Beside the man in white, the middle-aged, beautiful woman with a gentle smile signaled subtly. Ye Lingling nodded and immediately left with Fang Ling.
They went to the backyard.
Ye Lingling led Fang Ling into the reception room, her expression displeased. "Wait here."
"That was my mother just now. She's a powerful Soul Douluo. Don't say anything reckless, or I won't bring you next time. Got it?"
"Yes, yes," Fang Ling nodded repeatedly.
Seeing his sincere promise, Ye Lingling's expression eased slightly.
"Later, I'll have my father check on you. He's a renowned doctor in the area. Don't be fooled by him treating external injuries earlier, thanks to our family's legacy, he's also highly skilled with poisons and medicine. He may not be as famous as His Excellency Bi Lin, but he's not far off."
"Lingling, is it possible that our teacher isn't as bad as you think?"
Fang Ling tried to defend Dugu Bo, "He's not as cold and stern as he appears. See? He brought me back unharmed."
"It's still better to have you checked. Bi Lin is infamous. You think he's a good person? He's committed countless massacres."
To the average person, this was true. That old man's ruthless behavior was notorious.
Fang Ling nodded slightly. Ye Lingling would come to understand Dugu Bo's personality over time, he was at least kind to those close to him.
They waited for a long while. Around noon, the elegant man and the middle-aged beauty, having finished treating the last few people, arrived slowly.
"Lingling, who is this?" The man, with graying temples and a hint of apology, gently asked his daughter.
Before Ye Lingling could answer, Fang Ling quickly stepped forward and respectfully bowed:
"Greetings, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. I am Fang Ling, ten years old, Soul Power Level 27. My martial soul is a long-handled battle scythe. I am the sole disciple of His Excellency Bi Lin, holder of a Silver Soul Badge in the Great Spirit Arena, and currently a preparatory team member at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"Fang Ling! Answer properly! Don't call them that!"
The room fell silent. As the couple looked at him in shock, Ye Lingling rushed forward and gave Fang Ling's back a hard slap.
This damned Fang Ling, calling them father-in-law and mother-in-law so directly... That was way too presumptuous!
"Heh..." The refined man didn't show any displeasure, nor did he look down on Fang Ling because of his disability. Stroking his beard, his gentle eyes shimmered slightly.
"So you're the one who helped bring Lingling out of her gloom. We should be thanking you."
"But calling us father-in-law and mother-in-law is still premature. What I'm curious about is, how did you become a Silver Soul Fighter with part of your leg missing?"
"Of course. Among soul masters of the same level, I'm considered quite powerful. I even helped Lingling earn her Silver Soul Badge."
Ye Lingling's expression shifted. "Fang Ling, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm a burden?"
"Alright now, girl. This is the first time the young man has visited, can't you behave a little better?"
The middle-aged woman scolded lightly, finally rescuing Fang Ling from her daughter's grasp.
Ye Lingling gave Fang Ling one last hard pinch as punishment for his cheeky remark, then turned to explain their purpose: "Dad, I'd like you to check whether Fang Ling has been poisoned."
"Poisoned? Isn't he Bi Lin's disciple..." The refined man's expression changed slightly as he seemed to realize something. He shook his head gently.
Then he looked at Fang Ling kindly. "Brother Fang Ling, give me your hand."
"I wouldn't dare. Just call me Fang Ling, Uncle."
Fang Ling waved his hand quickly, but curious about what the man could find, he extended his arm.
"I'm Ye Renxin. Just call me Uncle Ye."
"Uncle Ye," Fang Ling nodded lightly.
Ye Renxin held Fang Ling's wrist, feeling the physical strength far beyond that of an average soul master. His brows lifted slightly.
After a brief pause, he gently massaged Fang Ling's wrist as a soft soul power probed into his body.
It was filled with battle intent, pure and untainted. Most notably, it contained two opposing but perfectly balanced forces of ice and fire...
Ye Renxin's eyes showed surprise. This kind of special soul power was extremely rare.
Those last two forces reminded him of certain legends.
He left his wife and daughter and took Fang Ling to a study. After a brief search on a yellow pearwood bookshelf, he retrieved an old, yellowed tome.
He flipped through it carefully and found two pages.
One featured fire, the other ice. Strange and rare herbs were listed, including the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Delicate Leaf.
"Come here. Show me what you've eaten."
Fang Ling was still stunned. Just one touch and a bit of soul power probing, and he had already discovered the secret of the immortal herbs?
Fang Ling had planned to slowly get the compendium from Ye Lingling...
Seeing Fang Ling's surprise and caution, Ye Renxin calmly reassured him, full of gentlemanly grace:
"Our Ye family has practiced medicine for generations. We're deeply knowledgeable about herbs. It's normal for me to identify them. Lingling thinks highly of you, and you're Bi Lin's disciple. I won't do anything to you. It's alright if you don't want to say."
Fang Ling hesitated, then pointed to two illustrations.
The white Mysterious Ice Grass and the fiery red herb were right at the top, easy to identify.
"This one: the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. And this one: the Fiery Apricot Delicate Leaf."
"Immortal herbs!" Ye Renxin's pupils shrank.
So the Ye family did recognize these not as mere rare herbs, but true immortal herbs.
Fang Ling felt relieved, while Ye Renxin continued thinking.
These herbs had completely opposing, extreme properties, ice and fire. And yet they could be consumed?
It must be a unique environment where both plants could grow together, making their combined powers safe to ingest.
"Ice and fire... So it's true, His Excellency is deeply poisoned due to his martial soul."
"No..." Fang Ling was dumbfounded. "Uncle Ye, you..."
You deduced the terrain from the herbs, then guessed Dugu Bo's poisoning just like that?
What kind of mind is this?
"Surprised?" Ye Renxin chuckled.
Fang Ling nodded hard.
"The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass is an evolved form of the Mysterious Ice Grass, found only in extremely cold places, deep within the Icebound Forest, in the far north."
"The Fiery Apricot Delicate Leaf is its exact opposite. It grows only in places with intense geothermal activity, underground magma. There aren't many active volcanoes on the continent. It's extremely rare."
"For these two to grow together and be consumed, the location must be a special treasure land. But the extreme yin and yang energies make it impossible for any other plants to grow."
"Extreme ice and fire can suppress poison. I met Bi Lin once while taking Lingling to school. He didn't look like a normal Titled Douluo."
Ye Renxin gave a confident smile. "Most people just associate him with poison and think it's normal. I think differently. I also heard his son and daughter-in-law died suddenly. I can't say for sure what happened, but something clearly did."
"Uncle Ye, you truly have keen insight."
Fang Ling was genuinely impressed. Then he asked curiously, "So in this world..."
Ye Renxin stroked his beard and smiled. "The Ye family has only one successor per generation, yet we've survived steadily for so many years. The reason is four simple words: 'Mind your own business.'"
"The world is chaotic. All I need to do is focus on healing."
"Especially someone like His Excellency Bi Lin, it's best not to provoke him."
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