Time passed slowly, and before long, three months had gone by.
At a quiet manor on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City, Dugu Bo and Su Yuntao sat on the ground.
"Come, come, Little Monster. Try this tea, specially supplied to the imperial family." Dugu Bo poured Su Yuntao a cup with great enthusiasm.
After three months of hard work by Yang Wudi, the formula for treating Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison had made tremendous progress. It seemed likely that before long, the Jade Scale Serpent lineage would be completely free of the curse brought by their Martial Soul.
During this time, Dugu Bo had suffered and rejoiced in equal measure. For the sake of this formula, Yang Wudi had used him for all kinds of human experiments, subjecting him to a different assortment of vicious tests every day. It had left Dugu Bo in agony, but each step forward had also filled him with excitement.
What's more, even Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, had felt a chill run down his spine. Despite conducting countless horrifying experiments, Yang Wudi had shown no sign of fatigue—in fact, he had grown more and more excited.
"Old Poison, this tea is pretty good. As it happens, I have a gift for you, too." Before his voice had even faded, Su Yuntao took two gift boxes out of his Storage Soul Tool.
Dugu Bo opened the boxes and saw two plants that seemed strangely familiar.
"Little Monster, so those strange plants from my garden really did end up in your hands."
Su Yuntao answered candidly, "What? Old Monster, are you reluctant to part with them?"
""That's not it. As long as they can lift the curse that's plagued my Dugu Family for centuries, I'd gladly give you the whole garden."
"Old Poison, don't underestimate what's in your garden. These two plants are far beyond the quality of ordinary flowers and plants. They belong to the ranks of Immortal Herbs."
"Immortal Herbs?" Dugu Bo murmured, only half understanding.
Su Yuntao continued his introduction. "The one on the left is for you. It's called Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. After you take it, Old Poison, your mental strength will increase tremendously."
"The other Immortal Herb is called the Purple Luo Star Spirit Bead. After it's taken, the body becomes light and supple, greatly enhancing agility. This one is for your precious granddaughter, Dugu Yan."
Dugu Bo asked skeptically, "Little Monster, do these two Immortal Herbs really have such effects?"
Su Yuntao smiled. "Old Poison, you'll understand once you take yours. You've been sitting on a whole garden of treasures, and if you hadn't met me, you probably wouldn't have gotten to eat even one."
"Bah!" Dugu Bo said in disbelief. "Little Monster, you're talking nonsense. Who besides you would be shameless enough to pick every last herb in my garden?"
"You brought me so many treasures, and you even came back to help me. That's why I can't be bothered to hold it against you."
Su Yuntao's smile widened. "Old Poison, actually, I think I'm a decent person. At least I stick to certain principles."
Dugu Bo silently nodded.
"Old Poison, you can take your Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew directly. As for the Purple Luo Star Spirit Bead, your precious granddaughter needs to eat the purple bead inside its flower."
Dugu Bo picked up the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and examined it carefully before swallowing it.
As the Immortal Herb dissolved, Dugu Bo suddenly sensed a strange transformation taking place in his body. Everything around him grew clearer. His mental strength had obviously increased considerably.
Even more astonishing, his Soul Power broke straight through the level ninety-one bottleneck that had troubled him for years, reaching level ninety-two.
Feeling everything the Immortal Herb had brought him, Dugu Bo showed not a trace of joy. At that moment, he wanted to beat his breast and stamp his feet.
He couldn't help asking himself: what had he been doing all these years? Begging for alms while sitting on a mountain of gold? If he'd taken an Immortal Herb years ago, what might he have achieved by now?
Dugu Bo hurriedly picked up the Purple Luo Star Spirit Bead. "Little Monster, I'll go give this Immortal Herb to Yan Yan. You drink your tea. I won't keep you company."
Although Dugu Bo was advanced in years and the Immortal Herb's effects could no longer fully manifest, his granddaughter was still young. With this Immortal Herb to help her, reaching the Titled Douluo level would naturally be within her grasp.
Watching Dugu Bo hurry away, Su Yuntao smiled. Over the past three months, he had gotten along very well with Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi.
The three of them were cut from the same cloth, their temperaments perfectly in tune. They had begun to form the makings of an unlikely friendship across generations.
As Su Yuntao drank his tea, he silently counted the time. Unfortunately, the alchemy furnace, which had gone off on schedule every day for three months, failed to explode at its usual time.
"Hahaha!" Yang Wudi's wildly excited voice rang throughout the manor.
"I finally did it!"
The formula had been steadily improving, but over the past three months, Yang Wudi had kept refining it and failing, even though he knew he was gradually nearing success. At last, he had completed his ultimate task.
"Little Monster, where's that Old Poison, Dugu Bo?" Yang Wudi asked excitedly as he sipped his tea. Over the past three months, he had also started calling Su Yuntao by the nickname Little Monster.
Su Yuntao replied calmly, "He went to take some food to his granddaughter. Old Poison was worried she might not have anything to eat."
"Pfft!" Yang Wudi coughed, spraying out a mouthful of tea. His expression contorted. Just picturing that eccentric Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo, going to the academy like some scruffy old man to bring his granddaughter food struck him as utterly bizarre.
"Little Monster, are you sure?"
Su Yuntao spread his hands. "He really did go to take food to his granddaughter."
Yang Wudi coughed again and didn't dare drink any more of the fine tea supplied to the imperial family.
Su Yuntao smiled, then asked, "Old Yang, did you succeed in refining the Detoxification Pill?"
Yang Wudi nodded. "Of course. The pill I refined can completely neutralize Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. Even the vast amount of poison Old Poison has accumulated can be completely purged, as long as he keeps taking the medicine every day!"
Su Yuntao's eyes narrowed. He nodded solemnly. "Old Yang, you've worked hard these past three months."
"What are you talking about?" Yang Wudi said with a laugh. "I accepted the Aromatic Silk Beauty, so of course I had to get the job done. Besides, Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison may be hard to cure, but it's nothing in front of me. Little Monster, do you know of any other highly potent poisons I could test my skills on?"
Su Yuntao looked at Yang Wudi, who was practically floating with pride, and said evenly, "There is one. As far as I know, there's another poison Soul Master whose Martial Soul poison is extremely potent—more powerful even than Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor poison."
Yang Wudi waved his hand grandly. "Only poison of the highest quality is worthy of my attention."
A playful smile tugged at Su Yuntao's lips. "Old Yang, are you really going to cure her?"
"Of course. How could I pass up a poison like that? Little Monster, tell me who this poison Soul Master is and where she is now."
"Bibi Dong, the current Pope. She's at the Pope Palace in Spirit City."
Before you continue