18: C18 Dugu Yan Awakens,
At the same time, inside Heaven Dou City,
Dugu Yan also woke up from her sleep with a start.
“A Yuan!!”
She snapped her eyes open and looked at the room’s layout—familiar yet foreign.
This was her dormitory at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?
After verifying and sorting through her memories, Dugu Yan finally confirmed it.
She had been reborn to the age of thirteen.
Knowing the timeline, Dugu Yan’s eyes burned with determination.
This time, she would definitely protect A Yuan.
However, she hadn’t met A Yuan yet in this life.
A Yuan was only six now, having just awakened his martial soul and still at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Dugu Yan didn’t plan to wait three years.
She couldn’t bear being apart from A Yuan for that long.
She wanted to go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to meet A Yuan early, to become true childhood sweethearts, and to prevent that girl Ning Rongrong from harboring any lingering designs on A Yuan.
Thinking of this beautiful future, Dugu Yan’s eyes sparkled.
She immediately washed up, left the academy, and went to her grandfather Dugu Bo’s residence in Heaven Dou City…
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, as one of the top three sects, wasn’t so easy to enter.
She would need her grandfather Dugu Bo to pull some strings.
Dugu Bo was in the middle of cultivating when he saw his granddaughter suddenly return from the academy.
He found it strange.
“Yan Yan, why are you back all of a sudden?”
“Could it be that someone in the academy is bullying you?” Dugu Bo knew his granddaughter’s temperament well—proud and independent.
Unless something major had happened, she wouldn’t suddenly come looking for him.
The thought that his beloved granddaughter might be bullied at the academy made his slender, snake-like eyes narrow dangerously.
Dugu Yan shook her head.
“No, Grandfather.
I have something important to tell you.”
“Alright, my good Yan Yan, speak.
Grandfather is listening.” Hearing her denial, Dugu Bo’s expression softened slightly, and the smile on his face became warm and affectionate, like any ordinary grandfather doting on his granddaughter.
“Grandfather, in your medicine garden in the Sunset Forest, do you have many strange herbs?” Dugu Yan asked.
“There are indeed many peculiar herbs there.
I tried to approach them before and almost got hurt.”
At this point, Dugu Bo’s tone turned serious.
“Yan Yan, those herbs are very dangerous.
Even I don’t know their specific effects.”
Dugu Yan smiled slightly.
“Grandfather, don’t worry.
I already know the effects of those immortal herbs.”
“Immortal herbs!” Dugu Bo was confused.
He didn’t understand how herbs that had nearly poisoned him could be called immortal herbs.
Then, Dugu Yan explained the uses of those immortal herbs…
As Dugu Yan elaborated, Dugu Bo learned that among them were methods to resolve the Azure Phosphorus Serpent poison.
His expression alternated between excitement and sorrow…
The overwhelming joy and grief were almost too much even for a Titled Douluo to bear.
Seeing her grandfather’s state, Dugu Yan felt a pang of sympathy and stepped forward to comfort him.
Holding his granddaughter Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo slowly recovered his composure.
“This is wonderful, Yan Yan.
If what you’re saying is true, then you can be saved.
Grandfather is truly happy.
Yan Yan, you can be saved!” Dugu Bo didn’t believe his granddaughter would lie to him.
Even if it turned out to be false, it would only mean his innocent granddaughter had been deceived by some villain.
Meanwhile, in the remote small city of Notting, Fang Yuan had no idea that another person was now searching for him.
He strolled around Notting Academy.
Many people were still discussing the recent battle between Titled Douluo.
Among them, Master Yu Xiaogang’s injury drew little attention.
“Why would such powerful soul masters come to our small place and fight?
I was terrified out of my wits last night.”
“Yeah!
I wonder if they were Soul Sages.”
These ordinary people weren’t very clear about the soul master ranking system.
They only knew that Soul Sages were very strong—the reason they even knew the term “Soul Sage” was because of the nearby Holy Soul Village.
After listening for a while, Fang Yuan returned directly to his temporary lodging—an empty house in a village near Notting City, with rent so cheap it was practically negligible.
Xiao Wu was bound tightly using a special technique.
Moreover, the more she struggled, the tighter the ropes became, digging harshly into her flesh.
The moment she saw Fang Yuan push open the door and enter, her gagged mouth immediately made muffled sounds, as if she wanted to say something.
But Fang Yuan had no intention of listening.
He immediately began cultivating upon his return.
With a top-tier beast martial soul and innate full soul power, Fang Yuan’s cultivation progressed rapidly.
He was now at level sixteen (having gained two levels from absorbing the soul ring).
As for Xiao Wu, after struggling for ages, all she had achieved was tightening the ropes further—nothing else.
She still wanted to negotiate with this boy who had kidnapped her.
As long as he didn’t know she was a transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beast, she still had a good chance of persuading him.
But this boy had no interest in talking to her at all.
Even Xiao Wu was at her wit’s end.
Finally, he cultivated until nightfall.
When the moon rose, Fang Yuan finally stopped.
From his small bundle, he took out some simple dried rations and water.
He ate some himself and also fed some to Xiao Wu, who had been tied up for a full day and night without food.
Having not eaten for so long, Xiao Wu was truly starving.
Although these rations tasted mediocre at best—barely edible—Xiao Wu still devoured them ravenously.
Midway through, she ate so fast she nearly choked to death.
Fortunately, Fang Yuan timely poured water down her throat, allowing her to swallow.
At least a transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beast wouldn’t die from choking on food.
However, Fang Yuan only fed her a little before stopping.
He couldn’t let Xiao Wu eat her fill—if she was full, she’d have more energy to cause trouble and try to escape.
After eating and a simple wash, Fang Yuan double-checked that the ropes were tight and the knots secure before lying down on the crude wooden bed and falling into a deep sleep.
Before dawn broke, Fang Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and woke up.
For some reason, he had been plagued by nightmares all night.
Mostly, he dreamed of being hunted and imprisoned by Bibi Dong, and of Qian Renxue breaking down and asking why he had run away…
The last image was of himself lying in a pool of blood, covered in wounds.
“A bunch of twisted fates!” Fang Yuan covered his face and sighed, having been tormented by nightmares the entire night.
Truth be told, if these women didn’t want to imprison him and were a bit more mentally stable, Fang Yuan wouldn’t have minded enjoying a nice warm meal of soft rice.
Just like in the third simulation with Dugu Yan—he had been perfectly happy eating that soft rice.
Just then, from the corner, Xiao Wu made another commotion.
She thrashed wildly, completely ignoring how the ropes were cutting deeper into her flesh, trying to get Fang Yuan’s attention.
Fang Yuan was puzzled, wondering why this rabbit had suddenly gone crazy.
Then, a foul odor filled the room.