Deep within Sunset Forest, in the secluded valley where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay, the air was shrouded year-round in dense spiritual energy and the fragrance of exotic flowers and rare herbs, cut off from the disturbances of the outside world. After seeing off the three uninvited guests, even the air in the valley seemed to relax somewhat. Yet the shadow of that "Strange Poison" still lingered in Dugu Bo's heart like a faint mist that refused to disperse.
"Grandfather, just now... did you really not want to help them, or could you truly not cure that poison?" Dugu Yan nestled beside Dugu Bo on a stone bench, idly playing with a poisonous herb that was jade-green from stem to tip, its leaf edges glowing with an eerie purple light. Her question sounded casual, but her lively eyes were secretly studying her grandfather's expression.
Dugu Bo was carefully dripping several drops of springwater from where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well met into a palm-sized jade bowl. Inside was half a bowl of viscous, ink-black poison liquid flecked with starlike points of light. At her words, his hand paused slightly before resuming its smooth movement. Without looking up, he said, "Is there a difference? The result is that the two of us can still sit here peacefully, instead of getting dragged into that mess on Sea God Island."
"Was that poison... really so terrifying?" Dugu Yan put down the poisonous herb and leaned closer, her eyes full of curiosity. She had grown up alongside her grandfather, learning by exposure, and possessed considerable interest and talent in the art of poison. Naturally, she could hear the deep wariness in his earlier words concerning that "Strange Poison."
Only then did Dugu Bo stop what he was doing and