Dugu Yan: You Can't Force a Melon to Be Sweet! Dugu Bo: If You Don't Force It, You Won't Even Have a Melon!

Revealing the truth.

Dugu Bo actually felt a sense of relief now.

He trembled as he let out a long breath, then pulled Dugu Yan into his arms.

"In the time you have left, let your grandfather fulfill all your wishes."

Dugu Yan stared intently at Dugu Bo, trying to find a crack in his expression.

"Not much time left," "poison from the Martial Soul"...

Grandpa must have come up with this to spur her on because he thought she was too timid about matters of the heart.

None of it was true!

And yet... even after she had stared at Dugu Bo for a long time, his expression never changed in the slightest.

That sorrowful look on his face couldn't possibly be fake.

At that, Dugu Yan's heart died...

She let all her weight fall against Dugu Bo, her body going completely limp as she lowered her eyes.

"Forget it. You can't force a melon to be sweet."

"Since Lingling and Lin Yan are about to make things official, I have no reason to steal her man."

"Having Grandpa by my side is enough for the days ahead."

It wasn't that Dugu Yan was being melodramatic. After learning that her grandfather didn't have long to live, she was no longer in the mood for romance. She might as well let Ye Lingling have him.

But while Dugu Yan thought that way, Dugu Bo did not.

Dugu Bo gripped the girl's shoulders with both hands, his face stern as he spoke.

"Foolish!"

"You can't force a melon to be sweet, but if you don't force it, you won't even have a melon."

Everyone dies in the end. If you don't enjoy yourself while you can, when will you?"

With that, he turned his gaze to the unconscious Lin Yan.

"Brat, quit pretending!"

"This old man means you no harm. As long as you treat Yan Yan well, I won't hurt you."

Dugu Yan was stunned. She followed Dugu Bo's gaze.

The young man lying on the ground slowly opened his eyes, then sat up and awkwardly scratched his head.

"Lin Yan!"

The girl was astonished that Lin Yan had been faking unconsciousness.

But on second thought, it made sense. A Titled Douluo had suddenly dragged him away by force; without knowing whether the man meant him harm, pretending to be unconscious was a reasonable response.

Dugu Yan looked at Lin Yan and spoke apologetically.

"Um... sorry. It's fine, just pretend you're a guest at my home. I won't force you to do anything."

Lin Yan didn't answer Dugu Yan. Instead, he turned his gaze to Dugu Bo.

"Senior, are you poisoned?"

Dugu Bo didn't answer, but his silence was as good as an admission.

The grandfather and granddaughter hadn't kept their conversation private, and Dugu Bo had already assumed Lin Yan was faking unconsciousness and listening in. That meant Dugu Bo didn't mind Lin Yan knowing about this now.

The air fell silent for a moment, then Lin Yan spoke again.

"Then Senior Sister's Martial Soul is also the Jade Phosphor Snake. Does that mean she..."

He didn't finish, but everyone present understood what he meant.

Dugu Yan suddenly understood. She looked up at Dugu Bo in disbelief.

"Grandpa..."

"I... I, too..."

Dugu Bo let out another heavy sigh.

"Go find some remote city to live in with that brat. Use your Soul Skills less often. That may delay the poison's attacks to some extent."

"What? I... I won't live long either?"

"Mm..."

Dugu Bo didn't deny it.

They both had the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul. Naturally, Dugu Yan couldn't escape the fate of being devoured by its poison.

There was no way he could keep that from her.

The moment Dugu Yan learned the truth, her heart turned to ash.

No wonder her body sometimes felt numb and itchy. No wonder she would feel terribly weak from time to time and only recover after receiving Ye Lingling's healing Soul Skill.

So all the signs had been there...

Unable to accept reality, she fainted from grief on the spot.

Dugu Bo wasn't especially surprised, because he had once gone through the same thing.

When his son, Dugu Xin, died from the poison of his Martial Soul, Dugu Bo had also fainted from overwhelming grief...

The air fell silent for a moment.

Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Yan, unconscious now, and shut his eyes in despair. Two streams of tears ran down his face.

It was Heaven's will!

He was a mighty Titled Douluo, revered by countless people, yet he couldn't protect the loved ones around him.

Even worse, his family members were all going to die one after another because of him. How ridiculous...

He raised his head to the sky, the corner of his mouth twisting into a mocking smile.

He seemed to be scoffing at fate's injustice, and perhaps grieving over the state of his own life.

But just then, Lin Yan suddenly cried out from nearby.

"Wow! An Immortal Herb: Earth Dragon Golden Melon!"

"This is Aromatic Silk Beauty!"

"This is Lovesick Heartbreak Red!"

Dugu Bo followed the sound and saw that Lin Yan had gotten up at some point and was wandering among the flowers and plants he didn't recognize.

Every time he passed one, he let out an excited cry, as if he'd stumbled upon some rare treasure.

"Boy, you recognize these?"

Lin Yan turned around.

He put on a look of astonishment.

"Senior, all these plants in your garden are Immortal Herbs!"

"Immortal Herbs? What does that mean?"

Dugu Bo looked utterly bewildered, and Lin Yan put on a puzzled look as well.

"An Immortal Herb is an Immortal Herb! Aren't these herbs you planted?"

"No. When this old man discovered this place, these flowers and plants were already growing here."

"I see. I was wondering why you were guarding so many Immortal Herbs while enduring the bone-deep agony of the poison from your Martial Soul."

The two went back and forth. Lin Yan struck just the right balance between excitement and confusion, looking exactly like a child who had found something precious.

But Dugu Bo heard the implication.

"You mean..."

"That's right. A few of these Immortal Herbs can completely resolve the poison in your body and Senior Sister's."

The moment those words left his mouth, Dugu Bo stiffened.

He didn't even have time to worry about Dugu Yan, who was still unconscious. After carefully laying the girl on the ground, he went straight to Lin Yan.

"Boy, don't you dare try to fool this old man!"

Lin Yan remained calm.

"Senior, whether I'm fooling you or not, you can ask Clan Head Ye."

"Clan Head Ye?"

"Explain yourself. What exactly is going on?"

Things were unfolding as planned. A blatant smile tugged at Lin Yan's lips as he explained.

"I visited Ye Mansion today, and while chatting with Aunt Ye, I happened to read some of the Ye Family's records."

"One of those books recorded information about these Immortal Herbs."

"Look, this is Aromatic Silk Beauty. Its fragrance creates an invisible pink barrier. Within its range, all poisons become ineffective, neutralized by the scent."

As he spoke, Lin Yan stepped into the area covered by the pink barrier and looked at Dugu Bo.

"Senior, try releasing a poison attack on me."

Dugu Bo furrowed his brows slightly.

He was a Titled Douluo. Was he really supposed to attack a child?

What if the information Lin Yan had given him was wrong?

"Senior, there's no need to worry. If you're afraid your attack might hurt me, I'll step farther back."

Lin Yan saw the concern in Dugu Bo's heart. After speaking, he quietly backed away a little, stopping just before he was about to leave the barrier.

Only then did Dugu Bo secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

At this distance, even if Lin Yan's information was wrong and the pink barrier did nothing, he would still have time to pull back his attack.

With that in mind, a flash of green light appeared in his hand.

"Boy, be careful. I'll slow my attack down on purpose. If you can't handle it, make sure you dodge in time."

Though Dugu Bo treated Lin Yan badly, he meant him no harm.

Especially since Lin Yan was the Crown Prince's man, Dugu Bo had even less reason to attack him. But...

If some of these Immortal Herbs really could cure the poison from the Martial Soul afflicting him and his granddaughter...

"Don't worry, Senior. I'm very confident in what Clan Head Ye's records say."

Lin Yan again emphasized the records Ye Rou'er had shown him.

Dugu Bo might not care about that now, but afterward, Lin Yan could use it as a more reasonable explanation for claiming the Immortal Herbs.