Dugu Bo

"Drip~"

Cold water droplets splashed onto the ground.

Yu Cheng felt his head swim. He forced his eyes open, only to find himself surrounded by darkness.

Where is this place? he thought.

"This is Dugu Bo's cave. He ambushed you," the young Yu Cheng explained.

"Damn it, when did Dugu Bo show up? Why didn't you warn me?" Yu Cheng asked, confused.

Could Dugu Bo's spiritual power be far beyond the young Yu Cheng's?

The young Yu Cheng had once said that if a Soul Master was powerful and deliberately concealed their aura, he wouldn't be able to provide any warning.

"Do you want to listen to what you're saying?" the young Yu Cheng pouted.

He had been locked inside the urn by Yu Cheng and couldn't sense the outside world. Only when Yu Cheng was knocked unconscious did his subconscious detect danger, and he released him.

But it was too late.

"Oh!"

A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Yu Cheng's face as he remembered locking the young Yu Cheng away.

Just then, a sinister voice echoed:

"Kid, you're awake, so stop pretending. Your composure is quite good, like an old hand."

Yu Cheng turned his head. Using the faint light, he saw an old man standing behind him.

The old man was tall and thin, with hair and beard that were dark green. His eyes sparkled like emeralds.

"Junior Yu Cheng greets Senior Dugu," Yu Cheng said, getting to his feet respectfully.

"You know me, kid?" Dugu Bo stroked his beard, sounding surprised.

"Yan Yan told me about you," Yu Cheng replied honestly.

"Yan Yan?" Dugu Bo's eyes flashed, and his long robe billowed as if in a wind.

This kid calls my granddaughter so familiarly?

What's their relationship?

"Are you and Yan Yan very close?" Dugu Bo stared at Yu Cheng, asking coldly.

He recalled seeing Dugu Yan not long ago. Besides bragging about the pills she had obtained, Dugu Yan had always praised Yu Cheng.

Master of theory, exceptional talent, second ring in a thousand years...

Dugu Bo was aware of Yu Cheng's Whale Rubber Theory. He had even captured many Soul Masters for experiments; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to let Dugu Yan absorb a third ring from a two-thousand-year-old spirit beast.

Dugu Bo didn't care that Yu Cheng could refine pills. He himself was a master alchemist who had studied the art for decades.

However, Yu Cheng had actually seen that Dugu Yan was poisoned by her Martial Soul? This shocked Dugu Bo greatly. He had rushed to Heaven Dou Academy precisely to verify this matter, as he himself was also poisoned and helpless.

But now, something even more shocking had happened.

His precious cabbage was about to be eaten by a pig!

Absolutely not!

"Yan Jie and I are teammates. We fight side-by-side, so we naturally know each other well," Yu Cheng answered.

He felt uncomfortable under Dugu Bo's gaze, finding it somewhat eerie.

"Kid, besides being teammates and friends, what other relationship do you and Yan Yan have? Have you done anything beyond friendship?" Dugu Bo pressed, an invisible aura locking onto Yu Cheng.

"No, no! Senior, you misunderstand!"

Yu Cheng quickly waved his hands.

He had a premonition that if he said yes, Dugu Bo would probably swat him away with a single palm.

"Sister Yan and I have only held hands a few times. We've absolutely not crossed the line regarding romantic matters!"

Yu Cheng said solemnly.

He needed to take Dugu Yan's pulse to check her body. In a sense, it did count as holding hands.

"You've already held hands?"

Dugu Bo's Soul Power surged.

He hadn't expected that after just a period of closed-door cultivation, his granddaughter was almost tricked away.

No wonder Yan Yan mentioned this kid with such a happy smile on her face back then, Dugu Bo thought to himself.

After a long while, the oppressive aura disappeared.

"Hoo~"

Yu Cheng gasped for air.

Dugu Bo's personality is really strange, he grumbled inwardly.

"Kid, I don't care about your young people's affairs. But Yan Yan is still young. If you cross the line between men and women, I will absolutely not let you off!"

Dugu Bo said coldly.

Dugu Yan was already over fifteen. Many commoner girls were mothers by this age.

But Soul Masters were different.

Before the age of twenty was the golden period for a Soul Master's cultivation.

Being overly infatuated with romantic matters was extremely detrimental to future development.

"Senior is joking. I'm still young. By the way, Senior, what did you need me for?"

Yu Cheng changed the subject.

If they continued talking, Dugu Bo might ask for details about Dugu Yan's life, and he would be exposed.

He was just using Dugu Yan as a shield; they were merely ordinary friends.

In the original work, Dugu Bo's personality was erratic and unpredictable.

The only person he cared about was Dugu Yan.

To avoid being harmed by Dugu Bo, Yu Cheng could only resort to this tactic.

Hearing this, Dugu Bo no longer dwelled on their relationship.

He stared at Yu Cheng and asked coldly, "Kid, how did you discover the snake venom in Yan Yan's body?"

"When I was examining Sister Yan, I discovered that her blood contained the venom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. This is very strange!"

Yu Cheng said frankly.

"What's strange about it?" Dugu Bo asked.

Yu Cheng stroked his chin and said gravely, "The venom of snake-type Soul Masters is mostly hidden within their Martial Souls and doesn't harm the Soul Master themselves. But it's clear that the venom in Sister Yan's body has gone out of control."

"Her venom can not only harm enemies but has also deeply poisoned herself."

Dugu Bo asked, "Are you very knowledgeable about snake-type Martial Souls?"

Yu Cheng explained, "While researching the Whale Rubber Theory, I spent a year in the main hall of Fasno. I encountered many Soul Masters with snake-type Martial Souls, so I've seen a lot."

"Mm."

Dugu Bo nodded slightly.

He had naturally heard of Master Yu Cheng's reputation.

The complete version of the Whale Rubber Theory in Martial Soul Hall contained a large amount of experimental data from Soul Masters, which indeed recorded many snake-type Martial Souls.

"Hoo~"

Yu Cheng exhaled, feeling slightly relieved.

He knew that Dugu Bo had likely begun to trust him.

Heaven Dou Academy.

Yu Cheng's disappearance had thrown the entire academy into chaos.

On the top floor of the teaching building, in the conference room.

Present were Qin Ming, Yu Luomian, several Committee Members, and a special guest, Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi had originally come to discuss Ning Rongrong's enrollment.

Apart from cultivating within the sect, direct disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would also come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to study for a period.

Connections were as important to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as the inheritance of their Martial Souls.

Ning Fengzhi also hadn't expected that Master Yu Cheng, renowned throughout the continent, had actually disappeared at Heaven Dou Academy.

"Second Master, if anything happens to Yu Cheng, I will..."

Qin Ming spoke in a deep voice, his tone serious.

"What will you do?"

Yu Luomian raised his head, not backing down at all.

He had only fought with Qin Ming; what did Yu Cheng's disappearance have to do with him?

"Please, calm yourselves. Now is not the time for arguing,"

Ning Fengzhi said, attempting to mediate.