This Kid Keeps Staring at Me

"Keep looking and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

The young girl's clear, cold snort echoed through the inn, and the surrounding onlookers immediately turned toward the sound.

The Skywater Academy group also looked over. "People from Heaven Dou Royal Academy? Is that... Dugu Yan?"

After sweeping his gaze around, he saw that the team leader Qin Ming and the members Yu Tianheng, Ye Lingling, Shi Mo, and Dugu Yan were all present.

A glance back at A'man, whose expression was somewhat awkward—had A'man been staring at Dugu Yan just now?

"Isn't it normal to observe the situation inside before entering?" Shui Yue'er turned toward Dugu Yan as well. Seeing how angry she looked, Shui Yue'er raised her head and glared at her. "A'man only accidentally glanced at you once. Was there any need to lose your temper and say something so vicious!?"

Dugu Yan cast Lin Manshan a disdainful glance and snapped back on the spot. "What do you mean, glanced once? This kid has been staring at my face ever since he came in!"

With a swish, all the Heaven Dou Royal Academy students turned their gazes toward Lin Manshan, their expressions clearly displeased.

"Huh?" Shui Yue'er immediately looked a little wronged. Turning to Lin Manshan with watery eyes, she asked, "A'man, is that true?"

Does A'man like more mature girls? she could not help thinking.

Shui Bing'er also looked at Lin Manshan with a puzzled expression. After spending the past few days together, she believed Lin Manshan was not the sort of person who would be tempted by beauty. Otherwise, he would have made a move on the two of them long ago. Back then, they had been out in the wilderness, the perfect opportunity to do so.

The others from Skywater Academy also turned to Lin Manshan, waiting for an explanation.

Feeling all the eyes focused on him, Lin Manshan scratched his head awkwardly. "Miss, if I said I only looked over to observe your complexion because I smelled a fishy odor coming from you, and discovered that you've been poisoned by Deadly Poison that has already seeped deep into your lungs and viscera and permeated your Bone Surface, putting your life in danger... would you believe me?"

At those words, everyone present was abruptly shocked.

Poisoned? He could smell it the moment he entered?

That awesome!?

So she was poisoned. The Skywater Academy group immediately understood. When Lin Manshan had encountered Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er in the Star Dou Great Forest, he had recognized at a glance that the two had been poisoned. Then, using medicinal herbs gathered along the way, he had cured them on the spot.

That had only happened a few days ago. This was merely the same scene playing out again, and they believed him.

When their Peripheral Vision caught Dugu Yan, their gazes immediately carried a trace of sympathy.

Deep in her lungs and viscera, permeating her Bone Surface—she was clearly severely poisoned. If left untreated, she would be dead soon enough.

Still so young... what a pity.

However, the Poison Douluo's granddaughter being poisoned was truly something The Women found hard to imagine.

Seeing the changes in the expressions of the Heaven Dou Academy group, Yu Tianheng, seated opposite Dugu Yan, immediately believed it somewhat. He turned to Dugu Yan, his gaze seeking confirmation. "Yanzi, is this true?"

The other teammates also looked over with concern.

Dugu Yan did not speak. Instead, she gritted her teeth and stared intently at Lin Manshan, her tone softening somewhat.

"What is your basis for saying that?"

Even her own Grandfather, a Titled Douluo, had been unable to resolve the poison in her body, yet the young man before her had seen through it at a glance. No matter what, this was at least a sliver of hope. Tormented by illness for years, both for herself and for her grandfather, she was unwilling to miss even the faintest possibility.

It was actually true!?

The onlookers were immediately stunned. Although Dugu Yan had not said so outright, anyone present could tell from the change in her expression, her tone, and her manner that this was practically an admission.

"Your eyes. Your pupils are dark green, which is not a normal eye color. Of course, that is merely superficial. More importantly, the color within your pupils is not only unusually murky, but also mixed with other hues. In addition, the color of the blood vessels at the edges of your eyeballs is wrong as well. Normal blood vessels would not be this dark. All these signs are manifestations of poisoning." Lin Manshan spoke with calm assurance.

