Sunset Forest

That night, he had a wonderful dream. In the dream, he became the great villain, driving the protagonist Tang San to ruin—his family broken, his life destroyed—as miserable as could be.

So much so that when he woke up in the morning, Lin Ye still felt a lingering sense of unsatisfied enjoyment.

Forget it, forget it. He'd just turn what happened in the dream into reality later.

In his past life, Lin Ye loved eating noodles. After arriving on the Douluo Continent, he carried on this fine tradition.

Inside the room, a bowl of fragrant noodles sat before each of the three—Lin Ye, Xue Di, and Bing Di. This was their breakfast. Lin Ye slurped away with great gusto.

Seeing this, Bing Di imitated Lin Ye's movements. She picked up her chopsticks, stirred them around in the bowl, lifted some noodles, only to have them slip right back down.

No matter how she tried, she just couldn't pick up the noodles. Her movements were awkward beyond words.

Bing Di's little face scrunched up, looking very troubled.

Lin Ye, noticing this, nearly burst out laughing.

The scene reminded him of Journey to the West, when Sun Wukong first tried eating noodles and did the exact same thing.

That's just how it was for people who had never used chopsticks—like Westerners, who also couldn't manage them.

He glanced at Xue Di. She was holding her chopsticks too, looking just as lost.

Alright, he could understand. After all, they were soul beasts.

"Alright, Bing'er, stop stirring. Let me teach you how to use chopsticks," Lin Ye said, unable to watch any longer.

Bing Di's expression froze. "What did you call This Emperor? And who's your sister? Don't call me that."

Lin Ye ignored her and began teaching the two women how to use chopsticks.

"Watch my hand. First, take two chopsticks with your right hand. Place one between your index and middle fingers. Then, rest the bottom of that chopstick on your thumb, keeping it steady in your hand. This chopstick doesn't move when you use it.

"The other chopstick goes between your thumb and index finger, with its tail resting on the first joint of your ring finger. This one moves when you use it, controlled by your index and middle fingers. Like this..."

As Lin Ye explained, he demonstrated. The two women listened attentively.

Their brains understood, but their hands just wouldn't obey. Bing Di tried several times in a row, but she still couldn't manage it. In the end, she tossed the chopsticks onto the table and gave up.

The next moment, several noodles floated up from the bowl. Bing Di tilted her head back, opened her little mouth, and the noodles flew right in.

Lin Ye: "..."

So that's how you do it? He never would have guessed Bing Di was such a joker.

Compared to Bing Di's clumsiness, Xue Di learned much faster. Though her movements were still a bit uncoordinated, she could at least pick up the noodles now.

The meal ended in a cheerful atmosphere. Afterward, the three officially set out, leaving the small town with their destination set for the Sunset Forest.

They traveled with stops along the way. On the morning of the third day, they could already see the outline of Heaven Dou City in the distance.

"So many buildings. Looks pretty bustling," Bing Di said, little stars shining in her eyes.

Lin Ye knew she was getting greedy again. After a few days of contact, Bing Di's foodie nature had been fully exposed.

"Alright, we've got business to handle first. When we come back, I'll take you to eat something good."

Bing Di nodded eagerly.

The three passed by Heaven Dou City and continued on their way. In less than half an hour, they reached the Sunset Forest.

They flew high-profile through the skies above the Sunset Forest. Naturally, no soul beast was foolish enough to block their path.

Along the way, Lin Ye even spotted several groups of people wearing the uniform of a Soul Master Academy.

In a valley at the core of the Sunset Forest sat an extremely peculiar hot spring.

This hot spring was completely different from ordinary ones. Though not large in area, it was divided into two parts. Inside the oval pool, the spring water came in two colors: milky white and vermilion red.

Even stranger, though they shared the same pool, the two colors remained clearly separated, never mixing, each staying on its own side.

Steam rose in rolling waves from the hot spring, only slowly dissipating when it reached the mouth of the valley.

Just then, an emaciated old man with dark green hair and beard, dressed in fine robes, slowly walked out of a cave not far from the hot spring.

The old man seemed to be in poor condition. His eyes, like green gemstones, were dull and lifeless. His frail body trembled slightly, as if he were enduring some unbearable pain.

Not far behind the old man followed a young girl of about twelve or thirteen.

The girl had delicate facial features, still a bit immature, but her figure was remarkably slender. Especially when she moved her fair, jade-like legs and swayed her waist as if boneless, there was an unusual grace to it.

The girl, who had been curiously looking around, noticed the old man's completely soaked clothes. Her expression changed drastically. She quickly ran to his side and asked anxiously.

"Grandfather, what's wrong with you?"

As she spoke, she quickly took out a silk handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from the old man's forehead.

"Grandfather's fine. Just getting old, not as strong as I used to be," the old man said with a gentle laugh. He affectionately patted the girl's strange short purple hair and quickly changed the subject, unwilling to say much about his own condition.

"Yanyan, you're twelve this year. In a little while, Grandfather will send you to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. A young girl like you can't stay cooped up in these deep mountains and old forests with an old man like me."

The girl looked at the old man's relaxed expression and thought of her grandfather's strength. She didn't dwell on it. She hugged one of his arms and smiled like a blooming flower as she acted spoiled. "Grandfather, Yanyan isn't going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you!"

"..."

"Grandfather?" The young girl, having received no response from her grandfather for a long time, looked up with some confusion.

What surprised her was the extreme gravity on her grandfather's face. In all these years, this was the first time she had seen him so solemn—or perhaps it was more accurate to say tense.

Without time to explain, the old man mobilized his soul power and abruptly pushed the girl into the cave.

"Yanyan, go back first. Remember, no matter what sounds you hear, don't come out. Mark my words."

With that, before the girl could respond, the old man leaped into the air and flew swiftly out of the valley.

On this side, Lin Ye and his two companions had already arrived at the outskirts of the valley.

When he saw the green poisonous mist ahead, Lin Ye knew he had come to the right place.

The Ice Fire Yin Yang Well was currently occupied by Poison Douluo Dugu Bo. To prevent soul beasts from intruding, Dugu Bo had set up a Poison Array around the outer perimeter of the well.

With this Poison Array in place, soul beasts would not easily approach this area.

The three of them walked into the Poison Array. Lin Ye held a large flower in his hand—a pale pink bloom with no leaves, a stem three feet long, and an enormous flower head a full foot in diameter. Each petal looked as crystal-clear as glass, and the pale pink flower swayed gently as Lin Ye moved.

The light purple stamen, like purple diamonds embedded there, emitted a faint, delicate fragrance, as moving as a maiden's natural scent.

This flower was the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the bane of all poisons. It had the effect of neutralizing every toxin, not by detoxifying, but by countering poison itself.