Douluo’s Fate Blessed Melee Archer

Chapter 144: The Secret of Nine Heart Begonia

Seeing that Dugu Yan was completely stunned by what he had just said, Han Li couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're still laughing? Stop laughing! Hurry up and explain everything properly! LingLing's state really has me worried!"

As she spoke, Dugu Yan leaned into his embrace, but her hand was already pinching his waist her version of "interrogation through torture."

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you now."

Han Li glanced around, then pulled her over to a nearby pavilion to sit down.

"First of all, Ye LingLing's mental state does have some issues, but like I said, she's just stuck in a dead end mindset. As long as we resolve that, she'll gradually recover."

He started by addressing the part she was most concerned about.

"Then the root of the problem must be the Nine Heart Begonia, right? That's not going to be easy to fix, is it?"

Dugu Yan knew quite a bit about the Nine Heart Begonia, and her face still showed deep concern.

"Mm, it won't be easy, but it's also not as hard as you think."

Han Li waved a finger in front of her face, drawing her attention back.

"Nine Heart Begonia does have a flaw, but it's not what people think. The common belief that 'only two Nine Heart Begonia soul masters can exist at the same time, and a new one can only appear after the previous one dies' is completely false."

His tone was firm, as if he had seen the truth with his own eyes.

"Huh?"

Dugu Yan was momentarily stunned. That didn't make sense. She had confirmed this with LingLing herself.

"Mm, Ye LingLing only knows what she was taught, and even the current Ye family members believe the same thing."

"But that's because the information they have was actually fabricated by their ancestors to deceive outsiders. Later, due to war, enemy hunts, and various other factors, their family's records were lost, and the next generations ended up believing their own lie."

The expression on Han Li's face was oddly amused he had to pinch his thigh to stop himself from laughing.

"What??"

Dugu Yan's mouth hung wide open, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Like I said, Nine Heart Begonia does have a flaw, but it's not what people think. That false belief was a deliberate fabrication by their ancestors."

"In the very beginning, Nine Heart Begonia was just an unexpected martial soul mutation. But surprisingly, the mutation turned out to be hereditary."

"However, unlike the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Nine Heart Begonia only had pure healing abilities it didn't have a treasure seeking function. This made it difficult for their family to establish a long term powerful force on their own."

"Not all soul masters treat pure healers with respect. Historically, their family suffered through many terrible events. I don't need to explain further you can imagine what that was like."

Han Li turned to Dugu Yan, who nodded solemnly, lost in thought.

"Because of that, one of their ancestors came up with a plan to attach themselves to a powerful force and deliberately spread the story about their martial soul 'mutation.'"

"Of course, the story wasn't entirely false. Due to the nature of their martial soul, their birth rates were already low. But by maintaining this lie, they ensured their family's survival."

"Now, the real flaw of Nine Heart Begonia the reason why the Ye family's main bloodline has so few descendants is actually because their healing ability works by transferring their own life energy to others."

"A martial soul is fundamentally tied to its owner's body. Since Nine Heart Begonia's healing is so powerful, it naturally comes at a huge cost."

"Wait… are you saying that every time LingLing heals someone, she's burning away her own lifespan?"

Dugu Yan tightened her grip on his hand, visibly distressed.

"Don't panic let me finish."

Han Li quickly reassured her, and only then did she relax a little.

"Under normal circumstances, this process is perfectly fine. Nine Heart Begonia naturally accumulates life energy, and its user can passively replenish what they lose during cultivation."

"As long as she doesn't overuse her healing abilities in a short period, her life force won't be depleted."

"But if she's forced to continuously heal at high intensity, then yes she'll start consuming her own lifespan."

"This depletion is very hard to notice, especially for Nine Heart Begonia users, who already have a strong life force. And there's another issue "

"Because their family needs their successor to build a strong reputation, but also takes a long time selecting an ideal marriage partner, they end up delaying marriage and childbirth."

"And as a result, by the time they try to have children, their bodies are already weakened from years of healing others. That's why their family's birth rate is so low."

"This creates a cycle they keep treating patients to maintain their status, but this also causes them to die younger than other soul masters at the same level."

"Then, during one particular era of chaos, their family lost all records of this truth. But they still continued living the same way, which led to the 'two soul masters at a time' rule becoming a self fulfilling prophecy."

"And the strangest part? Over the centuries, there were no exceptions so they eventually believed their own lie."

Han Li had been shaking his head so much today, it was probably more than he had in the past month combined.

Nine Heart Begonia's history was truly ironic.

"So… if we tell LingLing the truth, she'll snap out of it?"

Dugu Yan looked hopeful.

"Not so fast. Short term, she'll be fine, but we might actually have a bigger opportunity here to pull the entire Ye family onto our side."

Han Li decisively rejected the idea of telling Ye LingLing right away.

Dugu Yan nodded in agreement. She understood his methods well she had only suggested it out of concern for her friend, but deep down, she knew this information was too valuable to give away for free.

Best friends? Sure.

But when it came to major family secrets, even the closest friendships had limits.

In her mind, it was better to ensure absolute loyalty first.

After all, she and Han Li were part of Spirit Hall, while the Ye family still belonged to Tian Dou Empire.

She had long since stopped being naïve.

As Han Li had once taught her, allies were often just future sacrifices waiting to happen.

"Alright, I'll leave that part to you. But for now, LingLing is my responsibility trust me."

Dugu Yan gave Han Li a knowing look, then pinched his waist hard.

"Ow what was that for?!"

Han Li was completely baffled by this sudden unprovoked attack.

"What, you think I didn't notice? You're very interested in this, aren't you?"

Dugu Yan hmphed, as if she had caught onto something.

"Wait, wait, wait what do you mean by that?! I was just thinking it would be useful to recruit the Ye family! They have a rare healing martial soul of course, that's a valuable asset! How did this conversation suddenly turn into… whatever you're implying?"

Han Li looked frustrated.

Dugu Yan just smirked.

"Well, LingLing is my friend, but you were the one who brought her here. Now it's your responsibility."

She patted his shoulder meaningfully.

Han Li: "..."

(End of Chapter)

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