Chapter 235: I'll Speak! I'll Speak! Don't Pluck Me
High above in the Divine Realm, the atmosphere within the grand palace was as freezing as absolute zero.
Tang San sat rigidly upon his primary throne, his fingers gripping the ornate armrests with such crushing force that his knuckles turned stark white. His piercing gaze was locked onto the shimmering surface of the Water Mirror. Within its rippling depths, the current events at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well continued to unfold, reflecting the figures of Liu Yuan and Huo Yuhao as they handled the misty edges of the dual-colored pool.
Tang San's chest heaved, his breathing noticeably heavier and more ragged than usual.
It had been an exceedingly long time since he had lost his composure to such a degree. As a supreme God King, he was accustomed to absolute control over all of creation. Every mortal pawn in the Lower Realm, every invisible thread of karma, and every subtle twist of fate had always fallen perfectly within his careful calculations.
He had spent countless years carefully laying out this grand design. The preparations had begun long before Huo Yuhao was even born, advancing step by step, with every single link flawlessly interconnected. He had orchestrated the suffering of Huo Yuhao's mother and ensured that the boy endured nothing but cold neglect and abuse within the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. This was all to guarantee that Huo Yuhao would intimately understand the bitter taste of powerlessness and desperate longing from a tender age.
Following that, Tang San had arranged for Wang Dong'er to smoothly enter Huo Yuhao's life, allowing the isolated, lonely youth to experience genuine warmth and care for the very first time.
This was exactly what the God King desired.
Where there is emotional attachment, there is a weakness. And with a weakness, a person can be completely tamed.
He had designed this specific trial at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well ages ago. According to his flawless script, upon arriving at the mystical valley, Huo Yuhao was supposed to encounter the Beautiful Silk Tulip. That hundred-thousand-year plant-type soul beast was meant to follow Tang San's divine instructions to present the poison scripture, but it was never supposed to hand it over directly.
Instead, it was supposed to propose a harsh trial, forcing Huo Yuhao to consume a potent poisonous herb. That specific toxin wouldn't be fatal, but it would inflict unimaginable, unbearable pain. His internal organs would feel as though they were being incinerated by hellfire, and his meridians would suffer the sensation of being pierced by thousands of icy needles. Huo Yuhao was meant to thrash and struggle in that agonizing torment, hovering precariously on the razor's edge between life and death, before eventually pulling through solely by his indomitable sheer willpower.
This grueling process was never intended to actually kill the boy. Its true purpose was to plant a deep, psychological seed within his heart.
He would forever remember the extreme lengths he was willing to go to for Wang Dong'er's sake. If he was willing to throw away his very life for her, what else could he possibly refuse to give?
Once the precedent was set, it would inevitably happen again. The first time was consuming deadly poison to cure Dong'er's hidden illness; the second time would be risking mortal danger for Dong'er's safety; and the third time would be sacrificing his own core interests for Dong'er's happiness.
By repeating this cycle over and over, the act of self-sacrifice would become an ingrained habit. In the future, no matter what Tang San demanded of him, as long as he invoked Wang Dong'er's name, Huo Yuhao would comply without a single moment of hesitation. He might even proactively move to fulfill those desires before Tang San even needed to speak.
This was true domestication, not mere coercion.
Coercion inevitably breeds resentment and backlash; domestication does not. A thoroughly domesticated person would firmly believe that everything they did was born out of pure love, executing every command willingly and treating it as a natural matter of course. He would never feel used or manipulated; instead, he would derive a deep sense of self-satisfaction and purpose from his own sacrifices.
This was the exact psychological effect Tang San had painstakingly cultivated.
But now, all of this brilliant planning had been utterly ruined.
With just a single, overbearing sentence from Du Busi, the Beautiful Silk Tulip had obediently handed over the poison scripture. There was no trial. There was no poisoning. There was no agonizing pain, and certainly no grand sacrifice. Huo Yuhao hadn't even gotten a clear look at what the poisonous herb was before the manual was casually snatched away by Liu Yuan.
Tang San took a deep, shuddering breath and slowly exhaled, trying to suppress the raging storm within.
His chest was still heaving erratically, and the thick blue veins bulging on the back of his hands twitched violently.
"Liu Yuan... Du Busi..." Tang San hissed through gritted teeth, his voice dripping with divine malice. "You two damn bastards!"
Back at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Liu Yuan calmly led Huo Yuhao along the misty banks, continuing their search by the edge of the dual-colored pool. He had already plucked quite a few priceless immortal herbs, his storage soul tool now brimming with dozens of heaven-defying treasures that simply could not be found anywhere in the outside world. Yet, he had absolutely no intention of stopping his harvest.
His Double Pupils flickered constantly, the deep purple-gold light radiating from his eyes appearing exceptionally striking amidst the swirling, alternating currents of extreme cold and blistering heat radiating from the pool.
Huo Yuhao followed closely behind him, his desperate gaze never once leaving the surrounding flora.
Every time he spotted a plant he hadn't seen before, he would pause to take a few extra, hopeful looks, desperately trying to confirm if it was the legendary Lovesick Heartbroken Grass. But each and every time, the result was a bitter negative.
