"Protect His Majesty!
There's an assassin!"
The Royal Imperial Guard reacted in an instant. Spears rose in a forest, Soul Rings shimmered, and they surrounded the extravagant royal carriage.
"What are you panicking for?"
An aged voice, yet one full of authority, came from the treetops beside the road.
Everyone looked up and saw Dugu Bo standing with his hands behind his back, dressed in a dark green robe. Dugu Yan stood quietly at his side, her expression cool.
"Poison Douluo, Your Eminence?"
The captain of the escort recognized him and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. But he didn't lower his weapon, and asked warily:
"May I ask why Your Eminence has stopped His Majesty's carriage?"
"I just finished watching the competition and happened to be passing by. I smelled a deathly aura coming from this carriage. It put me in a foul mood, so I stopped to take a look."
Dugu Bo's figure swayed, and he drifted down in front of the carriage like a falling leaf, paying no heed to the gleaming weapons around him.
The carriage curtain was lifted.
Xue Qinghe helped Xue Ye walk out.
Although Xue Ye's face was pale, he still forced himself to smile when he saw Dugu Bo.
"So it's Mr. Dugu.
"You're a guest elder of the Heaven Dou Empire. There's no need to stand on ceremony.
"Since we've crossed paths, why not return to the palace with us and have a chat?"
Dugu Bo was a guest elder at the Xue Xing Prince Mansion.
Xue Ye was obviously trying to ingratiate himself by saying that.
But Dugu Bo didn't correct him.
Xue Qinghe smiled warmly as well and cupped his hands.
"Senior Dugu, Father has been unwell lately and was hoping to invite you to the palace for a consultation. I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence."
Looking at Xue Qinghe's flawless smiling face, Dugu Bo sneered inwardly.
A coincidence?
This was a "coincidence" the old man had arranged especially for you.
"I wouldn't call it a coincidence."
Dugu Bo glanced at Xue Qinghe—no, at Qian Renxue.
Yu Nan had given him instructions.
He couldn't expose Qian Renxue's identity directly yet.
That would risk drawing Spirit Hall's attention to them.
The next few years were precious time for them to grow stronger.
Give Xue Ye some medicine to delay his illness.
Then, in exchange for becoming a guest elder of the Heaven Dou Empire in name and deed, ask for the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
There shouldn't be a problem!
"His Majesty doesn't look too well."
Dugu Bo kept his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over Xue Ye like two sharp swords. His tone sounded casual, yet struck straight at the heart of the matter.
"His brow is dark, and his breath is weak. If you keep letting those quack doctors in the palace pour their useless tonics down your throat,
"you won't be far from the grave."
The Imperial Guards were shocked by his words and glared at him angrily.
If they weren't wary of him as a Titled Douluo, they would have charged forward and fought him to the death.
Yet when Xue Ye heard this, he didn't get angry. Instead, his eyes shone with startling brightness.
He knew his own body best. Lately, he had constantly felt short of energy and grown weaker by the day.
The palace physicians had come and gone in several waves, but all they did was prescribe warming tonics. None of them could find the cause of his illness.
Now that Dugu Bo had hit the nail on the head, Xue Ye saw a glimmer of hope.
"Sir... you can tell what ails me?"
Xue Ye pushed away Xue Qinghe's support and took two steps forward, his voice urgent.
"They say medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin. You are the greatest master of poison in the world today, so I'm sure you have unique insights into medicine as well.
"If you're willing to save me, I will reward you handsomely!"
The "Xue Qinghe" standing at his side clenched the hand hidden in her sleeve. Her heart skipped a beat.
*Damn it!
Why had that old poison freak suddenly decided to interfere?*
The poison she had administered was a secret Spirit Hall formula: colorless and odorless, with an extremely long incubation period.
It seeped in little by little through everyday food and incense. Even a Titled Douluo would find it hard to detect unless he had a deep knowledge of medicine.
If Dugu Bo discovers that it's poison, won't all my years undercover have been for nothing?
"Father..."
A hint of perfectly timed worry appeared on Xue Qinghe's face as she gently tried to dissuade him.
"Senior Dugu may be powerful, but everyone has their own specialty. Father's health is of the utmost importance. If you try something rashly... I'm worried..."
"Does Your Highness not trust me?"
Dugu Bo shot Xue Qinghe a sidelong glance, a sneer curling his lips.
"Or do you think it's filial to watch His Majesty grow weaker by the day?"
His words were severe, slapping a huge charge of "unfilial" conduct right on her.
Xue Qinghe's face stiffened. She hurriedly lowered her head in alarm.
"Qinghe wouldn't dare!
"I'm only worried about Father's safety. If Senior is confident, then this is Father's good fortune—and the good fortune of the Heaven Dou Empire."
She didn't dare try to stop him again. That would look too deliberate and arouse suspicion.
She could only pray silently that the poison was so complex that even if Dugu Bo could tell it was poison, he wouldn't necessarily be able to cure it, much less trace it to its source.
"Since that's settled, let's not waste time in the middle of the road."
Dugu Bo flicked his sleeve and said coolly:
"Back to the palace. I'll need a quiet place to take His Majesty's pulse."
In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, inside the bedchamber.
The magnificent palace was utterly silent. Only a few trusted attendants and Xue Qinghe waited outside the door.
Dugu Bo sat by the bed, three fingers resting on Xue Ye's wrist.
A thread of emerald Soul Power flowed from his fingertips and coursed through Xue Ye's meridians.
Dugu Yan stood quietly to one side. Seeing the grave expression on her grandfather's face, she couldn't help feeling nervous.
"Old Poison Freak, how is it?"
Yu Nan's voice rang out in Dugu Bo's mind.
"Just as you expected, Senior."
Dugu Bo replied inwardly, his tone grave.
"This poison is extremely insidious. It isn't a single toxin but a mixture of several medicines.
"It looks like a tonic, but in truth it's draining his life force.
"The poison has already penetrated to the marrow. It would be as hard as reaching the heavens to purge it completely."
"Of course. That old bastard Qian Daoliu prepared it for this day for more than a decade."
Yu Nan gave a cold snort.
"But you don't have to cure him completely.
"Just keep him alive and let him cling to life for a few more years. That'll be enough for us to get the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud."
"Understood."
Dugu Bo withdrew his fingers, and the emerald light faded with them.
His brow furrowed. He sighed deeply and slowly shook his head.
That sigh made Xue Ye's heart sink. He had been watching Dugu Bo intently, and now asked in a trembling voice:
"Sir... my health... even you can do nothing for me?"
Xue Qinghe appeared concerned as she stood to one side, but in truth she was straining to hear, inwardly sneering. It seems this old poison freak is all reputation and no substance.
Dugu Bo was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, his words guarded.
"Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness. What ails you is no ordinary illness."
Xue Ye pressed him anxiously:
"Then what is it?"
Before you continue