The moment Ye Hesong finished speaking, the backyard fell utterly silent.
Dugu Bo's eyes widened in shock. Old Ye, you actually had this kind of plan?
Seeing Ye Hesong's expression, Lu Xiao had long since guessed at his identity!
Ye Hesong slowly said, "Your Excellency, this junior's Martial Soul is called the Nine-Hearted Begonia!"
At the words "Nine-Hearted Begonia," a trace of surprise flashed through Du Busi's eyes.
"To be honest, the Nine-Hearted Begonia has been passed down through a single line for generations. At most, only two inheritors can exist in the world at the same time."
Bitterness appeared on Ye Hesong's face. "By my generation, only my granddaughter and I remain in the Ye Clan."
"My talent is limited, and I am already advanced in years. Soul Sage is the end of my cultivation. There is no possibility of further progress."
"After I die, my granddaughter will surely be forced by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to choose a side. I ask for nothing else, only to borrow Your Excellency's prestige to protect her and let her grow up safely. As for this marriage, the two children may decide entirely according to their own wishes."
Dugu Bo was involved in the imperial family's struggle for power himself, so he naturally understood how cruel it was!
The Nine-Hearted Begonia was the continent's number one healing-type support Martial Soul, far rarer than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
It was born a prized treasure, but also born a source of disaster.
What major power on the continent, what one of the two great empires, did not want to seize the Nine-Hearted Begonia for themselves?
In the past, with Dugu Bo secretly protecting them and Ye Hesong possessing the strength of a Soul Sage, the Ye Clan had been able to establish themselves securely in Heaven Dou City.
But once Ye Hesong passed away, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would definitely move at once to forcibly bring the Ye Clan under its control and bind the Nine-Hearted Begonia completely to the imperial chariot!
Ye Hesong was doing this only to find his granddaughter someone to rely on, helping her avoid the whirlpool of conflict among the various powers.
Not only did Du Busi not become angry, he instead burst into hearty laughter, a shrewd gleam flashing in his eyes.
"I'll agree to this marriage on behalf of my disciple!"
The third stage of the Body Sect's Innate Secret Technique was called "Reforging." It required reforging one's own internal organs; calling it a near-death ordeal would not be an exaggeration.
With the help of the Nine-Hearted Begonia Martial Soul, the risks of this stage could be greatly reduced.
Lu Xiao's mouth twitched as he said helplessly, "Master, shouldn't you at least ask for my opinion on something as important as marriage?"
Du Busi waved a hand dismissively. "Ask for what? No matter how you calculate it, you're the one getting the better deal. What is there to ask?"
Having recovered from his shock, Dugu Bo stepped forward with an ingratiating smile and cautiously said in a low voice, "Senior, I also have a granddaughter. Do you think perhaps..."
"Let fate decide." Du Busi brushed him off blandly.
Overjoyed, Ye Hesong turned and hurried into the inner hall of the clinic.
A moment later, he returned carrying paper, brushes, and ink.
The clutter on the stone table in the backyard was swept away, and the writing materials were laid out.
Ye Hesong's brush moved as smoothly as flowing clouds. Before long, he had drafted two copies of the marriage contract.
He specifically added a clause: "This agreement takes effect only with both parties' consent; if either party is unwilling, it shall be voided unconditionally."
Ye Hesong was the first to pick up the specially made brush, infuse it with a trace of Soul Power, and sign his name.
"Your Excellency, please." Ye Hesong pushed the brush before Du Busi.
Du Busi casually picked it up and left a bold, powerful signature.
With the engagement settled, Ye Hesong did not delay further. He took out two treasured cold-jade medicine boxes.
The instant the jade boxes were opened, two entirely different precious lights filled the whole backyard.
On the left was a heavenly treasure with a warm, translucent base, wisps of pale golden fibers winding within it like drifting clouds. It was the Thousand-Year Dragon Marrow Gel.
On the right was a palm-sized ginseng, crimson all over like fresh blood.
Its roots were luxuriant, and faint golden dragon patterns flowed around it. A draconic blood aura rushed toward them. It was the Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Ginseng, grown with a dragon corpse as its fertile bed.
Du Busi accepted the two heavenly treasures without ceremony, then casually tossed the sixty-thousand-year Soul Bone to Ye Hesong as though it were nothing remarkable.
"Keep this Soul Bone as proof of the engagement."
Without waiting for Ye Hesong to respond, he directly took Lu Xiao and tore through the air, departing.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a refined little courtyard.
"Damn Lu Xiao! Scoundrel! Pervert!"
Dugu Yan clenched her jade-like fists and savagely struck the large tree in the courtyard.
With a dull bang, branches and leaves rustled down.
