Dugu Fu

After the scout gave Hu Liena some basic first aid, he entered the cave to process the Ghost Moth carcass according to Qian Yun's instructions. Qian Yun did not linger at the cave entrance and continued to carry Hu Liena outward; the camp they had arrived at contained the medicine they needed.

As they strolled through the dense jungle, Hu Liena's state of mind was more relaxed than ever before. Without saying much, she rested quietly on Qian Yun's shoulder, watching the scenery of the Sunset Forest in a daze.

Qian Yun kept his head lowered, picking a relatively flat path through the woods.

Suddenly, an indescribable feeling lingered in his heart. The Green Bamboo Treasure Bead in his arms seemed to sense something, slowly beginning to heat up.

Qian Yun stopped in his tracks, vigilantly surveying everything before him. Although the surroundings were as calm as ever, Qian Yun knew that something had definitely changed.

Hu Liena lifted her sleepy eyes and, seeing Qian Yun's tense expression, knew something was wrong. She immediately turned her head to scan the surroundings.

"Qian Yun, is there something nearby?" Hu Liena whispered in his ear.

Qian Yun nodded, his gaze remaining alert. Within just a few breaths, the bead in his arms grew even hotter. "It should be poison closing in on us."

"Poison?!" Hu Liena clenched her small hands. She had heard of how terrifying the Poison Mist in the Sunset Forest was.

But hadn't they yet to approach the inner ring? How could the poisonous gas spread to the outer perimeter?

"Then let's leave quickly!" Hu Liena looked around at the still-ordinary surroundings. There was still nothing unusual, but the more this was the case, the tighter her heart constricted.

"Yeah." Qian Yun also felt the urge to retreat, but just as he was about to lift his leg, he immediately paused.

Under the warning of the bead, the surrounding poisonous gas had become dangerous in an instant.

It seemed someone didn't want to let them leave just like that...

"Since Your Excellency truly wishes to keep this junior here, why not come out and meet?" Qian Yun looked up and shouted toward the woods ahead.

At the same time, following his words, Qian Yun was the first to complete Martial Soul Possession, three Spirit Rings flickering at his feet. Hu Liena also summoned her Martial Soul.

As his voice fell, the jungle remained as silent as before. At a certain moment, a hearty laugh rang out.

"Hehehe, what sharp insight you have, little one!"

Accompanying the laughter, two figures stepped out of thin air right in front of Qian Yun. Qian Yun finally saw the true forms of these mysterious powerhouses: a man and a woman, one old and one young.

Following their appearance, Qian Yun's pupils shrank, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

Because he recognized at a glance who the purple-haired girl standing beside the old man was—she was none other than the member of the Imperial Fighting Team he had fought over a year ago, Dugu Yan!

Since she was Dugu Yan, the identity of the green-haired old man standing in mid-air with her was obvious—the Title Douluo, Poison Douluo, Dugu Fu!

Qian Yun's heart sank to the bottom of the abyss in an instant. He never expected to encounter the Poison Douluo on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.

In the air, Dugu Fu looked down at the two stiff figures on the ground, his eyes filled with disdain when he saw their Spirit Rings.

He took a step, and a yellow Spirit Ring descended beneath him. Immediately after, he took another step, and another yellow Spirit Ring appeared exactly at his feet to catch his stride.

Dugu Fu took one step per Spirit Ring, as if descending a divine staircase.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black... black!

With the appearance of the ninth ink-black ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring, Dugu Fu's aura climbed sharply. A pressure as vast as the sea surged out, forcing the birds startled in the air to fall, and the entire Sunset Forest fell into absolute silence.

Hu Liena felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Although she didn't know exactly who was before them, even a fool knew what it meant for someone to possess nine Spirit Rings: a Title Douluo! They had actually run into a Title Douluo here?!

She hurriedly retracted her Martial Soul and patted Qian Yun's shoulder to signal him to put her down. Qian Yun also retracted his Martial Soul and gently set Hu Liena down, his golden eyes fixed on Dugu Yan as thoughts churned in his mind.

He was looking at Dugu Yan, and Dugu Yan was also sizing him up.

Dugu Yan narrowed her eyes, feeling that the youth before her looked very familiar. The moment Qian Yun's Crown retracted, she finally remembered—wasn't this the guy who had beaten their entire Imperial Fighting Team single-handedly, bringing them the humiliation of being swept by one person?

