The weather had turned cooler.
In the courtyard, the autumn wind swept fallen leaves into rustling whispers. The sun slanted westward, its lingering light falling across the lean figure of a young boy. His shadow moved with the leaves, twisting and shifting through the courtyard, every motion of his form carrying an indescribable grace.
Lin Xiao was still practicing martial arts as unfailingly as ever.
Dugu Yan had said that Dugu Bo was likely returning soon.
So Lin Xiao moved back into the Dugu Estate.
It had now been a full three months since his first Evil Fire Body Tempering.
The Evil Fire could not erupt at any time. It needed to accumulate, and once its intensity exceeded what Lin Xiao's meridians could withstand, it would be time for another Evil Fire Body Tempering.
During this period, Lin Xiao had been following the Extreme Training Method.
If it did not kill him, he trained himself to death.
When he was close to dying, he used the Nine Hearted Begonia to heal himself.
Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan had tried it as well, but neither trained as ruthlessly as Lin Xiao. They watched helplessly as he drove himself half to death without even changing expression.
Remembering what Ye Qingxian had said at the time, both girls turned pale. They could not imagine just what kind of agony the Evil Fire Body Tempering that made Lin Xiao wish he were dead had put him through.
Therefore, despite Lin Xiao's young age,
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had both adjusted their attitudes. They no longer treated him like a child as they had in the beginning, and were even subtly learning from his qualities.
"Phew..."
After completing a set of Five Animal Frolics, steaming white vapor rose from Lin Xiao's body. The breath he exhaled stretched long and deep, extending more than three meters.
"Where did this little thing come from? What are you doing in my home?!"
A cold, strange voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.
Lin Xiao was startled and turned around, only to see a green-haired old man standing by the courtyard gate at some unknown time. His pupils were dark green, chilling and sinister, enough to make one's entire body turn cold at a glance.
It was as though he had been targeted by a venomous Serpent Emperor.
Lin Xiao knew that this man had to be Dugu Bo, so he clasped his hands and said,
"This junior is Lin Xiao, a friend of Miss Dugu Yan."
Dugu Bo looked at Lin Xiao with interest. This little brat was only six years old, yet he had not wet himself in fear upon seeing him. Instead, he answered neither arrogantly nor meekly. How unusual.
However, Dugu Bo was an old fox and immediately caught the flaw in Lin Xiao's words.
"You said you are Yan Yan's friend?"
"Would Yan Yan make friends with a child? Even if she truly is your friend, it looks like you've been living in my home for quite some time."
"What I asked was what you are doing in my home."
Dugu Bo gave a sinister smile, his gaze studying Lin Xiao like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.
A faint, almost imperceptible aura locked onto Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao's body stiffened, and his heart turned solemn.
He knew the true test had arrived. Dugu Yan was merely a young girl; with his appearance as a child and his sincerity, approaching her had been easy.
But Dugu Bo was suspicious by nature and eccentric in temperament. The slightest suspicion could prompt him to test Lin Xiao, placing him in danger.
To earn Dugu Bo's trust, he needed sufficient reasons—and he needed to let him know that Lin Xiao possessed the ability to save lives.
"Poison Douluo, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
The moment Lin Xiao finished speaking,
Dugu Bo let out a derisive snort and said bluntly,
"What the hell are you? You think you're worthy of waiting for me?"
Lin Xiao: "..."
He knew Dugu Bo had a strange personality and had always been a loner with few friends, but now he understood the reason far more deeply.
That mouth alone made him impossible to get close to.
Yet Lin Xiao smiled.
If Dugu Bo was like this, Lin Xiao actually felt more at ease.
He said whatever was on his mind and acted whenever he was displeased, unlike certain old schemers who hid daggers behind their smiles.
Dugu Bo found this strange.
"Hah! You still dare laugh?"
Even Soul Douluo-level powerhouses were terrified before him, treading carefully for fear of making a mistake. Yet this little brat actually dared to laugh?
Dugu Bo was somewhat displeased.
It felt as though he was being looked down upon.
"I have long heard that Poison Douluo is eccentric, out of step with the worldly masses, and has few companions. But seeing you today, I find those words mistaken. Most people are hypocritical and cunning, while Poison Douluo is genuine in temperament and disdains putting on false appearances for others."
No amount of flattery ever pierced the skin.
They said one did not strike a smiling face.
Lin Xiao first praised Dugu Bo a little, putting on a layer of armor for himself.
"It is precisely because Poison Douluo sets such an admirable example that Miss Dugu Yan has inherited your fine qualities. She is innocent and straightforward by nature. I am honored to be her good friend and to help her improve her strength."
Lin Xiao added another layer of armor.
He was plainly telling Dugu Bo: I am good friends with your granddaughter, and I have even helped her improve her strength. He refused to believe Dugu Bo would have the nerve to repay kindness with hostility.
As for the truth of his words, Lin Xiao was openly living in Dugu Manor. The servants had long grown accustomed to it, which was already the best proof.
Although Dugu Bo had few companions, he had encountered no shortage of people over the years. Yet those before him were usually either fearful, disgusted, or fawning.
Someone like Lin Xiao, neither arrogant nor meek, showing neither fear nor disgust toward him, and whose praise sounded sincerely heartfelt, was something he had never encountered.
How rare!
Dugu Bo was in high spirits and said directly,
"You started by flattering me, so you must be asking for something?"
"Normally, I don't think much of people who grovel and flatter. But since you have a bit of sincerity, I'll give you a chance to speak. If this old man wants to help, I will help. If I don't, get lost as soon as possible!"
Dugu Bo did not actually want to help.
But he was curious. What could such an unusual little brat possibly want from him?
He would just listen and satisfy his curiosity. Helping was only talk.
Lin Xiao drew a deep breath.
"Because of a defect in my Martial Soul, my life hangs by a thread. May I ask Poison Douluo, how did you resolve the defect in your own Martial Soul?"
Boom!
The instant Lin Xiao's words fell!
Dugu Bo unleashed an overwhelming pressure. A terrifying aura burst from his body, and the teasing in his eyes vanished, replaced by chilling menace as he said coldly,
"Who gave you the nerve to spout such nonsense before me?!"
Dugu Bo naturally knew that the Dugu Family's Martial Soul had a defect.
But he had kept this secret hidden, because if someone with ill intent learned of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent's flaw, it would become his fatal weakness.
Whenever the poison flared up, Dugu Bo was at his weakest.
That was also why he had no choice but to leave for months at a time, relying on the special magnetic field of the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well and the strength of a Titled Douluo to suppress the poison within his body.
Now, Lin Xiao had exposed this secret.
Killing intent flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes.
If this boy could not give him a reasonable explanation, then even if he was Yan Yan's friend, Dugu Bo could only imprison him first, interrogate him, and then eliminate him!
Facing that terrifying pressure,
Lin Xiao's body trembled uncontrollably.
Yet he stubbornly raised his head, forcing down the fear in his heart as he met Dugu Bo's gaze.
"Senior Dugu."
"Because my Martial Soul is the same..."
"I want to cooperate with you—not only to save myself, but also to save Miss Yan Yan."
Upon hearing the words "save Yan Yan,"
The terrifying pressure and killing intent paused slightly before receding like a retreating tide.
Before you continue