What are you even thinking?
This is just like a marriage negotiation between two children from wealthy families, each with assets worth millions. You're the groom, the other side is the bride,and she's an only child. Now her elders are asking for 50,000 as a bride price. If you agree, they promise that all of their family's assets will become yours after marriage, and they'll even help you fully in your career.
But you, the groom, who also happens to be the direct heir of your family,the future family head, the grandson of the current patriarch,respond right in front of her elders by saying... you can't make the decision yourself?
You need to ask your family first?
Come on, you're the direct heir and already an adult. You can't even decide on 50,000? No backbone at all. How can her elders feel at ease giving their precious granddaughter to someone like you?
And fine, even if you want to ask, you plan to _write a letter_ to do it?
There are no long-distance calls in this world. You can't explain things in detail and fight for your case in a phone call. The bride's family said "at least" 50,000,and they even clearly stated it's for your future wife's treatment. Did you not think about trying to get more support to improve her chances of recovery?
Writing a letter? Never mind how long a round-trip would take,that attitude alone already puts a damper on things.
You're not even going in person. Isn't that just handing your future wife's fate over to others to decide? What if your elders say no?
At the very least, go talk to them in person! Even if you fail, your sincere attitude would be evident.
But now, you don't even show up,just submit a letter. What do you expect her elders to think?
You don't even care enough about her health or even her life, and yet you dare say you love her?
Where's your sense of responsibility as a man? If you want to marry my granddaughter, I assume you're ready to be a husband. So where's your commitment?
If you can't even show that, how can they trust you with her?
Brother, I even gave you the hint. Why didn't you catch on?
Yang Yunhai felt that Yu Tianheng's response was just absurd. Judging from his solemn expression and formal tone, it's clear his brain wasn't blank with nerves.
You had your chance and completely blew it.
At that moment, Yang Yunhai also found this supposedly mature older brother of his a little disappointing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Dugu Yan not far away. Her face had gone pale,clearly realizing how serious the situation was. As the granddaughter of a cunning man like Dugu Bo, how could she be clueless? Especially since Dugu Bo had brought her along and directly spoken to Yu Tianheng in person. It was obvious he had already informed her in advance.
She must've been looking forward to seeing her boyfriend step up.
Such a golden opportunity, with such great cards in hand, and he played them terribly. Unreal.
On the other side, Dugu Bo remained expressionless. He gave a faint nod, then stood up and said, "Very well, I'll be waiting for your good news."
He then turned to Dugu Yan and said calmly, "Yan'er, stay in the academy and focus on your cultivation for the next few days. Once Xiaohai confirms the treatment works, I'll come fetch you."
Turning to Yang Yunhai, he added, "Xiaohai, let's go."
With that, he gave Yu Tianheng,who still looked uneasy,a brief glance before walking toward the door.
Man, your response... even if I wanted to defend you, I couldn't. You're on your own now.
Yang Yunhai also glanced at Yu Tianheng beside him. Although he didn't particularly like his uncle Yu Xiaogang, after spending some time together, he had found Yu Tianheng to be... alright.
Just a little too conservative and stubborn.
He sighed inwardly, turned to the dazed Dugu Yan, and forced a smile. "Brother Tianheng, Sister Yan, I'll get going now."
Dugu Yan nodded blankly. Yu Tianheng forced a smile and nodded as well.
Yang Yunhai returned the nod and walked off.
After a moment, when he heard the footsteps fading, Yu Tianheng finally moved closer to Dugu Yan and awkwardly asked,
"Yan, did I say something wrong just now?"
"It's alright," Dugu Yan squeezed out a smile. His words may have been clumsy, but judging from his serious expression and tone, his attitude seemed sincere. He just didn't immediately think of the right way to respond.
Not dwelling on it, she quickly changed the subject. "Tianheng, we need to train even harder from now on."
"Today, Grandpa and I went to the valley to find Xiaohai and happened to see him and Zhu Zhuqing training."
She began recounting the training scenes she saw in the valley.
"After watching them today, I realized I haven't been working nearly hard enough. The gap between me, Xiaohai, and Zhuqing is growing bigger and bigger."
Yu Tianheng's face turned serious too, and he nodded. "We really do need to train harder."
As the heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the wielder of the strongest beast spirit on the continent, he had his pride. He couldn't allow himself to fall behind others.
Thinking of that, he smiled. "Yan, go back to your room and cultivate your soul power. I'll write the letter now and have someone take it to the clan tomorrow. A 5000-year strength-type soul bone,our clan definitely has one. I believe my grandfather will agree."
"Also, since Senior Dugu personally came to invite Xiaohai over, that shows Xiaohai's treatment method is already recognized and confirmed effective. So, I believe your condition will definitely be cured this time."
They'd known each other for over two years, and had been in a relationship for more than a year. Because of Dugu Yan's condition, they still hadn't taken that final step. Not only was it due to her illness and the decision to wait until they were officially engaged, but also because her grandfather, Dugu Bo, was a Title Douluo with a notoriously strange temper.
He was eccentric, stubborn, and petty. If he found out that Yu Tianheng had slept with Dugu Yan before engagement, there was no telling what he might do. A beating would be the least of it,he might even poison him, just to ensure his absolute loyalty, making sure he'd never marry anyone but Dugu Yan for life.
Yu Tianheng genuinely believed Dugu Bo was capable of something like that. After all, Yan was his only family left in the world. And Yu Tianheng, as the clan heir, didn't have full control over everything,he couldn't take that risk.
He couldn't,not before knowing Dugu Bo's true stance.
Wasn't he usually pretty smart? Why did he get so dense just now?
After hearing Yu Tianheng's analysis of her grandfather's visit, Dugu Yan was speechless. "He's not dumb, just lacking in emotional intelligence," she thought, trying to comfort herself.
