"Xiao Feng, you really are my lucky star."
Shen Feng grimaced through the pain, then feigned confusion. "Old man, what's gotten into you? Why are you so excited?"
"You nearly broke my shoulder with that slap."
Dugu Bo burst out laughing. "I know where there are divine medicines, and plenty of them, too."
"If you can cure me and Yanyan, I promise I'll treat you like my own grandson for the rest of my life."
"As long as I'm alive, I won't let anyone lay a finger on you—not even your parents!"
Dugu Bo's words were impressively domineering, but Shen Feng felt like the old man was taking advantage of him.
Still, the fact that Dugu Bo could say something like that meant Shen Feng had achieved his goal.
From now on, his future would be bright, while anyone who made an enemy of him would be in for a bleak future.
"Old man, then it's a deal."
Shen Feng grinned broadly, looking delighted. The road ahead was clear.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—mine, mine, all mine.
Three days later, on a morning at the north gate of Soul Hunting Town, all the core members of the Soul Hunting Guild had gathered.
Shen Rui, Ling Na, Zhao Wuji, Shen Feng, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Liao Yong, and the others.
Oh, right. There was one more core member: Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
Three days earlier, after Shen Feng and Dugu Bo had settled on the details of his treatment, Dugu Bo had invited Shen Feng to accompany him to Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Of course, Shen Feng knew their true destination was Sunset Forest, near Heaven Dou City.
Only there could they find the immortal herbs capable of fully curing Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo took the matter very seriously, too. For the safety of himself and his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, even after Shen Feng told him which immortal herbs could cure his hidden ailment, he insisted on taking Shen Feng with him to ensure nothing went wrong.
With no other choice, Shen Feng agreed to make the trip with him.
In truth, deep down, Shen Feng did want to go. After all, hadn't he spent the past six months working toward this very moment of reaping the rewards?
To make it happen, Shen Feng had even factored Dugu Bo's caution and prudence into his calculations.
Only after all his hard work had he managed to bring about an outcome that satisfied everyone.
Dugu Bo could put his mind at ease and get his body cured, while Shen Feng would gain the resources he needed to rise.
As they were about to leave, Ling Na pulled Shen Feng aside for one last farewell.
"Xiao Feng, it's a long journey. You must be careful."
"Be sure to listen to Senior Dugu on the road. Don't go looking for trouble, and don't do anything dangerous that's beyond your abilities."
A mother's reminders never ended. Shen Feng could only nod patiently and promise her, over and over, that he'd be careful.
Whether he would actually do as his mother said was another matter. Only heaven knew.
Shen Rui smiled faintly. "All right, Ling Na. It's about time. We should let Xiao Feng and the others get going."
"If we wait any longer, Senior Dugu will come and snatch him away."
Dugu Bo put on a stern face and pretended to be offended. "Shen Rui, don't go slandering me. When have I ever done something as wicked as kidnapping someone?"
"Besides, I'm an important figure. Wouldn't kidnapping someone myself be beneath me?"
"If I wanted someone kidnapped, I'd just give the order, and you youngsters could bring them to me."
"Hahaha!"
With a Titled Douluo leading the joking, everyone burst into laughter, and even the sadness of parting eased a little.
"All right. Every feast must come to an end. Xiao Feng, it's time for us to leave."
At Dugu Bo's words, Shen Feng immediately went to his side and set off with him toward the north.
"Xiao Feng, make sure you listen to Senior Dugu."
A mother always worried when her son traveled far from home. Watching Shen Feng walk away, Ling Na couldn't help worrying as usual, tears welling in her eyes.
Without turning around, Shen Feng waved and replied, his voice slightly choked. "Don't worry. I know."
Watching Shen Feng's increasingly strong figure disappear into the distance, Shen Rui drew Ling Na into his arms.
"Xiao Feng has grown up. We have to let him go."
"Our Xiao Feng is so likable that even a powerful man like a Titled Douluo cares for him."
"He's sensible, too. Don't worry so much."