Ever since childhood, she had been proud and aloof. Spoiled by her elders and feared by her peers, she had never had the slightest intimate contact with the opposite sex, much less been touched in such a private place.
Yet whenever she recalled that touch, the muscles all over her body involuntarily weakened, and the anger in her heart inexplicably faded by more than half.
Dugu Yan stomped her feet in anger and embarrassment, muttering softly, "Dugu Yan! Dugu Yan! How could you think like that!"
Shame, indignation, and an indescribable panic tangled in her heart.
Unwilling to accept it, she raised her delicate fist, about to strike the trunk again.
"Yan, you've been cursing that tree for half an hour already. Take a break!"
A gentle, ethereal, tender girl's voice came from inside the room, easing some of the stifling irritation in the courtyard.
Ye Lingling slowly walked out. Her gaze fell upon the old tree, which trembled nonstop and was covered in scars, and a trace of heartache flashed through her eyes.
She wore a simple black dress. Her waterfall-like ice-blue hair hung softly over her slender back, and her slim, graceful figure inspired instinctive pity.
Ye Lingling had a pair of exceptionally clear, beautiful ice-blue eyes. Her gaze was limpid to the bottom, and her long lashes curved slightly upward. With every soft blink, they seemed to speak.
"Lingling~~"
Dugu Yan threw herself at Ye Lingling, her tone carrying a hint of pitiful grievance. "Hurry and let your sister hug you. Lu Xiao 'bullied' me!"
Ye Lingling gently raised her arms and tenderly embraced the Dugu Yan rushing toward her.
Because the Nine-Hearted Begonia could ease the venom backlash of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul, the Ye Clan and the Dugu Clan had been close friends for generations, beginning with her grandfather.
By their generation, the two naturally became close friends as well.
Only before Ye Lingling and Dugu Bo would Dugu Yan reveal such a vulnerable, coquettish side.
"Don't sulk. Tell me slowly, what happened?"
Ye Lingling gently stroked Dugu Yan's dark green hair, her blue eyes soft. "Is the new captain really that strong?"
Ye Lingling did not know what Lu Xiao had done to Dugu Yan. She only thought Dugu Yan was upset after losing a sparring match.
Dugu Yan buried her face in Ye Lingling's shoulder, too embarrassed to look up. At the thought of that accidental touch, a faint numbness spread through her body.
How could she possibly bring herself to talk about something like that!
Thinking of it, Dugu Yan puffed up in anger and clenched her little fists again. "Lingling, if you see that Lu Xiao in the future, you must stay far away from him. That guy is a complete bastard!"
Ye Lingling smiled. "All right, I'll stay away from him. Sit down first. I'll help ease the pain caused by your venom backlash."
Dugu Yan obediently sat down and slowly said, "I don't know what happened, but the pain from the venom backlash seems to have lessened a lot!"
Ye Lingling's expression grew serious as she released her Nine-Hearted Begonia.
A pink begonia flower rested in Ye Lingling's hands, its petals vivid and its form exquisite.
A soft, pale-green glow of life spread across the entire courtyard.
Ye Lingling's third Soul Ring lit up.
With a light wave of her slender hand, a faint fragrance drifted through the air.
White and pink petals slowly descended, landing directly upon Dugu Yan before lightly melting into her body.
The petals of the Nine-Hearted Begonia unfolded layer by layer as pure healing light slowly flowed into Dugu Yan's body.
Ye Lingling froze slightly.
The dense black toxic filth that usually coiled through Dugu Yan's meridians had thinned by more than half today.
After purifying the remaining poison, she looked at Dugu Yan in confusion. "Yan, did you find a way to suppress the venom backlash?"
"I didn't do anything today..."
Dugu Yan looked utterly baffled, then her body stiffened. She suddenly remembered how the faint pain in her body had inexplicably weakened when she approached Lu Xiao that morning, along with the elegant, subtle fragrance surrounding him.
Her cheeks flushed scarlet again as she murmured, "Could it... be because of Lu Xiao?"
Hearing that, Ye Lingling stepped forward and gently took her wrist, speaking solemnly. "This is no small matter. Let's go find him and get an answer."
Ye Lingling gripped her wrist and pulled Dugu Yan toward the courtyard gate!
"Ah? Go find him?"
Dugu Yan stiffened and instinctively shrank back. "No! Lingling, can we not go?"
"Be good."
Ye Lingling's tone was gentle, but her attitude was firm.
She knew that Dugu Yan's backlash symptoms were steadily worsening, with the intervals between episodes growing shorter and shorter.
Unable to resist Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan could only be forcibly dragged to Lu Xiao's courtyard.
Before you continue