Dugu Bo noticed the other man's small movements and began thinking quickly.
Years of wandering the continent had made him extremely cautious. After all, the two of them had only met recently. If the other man really tried something while detoxifying him...
I should make that brat swear, too!
At the thought, Dugu Bo's mind cleared, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Hahaha! I'll swear to abide by your terms, but you have to swear, too, that you won't try anything while detoxifying me. That's only fair, right?"
Hearing this, Xia Ran secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
At least the outcome was good!
Next, they each swore on their Martial Souls to abide by the other's demands. Only then was the matter settled.
Both men let down their guard after hearing the other's oath, and the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before.
Dugu Bo then asked the question he was most curious about.
"Just which faction are you from, brat? You can tell me now, surely!"
"Me? I'm just a commoner Soul Master. Otherwise, why would I need you to protect me?"
Xia Ran's casual answer surprised Dugu Bo, but he didn't fully believe it. He assumed the other man still didn't trust him and was refusing to tell the truth.
"All right, I'm going to pick some herbs I need. After that, I'll detoxify you."
"You recognize the plants here?"
Dugu Bo looked at Xia Ran, but he didn't answer. He walked up to a plant shaped like a narcissus and plucked it, placing it in a jade box.
Dugu Bo's eyes widened at the sight.
"How is that possible? You just picked it like that? It won't turn to ash?"
"If that's all it takes, I can do it too!"
Thinking this, he walked over to a plant and reached out to pluck it. A wave of scorching air immediately sent him flying.
The commotion caught Xia Ran's attention. Dugu Bo's dark green hair had been scorched black, and more than half his eyebrows were gone.
Xia Ran couldn't help frowning.
"Could you stop messing with the plants? What if you destroy something that could save your life? I could swear the most poisonous oath in the world, and I still wouldn't be able to save you!"
Dugu Bo sheepishly backed away. The plant he had just touched was the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower!
Even Xia Ran wasn't entirely sure how to pick it, and since it was no use to him right now, he had simply skipped it.
He hadn't expected Dugu Bo to nearly destroy it the moment he looked away!
Following the method he remembered, Xia Ran picked the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, and the Peerless Heartbroken Red.
He would next use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes' spring water to consume the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, then add a drop of Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. That would bring his trip to a perfect end.
As for Dugu Bo's poison, besides the Earth Dragon Golden Melon in the Herb Garden, Xia Ran had also offered him a method of forcing the poison into a Soul Bone.
Both methods would work for Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, but there was only one Earth Dragon Golden Melon. It was up to the old man to decide what to do.
Everything was ready! Xia Ran turned his gaze to the two Immortal Herbs growing in the spring's eye!
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes: The cold spring and Yang Spring coexisted in the shape of a yin-yang fish, and two radiant plants grew in the spring's eye!
Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass!
Infernal Delicate Apricot!
Xia Ran clenched his fists, unable to hide his excitement.
The two Immortal Herbs were right in front of him. If he could consume them with the aid of the spring water and complete the Ice and Fire Golden Body, his physical strength would increase tremendously!
Just standing in front of the two herbs for a little while had already let their cold and heat toxins seep into his body, leaving him slightly itchy and numb.
At that thought, he didn't hesitate any longer.
He swung his dagger, and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass fell into his hand.
An icy chill swept through his body, freezing half of him solid.
He hurriedly took out the jade disc again, wrapped it in Soul Power, and used it to cut down the Infernal Delicate Apricot on the other side.
The moment the fiery red herb landed in his hand, his skin blistered and split open. The stabbing pain made him tremble slightly.
"These two Immortal Herbs! Their powers seem even more domineering than I thought!"
Xia Ran didn't dare wait any longer. He wrapped both herbs in Soul Power and put them in his mouth.
Though the Immortal Herbs were poisonous, their properties countered each other perfectly. Their effects neutralized one another, so they didn't taste like anything as he swallowed them. As soon as they entered his mouth, they turned into pure medicinal energy and flowed down his throat into his stomach.
Dugu Bo watched all of this from a distance, astonished by Xia Ran's nerve.
Those two plants grew in the spring's eye and were clearly poisonous. He normally didn't even dare approach them, yet this man had swallowed them both at once!
Could he have some special method?
As he pondered, a sudden splash rang out nearby.
