"How would I know without trying?" Jiang Siming had just brought out the Immortal Trapping Sword.
"Hm? Why is this Martial Soul of yours similar to the two swords you had last time, yet different? Could it be Twin Martial Souls?" Dugu Bo asked in puzzlement.
"My Martial Soul is a little unusual. It can take on different forms," Jiang Siming made up.
What special ability does this Immortal Sword have? Jiang Siming wondered.
"Senior, are you ready?" Jiang Siming raised his sword and took an attacking stance.
"Come on!" Dugu Bo still stood with his hands on his hips. As a Titled Douluo, he naturally had the pride of one.
Jiang Siming said no more. Three Soul Rings—purple, purple, and black—slowly appeared.
Dugu Bo finally lost his composure. "Who exactly are you? This is unbelievable."
Jiang Siming's Second Soul Ring lit up.
"God of Slaughter Possession!" Since Jiang Siming had broken through level 30, the boost from God of Slaughter Possession had increased by 10%. In other words, all his attributes now increased by 60%.
Jiang Siming's aura suddenly surged. Dugu Bo furrowed his brow.
Jiang Siming pushed off hard with both feet, leaving a blur behind on the ground as he charged straight at Dugu Bo. Dugu Bo didn't dodge; he simply threw a punch. Powerful Soul Power, wrapped in fierce gusts, slammed toward Jiang Siming.
Jiang Siming darted aside and dodged the blow, then changed direction and slashed out a wave of sword energy.
Dugu Bo's body shuddered as a wall of Soul Power formed around him, blocking the sword energy.
At that moment, Dugu Bo frowned again. A wave of sadness suddenly washed over him. He remembered his wife, who had died young, and his son, who had perished from the poison accumulated in his own Martial Soul.
"No!" Dugu Bo's eyes widened. His Soul Power surged again, dispelling all those negative emotions.
"Kid, your Martial Soul can actually affect my emotions and stir up my sad memories. What a little monster."
"I'm done." Dugu Bo waved a hand. He no longer felt like sparring with Jiang Siming.
"I'll keep calling you Little Monster. How do you have so many strange tricks?" Dugu Bo said in a bad-tempered voice.
"If I told you I'd only just found out what it does myself, would you believe me?" Jiang Siming gave a helpless, wry smile.
It looks like my Immortal Trapping Sword can stir up other people's negative emotions. If I pair that with my Evil Aura, wouldn't the effect be even stronger? Jiang Siming thought.
Jiang Siming put away his Martial Soul and walked over to Dugu Bo. He handed him another cigarette. "Can you tell me about your past?" Having just seen the sorrow on Dugu Bo's face, Jiang Siming couldn't help asking.
"Little Monster, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Dugu Bo didn't want to talk about it.
"What do you think of this cigarette? If you tell me, I'll give you a whole pack." Jiang Siming raised an eyebrow and coaxed him.
"This cigarette is pretty good, but you really want to hear about it?" Dugu Bo asked.
Jiang Siming nodded and lit his cigarette, taking a few leisurely drags.
Perhaps because Jiang Siming had stirred up Dugu Bo's memories, the Immortal Trapping Sword's effect hadn't truly worn off. For the first time, Dugu Bo wanted to confide in someone about his past.
After all, even the strongest person was still only human. Anyone who lived apart from others was either a god or a beast. Dugu Bo was cold and acted only according to his own whims, but he was also a man of deep feeling and loyalty. That much was clear in the original story. Dugu Bo took a drag from his cigarette and began to speak.
"My son had innate Soul Power at level seven. He was gifted! By the age of thirty-five, he'd reached level sixty and become a Soul Emperor. I was always so proud of him. That same year, my daughter-in-law gave birth to an adorable little girl, my precious granddaughter. But why didn't he tell me? If he'd told me, maybe the tragedy could have been avoided." Dugu Bo grew more and more agitated, his eyes reddening slightly.
"My granddaughter, Dugu Yan, had just turned one month old. I took her into town to have some fun. But not long after I left, the poison that had accumulated in my son's body finally erupted. Nothing grew for ten li in every direction." Dugu Bo couldn't stop his tears from falling. His cigarette had burned down, and he didn't even notice it scorching his fingers.
Jiang Siming hadn't expected the seemingly cold Dugu Bo to have such a past. Perhaps the more distant someone seemed, the more deeply they cared for their family. Just like in the original story: Tang San had been sincere with him, and Dugu Bo had done everything he could for Tang San in return.
Without thinking, Jiang Siming reached out and patted Dugu Bo on the shoulder.
"Old man, if you don't mind, we can be friends from now on," Jiang Siming said softly.
"Are you pitying me? I, Dugu Bo, don't need anyone's sympathy," Dugu Bo said stubbornly.
"You're a mighty Titled Douluo. Why would you need my pity? If you don't want to, just forget I said anything." Jiang Siming pursed his lips.
Dugu Bo fell silent. He neither denied it nor agreed.
The sun sank in the west, its afterglow falling on the two men standing in the sunset and smoking.
Smoke curled into all sorts of shapes, then slowly vanished into the distance, as if telling their secrets.
Settling Poison Douluo
As the sky gradually darkened, Jiang Siming and Dugu Bo sat on a rock in front of the academy. They were both getting impatient, and there was nothing to do. In the end, Dugu Bo smoked one cigarette after another while listening to Jiang Siming tell stories about a carry who dominated the whole match, someone who ran a thousand miles just to feed the enemy, a guy who shouted "666" the entire time, and a squishy shot-caller.
"Let me tell you, Sun Wukong was incredible. His magic was boundless, and with a single somersault he could travel a hundred and eight thousand li. He also had seventy-two transformations, was impervious to blades and spears, and immune to fire and water. He could go anywhere, from heaven to earth. He lived as long as heaven and shone as brightly as the Sun and Moon!" Jiang Siming told the story with great enthusiasm.
"Hold on, hold on. I have to ask: this Sun Wukong you're talking about sounds so powerful. Why did he still have to go fetch the scriptures?" Dugu Bo asked, confused.
"Uh, well, Rulai slapped him into the ground, and nobody could dig him out," Jiang Siming said.
"That's ridiculous. You're saying there was someone this powerful, who wasn't even a Soul Master, and someone even more powerful slapped him into the ground so hard nobody could dig him out. And he still didn't die from the slap? If such people really exist, then even we Titled Douluos would be pathetically weak in front of them." Dugu Bo didn't believe him.
"Be confident. Leave out the 'even.' And technically, one was a monkey, and the other wasn't human either." Jiang Siming deliberately needled Dugu Bo.
"You little monster, I'm going to teach you a lesson!" Dugu Bo said, giving Jiang Siming a smack on the head. Before they knew it, the two had grown much closer.
"Fine, don't believe me. It's not my fault you're ignorant." Jiang Siming said irritably. It wasn't surprising that Dugu Bo didn't believe him; Tang San hadn't believed it either when he told him the story. Jiang Siming remembered watching Journey to the West as a child in his previous life and thinking Sun Wukong could do anything. Then the Buddha Rulai pressed him into the ground with one slap. That feeling was hard to describe!
The two kept chatting enthusiastically.
After their Spirit Fighting matches, Tang San and the others had gone out to eat their fill in Suotuo City before finally returning.