Have I Become Qian Renxue?

"You don't even know what kind of precious place this is? Finding it was really a stroke of dumb luck."

Master Meng looked at Dugu Bo with utter disdain.

Dugu Bo was angry but did not dare show it. He merely retorted in a low voice:

"Though I don't know it's called the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, I know this must be a precious place."

Dugu Bo had treated this place as a medicinal garden, gradually transplanting many herbs here.

"Then I suppose you can't recognize these herbs either?"

Without waiting for Dugu Bo to answer, Master Meng continued:

"It's better that you know little. At least you won't ruin these extremely rare Immortal Herbs."

"Immortal Herbs?"

Though Dugu Bo had been feeling dejected, the words "Immortal Herbs" immediately lifted his spirits.

"I could tell these herbs were extraordinary too, but I didn't touch a single one! I was afraid of eating the wrong thing and killing myself."

If Dugu Bo had been a little bolder and consumed a few harmless Immortal Herbs, his strength would certainly have surpassed what it was now.

"Little Qi, how do you intend to deal with this fellow?"

Master Meng shook his head, no longer willing to communicate with the ignorant Dugu Bo.

Yet when Dugu Bo heard Master Meng's words, his pupils trembled slightly.

This powerful Titled Douluo was actually asking a child for his opinion?

Dugu Bo secretly pondered, If I seize the opportunity and capture this brat, can I escape safely?

Dugu Bo had never been in the habit of entrusting his life to others. If possible, he still wanted to escape by relying on himself.

He had escaped Spirit Hall's pursuit back then. Now, with only one Titled Douluo before him, this was nothing to worry about.

"Dugu Bo, your eyes are darting around. Are you thinking of capturing me to threaten Master?"

Dugu Bo's expression had changed only slightly, but in Lin Qi's perception, it was incredibly vivid.

It was practically written across his face: I have ulterior motives.

"No. How could that be?"

Dugu Bo immediately denied it.

This brat's powers of observation were actually this sharp? Just which faction had raised him?

"Is that so?" Lin Qi stepped forward a few paces unconcernedly.

"I'm quite looking forward to you making a move. The person behind you is waiting too."

"What?"

At first, Dugu Bo had thought Lin Qi was still wet behind the ears. Not only did he dare look down on a Titled Douluo like him, he even dared approach him so closely.

But upon hearing Lin Qi's words, he abruptly turned around and saw a burly man less than three steps behind him.

"When did he...?"

Dugu Bo's pupils shrank sharply.

Someone had approached him to such a distance, yet he had not sensed a thing?

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Dugu Bo's forehead.

This man was very strong, even stronger than the old man who had defeated him.

Amid his shock, countless doubts surged within Dugu Bo's heart.

Just who was this brat? Was one Titled Douluo protecting him not enough? There was even a stronger Titled Douluo following him in secret.

"Young Master, why did you have to warn him? My fists were just starting to itch."

Leng Qing clenched his fists tightly, and a series of cracking joints made Dugu Bo's scalp tingle.

This fellow seemed even more violent than the old man who had beaten him.

Leng Qing's hands really were itching. Back at Nuoding Academy, he could beat Tang Hao whenever he felt like it. Now that he had left, he rather missed it.

Suddenly, Dugu Bo seemed to understand something.

"I know now."

He wore the expression of someone who had suddenly figured everything out.

"What have you figured out?"

Seeing him make such a fuss, Lin Qi asked curiously.

Dugu Bo's expression was complicated and filled with disappointment.

"After all these years, I never expected to fall into Spirit Hall's hands again."

"Spirit Hall?"

Lin Qi nearly laughed aloud.

This was the answer he had come up with after thinking for so long?

Dugu Bo looked as though he were saying, Let's see how you keep acting. I won't believe you.

"Stop pretending. Other than Spirit Hall, what faction on Douluo Continent could casually send out two Titled Douluo?"

"As for you..."

Dugu Bo stared fixedly at Lin Qi.

"If I'm not mistaken, you should be the current Pope's child, shouldn't you?"

"That makes sense. Only the Pope's son could have two Titled Douluo serving as personal guards."

So I've become Qian Renxue?

Lin Qi had no choice but to admire Dugu Bo's imagination. He might not have much knowledge, but his imagination was certainly rich.

"If I really were from Spirit Hall, what would you do?" Lin Qi asked.

Dugu Bo fell silent for a while.

"I refused Spirit Hall's recruitment back then. If I were to side with the Pope's son now, what would the world think of me?"

As he spoke, Dugu Bo actually put on an air of righteous martyrdom.

Who knew where his enormous hostility toward Spirit Hall came from.

Just now, he had been willing to compromise humbly with Master Meng. Yet the moment he thought Lin Qi and the others were from Spirit Hall, he immediately became unyielding.

Lin Qi waved a hand at Leng Qing.

"Leng Qing, I'll leave the explanation to you."

"Gladly."

Leng Qing excitedly stretched out a large hand and, before Dugu Bo's horrified eyes, grabbed him by the collar.

"What are you doing? A scholar may be killed but not humiliated! You're a Titled Douluo too, so you should at least have some dignity!"

Though Dugu Bo was very weak, he did not simply let Leng Qing grab him without resisting.

Yet no matter how he dodged and twisted, he could not escape Leng Qing's large hands and was caught in despair.

"Dignity?"

Leng Qing gave a malicious smile.

"What the hell is Spirit Hall? You actually dared say that the Young Master and I are from Spirit Hall?"

"And you even dared to make up the Young Master's background. That's even more unforgivable."

As he spoke, Leng Qing's sandbag-sized fist came crashing down on Dugu Bo.

"Wait."

"Let's talk this out."

"Spare me! I believe you now! You definitely aren't from Spirit Hall."

After merely three or five punches, Dugu Bo repeatedly declared that he had been blind and mistaken them for the wrong people.

Lin Qi raised a hand and asked with a smile:

"How did you figure it out?"

Dugu Bo sucked in a breath. "Spirit Hall's people aren't as shameless as you. You definitely aren't from Spirit Hall."

Lin Qi: ...

"You actually have something good to say about Spirit Hall?"

Freed from Leng Qing's grasp, Dugu Bo hurriedly moved farther away from him.

"I'm not saying anything good about Spirit Hall. I'm merely stating the facts."

"When Spirit Hall recruited me back then, they tried courtesy before force. Though they sent people to hunt me down afterward, they came directly and openly. How could they be like you..."

Seeing the unfriendly look in Lin Qi's eyes, Dugu Bo decisively shut his mouth.

Lin Qi had always been curious how Dugu Bo had escaped Spirit Hall's pursuit.

With Spirit Hall's strength, they could have casually sent two Titled Douluo. Given Dugu Bo's abilities, there should have been no chance for him to escape.

It seemed Spirit Hall had simply been too polite. They could not even do bad things properly.

And after Dugu Bo became a guest of the Heaven Dou Empire, they truly stopped pursuing him.

Where had Xue Ye found the influence to make Spirit Hall change its attitude?

Thinking about it, Xue Ye had chosen to shelter Dugu Bo despite knowing that Spirit Hall was hunting him.

That meant Xue Ye had refused to give Spirit Hall face and had chosen to oppose them.

If Spirit Hall had been more resolute, they could have directly acted against the Heaven Dou Empire on that pretext alone. Why bother dragging things out with all these schemes?

Lin Qi could not understand Spirit Hall's way of thinking, nor did he want to.

Figuring out the thought processes of lunatics was not a good thing. His own mind might end up affected as well.

"Since that's the case, Mister Dugu, it's time we discussed your problem."