She did feel a little guilty toward her boyfriend.
Her grandfather had been studying her blood since she was a child, hoping to cure her. Like his own, her blood was highly toxic. If an ordinary person touched it, they could get poisoned. If they had an open wound and it made contact, poisoning was guaranteed.
To avoid hurting anyone, her grandfather told her the truth once she was old enough to understand.
Since then, she had rarely interacted with others closely,especially physically. As a result, she had few friends. It wasn't until she joined the Heaven Dou Royal Academy for soul master training that she entered Team One. Because of her grandfather's reputation and her poison-type spirit, her teammates were wary but still got along well. She even became good friends with Ye Lingling.
As a control-type soul master, her role was usually at the back during battles. She rarely had close contact, so situations like her blood spilling on teammates never really happened.
As for the enemy? Who cares.
Later, Yu Tianheng came with the same goal,to train and prove himself without relying on his family, competing with his cousin Yu Tianxin.
Perhaps because his martial spirit had a lightning attribute that naturally countered poison, during training and a few accidental contacts, she realized Yu Tianheng was completely fine,even when her blood got on him, as long as it didn't touch a wound. He could even use lightning to burn away the toxins.
That's why she later accepted his confession.
Their relationship quickly deepened, and they grew more affectionate. But that final step,they always held back. She had secretly asked the maids in her manor, who told her that a girl's first time would result in injury. And apparently, that part of a man's body was very fragile. What if her blood got on it?
It could destroy him.
And she was also worried her grandfather would take his anger out on Yu Tianheng if he found out.
Not to mention, her blood was deadly,her parents died because of it. She was terrified she might suddenly die one day, ending their love abruptly.
So she decided to delay things and hoped her grandfather would soon find a cure.
She told Yu Tianheng the Soul Master Tournament was coming up, and they should focus on cultivation. After the tournament, once they confirmed their marriage, they'd take the next step.
Yu Tianheng agreed without hesitation.
She was touched by how seriously he took her.
So she cherished the relationship even more. She would even show affection in front of teammates and speak as if they had already done everything, just to protect his pride. Truthfully, Yu Tianheng was very conservative. A simple hug or kiss was enough to make him happy.
Because of this, their relationship had remained strong, never even a single fight.
Since Tianheng believed writing the letter would be enough to persuade his elders, he probably had confidence. As the clan's direct heir, he should have some authority.
Thinking this, she smiled, took a few small steps forward, hugged his waist, kissed his cheek, and said gently, "Okay, Tianheng, you write your letter. I'll go cultivate."
She let go and left the room.
Yu Tianheng, still smiling, touched the spot on his cheek and quickly sat down to write.
Outside the dorm, as soon as Dugu Bo stepped out, his face darkened.
Still clearly furious.
Yang Yunhai, observing his expression, sighed inwardly and quietly said, "Grandpa Dugu, Brother Tianheng is just a little stiff,he didn't mean anything bad. You don't need to be angry. As the heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he must have confidence. That's why he thought of writing the letter first."
"Hmph! Stiff? He's not stiff,he's foolish. Utterly foolish!" Dugu Bo's face grew even colder. "Him? A clan heir?"
"You're so much younger, yet you figured it out immediately and even gave him hints. And he still didn't get it! He's almost 20 years old, and his first instinct is to ask his family. I, a dignified Title Douluo, am not even worth a single soul bone?"
"Not to mention, this concerns Yan's health. He didn't even try to push for more, not even to make a show of it. I said 'at least 5000 years.' Was that not clear?"
"No initiative, no responsibility. How am I supposed to entrust Yan to him?"
Not me. That's on you, sir. Don't drag me into this.
I'm just a guy who went through nine years of compulsory education, read a few history books, watched some costume dramas, and died in a past life still trying to save up for a bride price. How do you expect me to just figure this stuff out? This is 5000 years of cultural conditioning and social beatdowns.
To be honest, if it were an ordinary family, Yang Yunhai didn't think Yu Tianheng's reply was wrong at all. Most people would ask their parents if they couldn't afford the bride price.
But this involved the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and a Title Douluo. That changed everything.
The higher the status, the deeper the waters. Family feuds and power struggles abound. A husband without initiative means the wife is bound to suffer.
So, of course, as the bride's grandfather, Dugu Bo had every reason to be disappointed and angry.
Especially since Dugu Yan was talented, about to get a soul bone, and had Dugu Bo's support. If she got cured, her future would be bright. Add in her loyalty,she'd be the ideal partner.
Helping her was helping the whole family.
If you really had ability, even a 10,000-year soul bone would be worth it. Better your wife gets it than your rival.
Sadly, Yu Tianheng didn't realize that.
Yang Yunhai sighed again and quickly added, "Maybe when the letter reaches the clan leader, he'll knock some sense into Brother Tianheng?"
"We'll see," Dugu Bo replied calmly.
With that, Yang Yunhai didn't speak further and followed him out of the academy.
"You walk too slow. I'll take you," Dugu Bo said, then, like an eagle snatching a chick, grabbed Yang Yunhai by the collar and took off into the air. The wind howled past. Clothes flapped. Hair streamed behind.
Yang Yunhai stayed silent, simply enduring the flying experience.
The scenery blurred past. Time ticked by. At first, he was still interested in watching everything around him, but slowly, his eyes began to blur, his head started spinning, and before long, his eyelids grew heavy until they finally closed and he fell asleep.
Dugu Bo looked down, clicked his tongue, and continued flying.
After some unknown time, there was a loud thud. Yang Yunhai landed, instantly waking up.
"Grandpa Dugu, we're here?"
He stood up, rubbing his eyes.
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