The Story of the Youth and His Beloved Wives

Shang An lowered his head, which was already extremely close, and aimed for Dugu Yan's luscious, red lips, biting down on them. Dugu Yan's eyes widened in shock.

Mmph! He, he, he... he actually...

This deep kiss left Dugu Yan's heart in a flutter. Gradually, she became lost in it, beginning to respond with clumsy, inexperienced movements.

This move was the essential skill from idol dramas—the "wall slam." Of course, before attempting a wall slam, one should first check their own attractiveness and ensure the woman is truly interested; otherwise, it's easy to get into, but hard to get out of.

This was a ten-minute-long exchange of breath. Only when Dugu Yan began to feel breathless did Shang An finally release her.

"How about now? My little bride."

Dugu Yan's cheeks were flushed red, like apples in October.

"I..."

"Brother Shang An, it's time for dinner... Huh? What are you two doing?"

Xiao Wu suddenly stepped into the courtyard, looking at the two of them with some surprise.

Seeing Xiao Wu arrive, Dugu Yan hurriedly ran off, her face burning with shame, not daring to look at Shang An.

Shang An watched Dugu Yan's graceful, swaying back and her water-snake-like figure, licking his lips. He didn't feel any regret; there would be plenty of time in the future, and she wouldn't be able to escape him in the end.

He then looked at Xiao Wu, who had a cunning glint in her eyes, and gave her little bottom a slap.

"Let's go, you little rascal."

"Hee hee." Xiao Wu covered her bottom and followed Shang An, not showing a hint of embarrassment on her face.

Although the dishes at Dugu Mansion didn't taste as good as those at Fengming Restaurant, Shang An wasn't a picky person. He could enjoy delicacies and simple meals alike, not to mention that the food at Dugu Mansion wasn't bad at all.

After the meal, Shang An and his group stayed at Dugu Mansion. Shang An didn't intend to spend too much time in Heaven Dou City; he would set off for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well tomorrow. He was extremely curious about those immortal herbs.

The Sunset Forest was full of hidden dangers, and even Spirit Masters had to be extremely cautious when entering.

However, for this group, it was like walking through their own backyard.

"Is this the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"

Before them lay a valley shrouded in poisonous miasma. Through his Golden Eyes of Truth, Shang An could see the grand fortune contained within. If an ordinary person came here, obtaining just one immortal herb could change the entire course of their life.

Unfortunately, these immortal herbs now belonged to Shang An. Dugu Bo had possessed a treasure mountain but couldn't enter it, with the immortal herbs right before his eyes yet unable to be used.

"That's right, this is where I once suppressed the toxins in my body. Plants and herbs grow ten times faster here. Of course, it belongs to His Holiness the Holy Son now."

Dugu Bo said with some emotion. The reason he was able to survive despite the intensity of his own toxins and eventually break through to become a Title Douluo was by relying on this treasure land.

Ordinary people would be struck by the two extreme attributes of heaven and earth energy upon approaching the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. If they lacked the strength to leave in time and had no powerful protector, they would even risk exploding and dying.

But for someone like Dugu Bo, whose body was filled with potent poison, it helped him suppress his toxins. The extreme heat and cold here acted as a restraint on poisons, and it was precisely by relying on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well that Dugu Bo had managed to survive for so many years.

Led by Dugu Bo, the group walked into this treasure land.

The first thing they saw was a small wooden house, which was likely where Dugu Bo stayed when he visited. Behind the house was the herb garden Dugu Bo had cultivated, and further ahead was a pool of water intertwined with red and blue colors. Steam rose from the surface, and the two colors of water were clearly separated, forming a Taiji pattern.

"What a magical place, it's so beautiful." Xiao Wu was captivated by the scenery of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"Don't get too close, it's very dangerous there. Even my grandfather doesn't dare stay in front of that spring for long."

Dugu Yan called out to stop Xiao Wu.

At this moment, Shang An felt a slight movement from his own Spirit, but he suppressed it for the time being. He had to pick the immortal herbs first; otherwise, if he accidentally damaged one or two, he would be heartbroken.

"You all wait here for a moment, I'm going to pick some herbs."

After saying this to the women, Shang An prepared to harvest the herbs. There was no helping it; many immortal herbs required unique harvesting methods to avoid damaging their medicinal properties, so he had to do it himself.

"Be careful, Your Holiness. Many of the herbs here may be highly poisonous."

Dugu Bo was afraid that if Shang An accidentally touched those poisonous plants and died here, Spirit Hall would surely drag him down to be buried with him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Dugu, I know what I'm doing."

Shang An's confident demeanor surprised Dugu Bo. "Could it be that Your Holiness knows about these herbs? Could you explain them to me?"

Dugu Bo had stayed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for so many years; it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious about these herbs. But after an experiment almost killed him, he became much more cautious. Later, after his son and daughter-in-law died, leaving only his young granddaughter to care for, Dugu Bo had even less interest in studying these herbs.

"Hahaha, Mr. Dugu, don't regret it after you hear this. This place is called the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It is a uniquely gifted spring, one source giving birth to two, the two poles restraining each other. It is one of the three great treasure basins for medicine, a place where the beauty of the world and the essence of heaven and earth converge."

