Taking a Disciple

"This Poison Pill can not only neutralize the toxins in your body, but also enhance your martial soul's poison and help you raise your Soul Power by one level."

"You're telling the truth?" Above the rank of Titled Douluo, every level was like an insurmountable chasm. For him, advancing even one level had already become impossible, yet this precocious child before him claimed that a tiny pill could help him rise a level. It was simply absurd. If it really works as he says, I'll marry my granddaughter to him.

Tang Yin still had no idea that Dugu Bo had already considered him a prospective grandson-in-law. "Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, just take it and find out."

Dugu Bo skeptically placed the pill into his mouth. A massive surge of medicinal power erupted instantly, and Dugu Bo hurriedly sat cross-legged to refine it. Before long, his green hair began to turn black.

Three hours later, Dugu Bo opened his eyes and burst into laughter. He startled Tang Yin, who was in the middle of refining medicine, so badly that he nearly blew up the furnace. Fortunately, he had Grandmaster Aura and managed to stabilize the flames. "What's wrong with you? Why are you laughing so loudly?" he cursed. But Dugu Bo was too delighted to care. "Hahaha, little monster, your pill really works! I'm already level 92. Maybe I'll reach level 93 before long."

Tang Yin put the freshly refined Soul Condensing Pills into a jade vial. He stood up, dusted off his backside, and said, "Of course. How could medicine refined by me be ordinary? Take these two Poison Pills to your granddaughter. She's still young and can't withstand too much medicinal power, so these two have been diluted. Have her take one each day before dawn, and she'll be fine in two days."

Dugu Bo carefully accepted the jade vial and solemnly said to Tang Yin, "I owe you a great favor. I can grant you three reasonable requests."

"What counts as unreasonable?"

"Don't restrict my freedom, don't make me repay kindness with enmity... Hmm, that's about it." Dugu Bo thought for a moment, then listed a whole string of conditions.

"All right, I agree. My first request is for you to become my friend." Tang Yin blurted it out impatiently as soon as Dugu Bo finished speaking.

Dugu Bo froze. "Are you serious? That's your first request? Think it over before you answer." Tang Yin replied firmly, "I'm sure. This is my first request."

"Hahahaha, good. Then this old man accepts you as a friend." Dugu Bo agreed readily.

Then Tang Yin revealed the true purpose behind his request. "Since we're friends now, it wouldn't be too much for you to give me something, would it?"

"So that's what you were after, you little monster. I thought you truly wanted to be friends with me. Fine, what do you want? As long as I have it, I'll definitely give it to you." Dugu Bo could not help laughing at how shrewd Tang Yin was despite his age.

"It's true that I want something, but I also genuinely want to be friends. I can give you something good too." Tang Yin said first, then added, "I heard you have a Treasure Bag that can store living creatures. That's what I want."

"You really came prepared, kid. You 'heard' about it? Who did you hear it from? I can give you the Treasure Bag, but you have to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Marry my granddaughter." This was a decision Dugu Bo had reached after observing him for the past month. At merely level nineteen, he possessed strength sufficient to rival a Spirit Douluo, along with that miraculous alchemy. All of it showed that—

"No." Tang Yin's refusal was extremely firm. What a joke. He intended to marry the most beautiful woman on the Douluo Continent. How could he possibly let a mere Dugu Yan tie him down?

"Hey, why not? Let me tell you, my granddaughter is only a few years older than you, and she's very beautiful..." Dugu Bo still tried to struggle, introducing his granddaughter with even more enthusiasm.

"Enough. You don't need to say anything else. No matter what you say, I won't agree." Seeing that Tang Yin refused, Dugu Bo had no choice but to take a step back. "Then take my granddaughter as your disciple."

"What ⊙∀⊙? You're not joking, are you? You want a seven-year-old child like me to take your granddaughter as a disciple?" No matter how Tang Yin calculated things, he had never expected Dugu Bo to make such a request.

