Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

Chapter 36: Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

The Poison Mist parted to both sides.

Dugu Bo walked ahead, with Meow Meow following behind.

White Dew, Gray Ear, and Numb Tail had already been taken away by the Crown Prince's Mansion people. Before leaving, Numb Tail looked back several times, as if worried that Little Master might be poisoned out of existence by this green-haired old man.

Meow Meow did not explain.

After all, in Numb Tail's eyes, Dugu Bo really did seem like the kind of old man who could poison a cat to death.

After passing through the last layer of Poison Mist, the scene before them suddenly changed.

The valley was not large.

Yet two completely different auras rose from the valley floor.

One side was hot as fire, the other cold as ice.

The two auras converged in the center, turning into a hazy mist that shrouded the entire valley.

In the valley was a spring.

The spring was split in two.

One half was crimson like fire, the other ice-blue like jade.

The two springs pressed together, yet did not merge; instead, they remained clearly divided, each churning on its own.

Meow Meow glanced at it, and his eyes instantly lit up.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Finally here.

When reading about it in his past life, Meow Meow already knew this place was one of the most unreasonable treasures on the Douluo Continent.

Now seeing it with his own eyes, it felt even more absurd than he remembered.

Such a place was actually monopolized by Dugu Bo alone.

And it almost got taken clean by Tang San.

No.

Tang San hadn't come yet.

So it couldn't be called "almost."

Meow Meow flicked his tail, and a strange sense of accomplishment suddenly arose in his heart.

This time, it's finally This Seat's turn to come first.

Dugu Bo stood ahead, and seeing Meow Meow staring motionless at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he let out a cold snort.

"Well?"

"Does this old man's Medicine Garden meet your standards?"

Meow Meow snapped back to attention and nodded seriously.

"It meets them well."

Dugu Bo's mouth was just about to curl up.

Meow Meow added, "And it's also very dangerous."

Dugu Bo's smile froze.

Meow Meow circled the spring, not getting too close.

The closer he got to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the more mixed the medicinal herb aura became.

There were gentle ones, sharp ones, poisonous ones, cold ones, and some carrying strange soul power fluctuations.

With a single sweep, Meow Meow spotted many familiar things.

Aromatic Silk Beauty.

Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.

Infernal Delicate Apricot.

Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.

Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

And many spiritual herbs whose names he remembered and some he didn't.

Meow Meow forcefully suppressed the urge to reach out a paw.

Can't rush.

This place can't be stripped bare on the first visit.

Sustainable development is the way to go.

The Cat Clan still needs to rely on this place to train a batch of talents.

Dugu Bo was somewhat surprised to see Meow Meow only looking and not touching.

"You're not here for the medicinal herbs?"

Meow Meow looked at him.

"Yes."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"Then why don't you pick them?"

"Afraid you'd blow your fur."

Dugu Bo: "..."

For a moment, he didn't know whether he should be angry.

Meow Meow looked back at the spring.

"The herbs here can't be moved carelessly."

"Picking one recklessly might ruin the vitality of the entire surrounding area."

"Some herbs are mutually reinforcing or conflicting; they might not survive if taken from their original spot."

Dugu Bo's eyes shifted slightly.

This cat wasn't wrong.

He had occupied this Medicine Garden for years, and while he didn't understand all the pharmacology, he knew these herbs were extremely special.

Many things looked like spiritual medicines, but touching them would cause trouble.

He usually didn't dare to move them carelessly either.

"You know your stuff."

"A little."

Meow Meow was very modest.

But Dugu Bo didn't believe him.

Someone who could see all that couldn't possibly know just a little.

He stared at Meow Meow for a while, then suddenly said, "You said earlier that this old man is poisoned."

Meow Meow withdrew his gaze and looked at Dugu Bo.

"Mm."

"You also said Yan Yan is poisoned."

"Mm."

Dugu Bo's face darkened.

"Explain."

Meow Meow sat on a warm stone, his tail draped behind him.

"Your poison isn't an external toxin."

"It's backlash from your martial soul."

"The stronger the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor martial soul, the deeper the poison. The toxicity backlashes along with your bloodline and soul power."

"You've been suppressing it for years with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, so you've managed to hold on."

"But your granddaughter doesn't have this spring to suppress it. She'll have more trouble in the future."

Dugu Bo said nothing.

His expression grew uglier and uglier.

Because this cat was too accurate.

So accurate it made him uncomfortable.

"Can it be cured?"

Meow Meow blinked.

"Yes."

A flash of killing intent passed through Dugu Bo's eyes, but he forcibly suppressed it.

"Your terms."

Meow Meow raised a small paw and pointed at the Medicine Garden.

"I want the right to use some of the herbs here."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"Just as I thought."

Meow Meow said unhurriedly, "Not all of it."

"I'll only take some leaves, flowers, or seeds."