At Shen Rui's reassurance, Ling Na gradually calmed down and nodded weakly.
"Rui, when do you think Xiao Feng will come back?"
Shen Rui looked up at the sky. A trace of sorrow appeared on his usually calm face, and his fists tightened unconsciously.
"He'll come back when it's time."
How could Shen Rui not worry? His son had been taken away by a Titled Douluo and might even be put in danger.
But there was nothing he could do. Dugu Bo was a nine-ring Titled Douluo. What could they do if they refused?
Besides, Dugu Bo had been polite and invited them calmly. If they refused, they would inevitably face coercion by force.
The weak had no say. That was reality.
If Dugu Bo had shown his fangs, the entire Soul Hunting Guild combined wouldn't have stood a chance of resisting him.
Zhao Wuji stepped forward and patted Shen Rui on the shoulder. "Brother, we'll have to work even harder."
Shen Rui nodded, his gaze growing more resolute. "A Titled Douluo."
Oscar, standing among the crowd, also clenched his fists in silence, his eyes firm and cold.
Xiao Feng, I'll work hard. I promise.
If something happens to you on this trip and you never come back, I'll make the Jade Phosphorous Serpent disappear from this world.
I, Oscar, swear it!
"Brother Ao, are you worried about Brother Feng, too?" Ma Hongjun asked carefully.
Oscar glanced at Ma Hongjun, his face expressionless and his gaze as still as a well. "Come on. We should get back to training."
Ma Hongjun shivered violently. "Brother Ao, please spare me."
Ma Hongjun had returned a little over five months ago. After more than two months of searching, he'd finally obtained the Blazing Falcon Soul Ring he'd been hoping for.
The boost to his Phoenix bloodline had also brought about a subtle change in his Martial Soul. Not only could he fly now, but his Evil Fire was also under control.
After benefiting from the experience and personally witnessing Shen Feng and Oscar brutally thrash Dai Mubai, he'd been determined to follow Shen Feng and Oscar as soon as he left the Star Dou Forest.
Wanting Ma Hongjun to grow as much as possible, Flender eventually gave in and let him join the Soul Hunting Guild, just like Zhao Wuji.
Four had left, but only one had returned. Flender had aged considerably in an instant. He even joked that Shrek Academy was practically a talent-training base for the Soul Hunting Guild.
But he knew Ma Hongjun would receive better training by Shen Feng's side than he could at Shrek Academy. Oscar was the clearest example.
So he didn't object much. He simply asked Zhao Wuji, the former vice dean of Shrek Academy, to look after Ma Hongjun.
At the time, Shen Feng had been stuck in the laboratory with Dugu Bo and had no time to deal with Ma Hongjun, so he'd handed him over to Oscar.
After Oscar had thoroughly taught him a lesson a few times, Ma Hongjun had somehow become a perfectly submissive "Brother Ao" fan.
The phrase he said most often was, "Brother Ao, please spare me."
It was true: a sapling wouldn't grow straight unless it was pruned, and a person wouldn't learn unless he was disciplined.
If you raised someone properly from childhood, how many people would really turn out to be natural scoundrels?
And even if they did, it only meant they hadn't been beaten hard enough.
At that moment, Shen Feng, who was walking with Dugu Bo and gradually leaving Soul Hunting Town behind, came to a stop.
Dugu Bo was taken aback. "Xiao Feng, what's wrong?"
Without a word, Shen Feng turned toward Soul Hunting Town, knelt down, and struck his forehead against the ground three times.
"Dad, Mom, wait for me to come back."
Dugu Bo sighed. "If you can't bear to leave them, why not bring them along?"
"I have some connections in the Heaven Dou Empire. I could even help you open a branch of the Soul Hunting Guild in Heaven Dou Imperial City."
Shen Feng slowly rose to his feet and shook his head. "There's no need. The Soul Hunting Guild is a gathering place for unaffiliated Soul Masters. It wouldn't be suited to developing under the watchful eyes of powerful factions, and it wouldn't get anywhere there."
