Agreeing to Go to the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well

Dugu Bo's expression darkened instantly. The air around him seemed to freeze as the pressure belonging to a Titled Douluo slowly spread, making Xue Tianxing's breathing tighten.

Dugu Bo stared at Xue Tianxing, his eyes full of warning, and said coldly,

"Kid, there are some things you can't say carelessly! If you're deceiving me about curing poison, you'd better consider the consequences—this old man isn't afraid of your Balak Kingdom, much less your king father. If I wished it, slaughtering Balak City overnight would be no difficult task!"

His words were utterly blunt, carrying the unique tyranny and ruthlessness of a Titled Douluo.

Anyone else would probably have been scared out of their wits by now, but Xue Tianxing forced himself to remain calm. His face stayed serious as he met Dugu Bo's gaze and said,

"Elder Dugu, this junior would never dare joke about such a matter. I once saw similar records concerning your family's Martial Soul in an ancient book at the Balak Kingdom Royal Library—the book not only described toxins that accompanied the awakening of certain Martial Souls, but also mentioned several methods for easing and even removing them. It was because I remembered those records that I dared speak to you about this."

"An ancient book?"

Dugu Bo abruptly rose from his chair, urgency filling his eyes as the pressure he had released weakened somewhat. He then said to Xue Tianxing,

"Kid, where is the ancient book you mentioned? Can you let this old man see it?"

Xue Tianxing had long expected him to ask. At once, he put on a regretful expression and shook his head.

"Ah, don't mention it. After reading that ancient book, I casually left it on the desk in my palace, thinking I would look through it again when I had time. But when I went to find it a few days later, it was gone. I asked the people in the palace, but none of them had seen it. If that ancient book were still here, I would definitely have brought it as the betrothal gift for Little Ao to marry Sister Yanyan, so you wouldn't have to doubt me now, Elder."

As Xue Tianxing spoke, he let out a soft sigh. His look of regret was flawlessly convincing.

Who was Dugu Bo?

Having lived for most of his life, what sort of people had he not seen?

The moment he heard Xue Tianxing's words, he knew they were fabricated—how could such a coincidence happen, with the ancient book vanishing precisely when it was needed?

In the end, either this kid had no ancient book at all, or he simply did not want to produce it.

But Dugu Bo did not expose Xue Tianxing.

To him, whether the ancient book existed was unimportant. What mattered was whether Xue Tianxing truly had a way to cure the poison.

The Dugu Family's inherited poison had tormented them for generations. Dugu Bo himself had suffered deeply from it; even his hair had turned green from the poison's corrosion. Over the years, he had endured no small amount of hardship suppressing it.

Now that Xue Tianxing claimed to have a solution, he did not want to let even the slightest hope slip away.

Dugu Bo sat back down, the urgency in his eyes easing slightly, though his tone remained grave.

"Kid, stop beating around the bush with this old man. Tell me plainly: how confident are you about curing the poison?"

Xue Tianxing knew it was time to tell the truth.

Xue Tianxing cleared his throat and said to Dugu Bo,

"Elder, to be honest, your situation is rather complicated—your Soul Power is profound, and the poison has accumulated in your body for decades. It has long seeped into your bones and marrow. My method has at most a sixty to seventy percent chance of working for you. It can only do its best to alleviate the symptoms; whether it can be completely removed will depend on luck."

Then Xue Tianxing paused and changed the subject.

"But Sister Yanyan is different. She is only a Soul Grandmaster right now, and her Martial Soul awakened not long ago. Very little poison has accumulated in her body, and it has not yet damaged her foundation. With my method, I am one hundred percent certain that I can completely remove the poison from her body, so she will never have to suffer from it again."

After hearing this, Dugu Bo fixed his eyes tightly on Xue Tianxing's face, trying to find even the slightest trace of panic or deceit in his eyes.

But Xue Tianxing's gaze was open and unwavering. That confidence did not seem feigned.

Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment, calculating rapidly in his heart—having a sixty to seventy percent chance for himself was already a rare opportunity, while Yanyan being completely cured was his greatest wish.

As long as Yanyan could escape this family curse, he would accept it even if Xue Tianxing had some ulterior motive.

Dugu Bo took a deep breath and finally made his decision.

He looked at Xue Tianxing, his tone carrying a trace of resolve.

"Fine! This old man will trust you once! Whether my own poison can be cured hardly matters. I've lived to this age and long since stopped caring. But you must guarantee that you can completely remove the poison from Yanyan's body! As long as you accomplish that, no matter what condition you name, this old man will agree to it as long as I can fulfill it!"

Joy rose in Xue Tianxing's heart—he had succeeded!

That was exactly what he wanted Dugu Bo to say.

Xue Tianxing hurriedly said to Dugu Bo,

"Rest assured, Elder! This junior will certainly give his all and guarantee that Sister Yanyan completely escapes the torment of the poison! However, there is one very serious problem before we can begin the detoxification."

Upon hearing Xue Tianxing's words, Dugu Bo quickly asked,

"What problem?"

Xue Tianxing slowly said to Dugu Bo,

"There are many medicinal herbs listed in the ancient book that this junior cannot find. Without them, there is no way for me to help you and Sister Yanyan. I have looked in both Balak City and Heaven Dou City, but I have not found any of them."

Dugu Bo paused, then said to Xue Tianxing,

"What medicinal herbs do you need? This old man has a herb garden. Although I do not recognize the herbs in it, it should have some that you need. I'll take you there to have a look when the time comes and see whether there is anything you need."

Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Xue Tianxing nodded and said,

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Elder, to take me to see your herb garden when the time comes."

At that moment, Xue Tianxing finally let out a sigh of relief in his heart—he had not expected things to go so smoothly.

He had originally thought he would need to spend more time persuading Dugu Bo, and had even prepared to bargain with him. Yet for the sake of his granddaughter, this Titled Douluo had agreed so readily.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall. Dugu Yan and Oscar had returned.

The two walked side by side, faint blushes on both their faces. It was clear that they had had a pleasant conversation along the way.

Dugu Bo glanced at them, gave Xue Tianxing a look, and lowered his voice.

"Don't tell Yanyan about the detoxification yet, so she won't worry. Once you're prepared, we'll begin."

Xue Tianxing nodded and secretly thought,

It seems this Poison Douluo has a gentle side that no one knows about.

Oscar and Dugu Yan entered the hall. Seeing that the atmosphere was fairly harmonious, both of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief.