Dugu Bo's Shock, Twin Blue Silver!

Beside the bushes in the distance.

Dugu Bo stood rooted to the spot, swallowing hard.

The dignified Poison Douluo was now breathing with extreme caution.

That was the overlord of the outer Star Dou Great Forest, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Titan Giant Ape.

If it were him going all out, he feared he wouldn't even be able to break a layer of the beast's hide, and would ultimately have to flee in a sorry state.

Yet this young man, who looked no older than twenty, had actually lopped off that ferocious beast's head with a single sword strike.

Furthermore, the process of absorbing the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone hadn't triggered even the slightest rejection reaction.

Such talent and strength were simply unheard of!

Dugu Bo immediately set aside his usual lofty airs and walked quickly toward Gu Qing.

His face was plastered with a warm smile as he cupped his hands and bowed deeply.

"This old man is Dugu Bo, a guest advisor to the Heaven Dou Empire royal family."

"Many thanks to you, young brother, for your righteous intervention in saving my granddaughter."

"If not for you, Yan Yan would likely have been buried in the beast's maw today."

Gu Qing turned his head to glance at him, his expression extremely calm.

"It was merely a trivial effort."

"Even if I hadn't intervened, this beast was coming for me anyway."

Hearing these modest words, Dugu Bo felt even more that this young man possessed an extraordinary temperament.

He hurriedly turned his head to glare at his granddaughter, who was hiding behind a giant rock.

"Yan Yan, what are you still standing there for?"

"Hurry over and thank our benefactor!"

Dugu Yan had already changed into a clean set of clothes.

Although her hair was still damp, the terrified pallor on her face had faded quite a bit.

She shuffled out from behind the rock, her gait appearing extremely stiff.

Taking small steps until she reached Gu Qing, she bit her lower lip tightly, feeling incredibly awkward.

She had clearly been seen naked by this man, and had even been hung upside down from a tree by vines and whipped severely by him.

And now, she actually had to bow and thank him.

How could there be such bullying in this world?

But the moment she recalled the terrifying scene of that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast being decapitated by a single sword strike, the resentment in her heart was instantly suppressed by fear.

Dugu Yan bent her waist deeply, her voice as thin as a mosquito's.

"Many thanks to you, Young Master, for saving my life."

Gu Qing nodded casually, not taking the earlier farce to heart.

Dugu Bo rolled his eyes, deciding to strike while the iron was hot.

"May I ask how to address you, young brother?"

"The Star Dou Great Forest is fraught with danger; where does young brother intend to head next?"

"My name is Gu Qing."

"I plan to take a trip to Heaven Dou City."

Hearing the words "Heaven Dou City," Dugu Bo's eyes lit up, and he immediately stroked his beard and laughed.

"What a coincidence!"

"My granddaughter and I are just preparing to return to Heaven Dou City; we are heading the same way."

"If Brother Gu Qing doesn't mind, why not travel with us?"

"This old man has a bit of standing in Heaven Dou City, and I could save you quite a bit of trouble."

Gu Qing pondered for a moment before agreeing.

Having someone familiar with the Heaven Dou City area to lead the way would indeed save him a lot of effort in gathering information.

The three of them tidied up slightly before leaving the chaotic hot spring area and heading toward the edge of the forest.

Night fell.

The three of them lit a campfire on the outskirts of the forest.

Gu Qing sat alone under a tree, closing his eyes to rest and sort through the soul power that had just surged within his body.

Under the guise of gathering firewood nearby, Dugu Bo pulled Dugu Yan behind a thicket far away.

The old man lowered his voice, his tone extremely serious.

"Yan Yan, you listen to me carefully."

"This Gu Qing is absolutely a peerless genius, the likes of which are seen only once in ten thousand years!"

"Even this old man cannot fathom just how strong he truly is; the power of that casual sword strike is something none of the Title Douluo I have ever met could hope to replicate."

"You usually have such high standards, looking down on every single one of those noble scions."

"Now that a dragon among men is standing right in front of you, if you have any ideas, you had better seize the opportunity for your grandfather's sake!"

Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed red, and she couldn't help but stomp her foot.

"Grandfather, what nonsense are you spouting!"

"He just now..."

Halfway through her sentence, she hurriedly swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.

She certainly couldn't tell her grandfather that she had been seen completely bare by this man in the pool just moments ago.

Dugu Bo poked his granddaughter's forehead, frustrated by her lack of ambition.

"I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice."

"A heaven-sent prodigy like this—if we can only bring him into our Dugu family, who in the entire continent would dare provoke us in the future?"

"If you let this slip through your fingers, girl, you will regret it for the rest of your life!"

After saying this, Dugu Bo gathered up a pile of firewood and headed back to the campsite.

Dugu Yan stood alone in the night wind, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Unbidden, the image of the scene by the pool during the day surfaced in her mind.

That violent, peerless Dark Vine, that crisp and decisive sword strike.

And...

And that long whip that had lashed firmly against her backside.

Thinking of this, Dugu Yan's cheeks instantly burned hot.

An unprecedented, strange sensation quietly rose from the bottom of her heart.

From the time she was small until now, all the men around her had been submissive and flattering.

Even her grandfather held her in the palm of his hand, afraid she might break.

Yet that Gu Qing looked at her with eyes that held no ripples at all, even revealing a hint of disdain.

When he struck her, he hadn't hesitated in the slightest, and it had truly hurt.

Recalling that stinging pain, she found she didn't harbor much hatred in her heart.

Instead, she felt a trace of excitement.

She even vaguely longed for that cold, stern man to lash her a few more times with that Blue Silver Grass.

Dugu Yan was startled by such a wild thought.

She hurriedly patted her burning cheeks, took a deep breath, and walked toward the campsite.

Over the next few days of travel.

Dugu Yan's attitude toward Gu Qing underwent a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

She no longer hid behind Dugu Bo as she had on the first day, but instead took the initiative to hover around Gu Qing.

Whenever the team stopped to rest, she would serve tea and water with extreme diligence.

"Gu Qing, where are you from?"

"What exactly is that black sword of yours? How is it so powerful!"

"What do you usually like to eat? When we reach Heaven Dou City, I'll take you to the best restaurant in the whole city."

Gu Qing looked at the chattering Green Peacock before him and raised an eyebrow.

A woman's heart really changes faster than flipping a book.

Two days ago, she was screaming for his blood and threatening to gouge out his eyes; now, she was acting like a tail that couldn't be shaken off.

However, the journey was indeed a bit dull, so Gu Qing answered a few of her questions at random.

Hearing Gu Qing respond to her, a glimmer of excitement flashed in Dugu Yan's eyes.

She bit her lip and, emboldened, leaned a little closer to Gu Qing.

A faint, delicate fragrance drifted into Gu Qing's nostrils.

"Gu Qing, you are so handsome and your strength is so great."

"There must be many girls chasing you, right?"

"Do you... do you have a girlfriend?"