He could no longer remember just how many exotic plants he had scrutinized. Some possessed long, razor-thin leaves, while others had broad, fan-like foliage. Some were in full, vibrant bloom, while others were heavily laden with strange fruits. Their colors spanned the entire spectrum—crimson red, vibrant yellow, deep purple, pristine white—all sorts of dazzling hues. But not a single one matched the description of the Lovesick Heartbroken Grass he had pictured in his mind.
Doubt began to gnaw at his mind. He even started to question if the contents of that letter were actually true. Titan and Niu Tian had sworn it was, but Liu Yuan's earlier words echoed mockingly in his ears—if it was so important, why didn't they come in person? Why didn't those two mighty elders escort him here to ensure Wang Dong'er's salvation?
Huo Yuhao vigorously shook his head, forcefully tossing the treacherous thought aside. He was entirely unwilling to doubt those two respected elders. At least, not for now.
Ahead of him, Liu Yuan paused and plucked another herb—the Autumn Dew Gaze. That particular plant grew upon a jagged, protruding rock near the center of the pool. Its leaves were long and elegantly thin, shimmering in a pale gold hue. Its veins were completely transparent, making it look as if liquid sunlight were actively flowing inside them. The entire plant emitted a refreshing, cool aura—it wasn't a freezing cold, but rather a crisp sensation that instantly cleared the mind and soothed the soul.
Liu Yuan squatted down, his Double Pupils analyzing the prize carefully for a moment.
This specific stalk of Autumn Dew Gaze was incredibly old, boasting a cultivation age of approximately sixty thousand years. Its primary medicinal effect was to massively enhance mental force and spiritual perception, providing an extremely significant, heaven-defying strengthening effect specifically tailored for eye-type martial souls.
Without hesitation, Liu Yuan plucked it and smoothly stored it away into his storage soul tool.
Huo Yuhao stood quietly to the side, watching the pale gold plant being taken away without saying a single word. His own Spirit Eyes had also sensed the deep energy of that plant; he could instinctively feel just how vastly it would benefit his martial soul. But Liu Yuan didn't offer to give it to him, and Huo Yuhao didn't ask for it.
The two of them continued along the misty banks.
They had already walked more than halfway around the massive yin-yang pool, and they had basically inspected all the plants that were visibly growing in the area. Liu Yuan's storage soul tool was practically packed full of divine treasures, yet Huo Yuhao's hands were still bitterly empty.
Huo Yuhao finally couldn't help himself any longer. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked directly toward a specific moss-covered rock situated in the northwest corner of the pool.
The Beautiful Silk Tulip was still huddled pitifully over there. Its vibrant petals were half-open and half-closed, and the protective halo of light at its center had dimmed significantly compared to before. It had been desperately pretending that it didn't exist, trying to minimize its presence as much as physically possible to avoid drawing the terrifying humans' attention. But the moment Huo Yuhao's intense gaze fell upon it, its delicate petals still trembled in sheer fright.
Liu Yuan also stopped walking.
He casually followed Huo Yuhao's gaze and saw the Beautiful Silk Tulip curled up into a pathetic, trembling ball.
"Where is the Lovesick Heartbroken Grass?" Liu Yuan asked directly, his tone cool and commanding.
The Beautiful Silk Tulip did not answer. Instead, its large petals closed completely, curling tightly into a sealed ball as if it were stubbornly playing dead.
Liu Yuan did not rush it. He simply stood there and looked at the shivering flower, the deep purple-gold light within his Double Pupils flickering slightly in the misty air. His facial expression remained completely flat, but that chilling flatness carried an unspoken, heavy threat that clearly conveyed: 'You had better answer honestly.'
Huo Yuhao also stared intently at the plant, his eyes brimming with desperate urgency. He desperately wanted to speak up, to beg or demand answers, but he simply didn't know what to say. He was deeply afraid that if he opened his mouth, he wouldn't be able to control his turbulent emotions., he feared that his obvious desperation would only make the sentient plant even more unwilling to cooperate.
A heavy silence descended over the area, lasting for several tense seconds.
On the opposite side of the pool, Du Busi stood like an immovable mountain. His sharp gaze had originally been fixed on the swirling spring at the very center of the pool, but the sudden, prolonged silence from the two youths eventually drew his attention over.
The imposing sect master glanced at the cowering Beautiful Silk Tulip, then shifted his gaze to Liu Yuan, before he slowly began walking toward their position. His pace wasn't fast, but every single step he took was incredibly firm and heavy with oppressive might. The rhythmic sound of his heavy footsteps echoed ominously throughout the cavernous underground space.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The terrifying pressure was too much. The tightly sealed petals of the Beautiful Silk Tulip suddenly snapped wide open in sheer terror.
"I'll speak! I'll speak!" Its high-pitched voice carried a distinct wail of panic, its speaking speed several times faster and more frantic than before. "Don't pluck me, I'll speak! I'll tell you exactly where the Lovesick Heartbroken Grass is!"
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