"It's you!" Dugu Yan recognized Qian Yun and immediately covered her mouth in exclamation.

The moment she shouted, Qian Yun knew that today's situation would not be simple.

"Oh, Yan-yan, you know him?" Dugu Fu asked the surprised Dugu Yan with interest, looking down.

"I do! Grandpa, this is the hateful guy I told you about, the one who fought all seven of us alone." Dugu Yan gritted her teeth and pointed hatefully at Qian Yun. Although he wasn't wearing a mask, she would remember that crown even if it turned to ash.

Over the past year, she had been training fiercely. Whenever she felt the pain of cultivation, she would think of that hateful fox mask and the humiliation he had brought her, and she would feel as if she had endless strength.

At this moment, looking at the maskless Qian Yun, while gritting her teeth, she couldn't help but add in her heart that he was actually quite handsome.

Hearing his precious granddaughter's words, Dugu Fu also narrowed his eyes to size up Qian Yun. He had long heard of this boy who had stimulated Dugu Yan—who had always been reckless—to suddenly train so hard.

"You are Amiga?" Dugu Fu stroked his beard and retracted his Spirit Rings.

Qian Yun breathed a sigh of relief. Although Dugu Fu's aura hadn't been directed at them just now, that oppressive feeling was truly unpleasant.

"This junior's real name is Qian Yun. Greetings, Your Excellency Title Douluo." After Qian Yun bowed to Dugu Fu, he added, "I once used a pseudonym; Amiga was just a fake name."

Hu Liena came back to her senses and also bowed. "This junior, Hu Liena, greets Your Excellency Title Douluo."

At the same time, she glanced at Dugu Yan, her eyes filled with confusion and strangeness.

"Hmm." Dugu Fu nodded; these two little dolls were quite sensible.

Dugu Yan's mouth twitched. So the guy she had hated for over a year, she hadn't even gotten his name right.

"Qian Yun... hmm, indeed a promising youth. Not many people can be the first to detect my poison gas. Now, why are you trespassing in my Sunset Forest?" Dugu Fu's dark green eyes looked at Qian Yun, praising him first before asking in a cold tone.

The Soul Hunting Forest was originally ownerless; even Martial Soul Hall dared not claim ownership of any Soul Hunting Forest. Yet, with one sentence, he had claimed the Sunset Forest as his own. This Dugu Fu was indeed as overbearing as the rumors suggested.

Qian Yun replied honestly: "I am here on orders to hunt for a Spirit Ring."

Even if he didn't say it, it wouldn't be hard for Dugu Fu to notice his spirit power, which had just passed level 30. Lying to him now would be no different than looking for trouble.

"Spirit hunting? Hmph, tell me, whose orders are you acting under?" Dugu Fu stood with his hands behind his back, his face cold and sinister beneath his green hair.

Qian Yun frowned, silently producing a token, and said, "Orders from the Pope Hall."

"The Pope Hall!" Dugu Yan widened her eyes, instinctively looking up at her grandfather.

If this truly was a Pope Order, then today's situation had become complicated.

To see the Pope Order is to see the Pope herself; to rashly move against someone bearing it is to make an enemy of the entire Martial Soul Hall. If things were to reach that point, even a Title Douluo like Dugu Fu would face a catastrophic disaster.

"Heh." Dugu Fu let out a scoff. "Kid, do you really think I, Dugu Fu, would give a damn about that so-called Pope? Do you think having some broken piece of metal allows you to ride on this old man's head?!"

"Grandfather..." Dugu Yan tugged on Dugu Fu's sleeve with a worried expression.

Qian Yun withdrew the token and bowed again. "Your Excellency has misunderstood. This junior did not present the Pope Order to challenge your majesty, but merely to prove the innocence of our identities. If Your Excellency minds our presence, we shall depart immediately and will not linger."

Dugu Fu fell silent upon hearing this. He had initially thought he had just run into two greenhorns and intended to release his Poison Mist to teach them a lesson.

He hadn't expected these two to have such deep backgrounds, being from the Pope Hall. Facing that place, even someone as overbearing as him could not simply ignore it.

"Sharp-tongued brat." Dugu Fu shook his head, feeling a sense of frustration. "Get lost quickly, don't delay our spirit hunting."

Spirit hunting? Qian Yun turned his gaze toward Dugu Yan, a thought stirring in his mind. "Might I ask, Your Excellency, what kind of spirit beast are you looking to hunt?"

