"You're saying that girl from the Ye Family can cure your innate poison with her healing ability?" Dugu Bo's brows furrowed. It wasn't that he didn't believe Dugu Yan; after all, most of her innate poison had indeed dissipated.
But he had once invited a Nine Heart Begonia inheritor to treat his son and daughter-in-law, and she had only been able to heal their injuries, not neutralize the poison.
"Lingling's talent and Soul Ring are rather special. It came from an unusual glazed tile deer, which is why she has that purification ability. But the Soul Skill consumes so much that she couldn't finish treating me in one go. I'll just visit her house again in a couple of days."
"A glazed tile deer? What kind of Soul Beast is that?" Confusion surfaced in Dugu Bo's eyes.
"Actually, we don't know exactly what it's called either..." Before Dugu Yan could finish, Dugu Bo interrupted her.
"You absorbed a ring from an unknown Soul Beast? Yanyan, how could you do that? What if something had gone wrong?" Dugu Bo's expression grew stern. He truly hadn't expected this group to be so bold as to absorb a Soul Ring from an unknown Soul Beast, and he certainly didn't want his granddaughter doing the same in the future.
"No, Grandpa, it wasn't unknown. With Ling Yu there..."
"Ling Yu? Who is he? Does he know a lot about Soul Beasts?" Dugu Bo frowned, vaguely feeling that the name sounded familiar.
"No, hear me out. Ling Yu is a student at our school. The key is his second Soul Skill-Spiritual Appraisal. It can appraise a Soul Beast's age, as well as the properties of all sorts of strange things, even if he doesn't know their names."
"What?" Dugu Bo's pupils shifted.
"There's a Soul Skill like that? Why does that name sound so familiar?"
"Of course it sounds familiar! When we went to take the Heaven Dou Secret Medicine, didn't Prince Xue Xing tell us he was the first person to test it? We even visited the school once and happened to run into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Right, so it was him. That brat with a thousand-year second ring."
"He's not a brat. He's my friend, Grandpa. Don't call him that. Besides, he promised to help me find Soul Beasts with compatible attributes in the future." Dugu Yan shook Dugu Bo's arm.
"All right, all right. Grandpa will listen to you. I won't call him that anymore." Dugu Bo affectionately stroked Dugu Yan's head.
"How does that Spiritual Appraisal of his work? Can you tell Grandpa about it in detail?"
"According to him, once he activates the Soul Skill, he can read some information from the true spirit of things."
"Anything at all?"
"He said he hasn't encountered anything he couldn't read. It's just a matter of how much information he gets."
Dugu Bo's expression grew grave, and his thoughts stirred. Spiritual Appraisal... There are far too many things I don't recognize in that medicinal garden in Sunset Forest. I need to find a way to get that boy over there. But Yanyan seems to value this friend of hers, and he has ties to the Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect too. It seems I can't use force.
"Grandpa, what's wrong? Why do you look so awful?"
"Don't worry. Once Lingling reaches a higher rank, she'll be able to purify all the poison in your body too." Seeing him suddenly sink into thought, Dugu Yan assumed he was thinking about the poison in his own body.
Only then did Dugu Bo come back to his senses and hurriedly respond, sighing inwardly. By the time that girl from the Ye Family cultivates enough to treat me, I'll probably already be dead. The pain that erupts late every night is growing worse and worse. Forget it. Better not tell Yanyan...
I need to hurry and find her a few more backers. Otherwise, what will she do after I'm gone...
Xue Xing, a Martial Soul Oath can't be faked...
"Yanyan, go take a bath first. Grandpa will cook. It's been nearly half a month since the two of us last ate together." Dugu Bo raised his hand and tousled her hair.
"Grandpa, you're doing it again!"
"Forget it. Since you're cooking for me yourself, I'll let you off. Although Ling Yu's cooking these past few days was delicious, I still like Grandpa's best." With that, Dugu Yan ran to her room to have the attendants prepare hot water.
Watching his granddaughter's retreating figure, Dugu Bo's expression dimmed a little. The reason he had always insisted on cooking himself was that he wanted to spend more time with Dugu Yan and leave her with more memories. Yet he also feared that after he was gone, his granddaughter wouldn't be able to move on. He sighed inwardly:
In the past, Jade Phosphorous Serpent users all followed the power attack path, but I took an unorthodox route and devoted myself solely to poison, bringing harm to Xin'er and Yue'er. Fortunately, Yanyan is all right now...
Then he gathered his emotions, flashed into the kitchen, and began preparing dinner.
In Ling Yu's carriage on the way back to school-
"Senior Su Yao, could we go to the crown prince's residence first? I'd like to see Brother Xue. After all, it's been so many days. Maybe he's finished with his work." Ling Yu spoke.
Su Yao's heart jolted, and she didn't know how to answer. She had originally planned to report to Xue Qinghe that evening, so she had wishfully assumed that when Ling Yu told his friends he would return to school first, he truly intended to do so. In fact, thinking it over carefully, given their relationship, how could Ling Yu possibly not visit the crown prince's residence first?
"Then let's go take a look." Su Yao's expression was complicated, and she sighed inwardly. Some things can't be avoided in the end. Perhaps they're about to erupt. She then told the driver to change course.
After arriving at the crown prince's residence, the two stepped out of the carriage. The guards at the entrance immediately approached, and they learned that Xue Qinghe was inside.
"Your Highness, the Earl of Nuoding is here to visit." A maid stepped into the hall and spoke respectfully with her eyes lowered.
Xue Qinghe rose instantly, thoughts surging through his mind. He's finally back. He was gone for so many days...
"Have him go to the reception room." Xue Qinghe reined in his emotions and spoke flatly.
The maid acknowledged the order and left.
In truth, on the day Ling Yu left Heaven Dou City, panic had welled up within her. Day after day, without her realizing it, that figure in her heart had become more and more important.
She had even visited the Soul Tool research room several times, hoping that when she stepped inside, Ling Yu would still be there as usual, calling her Sister Xue as usual. But there wasn't a trace of life inside, making her regret all the more how she had always avoided seeing him because of her emotions back then.
What if he never comes back... These past few days, that thought had kept surfacing.
On her way to the reception room, she sensed Ling Yu's presence and unconsciously quickened her pace.
When she appeared in the doorway, that familiar voice rang out. "Brother Xue, I'm back! I came to see you as soon as I returned."
That figure still hadn't changed, but the person looking at him had.
"Stay here for dinner." A moment later, Xue Qinghe came to her senses and spoke softly.
"Sure! I can tell you about everything that's happened these past few days!" Ling Yu replied with a smile, a thought stirring in his mind. Looks like that matter really has passed.
Yes, he's still here. He came to see me as soon as he returned... Xue Qinghe's heart trembled. Then she recalled what Ling Yu had said that day-I've always been here-and the heart that had been fearful for days finally settled.