Dugu Yan: Grandpa, you've found me an ancestor, haven't you!

The group walked into the city.

Dugu Bo walked at the very front, followed by Beiming Lieyang and the other two, while Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling brought up the rear.

Dugu Yan stared the entire way, and the more she looked, the stranger she felt.

Her grandfather subconsciously glanced sideways at the blond teenager's position every few steps, as if he were afraid the person would get lost.

The two women flanked him on the left and right, walking at a leisurely pace, yet subtly shielding the teenager in the middle.

She had seen this kind of formation before; the Imperial Fighting Team had it too.

It was a formation to protect the core.

"That blond one,"

Ye Lingling suddenly leaned in closer, her voice lowered. "He actually looks pretty good."

Dugu Yan: "...You're looking at faces right now?"

"Looking doesn't cost anything."

Ye Lingling's expression didn't change. "The two women next to him are quite pretty too."

Dugu Yan glared at her. "What kind of people do you think they are?"

Ye Lingling thought for a moment and shook her head. "Hard to say, but your grandfather's attitude toward them really isn't right. When has he ever been this polite to anyone? Anyone who didn't know better would think he went out and brought back an ancestor for you."

Dugu Yan choked slightly. "Will it kill you to say a little less?"

"Yes." Ye Lingling's expression remained unchanged.

Dugu Yan: "..."

While the two girls were sizing them up, Beiming Lieyang, Ice Emperor, and Snow Emperor all sensed their gazes.

Beiming Lieyang glanced back and withdrew his gaze.

Dugu Yan was Dugu Bo's granddaughter, and Ye Lingling was the contemporary successor of the Nine Heart Begonia.

No matter how many spirit rings this martial soul added, it only produced a single skill: healing. Its range and magnitude grew with the age of the spirit rings.

Yet this martial soul carried a curse: it was passed down to only one person per generation, and only two martial soul holders could exist simultaneously in the same era, otherwise it might not have been unable to contend with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

However, the Nine Heart Begonia lineage had saved countless spirit masters, accumulated a vast number of debtors of gratitude, and people seeking treatment came in an endless stream.

Ordinary spirit masters truly did not dare to provoke them.

Everyone was bound to get injured at some point.

Right now, though, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were only thirteen and twelve, meaning the Imperial Fighting Team had probably been formed not long ago.

Come to think of it, ever since he had been leveling up rapidly all the way here, it seemed he had never truly fought. His hands were itching a bit.

Dugu Yan couldn't be bothered to pay attention to her anymore and continued staring at the back in front of her, feeling that the more she looked, the wronger it felt.

"Grandfather."

She suddenly quickened her pace by two steps and walked to Dugu Bo's side. "When on earth are you going to tell me who they are?"

Dugu Bo turned his head to look at her, then glanced at Beiming Lieyang, his tone cautious:

"We'll talk when we reach the residence, don't rush."

Dugu Yan opened her mouth, but the words died on her lips and she swallowed them back.

Walking at the very back, Ye Lingling watched Dugu Yan's stifled expression. The corners of her lips curved slightly, and her deep blue eyes clearly spelled out a single sentence.

You're getting a taste of your own medicine.

Without even turning around, Dugu Yan knew what she was thinking. She turned back to glare at her, only to be met with an innocent shrug from Ye Lingling.

Dugu Yan had wracked her brain yet couldn't figure out what kind of distinguished guest could possibly reduce that stubborn old grandfather of hers to such a state.

"Yan'er, you haven't seen Senior Dugu for a long time, so I won't intrude."

Seeing that they were about to reach the Dugu Manor, Ye Lingling timely spoke up to take her leave.

"You're staying with me."

"I..." Ye Lingling carefully glanced at Dugu Bo and the three figures of Beiming Lieyang; as an outsider, it really wasn't appropriate for her to get involved.

Dugu Bo, however, paid them no mind and focused entirely on introducing the surrounding geography to Beiming Lieyang.

At the end, he added another sentence: "My granddaughter Yan'er is quite familiar with Heaven Dou City. If you're interested, I can have her lead the way for a stroll to relax."

He had his own plans.

His master possessed monstrous talent, and the poison in Yan'er's body still relied on his master to lift. Getting her to build a good relationship with his master was the priority.

