"Prince Dai Chengfeng, would you care to explain why I supposedly won't live past thirty?"
Dugu Yan narrowed her eyes slightly, her green pupils turning cold. "If you can't give me a proper explanation..."
"Even though you're the fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire, I, Dugu Yan, am not someone to be trifled with!"
Dai Chengfeng chuckled, unperturbed. After all, if he were in her shoes—perfectly healthy—and a stranger suddenly told him he wouldn't live past thirty...
Dai Chengfeng wouldn't believe it either. He'd think the other person was mocking him.
"Miss Dugu, do you feel that your purple hair and green eyes are incredibly unique? Have you ever seen anyone else outside your family with such features?"
As he spoke, Dai Chengfeng sat down at the table and picked up a teacup.
Calmly observing the uncertain Ye Renxin, the puzzled Ye Lingling, and the angry Dugu Yan, he took a sip of tea before continuing.
"Do you also experience a faint tingling sensation along your ribs whenever it rains or gets humid—and does it gradually worsen?"
"It might flare up once at noon and again at midnight."
"And furthermore!"
"Every night around midnight, do you feel sharp, needle-like pain in the crown of your head and the soles of your feet, followed by full-body spasms…?"
"As for how long the spasms last, it's hard to say. Your poisoning is still relatively mild, so it shouldn't persist for too long."
With that, Dai Chengfeng set the teacup down firmly and fixed his gaze on Dugu Yan.
"Since you're poisoned!"
"How is it strange for me to say you won't live past thirty?!"
Ye Lingling's room, usually filled with soft pink tones that made it warm and cute, now fell into an eerie silence as the flickering lamplight cast shadows across the room.
Ye Lingling first looked at the serious expression on Dai Chengfeng's face, then turned to her best friend, Dugu Yan. "Is what Chengfeng said... really true?"
As Dugu Yan's close friend, she knew her well enough to understand just how strong-willed Dugu Yan was.
If Dai Chengfeng had been lying, he would've been interrupted and mocked long ago.
Meanwhile, Ye Renxin held his teacup, his brow slightly furrowed, still showing a hint of confusion.
Though he had always found Dugu Yan's eye color peculiar, he had seen her as a child, and her eyes had always been like that.
Thus, he had never suspected anything, assuming it was simply a unique trait brought about by her Jade Phosphorus Serpent martial soul.
"Could it really be caused by poison?"
As for Ye Lingling and Ye Renxin's speculations, Dugu Yan stood frozen on the spot, her once fierce gaze now filled with shock and bewilderment.
She had initially thought Dai Chengfeng was spouting nonsense and had planned to make him regret it when he couldn't explain himself.
But now—
He had described her physical abnormalities with pinpoint accuracy.
She did indeed experience tingling sensations along her ribs during rainy weather and flare-ups at midnight…
These symptoms were things she had never mentioned to anyone, yet Dai Chengfeng had laid them all out clearly.
"How... how do you know these things?"
Dugu Yan's voice trembled slightly as she feigned calmness but failed to hide the panic in her eyes.
"Miss Dugu, do you believe me now?"
Dai Chengfeng stood up, took a step forward, and said gravely, "You're Lingling's best friend. How could I joke about the life of her friend?"
"If you don't receive timely treatment, your life will be in grave danger. You absolutely won't live past thirty."
Meanwhile, Ye Renxin watched Dugu Yan's panicked reaction and finally realized that every symptom Dai Chengfeng had mentioned was true!
Dugu Yan was indeed suffering from a severe poison!
For a moment, Ye Renxin looked at Dai Chengfeng with both astonishment and curiosity. "Chengfeng, even I couldn't tell that Dugu Yan was poisoned. How did you figure it out?"
How did he figure it out?
Of course, it was because he was a transmigrator and could instantly recognize that Dugu Yan was afflicted with the venom of the Jade Phosphorus Serpent…
I'm from the Daoist path, not some Tang Sect poison expert.
Though this was what Dai Chengfeng thought inwardly, outwardly he remained composed. "Elder Ye, your martial soul is ultimately the Nine-Heart Begonia, a healing-type soul, not a toxic one."
"Therefore, while you may be highly knowledgeable about herbal poisons, martial souls are incredibly varied, and the toxins they produce are entirely different from those found in herbs."
"Moreover, Miss Dugu Yan—I estimate that she was poisoned at birth, carrying the toxin inherent to her martial soul since infancy…"
"It's understandable that you wouldn't suspect a newborn of being poisoned."
"Afterward, naturally, you overlooked all these small details."
"I see!"
Ye Renxin instantly understood. Turning to Dai Chengfeng, he bowed solemnly. "All this time, I've been absorbed in studying the properties of medicinal herbs, neglecting other aspects. At times, I even felt my medical skills had reached their peak."
"But today!"
"Thank you, Chengfeng, for teaching me a valuable lesson!"
Dai Chengfeng smiled and shook his head. "Elder Ye, there's no need to be so formal."
Meanwhile, as Dai Chengfeng and Ye Renxin conversed, countless thoughts raced through Dugu Yan's mind.
So I'm really poisoned?
And it's the kind of martial soul poison that could kill me?
Previously, I dismissed my discomfort as ordinary fatigue…
"How... how could this be possible?"
Dugu Yan muttered to herself, but her gaze toward Dai Chengfeng slowly shifted from anger to surprise and admiration.
He hadn't been lying at all—it was her own ignorance that had blinded her to the severity of her condition. She had even considered reprimanding him.
For a moment, Dugu Yan bit her lower lip, her emotions swirling between fear and resentment.
Her panic intensified, and she felt utterly lost.
After all, she was still far from the timeline of the original story—a mere fifteen-year-old girl. Facing the prospect of death, it was natural for her to feel unsettled.
Ye Lingling, seeing Dugu Yan trembling with fear, couldn't help but ask, "Chengfeng, is there any way to save Yan'er from this poison?"
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan finally snapped out of her panic.
She rushed forward, deeply bowing her head in apology. "I'm sorry, Prince Dai Chengfeng."
"I was wrong earlier for doubting you. Please accept my apology."
"But... I don't want to die..."
Dugu Yan raised her head slightly, looking at Dai Chengfeng with pleading eyes.
She clutched his arm tightly, as if he were her last hope. "Since you can see that I'm poisoned, surely you must also know how to save me, right?"
Dai Chengfeng frowned slightly and shook his head. "Saving you is definitely possible."
"But even the most skilled cook can't prepare a meal without ingredients. I lack several rare herbs, none of which I see here in Elder Ye's clinic..."
With a light sigh, he added, "Difficult, difficult, difficult! It's quite challenging!"
When Ye Lingling heard Dai Chengfeng say he could save her, her eyes lit up with hope.
But upon learning that the necessary herbs weren't available—even in a large pharmacy like the Ye Family Medical Clinic—her worry instantly returned.
However, Dugu Yan shook her head vigorously. "It's alright, it's alright..."
"Prince Dai Chengfeng, my grandfather has a vast medicinal garden. I know there are many powerful herbs there..."
At this, a faint glimmer of joy flickered in Dai Chengfeng's eyes.
Dugu Bo's medicinal garden? Perfect!