Chapitre 22: Chapter 22: The Unruly Miss
Li Luochen was lost in thought, pondering how to set things up, when he suddenly collided with someone.
"Oh, oh..." Li Luochen fell to the ground, his thoughts completely disrupted by the impact. "This is why you shouldn't walk while distracted," he muttered to himself.
"Who's the idiot who bumped into me? Are you looking to die?" a voice snapped.
The speaker was a young girl with short, dark purple hair, giving her a heroic appearance. While she wasn't traditionally beautiful, she had an alluring charm. Her striking green eyes added a peculiar and slightly eerie aura to her presence.
The girl was none other than Dugu Yan, now fourteen years old. She was in a foul mood recently. Her mother had died during childbirth, and her father had passed away two years ago, leaving her to depend solely on her grandfather. But even he rarely spent time with her, often preoccupied with his secret medicine garden.
At this point, Dugu Yan was introverted and didn't like talking to people. She could sense the fear, disgust, and aversion in the way others looked at her. Were it not for the fact that her grandfather was the famed Jade Phosphorus Douluo, the most feared poison master in the world, she would likely be an outcast.
Because of this, Dugu Yan had no friends. She was lonely, with a temper that was easily provoked, often acting arrogant and domineering as a way to make herself noticed.
"Alright, pretty boy! How dare you bump into me? Do you know where you are? This is Tiandou City! Have you had enough of living? Do you even know who my grandfather is?" Dugu Yan demanded, puffing up with self-importance.
"Hey, little girl, you think you're so tough? What, is your father's name Zhang Erhe? You didn't even watch where you were going and now you want me to apologize? Do you expect me to kneel down and beg for forgiveness?" Li Luochen frowned, annoyed at her arrogance. Although the girl's appearance seemed familiar, he couldn't quite place where he had seen her before.
Dugu Yan's temper flared. "Alright, pretty boy, you're asking for it!"
She was like a powder keg ready to explode. These last two days had been especially rough, and to top it off, she was on her period, making her irritable and in pain.
"Jade Phosphorus Snake, possess!"
As Dugu Yan summoned her martial spirit, two yellow soul rings appeared around her. Her body became serpentine, her legs merging into a thick snake tail, supporting her as she moved. A diamond-shaped green scale appeared on her forehead, and her green eyes sharpened, filled with a cold, inhuman aura.
Li Luochen finally recognized her. "It's her! Dugu Yan… I was too careless. No wonder she has purple hair and green eyes, and her martial soul is the Jade Phosphorus Snake!"
He started to panic. If she targeted him, things could get ugly, especially with her grandfather's reputation.
Dugu Yan mistook Li Luochen's silence for fear and taunted him, "Tsk, scared, aren't you? You look decent, but I didn't expect you to be so useless. So scared of my strength that your legs have turned to jelly?"
She sneered, "You're all looks but no substance, aren't you? Did I scare you so badly that you're impotent? Kneel down and beg for mercy, and maybe I'll let you go!"
Dugu Yan's words struck a nerve. Li Luochen was already irritated by the interruption, and now this girl was making it personal. His anger boiled over.
Summoning his dragon-patterned stick, three soul rings—one yellow and two purple—emerged, their presence oppressive.
The crowd quickly dispersed; fighting between soul masters was forbidden in Tiandou City.
"Impossible! How can someone like you be this strong? I don't believe it! Jade Phosphorus Snake Venom!"
Dugu Yan unleashed a green poisonous mist, sending it toward Li Luochen.
"Jade Phosphorus Snake Venom? Is that all you've got? You haven't trained enough!"
Li Luochen retrieved a jar of realgar wine from his soul guide bracelet, shortened his dragon-patterned stick, and ignited it with a small flame. After taking a swig of the wine, he spat it at the flame, sending a large burst of fire toward the poisonous mist. The poison dissipated immediately upon contact.
"What?! How is this possible? How could you neutralize my Jade Phosphorus Snake Venom so easily?" Dugu Yan was stunned. Her family's prized venom had never been countered so effortlessly.
"Like I said, you haven't trained enough. You call yourself a poison master, but you don't even know that realgar counters snake venom? And you might not even be aware of the effects of the venom on your own body," Li Luochen retorted.
Though his words were sharp, Li Luochen refrained from outright dismissing her poison as worthless, unlike how Tang San might have. While he had no qualms about standing his ground, he respected the strong and knew when to tread carefully.
Dugu Bo, hidden in the shadows, heard everything. He hadn't planned on intervening, hoping his granddaughter would learn a lesson. However, when Li Luochen mentioned the venom in Dugu Yan's body, he paid close attention.
Li Luochen hadn't directly pointed it out, but Dugu Bo knew his granddaughter's condition well. The venom had seeped into her bones, something most wouldn't notice, but this boy clearly did.
Moreover, the boy's spirit rings were impressive—his second ring was at least two thousand years old, and his third was deep purple, indicating at least six thousand years. Dugu Bo couldn't help but feel wary of such a formidable talent.
Dugu Yan's frustration boiled over. "Damn it! I don't believe it! You're just a pretty boy. Prepare to die!"
Losing control, Dugu Yan lunged at Li Luochen, swinging wildly. But her attack was full of openings, and Li Luochen easily dodged.
"Hmph! Your venom is weak, your attacks are sloppy, and you're full of flaws," Li Luochen remarked, no longer concerned about the consequences.
If this girl managed to land a punch on him, he'd be done for. Even a calm man has his limits.
Li Luochen transformed his dragon-patterned stick into a short rod, like a teaching stick, and smacked Dugu Yan on her butt.
"Ahhh! You bastard! Shameless!" Dugu Yan cried out in anger and humiliation. No one had ever dared to spank her before, not even her grandfather.
Her attacks grew increasingly erratic, and Li Luochen easily dodged them, delivering more smacks to her hips.
"I told you not to curse, I told you not to hit people, I told you to aim better! Let's see how tough you really are. If you're still tough, come at me again!" he taunted, venting his frustration.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone