Chapter 24: Dugu Yan Visits Again, Caught in the Act by Dugu Bo

Two days later.

"Since the Royal Fighting Team returned, have there been any developments?" Li Zhexian asked Xue Qinghe, who stood beside him, appearing nonchalant.

Xue Qinghe glanced at him and said indifferently, "Who are you asking about?"

"Just curious, that's all."

Xue Qinghe let out a cold hum but replied nonetheless, "Yu Tianheng suffered two crushing defeats in a row and has returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan to undergo special training under his grandfather, Yu Yuanzhen, the Lightning Douluo."

"As for the others..."

"Ye Lingling has not stepped out of her house."

"Dugu Yan is also holed up in her manor."

As he spoke, even Xue Qinghe felt a bit puzzled.

"Come to think of it... Dugu Yan isn't the type to stay quiet. Why has she been so low-key these past two days?"

Li Zhexian held his fishing rod, looking entirely focused on the water.

*Good.*

*Being low-key is good.*

He had been worried that Dugu Yan’s slightly deranged personality might lead her to do something truly insane. It seemed now that she hadn't taken it to heart.

"Sigh, it's just that I’ll have to find snake venom elsewhere."

...

In the afternoon, Li Zhexian returned to his courtyard.

He stopped at the gate, his expression suddenly shifting.

*Damn it!*

*Why is Dugu Yan here again?*

After hesitating for a long moment, Li Zhexian turned to leave. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when a "creak" sounded from behind; the courtyard gate was pushed open from the inside, followed by Dugu Yan’s cold voice.

"Aren't you curious about what else your little lover said?"

Li Zhexian stopped, turned around, and frowned at her. "What do you want?"

Dugu Yan leaned against the doorframe, striking her signature pose with her arms crossed. She stared straight at Li Zhexian, her emerald-green eyes swirling with a mix of humiliation and anticipation.

"I’m not convinced."

"I want to fight you again."

Li Zhexian curled his lip. "Not interested."

Dugu Yan wound a strand of her purple hair around a slender finger and said coldly, "If you don't agree, I won't tell you what else your little lover said."

Li Zhexian’s brows knit together. "Dugu Yan, do you think that just because you have a grandfather who is a Title Douluo, I wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you?"

Dugu Yan’s breathing quickened slightly. "Yes, you wouldn't dare."

With that, she beckoned to him with a finger and fluttered into the courtyard. A flash of anger crossed Li Zhexian’s eyes, and he quickly followed.

Minutes later, in the courtyard:

*Swish—!*

A flash of cold light passed. Dugu Yan let out a pained grunt; the fabric on her arm was sliced open, and a streak of blood appeared on her fair skin. She was panting, looking quite disheveled.

Her left cheek was red and swollen, and a few stray hairs stuck to her bleeding lip. Both sleeves of her garment were shredded by sword energy, and four or five wounds crisscrossed her arms.

Li Zhexian said coldly, "Dugu Yan, are you still not going to admit defeat?!"

Dugu Yan stumbled and stood up. She lowered her head, her hair obscuring the twisted, morbid curve of her lips. "Li Zhexian, I will never admit defeat!"

Li Zhexian’s brows shot up, only to hear her continue: "Even if you make me spit more venom, I won't concede!"

*Huh?*

Li Zhexian paused.

*Right.*

*The snake venom I need—isn't it right in front of me?*

"Dugu Yan, if you push your luck, don't blame me for extracting more venom!"

"Bring it on! Bring it on!"

After subduing her in a few moves, Li Zhexian gripped her chin and pulled out the teacup from the other day, pressing it against her red lips. "Spit the venom!"

...

Watching Dugu Yan’s limping figure as she left, Li Zhexian, reflecting on whether he had been too rough, asked, "What else did Zhu Zhuqing say to you?"

Dugu Yan, eager to return and savor everything that had happened today, replied haphazardly, "She said she likes you and wants you to kiss her the next time you meet."

Li Zhexian: "..."

...

With a single sweep of his sword, he tidied up the messy yard. Li Zhexian prepared to start his second attempt at brewing.