"The border of the Star Dou Forest is the best place for the Soul Hunting Guild to grow."
Dugu Bo nodded, agreeing with Shen Feng's assessment.
After a moment's thought, Dugu Bo said teasingly, "I suppose I count as an unaffiliated Soul Master, too. If you really cure my hidden ailment this time, maybe I'll join your Soul Hunting Guild."
Shen Feng was startled, then delighted. "Old man, do you mean it?"
Dugu Bo nodded solemnly. "A promise is a promise. I'm not joking."
"But I won't take a low position. I have a reputation to uphold, after all."
Shen Feng laughed. "No problem, my great elder!"
"Hahaha, you little rascal. At it again, are you?"
"Come on. It's a long journey. You're in for a rough time."
"Reading ten thousand books can't compare to traveling ten thousand miles. Getting to travel with you, a Titled Douluo, is an incredible opportunity that countless people would kill for. How could I call it a rough time?"
"Hahaha! If you know how to flatter me, keep it coming. I like hearing it."
Dugu Bo laughed, looking very pleased with himself.
Shen Feng laughed, too, just as pleased.
What was there to fear from Dugu Bo? He was only a Jade Phosphorous Serpent who could make his scales explode. Just stroke his scales the right way, make him happy, and he'd be harmless.
After living two lives, handling a little Dugu Bo was easy.
Heaven Dou City was the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, located northeast of the empire's center. It was the political heart of the entire empire and one of the two largest cities on the continent. Only the Star Luo Empire's imperial capital could rival it on Douluo Continent.
To reach Heaven Dou City from the Star Dou Forest, Shen Feng and Dugu Bo had to travel north, first crossing the entire Balak Kingdom, then the Silves Kingdom to its north, and finally heading east into the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The journey was long. Even the smallest of the four kingdoms under the Heaven Dou Empire, the Balak Kingdom, stretched 800 kilometers from end to end. Silves was somewhat larger, at around 1,000 kilometers. They would have to travel another 2,000 kilometers through the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The total was 3,800 kilometers, and that was only the straight-line distance between their starting point and destination. Once they accounted for detours over mountains and across rugged terrain, the journey would be well over ten thousand miles.
This showed just how vast the Heaven Dou Empire was.
Two months later, at dusk, Shen Feng and Dugu Bo appeared on the road outside Heaven Dou City, dusty from their travels. In the distance, they could already see the city's flag-covered walls.
As one of the largest and most prosperous cities on the continent, Heaven Dou City had walls a hundred meters high, built entirely from the hardest granite.
Soldiers in full armor stood guard and patrolled both atop and beneath the walls, each carrying a spear. The murderous air they gave off spoke volumes about their toughness.
The towering city gate was ten meters high and fifteen meters wide, large enough for five carriages to pass side by side. Six smaller gates, each five meters high and wide, flanked the main gate. Travelers could only enter through the smaller gates, while the central main gate remained firmly shut, as though it would not open easily.
Before long, Shen Feng and Dugu Bo were standing in front of Heaven Dou City's towering gate.
Looking at the familiar gate, Dugu Bo's lips curled into a faint smile. He seemed to be in good spirits.
"Xiao Feng, this is your first time in Heaven Dou City, right? What do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"
Shen Feng nodded slightly. "It really is. I've never seen city walls this tall."
Shen Feng had seen plenty of buildings a hundred meters tall. In his previous life, there had been countless towers taller than that. But he'd never seen such massive walls, a hundred meters high and stretching more than ten miles.
This kind of colossal structure, like a giant beast, was far more imposing than a hundred-meter tower.
Dugu Bo laughed heartily. "This is nothing. The city itself is even more prosperous and impressive."
"It's getting late. Let's go in and spend the night here. That way, I can play host. Tomorrow, I'll take you to my secret base."
Shen Feng nodded and joked, "I don't mind spending the night, but you can't skimp on the banquet."
Before you continue