(A beautiful picture of Liu Erlong)
Night fell, and stars speckled the sky.
Dugu Yan and Lin Jiang sat on the stone steps in the courtyard, gazing up at the stars.
The night breeze was cool, and insects chirped all around them.
Dugu Yan turned to him. "Lin Jiang, are you thinking of going to our Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
Lin Jiang froze.
"I can ask Grandpa to pull some strings," Dugu Yan said, resting her chin in her hands. "He can get you in."
Lin Jiang shook his head. "No need. I don't want to go to school anymore."
"Hm?" Dugu Yan asked curiously. "Why?"
Lin Jiang turned to her and grinned. "Because I have you now."
Dugu Yan froze.
Then her face turned bright red.
What was with this kid?!
He was so young. Where had he learned such cheesy pickup lines?!
She turned away, pretending to look at the stars, but even the tips of her ears were red.
Lin Jiang thought, School? You've got to be kidding. Now that I know about the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, who would go to an academy? Cultivating in a treasure land like that beats sitting through class any day.
Dugu Yan steadied her heartbeat, then turned back to him. "You really don't want to go to school?"
"I really don't."
"..."
Lin Jiang thought for a moment, then spoke. "I would like to meet Senior Dugu, though."
Dugu Yan froze. "You know my grandpa?"
"Of course." Lin Jiang looked perfectly serious. "Who hasn't heard of Senior Dugu?"
They call him the weakest Titled Douluo in the world. How could I not know about him?
Dugu Yan fell silent for a moment.
She had been looking for a chance to test Lin Jiang.
"But..." She lowered her head, her voice subdued. "Grandpa and I both have toxins accumulated in our bodies. Grandpa's away from home every day because he's searching for a way to suppress them."
Lin Jiang looked at her. "For a situation like yours..."
Dugu Yan lifted her head.
"I might have a solution," Lin Jiang said slowly. "But we'd need to find a spiritual place rich in natural treasures and spiritual energy."
Dugu Yan's eyes lit up instantly!
"Really?!"
"Of course."
Dugu Yan grabbed his shoulders. "I wonder if the treasure land Grandpa often visits fits what you need! When he gets back, I'll ask him to take us there!"
Lin Jiang smiled. "All right."
Dugu Yan stared at him, her eyes sparkling.
Lin Jiang really was her lucky star!
In a burst of excitement—
Smack!
She planted a kiss on Lin Jiang's cheek.
Lin Jiang covered his cheek, stunned.
Dugu Yan was stunned too, having just kissed him.
They stared at each other.
The next second, Dugu Yan's face turned red all the way to her ears.
But she didn't back away. Instead, she stood with her hands on her hips and declared, "What are you looking at? So what if I kissed you? You're only six. I was just showing how happy I am!"
Lin Jiang: "..."
Even at six, he was still a boy, all right?
But seeing Dugu Yan looking both shy and stubborn, he suddenly thought that staying here might not be such a bad deal after all.
Dugu Yan turned away, pretending to look up at the stars.
But she couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth, and she even flashed a sneaky victory sign behind her back.
Several days passed in a flash.
Lin Jiang discovered a serious problem.
The system showed that each simulation cost 100 Subversion Points.
And his current total was: 99.
One point short!
One point!
Lin Jiang stared at the number on the panel, utterly dismayed.
This system's doing it on purpose, isn't it? It's doing it on purpose, right?
Now all he could do was wait for Dugu Bo to return.
He hoped the old man would come home soon, so he'd have a chance to earn some Subversion Value.
Over the past few days, Dugu Yan had stopped going to class.
She followed Lin Jiang around all day.
When Lin Jiang stared into space, she sat beside him, chin in her hands, watching him.
When Lin Jiang asked what she was looking at, she just said, "You."
Lin Jiang: "..."
Was this girl getting a little too attached?
Dugu Yan really did find Lin Jiang incredibly charming.
He was handsome, sweet-talking, and seemed to know an awful lot.
He was only six, yet he spoke and acted like an adult.
He was so interesting.
That day.
"Yan Yan! Grandpa's back!"
A strong, resonant voice came from outside the residence.
Dugu Yan's eyes lit up, and she ran toward the entrance. "Grandpa!"
Lin Jiang followed behind her, stopping in the courtyard.
An old man strode inside.
He had a head of dark green hair and wore a dark green robe. His expression was stern, and his whole body radiated an aura that kept others at a distance.
A Titled Douluo—Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo patted Dugu Yan on the head, then looked past her and fixed his gaze on Lin Jiang.
His brow furrowed.
"Hm? Who's this kid?"
Dugu Yan hurriedly introduced them. "Grandpa, this is my new friend, Lin Jiang!"
Lin Jiang stepped forward and bowed properly. "Greetings, Senior Dugu."
"Friend?" Dugu Bo sized him up, his eyes appraising. "He looks several years younger than you, doesn't he?"
Dugu Yan tugged on his sleeve in displeasure. "He's greeting you!"
Dugu Bo ignored her, muttering to himself.
The kid was so fair and clean-cut—a pretty boy!
What kind of spell had he cast over Yan Yan?
Dugu Yan grew anxious.
No, she had to get Grandpa to like Lin Jiang too!
Lin Jiang would be able to help Grandpa become a god one day!
"Grandpa!" She gritted her teeth. "Lin Jiang can cure your poison!"
Dugu Bo's expression stiffened.
The next second, his face darkened.
"What? Him?"
He stared at Lin Jiang, his gaze sharp as a blade. "A little brat who still has milk on his breath?"
"And besides—"
He took a step forward, and the pressure of a Titled Douluo instantly blanketed the entire courtyard.
"How did you learn this secret, boy?!"
The air seemed to freeze.
Dugu Yan's expression changed, and she instinctively stepped in front of Lin Jiang. "It was me! I told him!"
Dugu Bo's brow furrowed even more deeply. "Yan Yan, move aside."
He fixed his gaze on Lin Jiang, his voice turning cold. "What kind of man hides behind a woman?"
Dugu Yan panicked. "But..."
Before she could finish, a hand came to rest on her shoulder.
"Yan Yan, it's all right."
Lin Jiang stepped out from behind her and stood in front of Dugu Bo, looking up and meeting his dark green eyes.
Though he was only six, he stood utterly firm under the pressure of a Titled Douluo.
"Senior Dugu." He remained neither humble nor arrogant. "If I say I have a solution, I wouldn't lie to you."
"Whether it's true or not..."
Lin Jiang smiled faintly.
"You'll know as soon as you try."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes.
This kid had some nerve.
"Oh?" He withdrew his pressure and gave a cold laugh. "How do you propose we try?"
Lin Jiang looked up at him, perfectly calm. "Try using your poison on me."
"What?"
Dugu Bo froze for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
His laughter shook the leaves from the trees in the courtyard.
"In all my years, I've never heard anyone make such a request!"
He was Dugu Bo, whose title was a single character: Poison. Who in the world didn't know his name?
Try his poison on him?
Wasn't that just asking to die?
Dugu Yan's face went pale, and she grabbed Lin Jiang by the arm.
"Have you gone mad, Lin Jiang? Even if your Martial Soul is powerful, you can't withstand Grandpa's poison!"
Lin Jiang patted her hand and smiled at her. "Don't worry."
Then he looked at Dugu Bo, his gaze unwavering.
"Go ahead."
After laughing, Dugu Bo looked down at the clueless kid, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
"Ha ha ha! Yan Yan, your friend doesn't seem to have much sense!"
He raised his hand, and a thread of dark green Soul Power gathered at his fingertip...
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