Suddenly, he frowned. He picked up the teacup containing the snake venom and swirled it.

"Something feels off..."

"Is this snake venom coming too easily?"

Li Zhexian wasn't the type to overthink things. If he couldn't figure it out, he stopped trying. He immediately began the brewing process.

As the sun sank in the west, the world turned a brilliant orange. Li Zhexian looked at the pitch-black mash before him, his handsome face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Failed again!"

"Brewing is harder than I thought!"

"The amount of snake venom has to be precise; I have to figure out the dosage myself!"

This was, of course, because he was new to brewing. As the saying went, everything is difficult at the start. Once he succeeded in brewing the Snake-Saliva Rice Soul Wine, everything else would come naturally.

"But the problem is..." Li Zhexian sighed, his head aching. "The snake venom is gone again."

"Dugu Yan coming over twice was already a rarity. I was quite harsh today; she’ll probably take a wide detour to avoid me from now on."

...

At the Dugu Manor:

"Grandfather, I'm going upstairs to cultivate." Dugu Yan, her tall frame draped in an outer coat, greeted Dugu Bo, who was practicing, before hurrying upstairs.

Dugu Bo closed his eyes and nodded. "Hmm."

Once the door upstairs closed, he snapped his eyes open, and the phantom of a Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor flashed through his pupils.

"The smell of blood..."

"Was Yan-yan injured?"

"Who dares to bully the granddaughter of Dugu Bo?!"

A murderous aura surged across Dugu Bo’s weathered face, but then, his dark green brows knotted together.

"But looking at her, she doesn't seem to have been wronged."

"No, if there is a next time, I must follow her and see what is going on."

...

The next day, Li Zhexian returned from the Lotus Lake. Before he even reached the gate of his courtyard, he saw a familiar, tall figure standing there from afar.

Li Zhexian: "..."

He finally realized what had felt off yesterday!

Why did it seem like Dugu Yan was proactively coming over to deliver the snake venom to him?

As he approached, Li Zhexian looked at her, his head throbbing. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Dugu Yan was wearing a tight-fitting green vest today, revealing a sliver of her slender waist, and loose casual trousers that made her figure appear even taller. The wounds on her exposed arms from yesterday were already gone.

Firstly, a Spirit Master’s healing ability was strong. Secondly, the Dugu family was wealthy, and they had applied all sorts of precious medicinal ointments to her wounds.

"I want to defeat you."

Dugu Yan ran the tip of her tongue over her red lips, her eyes flashing with a predatory greed as she looked at Li Zhexian.

*Pleasurable.*

*It was too pleasurable.*

Yesterday, it had been so satisfying that she could barely control herself. In her dreams, she saw nothing but Li Zhexian’s sword slicing her arm and his hand gripping her chin, forcing her to spit venom...

To her, having suffered from the torture of snake venom for fourteen years, Li Zhexian’s actions were like a rough tearing away of her scabs—carrying a biting sweetness that surged through her body.

Dugu Yan admitted...

She was addicted.

Feeling a chill crawl up his spine under Dugu Yan’s gaze, Li Zhexian immediately said, "I concede. You win."

Dugu Yan furrowed her delicate brows. Then, the corner of her lips curled up. "Although I don't know what you need the snake venom for..."

"Are you saying you don't want my venom anymore?"

Hearing this, Li Zhexian looked conflicted. He did indeed need the venom. If he had one more chance, the Snake-Saliva Rice Soul Wine would surely be successful. He hadn't considered using the venom of other Spirit Masters; he had even asked Xue Qinghe about it today. But in the palace, the only one with a snake-type martial soul was a eunuch, and the thought of using a eunuch's venom was truly nauseating.

After much deliberation, Li Zhexian sighed and pushed open the gate.

"Come in, then."

"Heh..."

Dugu Yan followed him into the courtyard with a triumphant smirk.

*Creak—*

The courtyard gate slowly closed.

A fishy breeze suddenly blew. Dugu Bo stood outside the gate, his old face dark and gloomy.