Dugu Yan put her hands on her hips and snorted. "What business is it of yours? Now is hardly the time to be fishing for intelligence."

Dugu Fu stroked his beard, glanced at his granddaughter, and surprisingly replied, "A thousand-year agility-type spirit beast."

"Grandfather!" Dugu Yan was stunned, unable to understand why Dugu Fu had sold her out just like that! If Qian Yun knew her plans for her spirit ring, how would she ever defeat him in the future?

Qian Yun understood; Dugu Yan was likely wary of his scouting abilities and wanted to add a speed-type spirit ring to counter him.

"A thousand-year agility-type spirit beast is not easy to find in this Sunset Forest." Qian Yun frowned, actually beginning to consider the spirit ring plan for Dugu Yan.

After a pause, Qian Yun tentatively suggested, "How about this junior recommends one?"

"Oh, you are a strange kid, considering things for your opponent. Tell me then, what spirit beast do you recommend?" Dugu Fu narrowed his eyes and sneered. He could sense that the boy wasn't just spouting nonsense but was truly confident.

"Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!"

Dugu Fu fell silent. As a master of snake-type martial souls, he had naturally heard of such a beast. While the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was excellent, it did not exist in the Sunset Forest; to hunt one, they would have to go to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Seeing this, Qian Yun struck while the iron was hot. "Beyond storing venom in its crown, its most praised trait is its gliding ability. If one obtains its spirit ring, there is a high chance of gaining a flight-type thousand-year spirit skill. Furthermore, as a fellow snake-type spirit beast, its enhancement to student Yan would be even greater."

Flight ability...!

It wasn't just Dugu Fu; Dugu Yan was also deep in thought after hearing this.

If she truly obtained a flight-type spirit skill, her mobility would undoubtedly increase significantly, and her Poison Mist would no longer just spread from the ground, but cover from above!

Noticing Dugu Fu was still contemplating, Dugu Yan, already moved by the idea, secretly gave him a wink.

Dugu Fu didn't hesitate any longer, though for the sake of his pride as a powerhouse, he said flatly, "What you say isn't without reason. Even if it isn't the best choice, I will consider it. Although Yan-yan is only level twenty-seven, it is always good to prepare early."

Dugu Yan rolled her eyes; her grandfather was just like that, a total tsundere.

He looked at the two of them, his hand resting back on Dugu Yan's shoulder. "Considering your intentions, I will not pursue your trespassing here, but only this once."

Dugu Yan also sneered. "Amiga... oh, wait, no, Qian Yun, next time we meet I will settle the score for you lying about your name too. Just you wait!"

Qian Yun and Hu Liena watched the grandfather and granddaughter disappear. Only when the orb in his chest stopped burning did Qian Yun finally let out a sigh of relief.

Hu Liena's tightly wound heart finally relaxed.

She patted her chest and said with lingering fear, "That was close. That man really looked like he killed without blinking. I was truly afraid that if he got annoyed, our lives would be forfeit."

Qian Yun shook his head and crouched down in front of her again. It was true that Dugu Fu was a ruthless killer, but with the Pope Order, their lives were not in immediate danger.

Now that she had relaxed, Hu Liena's mind became active again. She leaned on Qian Yun's shoulder and asked, "By the way, is that beauty from earlier an old acquaintance of yours? I saw her staring at you the whole time."

Qian Yun laughed. "What are you saying! She's already taken. I fought her a year ago, and meeting her suddenly today, I'm afraid she'd love to tear me apart."

Hu Liena was puzzled. "Then why did you recommend a spirit ring to her?"

"A way to retreat," Qian Yun replied before picking up his pace. He didn't want to stay in that dangerous place any longer.

Finally back at the camp, Qian Yun rummaged for medicine and stacked the bedding high so Hu Liena could lean back comfortably.

Qian Yun sat opposite her and reached out to take off her boots. Due to the long period of activity, her white cotton socks were soaked with sweat and clung tightly to her feet. Once freed from the stuffy boots, her feet, as clear and delicate as soft jade, steamed with a faint, slightly sour heat.

Hu Liena curled her toes, her pretty face flushed. She knew her feet probably didn't smell very pleasant.

Yet, for some reason, looking at her steaming feet so close to Qian Yun's handsome face and those alluring thin lips, she suddenly felt an impulse to place her feet against his face, covering his features and blocking his breath, letting the heat from his exhales ripple against her soles.