After leaving the scene of the farce, Dugu Yan did not take Xuan Ming to eat as he had expected. Instead, she carried him through the streets, heading somewhere he did not know.
"We're here." Dugu Yan stopped before a residence. Without even knocking, she carried Xuan Ming straight inside.
"Lingling!"
"Lingling!"
The spacious residence was empty and quiet. Clearly, its owner also liked peace and quiet.
"What is it?"
Hearing the calls, a little girl who looked about Xuan Ming's age walked out from the courtyard, dressed in black, with silvery-gray hair.
"Lingling, is your grandmother home?" Dugu Yan asked.
"She is. What's wrong?" Ye Lingling asked in confusion.
"This friend of mine is hurt. I wanted to trouble her to take a look at him." Dugu Yan gave Xuan Ming a little shake in her arms.
Ye Lingling froze, seemingly startled by Xuan Ming's peculiar appearance, but quickly recovered and turned to lead the way. "Come with me."
Dugu Yan hurried after her, carrying Xuan Ming.
When they reached the rear courtyard, Ye Lingling told Dugu Yan to put him in the pavilion. Then she went to the room on the east side and knocked. "Grandma, Yanyan brought a friend for you to treat."
"Mm." A simple acknowledgment came from inside.
Having received a response, Ye Lingling turned and walked back.
"What did she say?" Dugu Yan asked.
"Wait a moment," Ye Lingling said.
If her grandmother did not answer, that meant they should consider her absent-in other words, she would not treat the patient.
As long as she spoke, it meant they should wait; she was willing to treat them.
Dugu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She really had been a little worried that Ye Lingling's eccentric grandmother would refuse to help.
"You little girl, did you cause trouble again?"
The door opened, and an elderly woman who looked about sixty stepped out, wearing a pale blue brocade robe.
"Grandma Lan, I didn't cause trouble. I ran into an idiot, and things nearly went wrong," Dugu Yan said indignantly.
"An idiot?" Ye Lan walked over and rested a hand on Dugu Yan's shoulder.
"Aren't you perfectly fine?"
"Not me. Him." Dugu Yan pointed at Xuan Ming, who sat silently to one side.
Ye Lan looked over, her gaze immediately drawn to the two peculiar black dragons behind Xuan Ming. "This child... a Martial Soul mutation?"
"Grandma Lan, never mind that for now. Please look at his injuries first," Dugu Yan said.
"All right." Ye Lan placed her hand on Xuan Ming's shoulder as well. After sensing his condition, her expression shifted.
"How is he?" Dugu Yan asked worriedly.
"Not too bad. His recovery was timely, and you brought him here in time, too." Ye Lan released her Martial Soul. It took the form of a pink begonia blossom composed of white and pink petals, its colors vivid and its shape graceful. Leaves and trailing branches slipped down on either side, supple vines swaying in the breeze, dangling blossoms gently bobbing.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black. Seven Soul Rings slowly rose. This elderly woman was actually a healing-type Soul Saint!
Her Soul Rings flashed, and her Soul Skill activated. Milky-white, petal-shaped light drifted from the Nine Heart Begonia and poured into Xuan Ming's body, rapidly healing his injuries.
Within just a few breaths, all of Xuan Ming's injuries were healed, without even a trace of a scrape remaining.
"Thank you," Xuan Ming said.
"Mm." Ye Lan acknowledged him, withdrew her Martial Soul, and sat down.
"Tell me. What happened?"
Dugu Yan quickly poured out what they had encountered on the street to Ye Lan. The anger she had been holding back spilled out as well, and a faint killing intent unwittingly crept into her words.
If the eldest prince, Xue Qinghe, had not happened to appear today, she did not dare imagine what would have happened!
"Ge Long?" Ye Lan nodded.
"No wonder. His superficial wounds and bones were minor matters. The trouble was his internal injuries."
"The healing Soul Master who treated him at the time had too low a cultivation level and too little experience. They failed to notice that Ge Long's Soul Power had already severely damaged this child's internal organs. If you hadn't brought him to me in time, he would have been in grave danger after tonight."
"What?!" Dugu Yan's face paled with lingering fear, but immediately afterward, anger surged within her.
"I'm definitely having my grandfather slaughter that bastard!"
Ye Lan sighed. "Don't talk about that sort of thing here."
Dugu Yan nodded, her emotions settling considerably. "Thank you, Grandma Lan."
"It was a mere lift of the hand." Ye Lan looked at Xuan Ming.
"What made you think of attacking that Baers back then?"
"Among that bunch, he had the highest status," Xuan Ming said.
"Everyone around us was watching the show. If I killed him, the others wouldn't dare deal with us rashly. Once things blew up, someone who recognized Dugu Yan would eventually step forward."
Ye Lan paused. "That idea of yours... is certainly unusual."
There were indeed plenty of people in Heaven Dou City who recognized Dugu Yan. Among the onlookers at the time, someone must have recognized her.
But when something like that happened, there were always more spectators who did not mind the trouble growing bigger.
In that situation, although this child's idea had been rather extreme, it had also been the quickest approach and the one with the greatest chance of getting them rescued.
If Baers had been allowed to take them away, what happened afterward would have been hard to say.
But...
"You aren't even a Soul Master. How did you have the nerve to try to kill Baers?" Ye Lan asked.
Although this child had rank-ten Soul Power, he had yet to absorb a Soul Ring. There was a vast gap between him and a true Soul Master.
Even with that special domain, trying to kill a Soul Master of unknown strength under those circumstances had been far too impulsive.