"Some Immortal Herbs can't have their roots touched, and I won't touch them."

"Also, I'll help you organize the Medicine Garden, guard against Black Water, guard against Xue Xing, and guard against outsiders."

Dugu Bo fell silent.

It sounded pretty good on the surface.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that this cat was speaking too smoothly.

As if he'd planned it all out long ago.

"You know about Xue Xing?"

"A little."

Meow Meow didn't elaborate.

Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed.

This cat knew too much.

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

Logically speaking, a spirit beast cat with this level of intelligence couldn't have appeared in Sunset Forest for no reason, let alone know about his and Yan Yan's poison.

Could it be Martial Soul Hall?

No.

If Martial Soul Hall had a cat like this, they'd have put it on a pedestal long ago.

"What exactly are you?"

Dugu Bo asked.

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

"A cat."

Dugu Bo's face darkened.

"I'm not asking you that."

"Then I'm a rather impressive cat."

"..."

Dugu Bo felt that pressing further would yield nothing.

But Meow Meow proactively extended a paw.

"Hand."

Dugu Bo frowned.

"What?"

"Let me see the poison."

Dugu Bo hesitated for a moment, then still extended his hand.

Meow Meow's small paw pressed against Dugu Bo's wrist.

A wisp of Purifying Holy Fire flowed into Dugu Bo's body through the point of contact.

Dugu Bo's expression shifted.

His instinct screamed to resist, but he quickly found that the fire didn't harm him—it merely swept gently through his body.

After a moment, Meow Meow withdrew his paw.

"It's worse than I thought."

Dugu Bo's face darkened.

"No kidding."

"Your tone doesn't sound like someone seeking treatment."

"I haven't sought it yet."

"Oh, then keep toughing it out."

Meow Meow turned to leave.

Dugu Bo's eye twitched.

"Come back!"

Meow Meow looked back.

Dugu Bo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger.

"Tell me how to cure it."

Meow Meow sat back down with satisfaction.

"First step: you can't just pull the poison out directly."

"Your martial soul and poison are already too deeply intertwined. If you force the poison out, you'll either die or be crippled."

Dugu Bo's expression shifted slightly.

He had tried some methods before, and they had all failed.

This was exactly the reason.

"Second step: separate the backlash poison from your bloodline, then return it to your martial soul."

"Make the poison your power, not something that harms you."

"Third step: do the same for your granddaughter."

"She's young, easier to treat than you."

A flicker of excitement passed through Dugu Bo's eyes.

"How long will it take?"

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

"You'll take longer."

"Yan Yan will be shorter."

"If there are suitable Immortal Herbs and Soul Bones, it'll go faster."

Hearing Soul Bones, Dugu Bo frowned.

"Soul Bones?"

Meow Meow nodded.

"Soul Bones can carry poison."

"But they're not necessary."

"It's just that using Soul Bones would be more stable."

Dugu Bo fell into thought.

Soul Bones were extremely rare. Even as a Title Douluo, he couldn't just have one whenever he wanted.

But for Yan Yan's sake, he could go find one.

Meow Meow saw what he was thinking and said, "No rush."

"Suppress the backlash first."

"We can make up for it later when there's a chance."

Dugu Bo looked at Meow Meow, for the first time without a cold sneer.

"If you can really save Yan Yan, this old man owes you a favor."

Meow Meow's ears twitched slightly.

"A favor is fine."

"But don't make it sound too big."

"This Meow might ask for a very heavy price for that favor later."

Dugu Bo snorted.

"This old man never goes back on his word."

Meow Meow didn't respond to that.

He didn't believe Dugu Bo would easily break his word.

But favors were best put down on paper... no, put down in the system.

Meow Meow's mind stirred, and the System Panel appeared before him.

[Ding, special cooperation target detected: Dugu Bo.]
[Target identity: Title Douluo, Poison Douluo.]
[Connection direction: Temporary Poop Scooper.]
[Connection condition: Host assists target in resolving martial soul poison backlash; target grants partial access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.]
[Establish temporary cooperation connection?]

Meow Meow's eyes lit up.

There it was.

Wasn't this more reliable than a verbal favor?

A Temporary Poop Scooper was still a Poop Scooper.

Even though Dugu Bo didn't look like he'd scoop poop, if the system said so, then so be it.

Meow Meow looked at Dugu Bo.

"I have a contract."

Dugu Bo grew wary.

"What contract?"

"I'll help you and your granddaughter detoxify."

"You'll grant me partial access to the Medicine Garden."

"And if the Cat Clan ever runs into trouble in the future, you'll help them once, as long as it doesn't put you in danger."

Dugu Bo frowned.

"The Cat Clan?"

"That's this Meow's clan."

Dugu Bo recalled the three little cats from earlier and suddenly understood a bit.

"You want this old man to protect your clan?"

"Not protect."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"Just help once."