Beiming Lieyang nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon the long streets of Heaven Dou City.

As expected of a national capital, it was indeed lively.

Ice Emperor curiously looked around, her golden eyes filled with novelty.

Over the past few years, for the sake of the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, she hadn't run to major human cities a few times to steal...

Ahem, borrow. It was borrowing.

After all, only Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue was of a high enough grade to be used as materials for little Yang, and a single city only had that little stock—how could it possibly be enough?

She had no choice but to patronize those city lord mansions and sect storehouses one by one to help them deplete their inventory.

As an honest and law-abiding soul beast, what did she know about all those human intricacies?

If she wanted something, she just took it... mm-hm, borrowed it, she borrowed it.

Later on, however, she found out that this thing was used by nobles in the human world as an aphrodisiac gadget.

When she finished hearing that, her face was full of disgust.

This didn't match what little Yang said at all.

Fortunately, what little Yang said was that it had to be refined and burned with fire-type soul power before it could be used.

That made sense then.

Each harboring their own thoughts, the group finally arrived at the Dugu Manor after a short while.

Upon entering, Dugu Bo's demeanor grew even more respectful:

"Master, this is this subordinate's residence. The conditions are rather ordinary, so please do not blame me."

"Old Poison, your environment here is already very nice." Beiming Lieyang looked around.

Dugu Bo's residence was indeed luxurious.

After all, it was a property Emperor Xue Ye had gone to great lengths to win over.

However, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, who were following behind, froze simultaneously.

Wait, Grandfather/His Excellency Dugu just said what?

Master?

And furthermore, the other party called him "Old Poison"?

The two girls' necks turned with stiff jerks as they looked at each other, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.

Grandfather/His Excellency Dugu—a Title Douluo—was actually calling himself a "subordinate" to a teenager who looked quite young?

This posture was practically abased to the absolute lowest.

Are you kidding me?

Dugu Yan couldn't hold it in any longer. She stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of Dugu Bo's robe:

"Grandfather, what on earth are you doing just now?"

"Yan'er, show some respect!"

Dugu Bo's expression turned stern. "From now on, you must be just like me, treating Master and the two adults with absolute reverence."

Dugu Yan found it hard to comprehend.

How did her own grandfather, a Title Douluo, go out for a trip and end up recruiting a master for the Dugu family?

"Then what am I supposed to call him?" Dugu Yan asked somewhat reluctantly.

Beiming Lieyang looked at her. "Just use my name. Beiming Lieyang."

Dugu Bo hastily said, "Master, Yan'er's generation is too low. To address you directly by name is... rather disrespectful."

"A name is merely a code."

Beiming Lieyang waved his hand. "Otherwise, how is she supposed to address me when she goes out? She obviously can't follow you and call me master."

Dugu Bo hesitated for a moment, ultimately pressing the matter no further.

Dugu Yan muttered quietly under her breath: "Beiming Lieyang..."

At least it wasn't hard to remember.

Yet the curiosity in her heart grew heavier and heavier.

Just what background did this person have to make her grandfather act like this?

Since his master had spoken, Dugu Bo no longer fussed over it and immediately arranged their living quarters.

He cleared out the largest main building and several adjacent rooms for Beiming Lieyang, Ice Emperor, and Snow Emperor to inhabit.

Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor, however, hesitated slightly.

With this arrangement, wouldn't they end up sleeping separately from little Yang?

For the past few years, they had always slept together. Suddenly separating made them feel like something wasn't quite right.

Yet since they were in the human world now, the two women couldn't very well bring it up directly.

If it sparked unnecessary speculation, it would inevitably cause trouble for little Yang.

Anything that would cause him trouble was out of the question.

Standing to one side, Dugu Yan watched her grandfather bustling about making arrangements and couldn't help clicking her tongue.

This looked nothing like a fake; she feared they genuinely had invited an ancestor back for the Dugu family.

The more she thought about it, the more absurd it felt, yet she had to admit that she had never witnessed her grandfather display such an attitude of awe.

Even her stubborn old grandfather had a day when he bowed his head.

Completely oblivious to his granddaughter's thoughts, Dugu Bo was still pondering how to make his master live even more comfortably.