"Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum."
The words were spoken so calmly, without the slightest ripple of emotion, yet they struck Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart like thunder from the heavens.
His gaze fixed tightly on the large orange flower in Yu Shuangbai's hand.
The yearning in his eyes seemed almost tangible.
This flower was all too familiar to Chrysanthemum Douluo!
It was the Immortal Herb that shared the same origin as his Martial Soul—the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!
He had spent his entire life searching for this Immortal Herb.
Yet he had never found it.
He had even thought that perhaps he would never have the chance to make up for this regret in his lifetime.
He had never expected that he would actually see this great flower appear before him today.
"Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan murmured, reaching out in a daze to touch the Immortal Herb he had pursued all his life.
But his hand grasped empty air.
Under Chrysanthemum Douluo's anxious gaze, Yu Shuangbai put the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum back into the Storage Soul Tool.
As if he hadn't noticed Chrysanthemum Douluo's ravenous stare, he smiled and asked,
"Well?"
"Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo, is the bargaining chip I've offered enough to move you?"
At that moment, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's heart was entirely fixed on the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
He only wanted another chance to behold the peerless Immortal Herb he had pursued his whole life.
Hearing Yu Shuangbai's question, he nodded again and again without hesitation, like a chick pecking at grain.
"It is! It is!"
"Moved" hardly did it justice.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was like a fish caught on a hook, utterly at the mercy of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in Yu Shuangbai's hand.
"Isn't it just all the knowledge you have about rare flowers and herbs?"
"I'll give you all of it. Hurry up and let me see the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum again!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice was urgent. The yearning in it was like that of a drowning man who had spotted a piece of driftwood on the vast ocean.
It wasn't that he was being unreasonable.
After searching for a lifetime, nearly giving up and deciding the thing was no more than a mirage, it had suddenly appeared right before his eyes.
Anyone would have reacted much like Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Yu Shuangbai didn't immediately bring out the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum again. Instead, he said,
"I'm sure Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo knows the rule: payment first, goods after."
Dugu Bo watched Chrysanthemum Douluo being teased until he was practically grinning like a hooked fish, and couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising.
So the old queen had finally gotten a taste of what it was like to be kept waiting.
The more impatient Chrysanthemum Douluo became, the more satisfied Dugu Bo felt.
At this, Chrysanthemum Douluo furrowed his brow.
It wasn't because he was having second thoughts.
That knowledge of Immortal Herbs wasn't all that important to him.
After all, he had already committed it all to memory.
He didn't mind teaching it to someone else, either.
It was just that before now, no one had been interested in such knowledge.
Even if Yu Shuangbai hadn't brought out an Immortal Herb, Chrysanthemum Douluo would have agreed to share what he knew about exotic flowers and herbs for anything that piqued his interest even a little.
What made Chrysanthemum Douluo frown was that he had only brought a small portion of his notes on exotic flowers and herbs with him.
A much larger portion was at his residence in Spirit City.
But after seeing the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, he longed to hold it and admire it again right away.
Returning to Spirit City to fetch the rest of his notes would take too long!
It was so long that the now impatient Chrysanthemum Douluo could hardly bear it.
"I only brought some of my notes with me. The rest are in Spirit City."
As he spoke, Chrysanthemum Douluo took a thick notebook from his Soul Tool.
He handed it to Yu Shuangbai.
"These are the notes I have with me. I'll fetch the rest once I return to Spirit City."
After speaking, he looked at Yu Shuangbai with longing.
"Could I see the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum again, Young Master Yu?"
Yu Shuangbai accepted the notebook Chrysanthemum Douluo had handed him.
He skimmed through it.
He had seen many of the exotic flowers and herbs illustrated inside at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He simply hadn't known anything about them before, and couldn't name them.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's research into them was indeed thorough.
Their names, uses, and drawbacks were all clearly noted.
It was like a systematically organized encyclopedia of plants.
As expected of the Titled Douluo on the continent who loved flowers most.
"Certainly."
Yu Shuangbai took the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum out of his Soul Tool again and handed it to Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo hurriedly reached out to take it, handling it with the utmost care as if afraid of damaging the Immortal Herb.
The Immortal Herb rested in his arms.
Chrysanthemum Douluo stroked its petals with a look of fascination and breathed in its fragrance.
His face flushed with excitement.
His heart was filled to the brim with satisfaction.
Even when he had first broken through to Titled Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo had never been this excited.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!
He could finally touch the Immortal Herb he had dreamed of for so long!
A long while later,
Chrysanthemum Douluo forced himself to overcome his reluctance and handed the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum back to Yu Shuangbai.
He would never go back on his word.
Although he was already impatient to claim this peerless Immortal Herb as his own,
he had agreed to the terms of the deal, so he had to fulfill his end first.
Chrysanthemum Douluo now planned to return to Spirit City and bring all the notes from his residence.
Then he would exchange them for the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum once and for all.
As for inspecting the branch hall, Chrysanthemum Douluo had already cast it from his mind.
The temptation of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was simply too great.
It was enough to make him temporarily set aside even his fear of Bibi Dong.
To Chrysanthemum Douluo's surprise, Yu Shuangbai didn't take the flower. Instead, he placed it back in Chrysanthemum Douluo's hands.
Yu Shuangbai smiled faintly.
"I trust that Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo won't go back on his word."
"After all..."
"How could someone who cherishes flowers and plants stain his beloved with a broken promise?"
"Please keep the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo. As for the rest of the notes, you can bring them later, once you've finished what you need to do."
"I'll be staying in Heaven Dou City during that time. You can come fulfill your side of the deal whenever you're ready."
"This..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo stared blankly at the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum that had been returned to his hands, momentarily lost.
Yu Shuangbai's response had completely exceeded his expectations.
He hadn't thought Yu Shuangbai would trust him so much.
For a moment, a sudden ache rose in his heart.
"But, this..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo hesitated.
He hadn't yet fulfilled his promise, and holding the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum felt like holding a hot coal.
"Don't worry about it."
"Keep it."
Yu Shuangbai's gentle voice sounded in his ear.
"Take care of what you have to do first."
"After all, that Pope isn't exactly easygoing..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo pressed his lips tightly together.
In the end, he nodded firmly.
He accepted the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. His shrill voice now sounded a little deeper.
His tone was solemn, like a vow.
"I'll honor our agreement."
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