"The Cat Clan won't beg you lightly."

Dugu Bo was silent for a moment.

"Fine."

A system chime sounded.

[Ding, Temporary Poop Scooper binding in progress...]

[Ding, Dugu Bo successfully bound.]

[Ding, detected host's first binding of a Title Douluo-level Poop Scooper. Reward: Detox Gift Pack x1.]

Meow Meow barely held back a laugh.

A Title Douluo-level Poop Scooper.

If Dugu Bo ever found out about that title, he'd probably start poisoning people again.

Meow Meow opened the gift pack.

[Detox Gift Pack: Jade Poison Origin Return Method, Blood Purifying Pill x3, Hundred Poison Identification Chart x1.]

[Jade Poison Origin Return Method: Can redirect backlash poison from a spirit back to its origin, reducing bloodline erosion.]

[Blood Purifying Pill: Temporarily purifies miscellaneous toxins in the blood. Use with caution for poison-type Soul Masters.]

[Hundred Poison Identification Chart: Identifies the origin and variations of most poisons.]

Meow Meow's eyes lit up.

This gift pack came at just the right time.

He'd been worrying about how to give Dugu Bo a reasonable treatment plan.

Now he had one.

Meow Meow calmed his mind and quickly skimmed through the Jade Poison Origin Return Method.

This technique wasn't just about detoxification.

It was more like a cultivation method that guided poison back into the spirit.

Useless for ordinary Soul Masters.

But for Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, inheritors of a poison-type spirit, it was perfect.

Meow Meow looked at Dugu Bo.

"Circulate your soul power."

Dugu Bo hesitated for a moment, then complied.

Jade-green soul power emerged from his body.

A faint snake shadow coalesced behind him.

Meow Meow used the Calming Bell to stabilize the surrounding aura, then extended a claw and tapped it before Dugu Bo's brow.

A thread of Purifying Holy Fire, no longer burning, turned into an extremely fine line of flame, guiding the poison within Dugu Bo's body.

Dugu Bo's body jolted.

He could clearly feel that the toxins which usually eroded his meridians day in and day out were beginning to slowly flow back.

Not much.

Just a little.

But even that tiny amount was enough to make his heart pound.

For so many years, he had coexisted with poison.

And for just as long, he had been tormented by it.

Even with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well at his disposal, it only barely suppressed the toxicity.

Never once had the poison truly obediently retreated into the origin of his martial soul.

"Don't move recklessly,"

Meow Meow warned.

Dugu Bo immediately steadied his mind.

Meow Meow guided him bit by bit.

The aura of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well swirled around them, suppressing the violent surge of poison.

After a moment, cold sweat broke out on Dugu Bo's forehead.

But his complexion actually improved slightly.

Meow Meow withdrew his paw.

"Let's stop here."

Dugu Bo opened his eyes.

He didn't speak.

He just looked down at his own palm.

The faintly blackened lines that had originally marked his palm had actually faded a little.

Though it was only a very small change.

To Dugu Bo, however, this was more real than any promise.

"This technique..."

"I can't give it to you,"

Meow Meow said directly.

Dugu Bo was taken aback.

Meow Meow continued, "If I give it to you now, you'll practice it recklessly."

"If you practice it wrong, you'll not only poison yourself to death, but you'll also easily ruin my medicine... your Medicine Garden."

Dugu Bo: "..."

He had indeed been thinking that just now.

But having it pointed out by this cat made him lose a lot of face.

"Once your granddaughter arrives, I'll teach you both together,"

Meow Meow said.

"Then you two can keep an eye on each other."

Dugu Bo said in a deep voice, "Yan Yan is at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"Then call her here."

Meow Meow paused, then added, "Don't say too much."

"Just tell her there's a way to cure the poison."

Dugu Bo nodded.

He naturally understood that.

Yan Yan's poison couldn't be spread carelessly.

Meow Meow thought for a moment, then said, "Also, this Medicine Garden can't rely on you alone to guard it from now on."

Dugu Bo frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Meow Meow raised a paw and pointed toward the valley entrance.

"The Black Eagle Family has already set their sights on this place."

"And Xue Xing's side isn't clean either."

"You're defending passively now; there will always be a moment when something slips through."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"This old man does not fear them."

"You may not fear them, but that doesn't mean the Medicine Garden isn't afraid."

Dugu Bo fell silent.

That hit the mark.

He could kill people.

He could poison people.

But if someone refused to clash head-on with him and only destroyed the formation from afar, luring Black Water to pollute the Medicine Garden, he might not be able to defend against it forever.

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"I'll set up a small formation here."

"It won't affect you on normal days."

"If someone touches the Medicine Garden, I'll know."

Dugu Bo stared at Meow Meow.

"Are you trying to spy on me?"

"You can think of it that way."

Meow Meow was very frank.

"But I'm mainly monitoring the Medicine Garden."

