Chapter 25: Journey to the Ice‑Fire Dual‑Instrument Eye

"Senior Dugubo, Sister Duguyan's beauty is peerless; I truly like her, and I cannot bear seeing Sister Duguyan suffer from deadly poison. However, two years ago, my grandfather arranged my engagement," Yu Tianyun said weakly, lowering his head, his face full of helplessness and difficulty.

"Engaged? If we break it off, could the other party be more noble than my granddaughter?" Dugubo frowned, his face full of displeasure.

"But the other party is the little princess of the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect," Yu Tianyun continued to lower his head, his voice growing softer.

He decided it was better to be honest now; such a matter cannot be hidden, and besides, Ning Rongrong and Little Yue are different—after all, they are the daughter of the sect leader of the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect, and a formal status must be given, whereas Little Yue and the others do not care about status, as long as they can stay by Yu Tianyun's side. However, Duguyan's background is equally extraordinary; behind her also stands a Title Douluo. To avoid future resentment, it is still best to be honest now.

Dugubo was suddenly at a loss for words; indeed he could not compare with the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect. His gaze at Yu Tianyun instantly turned hostile, his right hand clenched tightly, stirring a ripple in the surrounding airflow.

Duguyan remained silent at this moment; initially, upon hearing that Yu Tianyun had come specifically to detoxify her, she felt sweetly delighted, but now learning that Yu Tianyun already has a fiancée, her heart instantly turned sour, she lightly bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, her eyes dimmed, and her delicate figure seemed somewhat frail in the wind.

After a moment, Duguyan lifted her head, her tone sour, and said, "Yu Tianyun's talent is outstanding, so naturally he must find a match of equal standing; only a great and prosperous family like the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect is worthy, unlike me and my grandfather, who have nothing at all."

Yu Tianyun heard the jealousy‑filled words, feeling extremely awkward, yet he adopted a helpless demeanor, laughing wryly and saying, "Sister Duguyan, I truly have no choice; this is Grandfather's decision. Grandfather, to cultivate me, spent a great deal of sect resources, and I have no reason to refuse him!"

'Grandfather, I'm doing this to provide the sect with a great weapon, so I have to let you play the villain!' Yu Tianyun tossed the entire pot to Yu Yuanzhen.

"Tianyun, I understand; coming from a great family you cannot choose your own marriage, perhaps this is destiny without a match!" Duguyan, holding back the bitterness in her heart, turned her head slightly, her hair strands fluttering in the wind.

"Sister Duguyan, if you can understand me, I will be fully satisfied; I will definitely help you completely remove the poison from your body." Yu Tianyun's face was resolute, his gaze sincere as he looked at Duguyan, the wind making his clothes rustle.

"Alas!" Dugubo let out a long sigh at this moment. He had originally thought that meeting someone who mutually liked his granddaughter, whose talent, background, and strength were all perfect as a son‑in‑law, he would gladly see it succeed, but unfortunately someone beat him to it. Had he known, he should have proposed an engagement to Yu Yuanzhen when they first met. He shook his head helplessly, his face full of disappointment, and his flying speed slowed slightly.

Dugubo said in a heavy voice, "Yu Tianyun, you have a debt to me and my granddaughter; if you can completely neutralize the deadly poison on us, I, Dugubo, will owe you a great favor. I can promise to do three things for you, as long as they do not violate righteousness; any request is possible. But if you still dare to make a move on my granddaughter, I will bring the Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect to settle the matter!" As he spoke, the glow of his soul power shone, his gaze sharp.

Yu Tianyun let out a light sigh, his expression seeming extremely downcast, then his voice carried a hint of loneliness as he said, "Senior Dugubo, rest assured, as long as Sister Duguyan's illness improves, I will never disturb again." After speaking, he lowered his head forlornly.

Dugubo finally breathed a sigh of relief; he had truly worried that Yu Tianyun would cling on and exploit his gratitude to lure away his precious granddaughter. Even if Dugubo were poisoned to death, he would not allow his beloved granddaughter to be shared by another husband! Meanwhile, unnoticed by him, Duguyan lightly bit her red lips, her eyes reddening, gazing at the loneliness and desolation in Yu Tianyun's brows; a faint pain rose in her heart, her hands unconsciously pressed her chest, displaying feminine sensibility, her body trembling slightly in the wind. Dugubo continued flying with Yu Tianyun and Duguyan, and along the way the atmosphere grew heavy and oppressive. Yet he was surprised to find Duguyan's gaze always fixed on Yu Tianyun. Dugubo let out a cold snort in his mind, determined that he would never allow his granddaughter to fall for a married man!