Dugu Bo's eyes were firm. "Your Holiness has granted my Dugu family a new lease on life; how could I regret it?"

Shang An pointed to the herbs around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well that looked extraordinary. "Mr. Dugu, the immortal-grade herbs growing here are the true convergence of this treasure land's fortune. They have the power to improve one's talent and even cause a Spirit to evolve."

"Cause a Spirit to evolve? How is that possible?"

Dugu Bo couldn't believe it. His own Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor Spirit had evolved from a Jade Phosphorus Serpent. It was precisely because he knew so much that he understood the difficulty of Spirit evolution. He had hunted only snake-type Spirit Beasts for all his Spirit Rings, and only after becoming a Title Douluo did he manage to evolve his Spirit by sheer luck.

Dugu Yan and Xiao Wu, standing nearby, didn't react much to this, and as for Ni Huang, she believed whatever Shang An said.

"Nothing is impossible. Nature is magical and magnificent; it always gives birth to all kinds of miraculous things."

The Spirit theory of this era was still too crude compared to the later eras, and even a dignified Title Douluo like Dugu Bo had such shallow knowledge.

"This... is it really that magical?" Hearing Shang An's certain tone, Dugu Bo couldn't help but believe him a little. At the same time, for the first time, he began to resent his own ignorance. He had once treated such a treasure land as nothing more than a simple herb garden.

However, he had no regrets. Dugu Bo was a man of his word, and in his heart, the poison-suppressing method Shang An had gifted him was no less valuable than this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

As Shang An spoke, he began to collect the immortal herbs one by one. The methods for harvesting them varied wildly, and the ways to consume them were even more bizarre; he couldn't help but wonder what the people who compiled the herbology manuals had gone through.

The Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, Aromatic Silk Beauty, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, and other immortal herbs mentioned in the original work were naturally among them, along with over twenty others such as the Earth Dragon Golden Melon and Star Luo Spirit Pearl.

Finally, Shang An walked over to a flower as bright red as blood and stopped.

"Brother Shang An, what's wrong?"

Seeing Shang An pause, Xiao Wu looked at him with curiosity. Although the previous herbs had required different harvesting methods, Shang An had handled them with fluid ease, only stopping before this specific flower. "This flower is so strange, and it's growing right out of a stone."

"This flower is called Love-Sickness Heart-Broken Red, the king of all flowers. Its quality is far superior to other immortal-grade herbs; it is a divine treasure among them."

"This flower is extraordinary and chooses its own master. Its harvesting method is also quite different from other immortal herbs: one must drip a drop of blood onto its petals while thinking of their beloved with absolute sincerity. If one is half-hearted, they could cough up blood until they die and still never pluck it."

"The stone beneath the flower is called Wujue. If you try to destroy it by force, the Love-Sickness Heart-Broken Red will lose all its medicinal power. It is said that consuming this flower grants the power to be as immortal as heaven and earth, and it can increase one's soul power by at least ten levels."

Shang An was confident he could pluck this flower. It wasn't because he was particularly devoted, but because he trusted in the power of his mind. Just moments ago, after using his mental power to wrap himself in a shell of devotion, he felt a reaction from the Love-Sickness Heart-Broken Red, as if it wanted to stay by the side of such a 'devoted' person. However, the flower was of little use to him, so after careful consideration, he decided to leave it for his women.

Suddenly, his eyes twinkled, and he continued.

"This flower is also tied to a poignant love story. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes, tell us! What's the legend?" Xiao Wu was always very interested in these romantic stories. Beside her, Dugu Yan and Ni Huang also showed some interest, while only Dugu Bo seemed indifferent.

"Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a young man who was exceptionally handsome and possessed a calm, gentle nature. He loved nothing more than tending to flowers and trees, filling his garden with green lotuses, water lilies, and a myriad of colorful blossoms."

"He would recite poetry to the flowers and invite the moon to drink with him. Whenever a flower withered, he would be filled with infinite sorrow, carefully sweeping up the petals, burying them in the earth, and weeping repeatedly."

Shang An's voice was smooth and resonant, telling the tale in a captivating way that drew Xiao Wu and the others into the story.

"As the saying goes, true love can move heaven and earth. His kindness toward flowers and his handsome appearance moved the flower fairies in heaven. The Peony, the Chinese Rose, and several other flower fairies descended to the mortal realm in secret to become his wives, living happily together, sharing their lives and their love."

"Who would have thought that good times don't last? The gods learned of this and were furious. Declaring that immortals and mortals must not be wed, they ordered all the flower fairies to return to the divine realm. After losing all his beloved wives, the young man sighed and lamented all day, depressed and neglecting his garden. The walls collapsed, the fences fell, and the garden became a scene of desolation."

"One day, an old man with white hair appeared and told him that the many flowers in the garden were the incarnations of his wives. He only needed to destroy one flower to bring one fairy back to the mortal realm to be his wife again, but the others would be separated from him for eternity, never able to descend to the mortal world again. Having said this, the old man vanished like a breeze."

(A quick note to respond: it is normal that you cannot post comments right now; it will be back to normal once this period passes. Also, regarding why the bishop knew about the innate level twenty soul power, it is because the testing crystal in Spirit City is special and capable of measuring higher levels of soul power.)