Yang Wudi had always been a man who refused to be swayed by either soft words or hard threats, with a temper as unyielding as steel.
But now, faced with Yu Yuanzhen's blatant threat, even he—head of a clan—fell silent. His once ruddy face turned pale and green in waves.
Medical alchemy was the foundation upon which the Po Clan had built its legacy. Even when the previous Clear Sky Sect master had requested it, he had refused without hesitation.
But now, the clan had long been severely weakened. If he were to anger one of the strongest powers in the world like Yu Yuanzhen, then the Po Clan really would be destroyed in his hands, just as Yu Yuanzhen warned.
The grand hall fell into a prolonged silence, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense.
Yu Tianming, worried that Yang Wudi might do something drastic and bring his entire family down with him just to stay defiant, offered him a way out:
"We don't want the Po Clan's methods of refining medicine. We only wish to understand how to use rare and wondrous herbs."
The moment these words were spoken, the tense, confrontational mood eased quite a bit.
Yu Yuanzhen had no intention of pushing too hard either. It was better to leave one side open when surrounding someone. Give Yang Wudi a path, and perhaps he'd agree. He added:
"What Tianming means is also what I mean."
Seeing Yang Wudi still troubled, Yu Tianming sweetened the offer further:
"Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect doesn't bully others. We only wish to make friends. If your clan ever encounters a roadblock you can't cross, feel free to come to us for help."
Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Tianming were clearly playing good cop, bad cop.
A moment later, as if having come to a decision, Yang Wudi stood up from the sofa and dropped to both knees before Yu Yuanzhen.
"To tell the truth, under persecution from Spirit Hall, our Po Clan has already lost more than half our people. We're on the brink. We're willing to hand over the Immortal Herb Catalog in exchange for shelter from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect."
But Yu Yuanzhen didn't respond immediately. He said coldly:
"The Clear Sky Sect couldn't afford to provoke Spirit Hall. Do you think my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect can?"
The Po Clan had just recently escaped from Spirit Hall's pursuit. They had only barely crawled their way to Dragonhide City in the past two years. Yu Yuanzhen had every reason not to want to wade into these troubled waters.
But Yu Tianming knew that Spirit Hall would come for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect sooner or later. The Po Clan might be down now, but they could recover in the future. So he advised:
"Grandfather, Spirit Hall's ambitions are vast. We must make preparations and grow stronger. How about we let the Po Clan continue selling herbs in Dragonhide City on the surface, while we keep in contact behind the scenes?"
Hearing this, Yang Wudi, sensing a chance, quickly pulled out a booklet and offered it with both hands.
"The Po Clan is willing to serve Your Lordship. This is our family's heirloom Immortal Herb Catalog. All we ask is for shelter."
Yu Yuanzhen flipped through the booklet briefly, his eyes flickering with joy, but his face maintained a look of reluctant acceptance. After a short pause, he said:
"Stand up. From now on, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect will secretly look after your clan. But what happened today must not be spread to outsiders."
Though Yu Yuanzhen acted reluctant, he was delighted deep down. If not for fear of Spirit Hall's retaliation, who wouldn't want a subordinate clan like the Clear Sky Sect had?
After getting up, Yang Wudi added, "Thank you, Your Lordship. It's already late. Why not rest here for the night?"
The Wind Sword Sect, one of the lower four sects, also resided in Dragonhide City. If Yu Yuanzhen stayed here tonight, it would dissuade the Wind Sword Sect from any funny ideas.
"Then we'll stay the night."
In the original novel, both Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi were eccentric and unruly soul masters, yet upon meeting Yu Yuanzhen, they both became unusually respectful.
Dugu Bo had kowtowed on sight, swearing allegiance with his martial soul. Yang Wudi knelt on both knees to seek shelter.
At the end of the day, the world of Douluo was ruled by strength. The weak had no right to speak.
The only reason Yu Tianming could speak on equal footing with Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi was because he had Yu Yuanzhen behind him.
…
The night before, when Yu Yuanzhen had brought up the immortal herbs, he had quietly knocked out Dugu Yan with his soul power. She still hadn't woken up by morning.
So the next morning, Yu Tianming went to wake her.
When Dugu Yan groggily came to, she realized it was already morning. But because Yu Yuanzhen had made his move so subtly, she thought she had just dozed off during the conversation.
Blushing with embarrassment, Dugu Yan said, "I'm so sorry, Brother Tianming. I must've fallen asleep last night."
Yu Tianming replied, "It's fine. Let's go get some breakfast first."
Instead of dining at Yang Wudi's residence, they chose a tavern in the city to sample the local coastal cuisine.
As the leader of one of the three upper sects, Yu Yuanzhen was constantly under the eyes of spies, even more than a top celebrity in his past life.
If they had snuck around, it would have only raised suspicion. By staying in plain sight, those spies would simply assume he was here to treat Dugu Yan's illness.
That way, the news of the immortal herbs and the Po Clan joining would remain shrouded in mystery. Later, even Dugu Bo's joining wouldn't seem out of nowhere.
At the breakfast table, while everyone else was eating, Dugu Yan hadn't touched her chopsticks.
Noticing this, Yu Tianming asked with concern, "Yan Yan, why aren't you eating? Are you feeling unwell?"
She had been knocked out before hearing how her grandfather's illness would be treated and had wanted to ask ever since, but hadn't known how to bring it up.
After hesitating for a while, she finally asked softly, "Can my grandfather's illness be cured?"
Yu Tianming replied, "Of course it can."
Even without intervention, Dugu Bo was about to break through Rank 90 thanks to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. So why not take this chance to gain some goodwill?
Yu Yuanzhen gave him a deep look but didn't say anything.
It was only after receiving the Immortal Herb Catalog that Yu Yuanzhen truly understood the value of the herbs around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He had no intention of letting Dugu Bo use the best herbs.
Beside him, Dugu Yan beamed with joy. "Thank you, Brother Tianming, thank you Grandpa Yu. I don't even know how to repay you."
Yu Yuanzhen, as if remembering something, teased with a smirk, "This old man has no need for your thanks. But if you truly wish to repay us, how about marrying Tianming?"
For once, the usually stern Yu Yuanzhen revealed a mischievous, even sleazy grin. If Yang Wudi had seen this, his image of a dignified elder would be ruined.
Although only six, Dugu Yan was still a child of the Douluo Continent, where kids matured early. While pure-hearted under Dugu Bo's protection, she wasn't clueless.
Hearing Yu Yuanzhen's teasing, her face turned crimson, ears and all, and she bowed her head to quietly nibble on her food.
Seeing her shy expression, Yu Yuanzhen laughed heartily.
Her neck flushed red too, and she looked like a steaming, fully cooked shrimp.
Yu Tianming shook his head helplessly. "You're nearly a hundred. Do you really need to tease a little girl like that?"
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Author Note: The original novel only mentioned that the Po Clan was threatened by one of the four lower sects to join, without specifying which one.
For this, I referenced the Wind Sword Sect from the manhua and anime.
(End of Chapter)
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