Dugu Bo's Worries

Ling Yun's interest in strolling through the streets vanished completely.

Qian Renxue was a person of immense pride, and recalling her baffling maneuvers left Ling Yun feeling thoroughly unwell.

He was certain that Qian Renxue would cling to him like a piece of dog-skin plaster, impossible to shake off.

And it would be that specific brand of "courteous and condescending" entanglement.

"Ew..."

Ling Yun shuddered violently, casting those thoughts to the back of his mind as he hurried away from the street.

Afterward, he spent five Gold Soul Coins on supplies, including various bottles, jars, jade wares, and iron tools.

Once his preparations were complete and he had inquired about the location of Dugu Manor, Ling Yun arrived in its vicinity.

Compared to the bustling streets, this area was rather desolate.

Dugu Manor was not particularly large, but it was exceptionally refined; the material of the plaque, the style of the main gate, and the patterns of the stone carvings all exuded an air of elegance—in seven words: low-key, luxurious, and full of substance.

He began to stake out the area, positioning himself along the only path leading to the manor rather than loitering directly outside.

The Sunset Forest was so vast that searching for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well on his own would be far too inefficient.

Moreover, there were no shortage of ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts within the Sunset Forest, making it incredibly dangerous; if he were to enter, he would have to utilize the traits of his second Martial Soul.

Even then, he would have to be extremely cautious, so tracking Dugu Bo remained the more cost-effective option.

Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo and could fly, but that didn't matter; he only needed to leave a faint trace of his aura behind.

His Martial Soul Light could be completely inconspicuous, and its speed was far greater than Dugu Bo's flight; marking a wisp of aura was more than enough.

Every few days, Dugu Bo would make a trip to the Sunset Forest to use the extreme environment of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well to suppress the toxins in his body.

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

However, with the academy currently on break, Dugu Bo would certainly return often to keep his beloved granddaughter, Dugu Yan, company.

Ling Yun's analysis was correct.

Inside Dugu Manor, Dugu Bo was currently accompanying his granddaughter in her cultivation.

Dugu Yan's mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to her, all due to the toxins of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul.

The toxins of this Martial Soul were far too tyrannical, showing no distinction between friend and foe.

The more one cultivated, the more ferocious the toxins became, requiring greater mental effort to suppress. In the later stages, one had to cultivate desperately just to use the resulting Soul Power to keep the restless toxins within the body in check.

If this high-pressure state could not be resolved once and for all, it would lead to a grave consequence: the backlash of the Martial Soul's poison.

That was how Dugu Yan's father had died; the poison from his Martial Soul had invaded his beloved wife's body, and after she gave birth to their daughter, her body—already riddled with holes from the toxin—finally gave out, leaving him behind.

In a state of utter despair, he had lost the will to cultivate. By the time he regained his composure, the toxins had already overwhelmed his Soul Power. With his father, Dugu Bo, not by his side, he was unable to suppress the poison on his own, and it eventually erupted, claiming his life.

That was how Dugu Yan lost her parents.

Dugu Bo was fortunate; he possessed high talent, and his Martial Soul had undergone a benign mutation, evolving into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, which barely allowed him to suppress the toxins that had accumulated in his body over the years.

By the time he found the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and broke through to become a Titled Douluo, only to return home to share his joy, his son and daughter-in-law were already gone.

In the Dugu family, only Dugu Yan remained as the sole seedling.

Having experienced the tragedy of burying his children twice, Dugu Bo cherished his granddaughter all the more.

He had also been constantly researching ways to solve the problems inherent to his family's Martial Soul.

"Grandfather, watch this!"

Now thirteen years old, Dugu Yan was already a level 27 Soul Grand Master, and her every move carried considerable power.

Under Dugu Bo's deliberate control, the two traded blows back and forth. The sound of fists and feet colliding rang out incessantly, and the Soul Power in the air was churned into a chaotic mess.

As time passed, Dugu Yan was drenched in sweat, while not even the hem of Dugu Bo's robe had been ruffled.

"First Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Red Poison!"

"Second Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Blue Poison!"

Dugu Yan activated her Martial Soul Possession and unleashed her Soul Skills. One of these toxins stimulated the spirit, making one excitable and increasing the speed and strength of herself or others by twenty percent.

The other was a paralytic toxin that could eliminate the sensation of pain and increase the defense of herself or others by thirty percent.

She imbued her body with both skills, and she was once again full of vitality, launching a fierce attack against Dugu Bo, whose robes were fluttering slightly.

"Not bad, you've made progress!"

Encouraged by her grandfather's praise, Dugu Yan put even more effort into her strikes, her punches becoming more forceful and her speed increasing.

Dugu Bo offered an occasional pointer, and her technique for exerting force became increasingly fluid. Once her Soul Power was more than half depleted, Dugu Bo called a halt to the training.

"That's quite enough! When I was your age, I was nowhere near your match. You don't need to cultivate so desperately; you have your grandfather here to protect you!"

"I don't want to trouble Grandfather with everything!"

"Once I become strong, I will be the one to protect Grandfather."

"Hahaha... you silly girl, your grandfather is a Titled Douluo; who would dare to bully me!"

Every time, Dugu Bo tried to persuade Dugu Yan to slow down her cultivation, hoping to delay the eruption of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison for as long as possible.

Although the initial backlash was relatively mild, he did not want Dugu Yan to experience the agony of that toxic backlash.

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

However, the impact caused during this process would not simply vanish, and she desired to become stronger all the more.

Given Dugu Bo's life experience, he naturally understood Dugu Yan's situation, and his heart was filled with heartache.

"Tomorrow, Grandfather is going out for a trip, but I will be back very soon!"

Dugu Yan felt a little disappointed, but this was not the first time such a situation had occurred; she was already accustomed to it, merely hugging Dugu Bo to express her reluctance to let him go. "Then Grandfather, you must come back quickly!"

"How about I take you shopping when I return?"

"Really?"

Dugu Bo nodded and said, "Of course, when has Grandfather ever lied to you?"

Dugu Yan became visibly happy, and the grandfather and granddaughter chatted about daily life, the atmosphere incredibly warm.

After resting for a while, the sweat on her body had dried, and Dugu Yan ran off to bathe, leaving Dugu Bo to stare blankly at the sun in the sky.

His heart was full of worry; at the rate Dugu Yan was cultivating, the martial soul backlash would arrive in less than ten years.

How on earth could the lingering problems of their martial soul be solved?

"Heavens! I, Dugu Bo, have played with poison my entire life, yet I cannot even solve the poison of my own martial soul. What kind of Poison Douluo am I..."

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

"Grandfather, what are you thinking about? You were so lost in thought."

"Grandfather was thinking about how to teach that brat Yu Tianheng a lesson!" Looking at his well-behaved granddaughter, Dugu Bo suddenly thought of Yu Tianheng and seized the opportunity to say so.

"Grandfather, if you do that again, I won't talk to you!"

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

"Tianheng is very good! He listens to me in everything!"

As soon as Dugu Yan said this, Dugu Bo, who had only been speaking casually, now felt his temper flare up.

He had to find a time to secretly teach Yu Tianheng a lesson.

His worries regarding the Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison were cast to the back of his mind for the moment; his apple of his eye had been dazzled by Yu Tianheng's sweet talk simply because he often stayed at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and neglected his supervision.

Every time he thought about it, his teeth would itch with irritation.