Breaking off Their Friendship Was Impossible, so Forgiveness Was the Only Choice!

"Uh..."

Seeing Dugu Yan's expression change dramatically as she pointed a trembling finger at her, Ye Lingling finally realized that she had let her "chicken feet" show.

An embarrassed blush rose to her face, but she quickly composed herself and admitted it outright.

"Yan Yan, Grandpa Dugu, I'm also a member of the Pill Tower. I joined about three years ago."

Ye Lingling spoke frankly.

Since Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan had already joined the Pill Tower, she really had no reason to hide it anymore.

At worst, she would apologize to the two of them afterward.

"So you approached me on purpose?"

After receiving Ye Lingling's confirmation, Dugu Yan was both anxious and angry, as though she had uncovered the truth.

So Ye Lingling had approached her with them in her sights from the very beginning.

No, more precisely, she had been after their Medicine Garden.

She had not forgotten that the first thing Ji Yang had asked for earlier was her grandfather's Medicine Garden.

"Lingling, you've really outdone yourself!"

Dugu Yan spoke through gritted teeth.

This was the first time anyone had "deceived" her like this, and it was her best friend who had fooled her so thoroughly.

Her feelings at that moment were easy to imagine.

In other words, had she brought this upon herself by inviting a wolf into her home?

Even if everything had turned out well in the end, she still could not quite swallow her anger.

"I'm sorry, Yan Yan. There's something in Grandpa Dugu's Medicine Garden that's extremely important to us nine heart begonia soul masters. It can change our clan's ill fate. I had no choice!"

"But please believe me, I truly do consider you my best friend. Besides, I wasn't the one who told A Yang where this place was this time. He found it himself."

Ye Lingling first apologized, then solemnly gave her assurance.

"I can vouch for that. I only asked her to befriend you and ascertain the situation at this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well Medicine Garden. We found our own way here this time."

"And Lingling really does consider you her best friend. She never intended to hurt either of you. She was even the one who asked me to cure you!"

Ji Yang backed up Ye Lingling's words.

At the end, he even threw in something entirely fabricated.

Ye Lingling did not even know about the side effects of the Dugu clan's jade phosphor snake martial soul, so how could she have asked him to do this?

But that did not stop him from deliberately saying it to improve Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan's impression of Ye Lingling and stir their gratitude.

That way, no matter how angry Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were, they would not keep holding it against Ye Lingling.

Especially since they would all be on the same side from now on, making it even less worth dwelling on.

"Well..."

Sure enough, after hearing Ji Yang's words, both Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan's expressions shifted slightly, and they instinctively exchanged a glance.

They had never imagined that Ye Lingling had given them so much consideration and even specifically asked Ji Yang for help.

No wonder Ji Yang had offered four such thorough solutions right from the start.

So Ye Lingling deserved the credit for that!

For that reason alone, even if Ye Lingling really had "betrayed" them, they ought to forgive her and thank her properly.

Besides, Ye Lingling's actions could hardly count as a betrayal.

As Ye Lingling and Ji Yang had said, she had not even had time to tell him the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Ji Yang had found his way here through his own abilities.

"Lingling, I'll forgive you this time, but you absolutely can't 'lie' to me again! Otherwise, I'll really stop talking to you, and I might even break off our friendship!"

Dugu Yan adopted an "indignant" tone.

Indignant though she sounded, her actual tone made it clear that she had already let the matter pass and would no longer quibble over it.

Breaking off their friendship was impossible. Forgiveness was her only choice, and one she had to make.

"Mm, I promise I won't!"

Ye Lingling first gave Ji Yang a grateful glance for speaking up on her behalf, then made her promise to Dugu Yan.

She was deeply relieved that the matter could be put behind them without affecting her friendship with Dugu Yan.

"So... Lingling, do you have one of these so-called... soul spirits too?"

Once they had all made their peace, Dugu Yan curiously questioned Ye Lingling.

Since Ye Lingling was so familiar with soul spirits and had long been a member of the Pill Tower, she could hardly help wondering whether Ye Lingling had soul spirits of her own.

Faced with Dugu Yan's curious question, Ye Lingling did not answer immediately.

She glanced at Ji Yang out of the corner of her eye, only nodding in confirmation after receiving his approving look.

"Yes, I have soul spirits too, two of them. One is a healing-type Life Sunflower King soul spirit, and the other is an attack-type Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine soul spirit."

"The Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine soul spirit also gave me the ability to protect myself and fight."

Ye Lingling explained.

After speaking, she summoned the Life Sunflower King and Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine soul spirits, letting them take their places on either shoulder.

"That's really a Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine!?"

Dugu Bo paid little attention to the Life Sunflower King soul spirit. Instead, he stared, tongue-tied, at the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine soul spirit on Ye Lingling's right shoulder.

He had heard of this kind of soul beast and knew full well how terrifying the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine was.

He had never imagined that Ji Yang and his companions had successfully hunted down a Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine and even turned him into Ye Lingling's soul spirit.

Most frightening of all, he vaguely sensed that this Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine soul spirit's aura was even stronger than his own as a Titled Douluo.

If his senses were right, that meant even he, the Poison Douluo, might be no match for Ye Lingling.

Was that right?

Could a soul master below the rank of Titled Douluo really possess such a powerful soul spirit, one that might very well be a hundred-thousand-year soul spirit?

At that moment, Dugu Bo's worldview was being rearranged.

"That's wonderful!"

Dugu Yan, however, had not thought that far.

At that moment, her gaze was filled with envy as she looked at the Life Sunflower King and Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine soul spirits.

"This is one of the benefits of joining the Pill Tower. You'll have one in the future too. Even your grandfather will have a chance!"

Ji Yang glanced at Dugu Yan as he spoke.

Since Dugu Yan had joined, he naturally would not begrudge her a Soul Spirit Pill.

As it happened, Dugu Yan's soul power level was currently thirty, making her a Quasi-Soul Elder, so he could arrange a suitable soul spirit for her afterward.

As for Dugu Bo, all nine soul ring slots of his jade phosphor serpent emperor martial soul were already filled. If he wanted a soul spirit, he would first have to take a Martial Soul Pill and obtain his own second martial soul.

At present, Ji Yang did not have a Martial Soul Pill strong enough to rival or surpass the jade phosphor serpent emperor. Later, he could have Dugu Bo hunt down a suitable soul master himself, then help him refine the corresponding Martial Soul Pill.

"We can have them too!?"

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan's eyes both lit up, their faces full of anticipation.

The next moment, they thanked Ji Yang in unison. "Thank you, Sect Master!"

To receive such a blessing, joining the Pill Tower had truly been the best decision they could have made.

"Mm. If there are no other questions, I'll begin purifying the toxins in your body!"

Ji Yang nodded slightly as he spoke.

"Sorry for the trouble, Sect Master!"

Dugu Bo immediately roused himself and adjusted his condition as best he could.

Once he was ready, Ji Yang had the radiant sun sacred phoenix soul spirit unleash the first soul skill, Phoenix Sacred Fire.

Whoosh-

A swath of flames poured from the radiant sun sacred phoenix soul spirit, landing on Dugu Bo in an instant and engulfing him completely.

Had Dugu Yan not already put some distance between herself and her grandfather, she would probably have been caught in the flames too, becoming a "human torch."