Gift-Giving Douluo Dugu Bo

"Senior... you... what is this?"

Looking at the green-haired figure who had suddenly blocked his path, Chen Ming did not know what to say for a moment.

The newcomer had green hair and carried a faintly fishy-sweet scent, that was true. But this person was not Dugu Yan—it was Dugu Yan's grandfather, Dugu Bo.

But why had Dugu Bo appeared at this moment? Chen Ming had not even met Dugu Yan yet. How had he skipped straight to this stage?

Chen Ming's mind raced as he continuously considered and analyzed every possibility. Meanwhile, Dugu Bo sized Chen Ming up from head to toe before silently stepping forward, placing a hand on Chen Ming's shoulder, and sending Soul Power into his body.

Under Chen Ming's puzzled gaze, Dugu Bo's expression stiffened slightly.

"Young man, your talent isn't bad." Dugu Bo gave a somewhat self-mocking smile.

He had been driven nearly mad by the backlash lately. How could a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast capable of taking human form possibly be so easy to find?

"Senior Poison Douluo, what business do you have with this junior?"

"I merely heard there was a rather unusual youngster," Dugu Bo replied casually.

About half a year ago, Dugu Bo had felt that his condition was quite good. He had even seemed to adapt somewhat to the backlash of his poison, so he had tried once more, after a long time, to break through from rank ninety-one to rank ninety-two.

Yet not only had he failed, he had also triggered an extremely severe backlash. The virulent poison attacked his heart and nearly took his life outright. Although he had barely suppressed it with the environment of his treasured land and avoided poisoning himself to death completely, the poison's backlash had only become faster and more serious.

That failed attempt had taken roughly another ten years from his already limited lifespan, while causing his condition to deteriorate further.

For that reason, Dugu Bo, who believed he did not have much time left, had no choice but to find a way to pave the road ahead for Dugu Yan, his only granddaughter in this world.

Originally, he had wanted to find a way to spare Dugu Yan from suffering the same poison backlash as him. Thus, he had always kept her by his side and had not pushed her especially hard in cultivation.

But now, with no other choice, Dugu Bo had to entrust Dugu Yan to Heaven Dou Royal Academy for her studies. He himself had begun searching like a madman for any method that might solve his problem.

Although he had only overheard a few students whispering among themselves, and did not believe that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form would have the audacity to infiltrate Heaven Dou Royal Academy—

To Dugu Bo, whose mind had become somewhat unstable and frenzied, he could not afford to let go of any straw that might possibly save his life.

Seeing that Chen Ming was merely an ordinary human and not a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, Dugu Bo felt both disappointed and deeply self-mocking. He felt that he had gone mad to the point of nearly losing all reason.

"How did you recognize me as the Poison Douluo?" Dugu Bo casually waved a hand, intending to brush Chen Ming off with a few words before leaving.

After all, he was the one who had grabbed someone and probed them without warning. Even with Dugu Bo's eccentric temperament, he had to give Chen Ming some face before departing.

"There are traces of medicinal residue beneath your fingernails, Senior, and your cuffs carry the scorched scent left behind after refining medicine. Your clothes are green, and faint dark stains can be seen around their edges. They should have been accidentally left behind while preparing medicine. You must be an expert in the fields of medicine and poison."

"Furthermore, green snake patterns are embroidered on the corners of your clothing. Although green venomous snakes are not uncommon, the snake pattern on your robe is somewhat brighter, with a faint jade-like emerald sheen."

"Together with its dense scales and pointed head, these numerous features suggest that it depicts one of the Jade Phosphor Five Venoms—the Jade Phosphor Snake."

"An expert in medicine and poison, combined with the Jade Phosphor Snake as your emblem. There can only be one such person in this world."

Chen Ming described Dugu Bo's various characteristics in detail. Dugu Bo lowered his head slightly and discovered that there really were faint dark marks around his cuffs and collar, likely left behind unintentionally.

This youngster truly has sharp eyes. Dugu Bo nodded inwardly, only to hear Chen Ming continue.

