Dugu Bo's Worries

Ling Yun had completely lost his desire to go shopping.

Qian Renxue was an incredibly proud person. Remembering her baffling maneuvers, Ling Yun felt his whole world go dark!

He was sure Qian Renxue would cling to him like a dog-skin plaster, impossible to shake off no matter what he did.

And she'd do it all while treating him with the utmost deference.

"Ugh..."

Ling Yun shivered, tossed those thoughts to the back of his mind, and hurried away from the street.

After that, he bought supplies: bottles and jars, jade and iron implements. All told, he spent five Gold Soul Coins.

Once his preparations were complete and he'd asked around for the location of Dugu Manor, Ling Yun made his way to the area nearby.

Compared to the streets, it was rather quiet here.

Dugu Manor wasn't very large, but every detail was exquisitely considered. The material of its plaque, the style of its gates, the patterns carved into its stonework—all of it gave off an air of refined elegance. Seven words summed it up: understated luxury with substance.

He began keeping watch along the route Dugu Bo had to take, rather than conspicuously loitering near Dugu Manor.

Sunset Forest was enormous. Searching for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well on his own would be far too inefficient.

Besides, there were plenty of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in Sunset Forest, making it extremely dangerous. If he wanted to venture inside, he'd have to make use of the Second Martial Soul's special properties.

Even then, he'd have to tread carefully. Following Dugu Bo was still the better option.

Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo and could fly. But that didn't matter. Ling Yun only needed to leave behind a trace of his aura.

Martial Soul Light could be made inconspicuous, too, and it was much faster than Dugu Bo in flight. Leaving a trace of his aura would be a piece of cake.

Every few days, Dugu Bo went to Sunset Forest and used the extreme conditions of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well to suppress the poison in his body.

Throughout the year, Dugu Bo spent more time at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well than he did at Dugu Manor.

But the academy was on break now, so Dugu Bo would surely come home often to keep his beloved granddaughter, Dugu Yan, company.

Ling Yun's analysis was spot on.

At Dugu Manor, Dugu Bo was training his granddaughter.

Dugu Yan's mother had died not long after giving birth to her. It had all stemmed from the poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul.

The poison of this Martial Soul was too overbearing; it made no distinction between friend and foe.

The more one cultivated, the more potent the poison became, and the more effort it took to suppress it. In the later stages, one had no choice but to cultivate desperately to keep the poison in check with the Soul Power gained through cultivation.

If this high-pressure approach couldn't solve the problem once and for all, it led to a terrible consequence: backlash from the Martial Soul's poison.

That was how Dugu Yan's father had died. The poison of his Martial Soul had seeped into his beloved wife's body as well. After giving birth to their daughter, her body, ravaged by the poison, had finally given out, and she'd left him forever.

Overcome with grief, he'd lost the will to cultivate. By the time he'd pulled himself together, the poison had already gained the upper hand over his Soul Power. His father, Dugu Bo, wasn't by his side then, and he couldn't suppress the poison on his own. In the end, it erupted, and he died.

That was how Dugu Yan lost both her parents.

Dugu Bo had been lucky and gifted. His Martial Soul had undergone a beneficial mutation, evolving into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, which just barely let him suppress the poison that had built up in his body over time.

After finding the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and breaking through to become a Titled Douluo, he returned home to share his joy, only to find that his son and daughter-in-law were both gone.

The Dugu Family had only one descendant left: Dugu Yan.

Having twice endured the pain of a white-haired elder seeing a younger loved one die before them, Dugu Bo cherished his granddaughter all the more.

He had also kept researching ways to solve the problems caused by his family's Martial Soul.

"Grandpa, take this!"

Dugu Yan was now thirteen years old and already a Level 27 Soul Grandmaster. Her every move carried considerable force.

With Dugu Bo deliberately holding back, they traded blows evenly. The sound of fists and feet colliding rang out as Soul Power churned chaotically through the air.

As time passed, Dugu Yan was drenched in sweat, while Dugu Bo's robes hadn't even been ruffled.

"First Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Red Poison!"

"Second Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Blue Poison!"

Dugu Yan used Martial Soul Possession and unleashed her Soul Skills. One poison stimulated the mind, making its target excited and increasing her or another person's speed and strength by twenty percent.

The other was a paralyzing poison that dulled pain and increased her or another person's defense by thirty percent.

She applied both Soul Skills to herself. Her energy surged anew, and she launched a fierce assault on Dugu Bo, whose robe hem fluttered slightly.

"Not bad. You've improved!"

At her grandfather's praise, Dugu Yan fought even harder, punching with greater force and speed.

Dugu Bo occasionally offered a pointer, and her techniques grew more and more effortless. Once her Soul Power had been depleted by half, Dugu Bo called an end to the training.

"Very good! When Grandpa was your age, I wasn't nearly as good as you. You don't need to train so desperately. Grandpa's here to protect you!"

"I don't want to have to rely on Grandpa for everything!"

"When I get stronger, I'll protect you instead."

"Ha ha ha... Silly girl, Grandpa's a Titled Douluo. Who'd dare bully me?"

Dugu Bo always urged Dugu Yan to slow down her cultivation, hoping to delay the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison's eruption for as long as possible.

The initial backlash might be mild, but he didn't want Dugu Yan to experience the pain of the poison turning against her.

Dugu Yan had grown up without parents, and Dugu Bo had dealt with everyone at school who bullied her.

But the harm caused along the way wouldn't simply disappear. She wanted even more to grow stronger.

With all his life experience, Dugu Bo understood Dugu Yan's circumstances. His heart ached for her.

"Tomorrow, Grandpa's going out for a while. I'll be back soon!"

Dugu Yan looked a little downcast, but this wasn't the first time it had happened. She was used to it by now. She simply hugged Dugu Bo to show how reluctant she was to part with him. "Then you have to come back quickly, Grandpa!"

"When I get back, how about I take you shopping?"

"Really?"

Dugu Bo nodded. "Of course. When has Grandpa ever lied to you?"

Dugu Yan's face visibly brightened. The grandfather and granddaughter chatted about this and that, the scene warm and cozy.

After resting for a while, the sweat on her body had dried. Dugu Yan ran off to take a bath, while Dugu Bo gazed blankly at the sun in the sky.

His heart was full of worries. At the rate Dugu Yan was cultivating, it would take less than ten years for her Martial Soul to turn against her.

How could he solve the problems left by their Martial Soul?

"Heavens! I, Dugu Bo, have spent my whole life playing with poison, yet I can't even solve the poison of my own Martial Soul. What kind of Poison Douluo does that make me..."

When Dugu Bo's gaze finally refocused, Dugu Yan had appeared in the courtyard and thrown herself into his arms.

"Grandpa, what are you thinking about? You were so deep in thought."

"Grandpa was thinking about how to teach that brat Yu Tianheng a lesson!" Looking at his sweet granddaughter, Dugu Bo suddenly thought of Yu Tianheng and seized the chance to say it.

"Grandpa, if you keep this up, I won't talk to you anymore!"

"What, he's lured my precious granddaughter away, and I can't even teach him a lesson?"

"Tian Heng is really good to me! He always lets me have my way."

The moment Dugu Yan said that, Dugu Bo went from merely joking to genuinely getting riled up.

He had to find a chance to secretly give Yu Tianheng a good thrashing.

All his worries about the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison were cast aside for the moment. His precious granddaughter had been dazzled by Yu Tianheng's sweet talk because he was always away at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, neglecting to keep an eye on her.

Every time he thought about it, his teeth itched.