Under Chrysanthemum Douluo's crushing pressure.
A wave of oppressive force from a Titled Douluo.
Came crashing down.
Shui Bing'er immediately felt the pressure weigh heavily on her.
"Ah..."
Shui Bing'er let out a muffled groan.
Her delicate body felt as if it were being crushed beneath a thousand-jin boulder.
"Hehe, little girl."
"How about coming with me?"
"You're all alone in this desolate wilderness."
"It's hard not to be suspicious..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo gently twirled the chrysanthemum in his hand.
He was the picture of seductive charm.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
It was as though he meant to peer straight through to the depths of her heart.
"No! I can't leave. What will happen to my teacher if I do?"
Shui Bing'er didn't want her teacher disturbed.
So she could only steel herself and face him.
Thinking quickly, she said, "Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo, they say your reputation for beauty is unmatched. Surely you wouldn't bully someone junior to you?"
Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.
By the time she finished speaking,
Shui Bing'er had already fallen into despair.
She was prepared to die.
Who would have thought—
At her words, Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes lit up. "Hmm? What did you just say?"
"Uh..."
Shui Bing'er froze.
She thought she must have said something wrong.
Oh no.
But—
Chrysanthemum Douluo's next words were filled with delight and teasing. "Beautiful? You actually said I'm beautiful?"
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye,
Chrysanthemum Douluo's figure
shot forward
and appeared right before Shui Bing'er.
"Am I beautiful?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo had the appearance of a middle-aged man,
but his voice was exceptionally coquettish. "Hehe, you're quite good. You're just my type."
"I knew Old Ghost was lying to me. I'm clearly so beautiful and elegant—how could I possibly be unattractive?"
As he spoke,
Chrysanthemum Douluo began to revel in the thought.
He sank into his own memories.
"Senior?"
Shui Bing'er regarded him warily.
Only then did Chrysanthemum Douluo slowly open his eyes.
His body rose gently into the air. "What's your name?"
"This junior is Shui Bing'er."
"I'm willing to take you as my disciple. Are you willing?"
"I... This junior is from Skywater Academy. I'll need to inform the academy first..."
"Do as you like."
"When you've made up your mind, you can come find me at Spirit Hall."
"Oh-ho-ho-ho..."
The forest
rang with Chrysanthemum Douluo's exceptionally coquettish laughter.
It echoed without end.
"Phew..."
When she realized the Titled Douluo had left,
Shui Bing'er's whole body went limp.
Only then did she finally relax.
If something had gone wrong just now,
and that elder of Spirit Hall hadn't left,
her teacher would have been in trouble.
Shui Bing'er's heart tightened.
Buzz, buzz...
All of a sudden,
something stirred inside the herb garden,
drawing Shui Bing'er as she darted in.
At the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well,
by the dry bank,
Yu Xiaolong sat cross-legged.
His entire body was burning hot.
Yet a thin layer of frost had begun to form over his cheeks.
He was as cold as if he'd been dug out of a ten-thousand-year-old glacier.
"What happened!?"
"Teacher!"
Shui Bing'er didn't hesitate.
She lunged toward him.
At that moment, Yu Xiaolong could hardly spare a thought for a tender reunion with his disciple.
He was barely holding on himself.
He had never imagined
that the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, one of the three great treasure basins,
could contain cold poison
this vicious.
Even he, with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, could barely withstand it.
"Get away!"
Yu Xiaolong forced himself to gather his thoughts,
trying to preserve the last sliver of clarity he had.
He pushed Shui Bing'er away.
But Shui Bing'er refused to let him push her aside. "No! Teacher, I'll save you! What can I do to save you!?"
Panic surged through Shui Bing'er.
"You can't save him! Hehe..."
Just as Shui Bing'er was panicking,
an aged voice rang out.
It gave a sinister, chilling laugh.
Shui Bing'er sprang up and turned to look behind her.
"Who are you!?"
Shui Bing'er froze.
A figure stood before her.
Long, aged hair hung loose around him.
He wore black armor that gleamed with a green light.
His whole presence was cold and sinister.
He glanced at her with contempt. "Little girl, you trespass on my territory, then have the nerve to ask who I am?"
What!?
At his words,
Shui Bing'er was quick to grasp the situation.
Her face changed instantly.
"Are you the legendary single-character Titled Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo!?"
"You know me!?"
"Of course I know Dugu Yan's grandfather."
Shui Bing'er frowned.
She had only just escaped the wolf's jaws,
and now she'd fallen into the tiger's den.
She'd run into two Titled Douluo one after another in a single day!?
Shui Bing'er felt her scalp prickle.
This man
was Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo!
Dugu Bo gave Shui Bing'er a long look. "So you're the girl from Skywater Academy."
"Senior, you know me?"
Dugu Bo clasped his hands behind his back.
He didn't act at once.
He merely glanced scornfully at Yu Xiaolong, who sat cross-legged on the ground,
teetering on the brink of death.
"I've heard Yan'er mention you."
"But you trespassed on my territory."
"So you can only die."
Dugu Bo's tone suddenly turned harsh.
He clenched his fist.
The air around them
compressed at once.
A suffocating feeling suddenly gripped Shui Bing'er's chest.
Her delicate body sank under the pressure.
"Senior, wait!"
Shui Bing'er shouted in haste.
Her eyes darted about rapidly,
as if searching for an answer—
how could she wrest a chance to live from the ruthless Poison Douluo?
"Give me one reason not to kill you."
Poison Douluo's white hair whipped in the wind.
Poison filled the air around them.
Another second,
and Shui Bing'er felt her Soul Power would stop circulating.
She was close to suffocating.
"I belong to Chrysanthemum Douluo! You can't touch me! Otherwise, my teacher won't let you get away with it!"
Shui Bing'er's eyes spun rapidly.
It seemed she'd seized on a desperate idea,
one she had no choice but to try.
"Chrys... Chrysanthemum Guan!?"
Hearing that name.
Poison Douluo's emotions erupted like a boiling pot.
His expression changed rapidly.
His eyes grew uncertain and wary.
"You're lucky."
After thinking it over,
he left them with those words.
He seemed ready to flee.
"You're afraid of Chrysanthemum Douluo!?"
Shui Bing'er had sensed it keenly.
At her words,
Poison Douluo let out a cold laugh. "You're a formidable rival on Yanyan's path as a Soul Master, so naturally, I'm leaving you for her to defeat herself. Me, afraid of Chrysanthemum Guan!? What a joke!"
"But your friend here is about to die. You'd better get ready to bury him!"
With that, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo fled at full speed.
Outside the herb garden.
"I just smelled Chrysanthemum Guan on her."
"Could Chrysanthemum Guan be nearby?"
Pfft.
Poison Douluo flew swiftly onward.
The poison in his body flared up.
After a muffled groan,
he accelerated. "No, the poison's acting up, and I'm still no match for Chrysanthemum Guan. I can't let that guy bring me down!"
Dugu Bo's expression shifted uncertainly.
A look of alarm crossed his face as he hurriedly fled the scene.
Inside the herb garden.
At the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well,
when Poison Douluo suddenly left,
Shui Bing'er hurriedly turned back
to check on her teacher.
Before you continue