Upon hearing Dugu Yan's words, Chen Ming glanced around carefully, and only after confirming there was no one nearby, he pulled Dugu Yan into a secluded corner. Slowly, he began to explain the situation.
"When I was treating you, I could feel the intense poison in your body. Your grandfather came to me today mainly because of this poison issue."
"I see..." After hearing Chen Ming's words, Dugu Yan's face lost all vitality. Her once rosy complexion turned pale as if all her energy and soul had been drained. She lowered her head, looking utterly defeated.
"You already know... because of our martial souls, none of my family has lived long lives."
"My father passed away at a young age because of his martial soul. Grandfather said that I was born with a severe poison in my body, even more severe than what my father endured."
"Xiao Ming, my grandfather means no harm. He just doesn't want this matter to become widely known. He acts this way because he's worried about me."
"What I'm saying is... since this is how things are, you don't need to..." Dugu Yan bit her lip as she reached this point, hesitating to continue.
"What I mean is... this problem can be solved. Earlier, we were working on resolving the issue, which is why Gradnpa's soul power burst out like that. I didn't even say anything, so why did the atmosphere suddenly turn into something so tragic, like a life-and-death farewell?!"
Uncomfortable with this strange atmosphere, Chen Ming grabbed Dugu Yan by the shoulders and gave her a vigorous shake. He shook her so hard that it nearly scrambled her brain, even flinging out the tears and snot she had been holding back.
"You... can resolve the poison in our bodies?" Upon hearing Chen Ming's words, Dugu Yan immediately perked up, completely ignoring her disheveled appearance. She raised her head excitedly, staring intently into Chen Ming's eyes with an expression full of disbelief.
"You don't need to lie to me. I know you're—"
"If you don't believe me, I can find a place to recover for a bit and let you experience it for yourself." Chen Ming helplessly covered his face, feeling that something was seriously off about the situation.
Dugu Yan had only just developed a slight fondness for him, so why did it feel like her intelligence had suddenly plummeted to rock bottom?
Previously, Chen Ming thought that people in the Douluo Continent seemed a bit simple and had a kind of untainted beauty as if their minds hadn't been polluted by knowledge. But now, he was starting to suspect that this world had some kind of romance logic at play, complete with god-tier charm spells.
Hearing Chen Ming's words, Dugu Yan suddenly broke into laughter through her tears and leaned in to kiss him.
As a straightforward guy, Chen Ming saw it coming clearly but didn't think to dodge it. It wasn't until Dugu Yan's face was right in front of him that he realized her face was still covered in sticky snot and tears. Instinctively, he tilted his head slightly.
With a loud "thud," Dugu Yan's face collided with Chen Ming's. Not only did their lips meet, but their teeth, noses, and foreheads also slammed into each other.
Before they could savor any sweet feelings, both of them simultaneously cried out in pain and quickly pulled back, rubbing the places where they had been hit.
Chen Ming's lips were scraped by Dugu Yan's teeth, leaving them bleeding. His nose was red from the impact, and his gums felt sore, but fortunately, his head was unharmed.
As for Dugu Yan, her weaker constitution meant she suffered even more. Her teeth hurt, her nose hurt, her head hurt, and the tears she had been holding back started flowing freely again. She cried like a little kitten.
Oddly enough, even though she was crying loudly and looking utterly miserable, Dugu Yan felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her heart. She suddenly started laughing through her tears, wiping her face recklessly with her sleeve, not caring about her image.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo had sent the household servants away earlier and wasn't present himself. Otherwise, if he had witnessed this scene, he would undoubtedly have been left with a stomachache.
As someone who didn't understand a woman's heart, Chen Ming had no idea what Dugu Yan was thinking. But as someone with barely passable emotional intelligence, he wisely chose not to interrupt her and simply stood there smiling foolishly.
However, his smile only made things worse. As soon as he laughed, Dugu Yan stopped laughing. She puffed out her cheeks like an angry pufferfish and glared at him, her eyes full of grievance.
"Ahem, watch your image. You've cried yourself into a little kitten."
Hearing Chen Ming's comment, Dugu Yan, who had momentarily forgotten about her appearance, suddenly snapped back to reality. Quickly, she took out a small mirror from her soul tool. Upon seeing her exaggeratedly messy face in the mirror, she looked as though she had been struck by lightning.
"Ahhh!" Dugu Yan let out a scream and turned to run back to her room. But after taking just two steps, she remembered that Chen Ming didn't know the way, so she awkwardly turned back, grabbed his hand, and silently motioned for him to follow her.
It was strange. Normally, Dugu Yan would stride through her home with the speed of the wind, paying no attention to anyone she passed. But with Chen Ming following her, her pace slowed to that of a turtle, her usual thunderous demeanor nowhere to be seen. She walked through her own home as if she were a thief sneaking into someone else's house.
Her every movement was filled with a sense of stealth. Whenever they passed a corner, she acted as though someone might jump out at any moment, looking around nervously.
"Since when was my house this big? Why have I never felt this way before?" Dugu Yan wondered to herself as she tiptoed along.
Left with no choice, Chen Ming followed behind her, sneaking through the Dugu residence like a pair of burglars.
After a while, Chen Ming and Dugu Yan arrived at a small courtyard. At the entrance, there were several flowers Chen Ming couldn't name, all of which looked rather ordinary.
Dugu Yan opened the gate, led Chen Ming inside, and quickly shut the gate behind them. Leaning against the door, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Why are you being so cautious in your own home? Your grandfather already knows," Chen Ming thought to himself but wisely decided not to voice it.
Dugu Yan turned around, looking at the equally disheveled Chen Ming. She bit her lip, seemingly making up her mind, and pointed to a nearby door.
"That's my room. Why don't... you go in and tidy yourself up a bit?"
PS: The romance was too fast!