Evening.
Dugu Bo arrived at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's training room with a bowl of melted Whale Rubber that had turned gelatinous.
"Grandpa, you're here! Lingling and I have been waiting forever. Hurry up and give Lingling the medicinal ingredients you prepared." Dugu Yan had long been impatient to share this little secret with her best friend.
Ye Lingling respectfully greeted him, "Grandpa Dugu."
"Mm." Dugu Bo nodded. The more he looked at his future granddaughter-in-law, the more satisfied he became. With a doting smile, he said, "This is a medicinal ingredient that can improve your physical condition. Refine it with Soul Power after taking it. You will need to take it six times in total, and it will raise your body's strength to the level of over two thousand years."
To improve his future granddaughter-in-law's physical condition, Dugu Bo had chosen only the finest ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. However, each piece had to be divided into several doses for Ye Lingling; otherwise, its aphrodisiac effects were not something a child could endure.
Ye Lingling was delighted and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Grandpa Dugu."
Ye Lingling did not recognize the melted Whale Rubber. After taking the bowl, she could only smell a faint fishy stench.
Of course, even if a whole piece of Whale Rubber had been placed before her, she would not have recognized it. She was a pure and innocent seven-year-old girl—how could she possibly know about aphrodisiacs?
When Ye Lingling refined the Whale Rubber and those desires between men and women were amplified, Dugu Lin happened to appear before her at just that moment!
The instant Ye Lingling saw Dugu Lin, he left an unforgettable impression deep within her heart!
The hazy budding feelings of a young girl began to change subtly, and her little face flushed bright red.
Seeing this, Dugu Lin was secretly delighted. When other girls absorb Whale Rubber in the future, I can show up before them too... Hehe~ Wouldn't that directly set the difficulty of winning them over to easy mode? No! No! That's way too sleazy! I can't do that!
Even if I don't want to be a good person, I absolutely can't have worse character than Shrek!
Dugu Lin put away his sleazy little thoughts and said seriously, "Sister, let's go prepare bathwater for Sister Lingling. Look, she's drenched in sweat."
"Mm, let's go together!"
After a while, once the bathwater had been prepared, Dugu Yan pouted and said, "Stinky little brother, Lingling is going to bathe. Why haven't you left yet?"
"Fine, fine. You even guard against children... Seriously~ Hmph~ I'm ignoring you two~" Dugu Lin muttered as he left.
Ye Lingling watched Dugu Lin's departing back, her little face flushed crimson and her tiny heart pounding wildly. Unfortunately, at her age, she might not even have understood what liking someone meant.
A few days later.
When Ye Lingling returned to the Ye Family, the date of Dugu Yan and Qian Renxue's engagement was also drawing near.
"Lingling, how did it go?"
As soon as she returned home, Ye Renxin hurriedly asked.
"Grandpa, I feel like my body has indeed become much stronger. Grandpa Dugu said that absorbing a two-thousand-year Soul Ring shouldn't be a problem."
"Let Grandpa examine you first." As the continent's foremost healing-type Soul Master, Ye Renxin only needed to feel her bones slightly to know that Ye Lingling's physical strength was even somewhat greater than that of a level-thirty prospective Soul Elder.
Ye Renxin exclaimed, "Sure enough... That old monster truly is bizarre. He can actually let a level-ten Soul Scholar absorb a two-thousand-year Soul Ring!"
Looking at Ye Lingling, Ye Renxin's feelings were complicated. As for the secret of a thousand-year first ring, it seemed he truly would have to offer up a granddaughter to Dugu Lin!
After pondering for a long time, Ye Renxin finally crouched down until he was level with Ye Lingling and softly said, "Lingling, our Nine-Heart Begonia Clan has been restricted by our Martial Soul for generations. At any one time, only two Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Souls can exist in the world..."
"Grandpa..." At the mention of this matter, Ye Lingling became extremely downcast.
Her father had been unable to awaken his Martial Soul because his Martial Soul was Nine-Heart Begonia, becoming the only person on Douluo Continent without a Martial Soul.
Later, after Ye Lingling's great-grandfather passed away, her father had originally had a chance to awaken the Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul. However, he chose not to awaken it, giving Ye Lingling the chance to awaken the Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul instead.
That was the curse of only two Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Souls being able to exist at the same time.
Yet this series of experiences had also made Ye Lingling quiet and reserved. This was how the future ice-cold beauty had been forged.
"Lingling..."
Ye Renxin's eyes reddened as he instructed her, "You broke through the Soul Ring age limit from your very first ring. Among countless generations of our clan, you are the one most likely to break this curse! Lingling, you must never let down your guard... You must cultivate diligently!"
"Mm!" Ye Lingling clenched her little fists tightly, forcing her stubborn tears back.
Placing such a heavy burden on the shoulders of his seven-year-old granddaughter weighed heavily on Ye Renxin's heart, but what else could he do?
Two days later.
After Ye Renxin found Ye Lingling a two-thousand-year Lone Bamboo Soul Ring and had just returned to Heaven Dou City, he heard the news that Dugu Yan was about to become engaged to Xue Qinghe, the eldest prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Sister Yan is getting engaged?" Ye Lingling looked utterly astonished.
Ye Renxin, who had heard the news, considered much more. That old monster is forming a marriage alliance with the Heaven Dou Empire and wants to pull in our Ye Clan as well... With the old monster, the Heaven Dou Empire, and our Ye Clan—three powerful parties joining forces—we truly could get involved in the business of thousand-year first rings!
However, Dugu Bo had no intention of revealing the secret of thousand-year first rings at this time. He was still planning to hide it for a few more years and stockpile a good supply.
A few more days passed, and the engagement banquet for Xue Qinghe and Dugu Yan was held as scheduled.
Inside a palace hall.
At the engagement banquet, Xue Luochuan drank a cup of wine in brooding silence, his face dark as he cast an almost imperceptible sideways glance at Xue Ye and the empress seated at the head table.
Xue Ye was all smiles as he raised his cup and said to Dugu Bo on his right, "It is the honor of the Heaven Dou Empire to have Your Excellency Dugu serve as our guest official! Come, let this cup express my respect!"
Dugu Bo also raised his cup and said with a laugh, "Hahaha~ Your Majesty is too courteous. In the future, my granddaughter will need the eldest prince to look after her!"
After downing his cup, Dugu Bo cast a satisfied glance toward where Qian Renxue sat.
Qian Renxue was now ten years old, but she was impersonating the eleven-year-old Xue Qinghe. On Douluo Continent, where adulthood came at an average age of twelve, the eleven-year-old Xue Qinghe already looked like a handsome young man. She was smiling happily, her smile as gentle as a spring breeze.
Dugu Yan, seated beside Dugu Bo, glanced at Qian Renxue. Upon meeting Qian Renxue's "burning" gaze, she immediately withdrew her shy eyes like a startled deer, her cheeks flushing red.
Dugu Lin's mouth twitched, and he worried inwardly, No way? No way? She hasn't really been turned, has she?
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