Qi Lin chuckled. "Yan'er, don't worry. Senior Dugu was quite kind to me. He didn't do anything bad at all."
"Oh right, he even invited me to visit him."
Dugu Yan raised her elegant eyebrows in surprise.
"Qi Lin, are you sure the person you met was my grandfather?"
Why didn't it sound like him?
Dugu Yan knew her grandfather better than anyone.
He was definitely not someone who would be so warmhearted.
Seeing her expression, Qi Lin laughed, "Yan'er, don't doubt it. The one I met was definitely the real Senior Dugu."
"As for why he was so warm to me… maybe it's because of the effect of my fifth soul skill."
Dugu Yan's curiosity was piqued. She looked at him intently.
"Qi Lin, does your fifth soul skill have something special?"
"You'll see in a moment!"
As soon as Qi Lin spoke, soul rings began to rise from beneath his feet.
White, golden, red, green, and blue-gold!
Incredible—there wasn't a single ring of the same color.
As he spread his hand, a small clover with golden veins growing across its blue leaves suddenly appeared in his palm.
The four-leaf clover was only about three or four inches tall, looking quite petite.
Yet, it radiated an intense aura of life.
The girls gathered around Qi Lin took just one breath of its scent and immediately felt refreshed and relaxed.
"What a miraculous martial soul!"
"Is this really mutated from Blue Silver Grass?"
"I remember that Tang San in Shrek Academy also had Blue Silver Grass, but his was blue-black in color. Compared to Qi Lin's, they're complete opposites."
"Fifth Soul Skill: Divine Light of Healing!"
Just then, Qi Lin gave a soft shout.
The blue-gold soul ring floating above him suddenly flared with light.
A beam of blue-gold light shot from the clover in his hand, instantly enveloping Dugu Yan.
The moment it touched her, Dugu Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and a warm, gentle sensation flowed through her body.
After just three seconds, Qi Lin stopped channeling his soul power.
As the warmth faded, Dugu Yan found herself oddly reluctant for it to end.
But what shocked her even more was that the inherited poison backlash from her clan had vanished.
She felt lighter than ever.
Qi Lin grinned. "Yan'er, how are you feeling now?"
Dugu Yan stood frozen for two seconds before abruptly looking up at him.
At that moment, she finally understood—
Even her grandfather, with his eccentric personality, would be kind to Qi Lin for a reason.
Because of this inherited poison, her father had died young.
As a member of the Dugu family, Dugu Yan also carried this hereditary poison backlash.
Her purple hair was a result of it.
Not only that, but her hair emitted a faint, unpleasant odor. She had always used fragrances to mask it.
Originally, she might have ended up like her father or even passed before her grandfather.
But now, with Qi Lin's help, the poison backlash had been cured.
In the original story, Tang San had a way to help, but Qi Lin's soul skill could do it in one fell swoop.
To Qi Lin, the Dugu family's poison backlash was like an illness.
Otherwise, why were there so many poison-type soul masters in the world, yet none of them suffered backlash from their own martial souls?
For example, Bibi Dong's poison was far more toxic than Dugu Bo's, even if its range wasn't as wide.
Why didn't she suffer any backlash?
Now that Qi Lin had cured her family's poison, Dugu Yan's eyes turned red with joy. She couldn't help but rush forward and hug Qi Lin tightly.
"Qi Lin, thank you—thank you so much."
Dugu Yan was overwhelmed with emotion, her words a jumbled mess.
This scene caught the attention of the four people still engaged in their sparring match in the distance. They froze mid-fight, staring in stunned disbelief.
Their faces were filled with shock and confusion.
Wait a second—
Wasn't Yan'er supposed to have feelings for the captain?
Why was she suddenly throwing herself into Qi Lin's arms?
Did that even make sense?
Unconsciously, all four of them turned their gaze toward Qi Lin.
Damn, this guy's a legend!
If they could learn just a fraction of his skills, wouldn't the beauties come running too?
Qin Ming had also noticed the scene and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Sigh… I really am getting old. I can't keep up with these youngsters anymore.
The girls nearby were also wide-eyed with surprise.
W-Wait, how did this turn into a hug out of nowhere?
Qi Lin himself was a bit caught off guard, but he could feel the deep surge of emotions in Dugu Yan's heart.
At that moment, she just needed an outlet for her overwhelming feelings.
After a moment, Qi Lin gently patted her back with a smile. "Alright, Yan'er, you've thanked me enough. No need to reward me anymore."
"Get lost! I was just overly emotional and thanking you—who said anything about a reward?"
Dugu Yan gave a playful scold and pushed him away.
Though there were still faint tear stains on her face, a bright smile had already returned.
But when she looked at Qi Lin again, there was a flicker of complexity in her eyes.
It's a pity…
You showed up too late.
Suppressing the thoughts that shouldn't have formed, Dugu Yan turned to Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong with a laugh.
"You two are wearing your feelings on your faces, you know?"
"Don't worry, I only see Qi Lin as a younger brother, so you don't have to be so guarded with me."
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong exchanged embarrassed glances and gave awkward smiles.
Was it really that obvious?
Even so, they breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
As long as Dugu Yan only saw Qi Lin as a little brother, that meant one less rival.
Still, they couldn't help but sneak another glance at Qi Lin.
This guy…
He seriously didn't know how to say no, did he?
—
At the same time—
The Shrek group continued on their journey. Due to the weather, Yu Tianheng was resting under a large tree.
A drooping branch hung over his head, making it look as if he were wearing a leafy green hat.
But Yu Tianheng didn't mind. Leaning against the trunk, he thought to himself:
Judging by the time, Yan'er and the others should've returned to the academy by now.
I wonder how things are going over there…
When I get back, it's finally time to be honest with her.
If we can unite, and with support from Dugu Bo, then the position of Young Clan Leader…
Will definitely be mine!
Tianxin… this time, I'm the one who wins!
With confidence written all over his face, Yu Tianheng looked out into the distance, eyes filled with longing for the future.
If he could become the next clan leader, and with help from Dugu Bo and his uncle, he believed he could lead the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to new heights!