"Especially the fishy odor that occasionally wafts from your body. That is a sign that the toxins have already seeped deep into your lungs and viscera and are being expelled through your body's surface." As he spoke, he pointed toward the entrance. "You're seated by the window right now. The wind blows in through the window and flows straight out through this door, so the odor naturally drifted over with the air. I often deal with medicinal herbs, so I have a keen sense of smell for this sort of scent."

"So I smelled it as soon as I entered." After saying that, he shrugged, as though it had been the simplest thing in the world.

"A'man, you're amazing!" Shui Yue'er's eyes immediately lit up as she looked up at him with worshipful admiration.

Keep it low-key, keep it low-key. Lin Manshan smiled and said solemnly, "It's just basic knowledge of medicinal theory."

Showing off without even trying was the deadliest kind. Damn it, he had actually pulled it off in front of so many girls. The onlookers were speechless, their faces full of envy.

"Then, Your Excellency, do you have a way to treat it?" Dugu Yan's expression visibly changed, and her tone became respectful.

Although he looked young, his words were logical and well-founded. He seemed to possess genuine skill. No matter what, what harm was there in trying? Even if she gained only the slightest insight, she could relay it to her grandfather afterward. Perhaps it might inspire him and help with the detoxification.

"As for that, without a more thorough diagnosis, it is difficult to say." Lin Manshan shook his head modestly.

According to the original story, the method Tang San used to detoxify Dugu Bo was merely to mix a little of his own Fresh Blood into some medicine that promoted circulation and loosened the muscles. In Lin Manshan's view, such a crude and simple method of detoxification was completely irresponsible.

The toxins in Dugu Bo's body had accumulated for years and had long since penetrated deep into his Internal Organs, meridians, bones, and skeleton. Over time, those areas had naturally suffered damage, perhaps even harm to his very foundation. Under such circumstances, simply detoxifying him without any subsequent treatment would leave the damage untouched, inevitably affecting his future cultivation. Otherwise, Dugu Bo would not have made so little progress in his cultivation over the following years.

Still, it made sense when he thought about it. Tang San had been captured and nearly killed by Dugu Bo, so it was impossible for him not to harbor resentment. It was understandable that he had not treated him wholeheartedly. Yet later, Dugu Bo had repaid Tang San with complete sincerity out of gratitude, willingly serving as his enforcer and repeatedly helping him resolve crises. Even then, Tang San had never considered helping Dugu Bo eliminate those hidden dangers or finding a way to improve his strength.

Honestly, it was truly cold-hearted.

Furthermore, using a Soul Bone as a vessel to contain toxins—how much Deadly Poison could a single bone hold? Especially when the poison was spread throughout the entire body. Who knew whether it might exceed its limit and explode one day? Moreover, when using a Soul Bone Skill or engaging in intense combat, if an enemy's attack was powerful enough to damage the Soul Bone, or if using a Soul Bone Skill stirred the toxins within, there would be a risk of the poison leaking out.

Wasn't that equivalent to installing a high-concentration Deadly Poison bomb inside one's body? One slight mistake, and he would die on the spot.

That was not what Lin Manshan wanted.

Although Dugu Bo's way of doing things is both righteous and wicked, he is a loyal and honorable man. He would never stab a friend in the back. If I cure him and Dugu Yan, wouldn't that be like gaining a top-tier enforcer outright? And an enforcer should naturally be as strong as possible.

Lin Manshan pondered silently, making up his mind. I need to treat his poison properly. It would be best if I could raise his strength to another level and make him an even more awesome enforcer.

As he thought this, his Peripheral Vision caught Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er beside him.

While I'm at it, I'll give these two girls some medicine too. Then maybe one day they can beat Tang San's dog head and Xiao Wu's rabbit head bloody in one-on-one matches on the arena.

Just thinking about that scene feels damn satisfying!