In his eyes, the current Yu Tianyun was like a yellow‑haired rider on ghost fire, trying to chase after the precious granddaughter he had carefully nurtured for over a decade. Although this yellow‑haired youth was handsome, highly talented, of good temperament, and came from a solid background—truly outstanding to the point of being hard to dislike—Dugubo felt a slight helplessness, realizing Yu Tianyun was simply too perfect, making it hard to find any reason to refuse him.

After a moment, seeing the sunset forest close at hand, Dugubo finally spoke in a deep voice, "Yu Tianyun, you must remember what I'm about to say. My herb garden contains extremely violent ice‑fire energy, causing the ambient spiritual qi to become terrifyingly intense. If humans or animals live within it, they will quickly be shattered by the impact and die. My cultivation is profound, so I can endure it, but you cannot; that's why I never brought Duguyan here. When you go inside, if you feel any discomfort, exit immediately; do not force yourself, otherwise no one can save you. Moreover, beside the spring in the valley's center, there are many plants even I do not recognize; they may bear poisons I dare not touch. Once inside, it's best not to touch anything, or your life will be in danger."

Yu Tianyun nodded; he had already studied the knowledge of celestial herbs, and those plants were not dangerous to him but treasures—one of the greatest opportunities on this planet.

At that moment, after a brief thought, he said confidently, "Senior, rest assured; Tianyun once studied under Chief Yang of the Breaking Clan, learning how to identify medicines, and even legendary celestial herbs he can recognize. From your earlier description, I suspected your herb garden might grow celestial herbs, which is why I am confident I can purge the poison from your body."

"What is a celestial herb?" Dugubo asked, looking at Yu Tianyun with puzzlement.

"Celestial herbs come in many varieties; each has different effects. If you find the right one, it can greatly improve your physical aptitude, even evolve your martial soul. Some celestial herbs can even generate human flesh and white bone. Of course, legends may be slightly exaggerated, but they all attest to the celestial herb's power to seize the world's creation. However, celestial herbs must not be used recklessly; they must be harvested and consumed correctly and must match one's attributes. If the attribute is unsuitable, taking a celestial herb not only fails to improve you but may be as harmful as taking a deadly poison!" Yu Tianyun thought briefly, then gave a simple description of the celestial herb's powerful effects.

Anyway, he wasn't going to be greedy like Tang San, plucking feathers as a goose passes. He shared the celestial herb knowledge with Dugubo, perhaps gaining his favor so he would no longer oppose him and Duguyan.

"The effects of celestial herbs are truly terrifying! No wonder I felt those plants contained massive energy!" Dugubo, upon learning that the plants in his herb garden were so precious, inhaled a gasp of cold air, his eyes filled with shock and delight. At the same time, a lingering fear resurfaced; he had once consumed a plant with an extremely strong effect, but its attribute didn't match, leaving him teetering between life and death. Since then, he never dared to touch unknown plants casually. Looking back now, that powerful plant he ate was likely the celestial herb Yu Tianyun mentioned.

At that moment, Dugubo's gaze toward Yu Tianyun softened; Yu Tianyun had shared such crucial information with him instead of keeping it secret, clearly not seeking Dugubo's benefits. He then turned his head toward Duguyan, whose eyes held an autumnal glint as she looked at Yu Tianyun. Suddenly, he thought that Yu Tianyun having a fiancée might not be so hard to accept—after all, men having multiple wives and concubines is normal.

Unconsciously, Dugubo, just as Yu Tianyun had imagined, began his own self‑courtship.

As the three delved deeper, thick mist appeared before them; at that moment, Dugubo suddenly halted, raised his hand and flung two pills, which fell respectively into Yu Tianyun's and Duguyan's hands.

"Ahead lies a poison array I set up; any Soul Master below Level 70 who trespasses will surely die. If you both hold these pills in your mouths without swallowing, you will be unaffected by the array."

The two nodded in agreement, held the pills in their mouths, and followed Dugubo into the poison array. At that moment, Yu Tianyun's heart raced, as he was about to see the famed Ice‑Fire Dual‑Instrument Eye! (End of chapter)