"You already rejected me once. You can't reject me again this time. You must take my granddaughter as your disciple, or we won't be friends anymore." Dugu Bo's forceful attitude left Tang Yin silent. After a long while, he raised his head. "If your granddaughter agrees, then I have no objections. But being my disciple is very difficult. When the time comes, don't feel sorry for your granddaughter and then come lecture me."

Dugu Bo was overjoyed. In truth, he had not been confident that Tang Yin would agree to this request. Saying they would end their friendship had only been a threat, but Tang Yin had actually agreed. It truly caught him by surprise. "Don't worry, I absolutely won't. Wait here. I'll go bring my granddaughter." With that, he quickly departed.

Not long after, he returned with a girl who had short dark-purple hair and green eyes that gave off a somewhat eerie feeling. She looked valiant and spirited. Dugu Yan was already fourteen years old. She could not be called breathtakingly beautiful, but she already possessed a strange, alluring charm.

"Grandpa, is that teacher really so amazing?" Dugu Yan asked her grandfather curiously. After all, her Titled Douluo grandfather had suddenly said today that he was finding her a teacher, and he had been so secretive about it.

"Yan Yan, listen to Grandpa. When you meet your teacher later, you must behave. Your teacher may not be very old, but he's extremely capable. He also has lots of good things, so make sure to ask him for a few."

Dugu Yan: ... You only want good things, so you sold your own granddaughter, didn't you?!

When they returned, the girl looked around the moment she landed. "Grandpa, where's the teacher you mentioned? Little brother, have you seen my teacher?" From the beginning, she had never considered that the so-called teacher could be the little boy in front of her.

... Tang Yin looked speechlessly at the little girl searching for the "teacher" she had imagined.

"If there's no mistake, I should be the teacher you're looking for," Tang Yin explained helplessly.

... The girl's eyes went blank. She turned to look at her grandfather, only to receive an affirming look. "That's right. This is the teacher I found for you, Qi."

"Grandpa, have you gone senile?"

"How could I have?"

"Then tell me, how can this little brother, who's so much younger than me, be my teacher? What can he teach me?" Dugu Yan was completely speechless.

Seeing that Dugu Yan did not believe him, Dugu Bo could only cast Tang Yin a pleading look. "Why don't you show her something?"

Tang Yin sighed helplessly. Then he took a new Nichirin Blade from the system space and began using Flame Breathing. Veins bulged across his neck and arms. Flame patterns began to appear on the originally snow-white blade, leaving Dugu Yan utterly stunned. Even Dugu Bo beside her was shocked. It was another power he had never seen before. Just how many hidden tricks did this little monster have?

"Flame Breathing, First Form—Unknown Fire." With a single slash, a huge boulder split cleanly in half. Then Tang Yin imitated the Flame Hashira from Demon Slayer, slowly drawing the back of his blade across the mouth of its sheath before returning the Nichirin Blade to it. He exhaled, then looked toward the dumbfounded grandfather and granddaughter.

Dugu Yan took a deep breath. "That's impressive, but it's not much use for me to learn this." Dugu Bo looked at Tang San again, his gaze saying: See? She's looking down on you. Hurry up and show her something else.

Tang Yin was helpless. Why were these two harder to please than the other? He drew a butterfly-bladed weapon from the Nichirin Blade again.

"Insect Breathing, First Form—Butterfly Dance." Swarms of butterflies rushed toward Dugu Yan, leaving the girl utterly dazzled. Yet she was still dissatisfied. With no other choice, Tang Yin prepared to give up. There was nothing he could do if the girl was dissatisfied, and that suited him just fine. But unexpectedly, the girl suddenly changed her mind.

"All right, then. Since Grandpa says you're very capable, I'll take you as my master. From today onward, you'll be my teacher." As she spoke, she bowed and called out, "Teacher." (Taking a master in Douluo Continent was very casual.)

"Call me Master."

"Huh?"

"I said, call me Master."

"Oh, Master."