On the other side, at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy dormitory, Yu Tianheng strode up to his room door.
He reached out to open it, and immediately noticed a slip of paper stuck in the crack. He quickly pulled it out and checked.
"Tianheng, I don't know if Grandpa will be at the residence today. It's already late, and if I don't return tonight, it means I stayed at the residence to sleep. As for tomorrow, it depends. If I don't come back, please help me ask Teacher Qin Ming for leave. Don't worry about me."
After reading, he didn't think much of it, lightly crumpled the note in his fingers, pushed open the door, and went inside.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, at the Dugu residence, Dugu Bo strode inside.
"Master, the young miss returned yesterday afternoon. It seemed like she cried, didn't eat dinner, and stayed shut in her room. This morning, when this old servant went, the room was still silent, and it's been that way until now," the butler hurriedly reported.
Dugu Bo's expression darkened almost instantly. As shrewd as he was, it wasn't hard to connect the dots—it must have been related to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's reply.
The result was obvious. It had hurt his granddaughter.
"I understand. Go to the kitchen and prepare some food for me and Yan'er," he waved his hand, then took long strides toward the rear courtyard.
Soon, he arrived at Dugu Yan's room door, knocked gently, and lowered his voice, "Yan Yan, are you awake?"
"I-I'm up," came the quick reply. After a few rustling sounds and light footsteps, the door opened.
She had just washed her face. Though the swelling around her eyes had gone down, they were still red and slightly sunken, her expression weary. Clearly, she had cried for a long time and hadn't slept well. Dugu Bo immediately judged this and felt a chill settle deep inside.
'Yu Tianheng. Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan…' his eyes flashed cold.
"Grandpa, come in and sit," Dugu Yan whispered, lowering her head and avoiding his gaze.
Dugu Bo calmly nodded and stepped inside.
He sat down at the table, inclined his head slightly, and asked, "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's reply has arrived? Tell me—what did they say?"
Dugu Yan lowered her head even further, bit her lip, and whispered, "They said they're willing to give a 10,000-year strength-type soul bone as a betrothal gift, to set our marriage in stone."
Then, hurriedly added, "This was decided by the elders. Tianheng couldn't change it."
"Damn it!" Bang! The table beside him shattered under his palm as Dugu Bo shot to his feet. The sudden outburst startled Dugu Yan so much that she trembled, keeping her head down, too afraid to speak. For the first time in her life, her grandfather had lost his temper like this in front of her.
Dugu Bo's expression was as cold as ice. He stared directly at Dugu Yan, drew in a deep breath, and said in a low, cutting voice:
"Yan Yan, let me be clear with you. That Yu Tianheng—I disliked him the moment I saw him. And him, as the heir of a clan? What a joke."
"He's nearly 20 years old, yet he can't even make a decision over a single 5,000-year soul bone without running to his elders first. Am I, a Titled Douluo, worth less than a 5,000-year soul bone? And don't forget—you're my only granddaughter. If he marries you, would I not help him? Even a street peddler would understand this logic, but he doesn't!"
"Such stupidity, such lack of backbone—how can I ever trust him with you?"
"And what about Xiao Hai? Didn't he make things clear enough with his words?"
"Even if Yu Tianheng didn't understand that the soul bone was meant to save your life, hasn't he known about your old illness all this time? He's seen you suffer through attacks before. Did he not see with his own eyes the pain you've endured since childhood?"
"And when he learned there might be a chance to cure you, how did he respond? His first thought was to write a letter to his elders. A joke!"
"When I said at least 5,000 years, was that not obvious enough?"
"I wanted him to show some responsibility as a man, as a future husband. To fight for you. But what did he do?"
"He wrote a letter. Handed it in. And then sat waiting for fate."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has its own internal strife. Even as an outsider, I know that much. He, their so-called direct heir, nearly 20 years old—doesn't he know? If he does, did he think about the possibility that his request would be blocked by those opposing him? Did he think about returning home to argue for your life in person?"
"No. Not at all."
"And this man dares to say he loves you? He doesn't even care enough about his future wife's life, leaving it for others to decide! Tell me, how can I trust him with you?"
"In my eyes, his concern for you doesn't even compare to Xiao Hai—a boy we barely knew. Xiao Hai saw through my test immediately and stepped in to cover for him. That alone shows more care than Yu Tianheng ever has."
"And when Xiao Hai first arrived at the academy, on the very first day he learned of your condition, he immediately began searching for a cure. Do you think something I've studied for decades, a child could find so easily without pouring in immense effort and thought?"
"The time, the energy, the care—have you ever considered it?"
"Ask yourself, has Yu Tianheng ever invested even a fraction of that into saving you?"
"A single letter. That's all he did!"
"And now this reply from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—what are they saying to me? That I, Dugu Bo, can be bought with a soul bone? That my granddaughter is a mere commodity to be traded? And if things sour later, what then? Do they think I'll be happy to take back a soul bone as compensation? Am I, a Titled Douluo, so cheap?"
"To use a 10,000-year soul bone as a betrothal gift—they treat me like a fool. And they treat you like merchandise, something to be bought and sold!"
"Shameless!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, his face flushing red.
"And Yu Tianheng—that useless boy! When he received the reply, did he resist even a little? No. He just parroted the result to you!"
"Not even the sense to hold it back, to go back and fight for you first. At the very least, that would've shown me he valued you."
"And tell me—has he ever thought about what you went through last night, crying alone because of this?"
Dugu Bo's expression grew heavier. His eyes locked onto Dugu Yan, voice solemn:
"Yan Yan, tell Grandpa honestly. Did you and Yu Tianheng ever cross that line?"
For a man who had devoted most of his life to poison cultivation, matters between men and women had always been of little concern to him. He honestly couldn't tell.
At this moment, Dugu Yan's eyes brimmed with tears, overflowing and streaking down her cheeks. Hearing her grandfather's grave question, she felt no embarrassment, only deep sorrow and helplessness. With her grandfather's fury bearing down on her, she didn't dare resist. Sobbing, she answered truthfully:
"N-no…"
(End of Chapter)
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