Qian Renxue was momentarily stunned.
Ye Tian's words still echoed in her ears.
"Little Xue, do you remember what I said? In everything, you must consider the consequences... What consequences might arise from sparing an enemy, from letting go of an opportunity."
"Perhaps one day, the enemy you spared will obtain the opportunity you let slip. The occurrence of such an event could be enough to plunge you and your family into irreparable ruin!"
"Do you understand, Little Xue?"
"..."
"Well said, young man!"
Before Qian Renxue could respond, Golden Crocodile Douluo outside the carriage praised enthusiastically.
"Plan before acting!"
"Even if your cultivation talent were halved, you would still achieve greatness, kid!"
"Yes, yes, Grandpa is right!"
Jin Yue'er, not fully grasping the depth but sensing its importance, nodded repeatedly.
Golden Crocodile's booming voice also snapped Qian Renxue out of her daze.
"..."
Meeting Ye Tian's gaze,
all hesitation had vanished from Qian Renxue's eyes.
Ye Tian was right!
Even if the possibility were only one in a million, they absolutely could not be lenient!
With this thought, Qian Renxue nodded solemnly.
"Ye Tian, I understand!"
As she spoke,
it seemed as if Qian Renxue had made a firm resolution. A flicker of apology passed through her purple eyes,
only to be quickly replaced by a glint of cold determination.
"In that case... let's do as Yue'er suggested. We'll seize it directly by force! Either eliminate all witnesses or uproot the Immortal Herb! Leave no loose ends!"
"Snap!"
Qian Renxue made a decisive chopping motion with her hand, a faint aura of menace beginning to show on her delicate, fair face.
"Uproot it, uproot it!"
Jin Yue'er cheered, waving her hands like blades.
Her golden eyes subtly glanced at the 'alarm clock' that had poked her awake earlier,
a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Ahem~"
Ye Tian's back suddenly felt cold, and he let out an awkward, ill-timed cough.
He hadn't expected them to take it so seriously...
A sheepish smile spread across Ye Tian's face as he waved his hands dismissively.
"Two young ladies, that's not necessary, not necessary at all. Actually, I've long prepared a better method. We don't need to resort to force."
"Why?!"
Disappointment filled Jin Yue'er's eyes.
"What?!"
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue's eyes widened in shock before she glared fiercely at Ye Tian.
If that were the case,
what was the point of her earlier declaration?
"Ye Tian, did you do this on purpose? You already had a better plan all along!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth.
She had worked so hard to mentally prepare herself.
She had been so obedient, allowing Ye Tian to shape her into the person he wanted her to be.
And what did she get in return? Mockery!
"Uh, Little Xue, I did do it intentionally, but it was all for your own good!"
Ye Tian explained with genuine sincerity.
His earlier remarks were solely meant to help Qian Renxue truly change and avoid making such fundamental mistakes.
Ye Tian didn't want any incompetent allies dragging them down.
"You... you're twisting logic!"
Qian Renxue was furious but couldn't find the words to retort.
She could clearly recognize
that Ye Tian was indeed teaching her earnestly, for her benefit.
Yet, she still felt indignant inside!
"Haha~"
Just as Ye Tian was about to explain further, Golden Crocodile Douluo couldn't hold back another hearty laugh.
He had quickly realized
that Ye Tian was teaching the lesson that Grand Elder Qian Daoliu had failed to impart.
Stepping in to mediate at the right moment, he said:
"Alright, kid, you've been keeping us in suspense for so long. Why don't you tell us who this senior you mentioned actually is?"
Ye Tian understood immediately and seized the opportunity.
"Your Eminence, the person I speak of is someone you should know—the current head of the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Dugu Family, the eighty-seventh level Soul Douluo, Dugu Bo."
"The Azure Phosphorous Serpent Spirit? With the compound surname Dugu..."
Golden Crocodile Douluo raised an eyebrow.
If it were just the Dugu Family alone, he might not recall, but mentioning the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Spirit sparked some memory in him. He couldn't help but remark sarcastically,
"It's been a long time since I've been out and about. The Dugu Family has actually produced a high-level Soul Douluo."
"Uh..."
Ye Tian felt somewhat embarrassed.
Though it sounded harsh, the inherent flaws of the Dugu Family's Martial Soul destined them to never achieve great strength relying solely on themselves...
Dugu Bo's survival until now was largely due to luck.
Heaven allowed him to encounter the Yin Yang Well of Ice and Fire,
but did not favor him too much.
It didn't grant him the corresponding knowledge of Immortal Herbs. Otherwise, given time... how could the Dugu Family have vanished without a trace ten thousand years later?
Ye Tian collected his emotions and smiled.
"In a few years, Your Eminence might witness a Titled Douluo from the Dugu Family."
"Oh?!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo's voice betrayed his surprise, followed by a hearty laugh.
"Then this old man will wait and see!"
"That day will come."
Ye Tian smiled, confidence gleaming in his eyes.
"I will also make that Titled Douluo serve our Spirit Hall..."
"!!!"
Hearing this, even Golden Crocodile Douluo couldn't help feeling startled.
He began to wonder about Ye Tian's methods.
"How?!"
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue couldn't hold back her exclamation, and Jin Yue'er boldly speculated,
"I know!"
"Ye Tian must be planning to feed them medicine! Just like he did with me!"
"..."
Qian Renxue was momentarily stunned, then shot Jin Yue'er an exasperated glare.
"I think he's going to give him an Immortal Herb!"
"Right, Ye Tian?"
Qian Renxue looked at Ye Tian, her earlier pique having completely vanished.
"Haha~"
Ye Tian couldn't help but chuckle, unusually not refuting Jin Yue'er's assumption.
He merely nodded ambiguously,
"A bit of both, I suppose. You'll find out when the time comes."
With that,
Ye Tian slowly closed his eyes, clearly indicating he had no intention of saying more.
"Hmph! So mysterious!"
Jin Yue'er pouted and reluctantly sat down.
Qian Renxue opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing more, instead replaying Ye Tian's words in her mind.
She had taken his words to heart and was seriously contemplating them.
After a moment,
Qian Renxue sat back down beside Ye Tian, leaning close to his ear to whisper,
"Ye Tian, how are you so sure he doesn't recognize Immortal Herbs? Did you deduce it from his cultivation level or his descendants'?"
"Hmm?"
Ye Tian looked at Qian Renxue in surprise.
He hadn't expected her to bring up such a relatively minor point...
He had merely said it casually,
to make his source of information slightly more plausible.
But Qian Renxue's method was feasible too.
Whether someone knew about Immortal Herbs or not—
one could tell by observing the talent of Dugu Bo's granddaughter.
"Little Xue, that's just one aspect."
Ye Tian glanced at Qian Renxue appreciatively and gently patted the back of her hand.
"You'll understand when we meet him."
After speaking,
Ye Tian closed his eyes again, completely ignoring Qian Renxue's huffy expression.
Yet even in her anger,
Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel a hint of secret delight.
Ye Tian's gaze had pleased her greatly.
Soon.
Under Golden Crocodile Douluo's driving,
the carriage carrying Ye Tian and the others slowly approached the gates of Heaven Dou City.
Meanwhile, three days had passed,
and on that distant battlefield that held everyone's attention,
changes had already begun to unfold!