Dugu Bo, holding a garment, walked to Dugu Yan's side and draped it over her shoulders.
"Yan Yan~ Go back!"
Dugu Yan didn't speak, tears welling in her eyes, freezing into frost on her face.
Her body trembled slightly, yet she remained fixed on the half-filled, milky-white spring.
In the icy pool, two rectangular blocks of ice floated,
each freezing a man and a woman.
The man's hair and eyebrows were dark green, and his appearance somewhat resembled Dugu Bo.
The woman's beauty, while not stunning, exuded nobility, and she resembled Dugu Yan.
These two were Dugu Yan's parents, Dugu Bo's son and daughter-in-law!
Dugu Bo looked at the pool, sighed deeply, and placed his hand on Dugu Yan's back, using his soul power to dispel the cold from her.
"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan's voice trembled.
She turned her head shakily, looking at him earnestly.
"Tell me the truth, that so-called engagement! Did my parents really agree to it?"
"Yan Yan!" Dugu Bo hadn't expected her to ask this, and after a moment of silence,
he finally spoke, his eyes fixed on Dugu Yan without flinching, his voice slightly hoarse.
"That's right! You'er and his wife have already agreed to this marriage!"
After saying this, Dugu Bo suddenly felt a heaviness in his heart.
Dugu Yan stared at him blankly for a long time, her green pupils showing no emotion, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
"Yan Yan understands!" Finally, Dugu Yan slowly nodded.
After saying this, she started to walk towards the wooden house, but stumbled and almost fell.
Her legs were almost frozen, but fortunately, Dugu Bo caught her.
"Yan Yan! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!"
Dugu Bo supported her while using his soul power to dispel the cold from her body.
They slowly walked to the edge of the wooden house.
"Hmph!" Dugu Bo seemed to sense something, and suddenly looked at Ye Qiu's room, letting out another cold snort.
Dugu Yan followed his gaze and saw that Ye Qiu's window was still shaking, as if it had just been closed.
After staring blankly for a few seconds, she lowered her eyes and continued walking towards her own room.
Inside Ye Qiu's room, he was leaning against the wall by the window.
Clearly, he had been watching outside the whole time.
"Hoo~" Ye Qiu let out a soft breath and climbed onto the small bed in the room. Since everything was alright, he should rest early.
Outside, Dugu Bo had already come out of his room.
He was walking step by step towards the cold spring, and as he got closer, a layer of frost formed on his eyebrows.
Looking at the two motionless figures inside, Dugu Bo felt a pang of sadness.
"You'er! It's all my fault! If it weren't for this poison in my body, you wouldn't be like this!"
He, Dugu Bo, had spent his entire life dealing with poison, and in the end, his cultivation had almost led to the destruction of his family!
Now that Ye Qiu had appeared before him, he was their family's hope!
"Yanyan, don't blame Grandpa, it's all for your own good!"
He stood there for a long time, until late at night, before returning to the wooden house.
...
Ye Qiu walked out of the wooden house, tilting his head back and stretching his body.
The morning sun shone down, making the mist in the air particularly noticeable, reflecting shimmering light.
Adjusting his breathing, he looked at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye in the distance and slowly walked towards it.
Today, he planned to first take the Eight-Cornered Profound Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Blossom.
He would deal with the antidote for Grandpa and Granddaughter Dugu first!
Now was a good time to adapt to the surrounding environment, to avoid any accidents when picking the herbs.
The Eight-Cornered Profound Ice Grass grew in the center of the Cold Extreme Yin Spring, a rare and potent cold poison; even from ten meters away, one could feel its chill.
It was octagonal in shape, with tiny, shimmering stamens in the center like ice crystals.
Ye Qiu circulated his Profound Heaven Technique as he approached it.
A layer of white frost gradually settled on his long blue hair, and his exhaled breath instantly solidified.
Ye Qiu didn't dare linger. According to Tang San, if he stayed any longer, the cold poison would attack his heart and become incurable.
He stopped in his tracks, about to leave, and slapped his forehead.
"I must have been sleeping too much."
A six-pointed star appeared in his eyes, and his figure became somewhat ethereal.
"Hehe. That's it! Huh?"
Just as he was about to walk halfway along the shore to check on the fiery apricot blossoms, he saw two ice coffin-like objects floating in the cold spring.
Ye Qiu easily recognized their faces.
'These must be Senior Dugu's son and daughter-in-law. No wonder Dugu Yan is standing here!'
In the distance, the space beside the wooden house rippled, and Dugu Bo, who had gone out, appeared there.
He saw Ye Qiu standing foolishly by the spring from afar and couldn't help but urge him on.
"Kid! What are you doing standing so close? Come over here quickly!"
He had been guarding this place for so many years, and even he dared not linger over there.
Ye Qiu came back to his senses after being called by Dugu Bo. After taking another look, he walked towards the wooden shed.
At this time, the low table had been replaced and was filled with the food that Dugu Bo had brought back.
"Why are you up so early, Senior?"
"Hmph!" Dugu Bo's face turned cold, seemingly still harboring resentment about last night's events.
"I'm old, I can't sleep!"
Ye Qiu chuckled awkwardly, pointing towards the spring.
"By the way, Senior, who are those two?"
"That's right, those are Yan Yan's parents!" Faced with Ye Qiu's question, Dugu Bo knew he had seen everything, so there was no point in hiding it.
Seeing Ye Qiu's curious gaze, Dugu Bo continued to explain.
"Both of them had their life force frozen by a contingency plan left by our benefactor before they died, hoping to see the light of day again in the future!"
As he spoke, Dugu Bo's eyes remained fixed on Ye Qiu, filled with anticipation.
"I see!"
Ye Qiu stroked his chin, curious about what kind of soul skill this was, capable of freezing life force.
Thinking of Dugu Yan's condition last night, he thought he might be able to help her if the opportunity arose.
"Uh~!"
Noticing Dugu Bo's intense gaze, Ye Qiu felt immense pressure and a sense of unease.
"Hmph! Alright, stop standing there like an idiot, go call Yan Yan for breakfast!"
Dugu Bo withdrew his gaze and didn't say much, simply dismissing him.
"Uh... I know!"
Ye Qiu replied helplessly.
He walked to Dugu Yan's door, raised his hand, and was about to knock.
Creak! The wooden door opened.
Dugu Yan, standing before him, seemed to have slept poorly, looking somewhat haggard, her eyes red and swollen, her purplish-green hair a little disheveled. She
forced a smile, her voice muffled.
"Miss Dugu! Breakfast is ready!"
"Hmm!" She laboriously lifted her eyelids, glanced at Ye Qiu, then looked away, avoiding him as she walked out.
Awkwardly touching his nose, Ye Qiu followed behind.
"Yan Yan, come sit down quickly, I bought your favorite dishes."
"You caught a chill last night, after breakfast I'll brew some medicine to warm you up!"
"Okay, thank you, Grandpa!"
Dugu Yan nodded gently and sat cross-legged at the table.
Seeing that she had no desire to speak, Dugu Bo looked at Ye Qiu, who had just sat down beside him.
"Kid! Can you drink? Want to have a drink with this old man?"
"No, no, I can't drink!"
Ye Qiu waved his hand in refusal; he didn't want to black out again.
"Hmph! He can't even drink." Dugu Bo grumbled, taking a large gulp.
During this time, the group didn't exchange many words.
The atmosphere became silent.
(End of Chapter)