Xia Ran's body plunged straight into the spring, sending water spraying everywhere. Alarmed, Dugu Bo hurried to the bank to check on him.
He was counting on the other man to detoxify him and save his granddaughter! Xia Ran couldn't go and poison himself to death at a moment like this!
Dugu Bo was about to pull him out when he noticed Xia Ran floating in the water, already sitting cross-legged and meditating.
Extreme cold and heat alternated, making red and blue light bloom across his skin, like... mood lighting...
In the spring, Xia Ran had lost all feeling in his body, and even his consciousness had grown hazy. He was relying entirely on instinct to circulate his meditation method and regulate the overwhelming medicinal energy in his body.
The energies of ice and fire surged through his meridians, making them increasingly resilient. At the same time, the medicinal energy fed back into his body, tempering it with the two springs...
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing followed Xia Ran's instructions and didn't take Xiao Wu wandering around. For the past few days, she had stayed near the hotel where they had first met.
Ning Rongrong was lively by nature. With Xia Ran away and the other two unwilling to go shopping with her, she only came back each night to sleep.
That day, she was having lunch with Xiao Wu in the restaurant when she suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
She took a closer look. Sure enough, it was someone she knew!
She would never forget that slightly feminine face!
Tang San!
The moment Zhu Zhuqing saw Tang San, she clenched her fists. The chopsticks in her hand snapped in two.
This bastard had nearly killed her twice.
If not for Xia Ran, she would have fallen for Tang San's first sneak attack.
And then there was the Sleeve Arrow he had given Dai Mubai...
Xiao Wu, who had been eating, noticed Zhu Zhuqing's strange reaction. Curious, she followed her gaze across the dining hall!
Wait, was that... Third... Tang San?
She hadn't expected to run into the "Third Brother" who had been with her for six years. Memories came flooding back.
The boy's vow in the mountains, his figure holding a wooden comb under the moonlight.
The wooden comb...
Xiao Wu suddenly remembered that the wooden comb her mother had left her was still in his possession.
At that thought, she stood up and headed for the middle of the restaurant. Zhu Zhuqing followed.
Meanwhile.
After meeting Yu Tianheng last time, Tang San had followed him to Heaven Dou Academy.
Using Flender's connection, Yu Xiaogang had struck up an acquaintance with Qin Ming. With Tang San's decent talent, the two of them had successfully joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Tang San wasn't born a noble, but he could still enroll as a talented Soul Master.
Yu Xiaogang was simply there to coast. Feeding one more person was no trouble, and since he had the connection of Yu Tianheng's uncle, he had decided to live with Qin Ming in the teachers' dormitory.
After that, Tang San spent every day with Yu Tianheng. When he learned that the other man was the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he practically wanted to cling to him every day.
The academy was on break that day, and with nothing else to do, the two decided to have a drink here.
Just as they were ordering from the waiter, a pink figure suddenly appeared across from them.
Tang San looked up, then froze in astonishment!
"Xiao Wu? What are you doing here?"
Tang San's feelings toward Xiao Wu were complicated.
Before he'd been "cut off," he'd been somewhat smitten with the lively, charming girl.
And they had lived together for six years. How could he simply let go?
But after losing his dignity as a man, he always felt he couldn't hold his head up around Xiao Wu. Even the slightest gesture from her could touch a nerve. Most of all, he didn't know what kind of spell Xia Ran had cast on her. Xiao Wu had even started repeating his words exactly!
Others might not understand, but Tang San knew firsthand the benefits of cultivating the path of poison. Giving Blue Silver Grass a poison-type Soul Ring was the best choice he had ever made, and nothing could shake that conviction.
As for the slap he'd given Xiao Wu, Tang San did regret it a little.
But what was done was done. There was no point dwelling on the past. Now she was right in front of him...
"Did you come here to find me?"
"It's no use! There's no chance for us anymore. Give up!"
Those two sentences made Xiao Wu tremble with anger!
How could someone be so full of himself? They'd lived together for six years, and she'd never realized he was like this!
Yu Tianheng looked at Xiao Wu curiously, too. She was a lively, charming young girl, and it seemed she and Tang San had a history. Why had Tang San rejected her so bluntly?
"Third Brother, who is this?"
When he spoke, both girls noticed him as well.
One look was all it took. Yu Tianheng wore a blue outfit, with a strong-featured face and even blue hair.
Sitting beside Tang San, he looked like... a couple!
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