"Your pupils are a somewhat murky dark green. Though your hair is dark green, its color fades from dark to light, and a faint trace of white can be seen at the ends. You carry a fishy-sweet scent, there is a faint darkness between your brows, and your lips are grayish-white and bloodless."

"If an ordinary person displayed such symptoms, it would undoubtedly mean poison had entered the body and penetrated the marrow. Medicine and treatment would be powerless, and even walking would be difficult."

"Yet you walk freely, Senior, and your aura is normal. You do not seem like someone poisoned to the marrow beyond the help of medicine. I suppose only the legendary Poison Douluo, whose poison arts have reached such an extraordinary level, could turn these abnormal symptoms into his own characteristics."

"???!!!!"

Dugu Bo sucked in a breath and instinctively staggered back several steps. Like a madman, he grabbed a lock of his own hair and stared at its color, which truly faded from dark to light, as well as the faint pallor at its tips.

Thinking of Chen Ming's description, a tempest surged through Dugu Bo's heart.

"Could it be? Could my current condition already be obvious even to a mere child? No, that can't be possible, can it?!"

Before Chen Ming could continue bluffing, Dugu Bo immediately swept up his Soul Power, wrapped it around Chen Ming, and took him away.

Watching from afar as Chen Ming exchanged only a few words with Dugu Bo before being swept away, the "royal" shadow guard hidden in the darkness and assigned by Xue Qinghe to "protect" Chen Ming's safety let out a shrill cry.

"We're finished, finished, finished! If that old monster Dugu Bo kills him, won't His... His Highness the Crown Prince take it out on me? Th-this... I need to report back immediately!"

The panicked shadow guard hurriedly left Heaven Dou Royal Academy and ran toward Heaven Dou City. Meanwhile, Dugu Bo had already brought Chen Ming to a forest outside Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Looking at Chen Ming, Dugu Bo's brows carried a trace of killing intent, along with a deeply concealed unease and panic.

"Boy, what did you just say was wrong with me?"

"I said that Senior Poison Douluo's poison arts have reached an extraordinary level..."

"I'm asking why you said I'm poisoned! How did you see that I was poisoned? Why did you say that medicine and treatment are powerless to save me?" Dugu Bo's voice cracked slightly, and the fear in his words was impossible to suppress.

"Senior, I am merely observant and have a fairly good memory. Let me give you a few examples. Please see whether I am correct."

"There are many signs of poisoning, and many symptoms can be seen directly on the face. Look in a mirror, Elder. Are your pupils dark green? Are they somewhat more unfocused than those of normal people? Are the whites of your eyes slightly cloudy...?"

"Pull out one of your hairs and take a look. The roots are dark green, while the tips are somewhat white. If my guess is correct, burning your hair with fire should also produce a scent different from that of normal hair..."

"Stick out your tongue and look at its coating... If that does not work, find a cup and spit into it first. Is the saliva dark and viscous? Put a small bug inside and see whether it survives..."

"You may not notice it yourself, but breathe into a cup. Even your breath carries a fishy smell."

"You may not have noticed it either, but isn't there actually something abnormal with both your urine and stool? If I am right, your urine is as concentrated as tea, while your stool is as black as lacquer?"

"Touch both sides beneath your ribs. Do they feel somewhat numb? Press both sides and take a deep breath. Does it feel like needles stabbing you... ? Run your hands upward along both sides of your ribs. Does that make breathing difficult?"

"The higher a Spirit Master's Soul Power Level, the longer and steadier his breathing should become. But your breathing is rapid and short, Senior. Your flushed face after using Soul Power is not something a high-level Spirit Master should normally display."

Chen Ming rattled off several of the more than obvious signs of poisoning on Dugu Bo's body.

Put simply, even in Chen Ming's previous life, any ordinary person who had received nine years of compulsory education would have been able to tell from Dugu Bo's complexion and physical symptoms that he was poisoned, even if they did not know what poison he had been afflicted with.