First Meeting with Dugu Bo (Please Save and Vote)

After dealing with Cave Demon Pearl's remains, Shen Hanyu solemnly bowed to it three times. These days, there were not many good beasts left that gave up both their lives and their bones.

Shen Hanyu wondered whether he should wait for Xiao Wu to leave the Star Dou Great Forest, tie her up right away, and save her until he could absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring before killing her.

In other words, even if he could not use it himself, his future girlfriend or family would surely be able to. What a perfect fit, right...

As Shen Hanyu pondered his future plans, his speed did not slow in the slightest. Instead, he picked up the pace.

At some point, the sky had become thick with Dark Clouds, sweeping across the entire forest with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. The forest had grown pitch-black as well, looking especially gloomy and terrifying.

Shen Hanyu silently cursed his bad luck. Seeing a small mountain in the distance, he could not help speeding up...

At the foot of the mountain, Shen Hanyu bared his teeth at the dark green poisonous miasma. Thinking of the weather, he roughly understood why Dugu Bo had yet to show himself.

He immediately called out:

"Senior Dugu, this junior is Shen Hanyu. Please show yourself!"

His voice carried far into the distance, startling birds from the forest. For a moment, it strangely felt like a premonition of the final boss appearing in a horror film.

As lightning flashed, a straight, gaunt figure slowly emerged from the distant shadows. His eyes glowed dark green, looking utterly terrifying against the darkness.

"Who are you, and why do you know this old man's secluded residence..."

Dugu Bo's voice carried a biting Killing Intent, mixed with a faint, barely perceptible suppression and pain. It sounded extremely cold.

"This junior, Shen Hanyu, greets Poison Douluo."

Shen Hanyu politely bent slightly in a bow. Proper etiquette was still necessary when facing a Titled Douluo.

Dugu Bo's Mental Power swept over Shen Hanyu, and a trace of shock appeared in his eyes. His expression then eased slightly, though his voice remained cold.

"Who exactly are you? Why do you know this old man's secluded residence? Answer me!"

Two black lines dropped across Shen Hanyu's forehead as he repeated himself:

"Poison Douluo, this junior is Shen Hanyu, an independent cultivator with no faction behind me. I only know of this place due to a few fortunate coincidences. I mean no harm. I came here solely to make a deal with you."

He had already made both his background and purpose perfectly clear. If Dugu Bo still could not understand, Shen Hanyu would really have to question whether the man's ears worked properly...

Dugu Bo stiffened for a moment after hearing this, then his expression softened somewhat.

"You are merely a Quasi-Soul King with four Soul Rings. What qualifications do you have to make a deal with this old man? Leave now, and I will not pursue the matter."

Shen Hanyu let out a slight sigh of relief and chose to go straight for the big move:

"Poison Douluo, you would not want Miss Dugu Yan to suffer from poison like you in the future, would you..."

Before he could finish, a terrifying pressure crashed down directly upon Shen Hanyu's head.

Dugu Bo's face turned incomparably cold. The hands behind his back clenched tightly together, and a startling Killing Intent erupted from his eyes.

Shen Hanyu's body trembled as his Soul Power began circulating rapidly, barely resisting the terrifying pressure.

"Poison Douluo, there is no need to be so angry. I believe you are a reasonable man. If you wanted to kill me, someone like you would not even give me a chance to speak. Yet you have not acted. Why not have a proper discussion with me? I do not think you will regret it..."

Shen Hanyu's bones crackled under the unbearable strain. The Cold Sky Spear appeared in his hand, while the four Soul Rings beneath his feet—yellow, purple, purple, and black—flashed wildly. An indescribable chill descended upon the surroundings, and frost slowly spread across the flowers, grass, and trees...

The shock in Dugu Bo's eyes deepened, and even the pressure weighing down on Shen Hanyu gradually weakened before slowly dissipating...

Shen Hanyu could not help letting out a long breath. His bent back slowly straightened, while the Cold Sky Spear and the four Soul Rings beneath his feet gradually vanished. A faint smile returned to his face.

"Senior Dugu, I believe you have made your decision."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly, but anyone could see that most of the Killing Intent in his eyes had already faded. His attitude, however, remained as cold as ever.

Shen Hanyu did not mind. He lightly pointed at the dense poisonous fog and said calmly:

"Senior Dugu, will you not invite me in for a seat?"

Dugu Bo gave Shen Hanyu a deep look, then waved his hand. The thick, massive poisonous miasma slowly split apart, revealing a narrow gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. Within, lush flowers and grass could vaguely be seen...

Shen Hanyu narrowed his eyes, then put on a faint smile again and slowly walked inside...

Outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Shen Hanyu and Dugu Bo slowly appeared there, then stopped in tacit understanding.

Dugu Bo slowly turned around, his hands once again clasped behind his back. Though his tightly furrowed brows had eased slightly, he looked at Shen Hanyu, who showed no sign of nervousness, and said coldly:

"Speak. What deal do you wish to discuss with this old man? If you cannot give me a satisfactory explanation, I will make sure you do not live to see tomorrow's sun!"

His words secretly carried fluctuations of Soul Power, bringing with them a bone-chilling cold.

Shen Hanyu covertly glanced at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well behind Dugu Bo and the countless precious Medicinal Herbs surrounding it, then quickly withdrew his gaze and said:

"Senior Dugu, this junior does not like speaking in riddles, so I will be direct. I have a way to suppress the poison within you and your Granddaughter, perhaps even cure it entirely. But as for how it will be done, that depends on you..."

Dugu Bo's expression darkened. With a casual wave of his hand, Shen Hanyu's body rose uncontrollably into the air, as though an invisible hand had seized fate by the throat.

"Hmph! Boy, stop talking about deals. Who knows whether you are trying to deceive this old man? Do I look like someone so easily fooled?"

Shen Hanyu's mouth twitched. He racked his brains, searching for the words Tang San had used to fool Dugu Bo, before finally adding:

"Senior Dugu, I imagine you are not feeling well right now either, are you? On one side, you are stalemating with this junior; on the other, you are enduring the pain in your body..."

Dugu Bo's expression changed upon hearing this. Shen Hanyu struck while the iron was hot and hurriedly continued:

"Whenever it is cloudy or rainy, you feel numbness and itching along both sides of your ribs, which gradually worsens and lasts for over an hour, twice a day. Every midnight, at around the third watch, your scalp and the soles of your feet suffer needle-like stabbing pain, and your whole body convulses for at least half an hour. Am I right?"

(Do not dwell on why the protagonist remembers these details. The plot requires it, so please understand!)

Bang—

Shen Hanyu's body slammed to the ground.

A clear look of shock appeared on Dugu Bo's face. Then his expression darkened slightly as one hand seized Shen Hanyu's arm, and he asked in a low voice:

"How did you know?"

Feeling the immense pressure on his arm, as though it were being crushed by a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast, as well as that hand like an eagle's claw, Shen Hanyu's mouth twitched.

"Senior Dugu, this..."

Dugu Bo also realized something was wrong and slowly released Shen Hanyu's left arm. At the same time, an even greater shock appeared in his eyes.

The force he had used unconsciously earlier had been enough to crush the bones of even a Soul King or stronger. Yet this kid, who had not even obtained his fifth Soul Ring, merely muttered under his breath and rubbed it a few times before recovering as though nothing had happened...

Even with his vast experience, he could not help feeling shock from the bottom of his heart.