

Xue Qinghe's expression froze.

Things were so clear now, yet he hadn't expected Dugu Bo to still refuse to take a side. Just how afraid of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family was this guy...

It was truly unbelievable!

In truth, one couldn't blame Dugu Bo for not taking a side; the old man was currently thinking about how to secure a future for Dugu Yan.

From his perspective, since Yu Tianheng's talent had been ruined, if he could get his granddaughter to marry into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family now, it would completely solidify Dugu Yan's status.

That way, after he passed away in the future, Dugu Yan at least wouldn't be bullied.

It could only be said that Dugu Bo had too little confidence in his own future and was far too worried about Dugu Yan's path forward.

"If that is the case, Qinghe will have to ask the Emperor to step in."

"Lin Yan, come back to the palace with me."

Seeing that Dugu Bo refused to budge, Xue Qinghe simply gave up on the idea of dragging him into this.

Since Yu Tianheng had only suffered minor injuries, the imperial background alone was more than enough to smooth things over.

He stepped forward, took Lin Yan's small hand, and made to leave.

However, at this moment, Dugu Bo spoke again.

"Wait!"

"Let this old man take a look at your martial soul."