Dugu Bo: "..."

This cat was anything but tactful.

Still, after a moment's thought, he didn't refuse.

After all, today's Black Water Seal incident had proven that this cat's formations were indeed useful.

Meow Meow took out the Ten Thousand Array Diagram.

One by one, tiny array patterns fell into the valley, not touching the roots of the Immortal Herbs, only spreading along the mountain rocks, the outer edges of the spring's eye, and the periphery of the Poison Mist.

The patterns looked exactly like cat paw prints.

Circle after circle, silent and soundless.

Dugu Bo's eyelids twitched.

"Why are all your formations paw prints?"

"Convenient."

"..."

While setting up the formation, Meow Meow picked a stone beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

This stone had the perfect temperature.

Half warm, half cool.

Meow Meow sat on it and found it very comfortable.

"This spot is mine from now on."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly.

"You're not being polite at all."

"This is the treatment seat."

"..."

Dugu Bo decided not to argue with a cat.

After finishing the formation, Meow Meow took out a Blood Purifying Pill.

He thought for a moment and didn't give it directly to Dugu Bo.

This pill was good for ordinary people.

But for a Poison Douluo like Dugu Bo, it wasn't necessarily so.

One swallow, and if it purified the poison inherent in his martial soul, Dugu Bo would be in a panic on the spot.

Meow Meow put away the Blood Purifying Pill, instead taking a bit of pill powder and sprinkling it into a cup of clear water.

The water's color brightened slightly.

He handed it to Dugu Bo.

"Take a sip."

Dugu Bo looked at the cup of water.

"What is this?"

"A trial dose."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"You want me to be your test subject?"

Meow Meow looked at him.

"You are the Poison Douluo."

"If you don't test it, who will?"

Dugu Bo was momentarily speechless.

The words sounded disrespectful, but they seemed to hold logic.

He took the water and drank a small sip.

Moments later, Dugu Bo's expression shifted slightly.

This water didn't cleanse his innate poison, but it purified some of the chaotic toxins in his blood.

Though very little.

His body felt noticeably lighter by a fraction.

"Is there more of this?"

"There is."

Meow Meow nodded.

Dugu Bo's eyes lit up.

"But you can't use too much."

Meow Meow added.

"If you overuse it, your poison arts will go haywire."

Dugu Bo immediately curbed his greed.

Meow Meow nodded in satisfaction.

This Old Poison still had some self-control.

Just then, an Immortal Herb beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well gently swayed.

Meow Meow's ears twitched.

It was a Aromatic Silk Beauty.

Its petals opened and closed slightly, as if stirred by the aura of the Blood Purifying Pill.

Meow Meow's eyes brightened.

It suddenly thought of something.

If the Blood Purifying Pill could cleanse miscellaneous toxins, and the Jade Poison Origin Return Method could return the Martial Soul to its origin, could it use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to perform a safe version of poison vein modification for Dugu Yan?

No rush to get stronger.

First, resolve the hereditary poison.

Then, preserve the advantages of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul.

If successful, Dugu Yan wouldn't have to suffer poison backlash in the future, and could even walk a more stable path as a poison-type Soul Master.

With this thought, Meow Meow looked at Dugu Bo.

"When can your granddaughter arrive?"

Dugu Bo said, "At the earliest, tomorrow."

"Have her come."

"Tomorrow, we'll start treating the poison for both you and your granddaughter."

Dugu Bo nodded.

This time, his expression was much more solemn.

Seeing this, Meow Meow suddenly thought of something else.

"One more thing."

Dugu Bo frowned.

"Speak."

"If, in the future, a youth with a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul tells you he can cure your poison."

Dugu Bo was taken aback.

"Blue Silver Grass?"

Meow Meow said seriously, "Don't believe it too quickly."

Dugu Bo was puzzled.

"Why?"

"He might actually be able to cure it."

Dugu Bo: "?"

"But he'll plunder your medicine garden."

Dugu Bo: "..."

He understood that sentence.

Though he didn't know who this Blue Silver Grass youth was, Dugu Bo had already made a mental note.

Blue Silver Grass.

Knows how to detoxify.

Will plunder medicine gardens.

If he sees him, poison him first, then talk.

Miaomiao nodded silently.

Good.

Tang San's first hurdle had already been laid in advance.

It wasn't intentional harm.

Just preventing vegetable theft.

Thinking this, Miaomiao's mood improved a bit.

It sat back down on that half-cold, half-hot stone.

The energy of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well flowed.

One by one, the Immortal Herbs in the medicine garden grew quietly.

A system prompt suddenly rang out.

[Ding, detected that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well can establish a Holy Flame Spirit Garden branch.]

[Open branch planning?]

Miaomiao's eyes lit up.

A branch?

Here it comes.

The first medicine garden branch of the Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect seemed to have found its place.