"I took a gamble. There wasn't any other choice at the time. I couldn't just wait to die," Xuan Ming said.
"A gamble?" Ye Lan raised her eyebrows.
"That Baers is a prince of the Balak Kingdom. If you really had killed him, even if Dugu Yan emerged unscathed afterward, you certainly wouldn't have escaped."
The Balak Kingdom's military strength was second only to that of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family!
Moreover, the king of Barak was the current Heaven Dou Emperor's younger paternal cousin. If something really had happened, Dugu Yan had Poison Douluo backing her, so the Balak Kingdom would not dare hold her accountable. But that might not be the case for this boy.
"I had no other choice. I couldn't wait to die," Xuan Ming said.
"Even if they came after me, at least I'd have someone to take down with me."
That Baers had clearly already decided he was a slave. Once they were captured, he was not sure whether anything would happen to Dugu Yan, but he would definitely be finished.
The passersby watched coldly, and escape was impossible.
Faced with someone like that, swallowing humiliation and compromising would only lead to a humiliating death.
In that situation, staking everything on one desperate attempt was the only approach he could think of.
Besides, he had nearly succeeded. If Ge Long had not suddenly interfered, his blood spear would definitely have pierced Baers's throat!
"You still refuse to accept it?" Ye Lan found it somewhat amusing.
He had nearly died!
And he still refused to accept it?
"I don't accept it either." Dugu Yan looked thoroughly displeased.
"He didn't come earlier or later, but jumped out just when Baers was about to die. It was like he did it on purpose."
Even if she killed that damned prince, would the king of Barak really dare oppose her grandfather?
That idiot was the one who had started this!
Chapter 16: Seemingly true, yet not
"All right. How you intend to take revenge is your own business. I won't meddle."
Ye Lan stood up. "But take my advice. In his condition, he really shouldn't be wandering around outside."
Although Prince Baers's unreasonable behavior had been largely responsible for this incident, this child's peculiar appearance had been its starting point.
When Martial Soul mutations caused a person's body to look different from ordinary people's, they would end up reduced to playthings in the vast majority of cases.
Rarity made things precious. Whether he had the aptitude to become a Soul Master or not, and regardless of his talent, this peculiar appearance was currently this child's greatest problem.
After all, talent meant nothing in the eyes of the strong.
No matter how great your talent was, people would not concern themselves with your future, because it had nothing to do with them. All that mattered was the present.
Only a genius who had grown into their strength was a genius. Having talent while being weak did not make someone a genius, much less give them an advantage. It could even prove fatal.
The human heart was unfathomable. Countless people, upon learning of another's exceptional talent, would want all the more to snuff it out while they were still weak.
Having lived to her age, she had seen far too many such things.
"But today's incident caused such a huge commotion. It'll definitely spread throughout Heaven Dou City tomorrow," Dugu Yan said.
"Heaven Dou City is enormous. All kinds of people come here, including no shortage of Soul Masters from elsewhere. Can you be beside him every time?" Ye Lan said.
"Better one less trouble than one more. Even if he goes out, try to conceal him a little. His appearance is far too conspicuous."
"And..."
Ye Lan paused and looked at Xuan Ming. "You have innate full Soul Power?"
While treating him earlier, she had also checked this child's bone age and Soul Power fluctuations.
Six years old, with rank-ten Soul Power fluctuations, but no Soul Ring added yet.
"Mm." Xuan Ming nodded.
"Then you need to keep an even lower profile," Ye Lan said.
"Surely it's not that serious? With my grandfather around, would anyone dare attack him?" Dugu Yan said.
"If it were you, naturally you would be safe. But he might not be," Ye Lan said.
Dugu Yan was Dugu Bo's own granddaughter, and his only remaining family in this world. If anything happened to this child, Dugu Bo would certainly go mad!
Once that old poisoner went mad, all beneath the Titled rank were equal!
Everyone understood that very well. Thus, even if Dugu Yan possessed exceptional talent, no one would dare attack her.
But this boy was not so important to Dugu Bo.
Especially once today's events spread, that peculiar innate domain would inevitably draw considerable attention. It might well attract people harboring sinister intentions.
Failing to recruit someone, then turning around and ambushing them to kill them-such things were extremely common in the Soul Master World. Never mind a little child like him; even Titled Douluos faced the same thing.
Decades ago, when she was still young, she had witnessed that very scene firsthand.
Spirit Hall's adjudication elder, its current Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu, one of the two great peaks of the Soul Master World-had Tang Chen not emerged back then and led the Clear Sky Sect to stand against Spirit Hall as an equal, today's Soul Master World...
"I'm going to rest. Make yourselves at home." Whatever Ye Lan had thought of, her mood had soured, and she turned and returned to her room.
Dugu Yan was already accustomed to this eccentric old grandmother. After all, her grandfather was much the same.
Compared to her grandfather, Grandma Ye Lan's temper was actually quite good.
"Is there anything to eat?"
Xuan Ming really was too hungry to endure it any longer. He looked at Ye Lingling and took the initiative to ask.
Ye Lingling paused. "Something to eat?"
"I'm hungry," Xuan Ming said earnestly.
Dugu Bo had rushed all the way back with him. That old poisoner was a Titled Douluo and could go ten days or half a month without eating, but he could not.
He had already been hungry, then gone through all that trouble and nearly been beaten to death. Now, he really was so hungry that he could barely stand.
"Yes." Ye Lingling turned and ran toward the kitchen.