Dugu Bo's hands trembled as he accepted the two herbs.
The two Immortal Herbs had grown right under his nose.
He had lived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for so many years, coming and going every day, walking past these Immortal Herbs again and again, yet he had never discovered their true value.
"Ju Huaguan." Dugu Bo raised his head, a complicated look in his green eyes. "I have to admit, you know more about flowers and plants than anyone else on the continent."
Chrysanthemum Douluo stood by the pool, hands tucked into his sleeves, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.
"Old Poison, you're right, but not entirely." His gaze fell on Gu Qingshan. "I'm not the only one who knows about flowers and plants."
Dugu Bo followed his gaze to Gu Qingshan and furrowed his brow slightly.
Just what was this six-year-old boy's background?
First, he had seen through the symptoms of Dugu Bo's poisoning at a glance. Then he had accurately named the Immortal Herbs needed for the cure. And now Ju Huaguan was saying that he knew about flowers and plants too?
How could a six-year-old child know so much?
Dugu Bo couldn't figure it out, but he didn't ask again.
"Understood." He carefully put away the two Immortal Herbs. "I'll take the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma first. As for Yan Yan, we'll talk about it when she gets back."
"Oh, right, Senior Dugu." Gu Qingshan suddenly spoke.
Dugu Bo stopped and turned his head toward him.
"After consuming an Immortal Herb, Soul Power can surge by several levels. Make sure you tell your granddaughter to keep it a secret."
"Understood."
With that, he flashed away, vanishing among the rocky cliffs of the valley.
The valley fell quiet.
Gu Qingshan stood by the pool, his gaze sweeping over the Immortal Herbs one by one.
The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid had gone to Dugu Yan, the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma to Dugu Bo, and the Nine-Grade Jade Lotus was being saved for Ye Lingling. The blue Other Shore Flower was a perfect match for Ghost Douluo, and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was a same-origin Immortal Herb for Chrysanthemum Douluo...
After looking around, he finally fixed his gaze on two Immortal Herbs at the edge of the pool.
One was fiery red and shaped like a lingzhi mushroom, its surface covered in fine cracks, with flickers of fire flowing faintly within them.
The other was ice blue and shaped like a lotus, its translucent petals like a block of cold ice carved into a flower.
The Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
Gu Qingshan took a deep breath.
Either of these Immortal Herbs was poisonous on its own. But if he consumed them both at the same time, they would counteract one another, balancing yin and yang and transforming their medicinal power into pure body-tempering energy.
And if he tempered his body in the spring water of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as well, the effect would be doubled.
"Elder Chrysanthemum." He turned to Chrysanthemum Douluo. "Sorry for the trouble, but could you pick those two Immortal Herbs for me?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo followed the direction of his finger. His gaze landed on the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and his eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Young Master Qingshan, these two Immortal Herbs are one hot and one cold, their medicinal properties in conflict. How do you plan to consume them?"
"Together," Gu Qingshan said.
Chrysanthemum Douluo furrowed his brow.
"Together? Each of these Immortal Herbs contains poison on its own. It's true that they might neutralize each other if consumed together, but are you sure..."
"I'm sure." Gu Qingshan cut him off, his tone calm but resolute. "Elder Chrysanthemum, I know what I'm doing."
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked into his eyes. After a moment of silence, he nodded.
"Young Master Qingshan, where do you plan to consume them?" Chrysanthemum Douluo asked as he picked the two Immortal Herbs.
Gu Qingshan looked at the pool.
The red and blue waters flowed quietly before him. A clear boundary divided them: steam rose from the red water, while frost formed over the blue.
"Right here." As he spoke, Gu Qingshan began taking off his clothes.
Chrysanthemum Douluo: "..."
"Young Master Qingshan, what are you doing?"
"Taking a bath." Gu Qingshan took off his black robe, folded it, and set it on a rock by the bank. "Elder Chrysanthemum, after I consume the Immortal Herbs, I'll jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Don't worry. This is a normal part of the process."
Chrysanthemum Douluo opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
He realized he had grown used to it.
Used to Young Master Qingshan doing things that were always unexpected, yet genuinely effective.
He handed the two Immortal Herbs to Gu Qingshan.
He took a deep breath and put both Immortal Herbs into his mouth at once.
Heat and cold alternated.
The extremes of ice and fire.
Red and blue light appeared on Gu Qingshan's skin, the two colors flickering in turn. His skin was sometimes red as a branding iron, sometimes white as frost and snow.
Every change in color came with excruciating pain that sank into his bones.
The veins on Gu Qingshan's forehead bulged. Sweat poured from him like rain, but the moment it emerged, the heat radiating from his skin evaporated it into wisps of white steam.
Chrysanthemum Douluo stood at his side, his hands clenched slightly.
If anything happened to Young Master Qingshan, he wouldn't be able to answer to His Holiness the Pope.
When the medicinal power of the two Immortal Herbs collided and fused inside him for the first time, Gu Qingshan abruptly opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and plunged headfirst into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Chrysanthemum Douluo stood on the bank, watching ripples spread across the water in ring after ring. His expression shifted from concern to astonishment.
He could feel that Gu Qingshan's aura wasn't weakening. On the contrary, it was growing at an incredible rate.
His life force was surging.
His Soul Power was skyrocketing.
Chrysanthemum Douluo watched from the bank for a long while. Once he was sure Gu Qingshan's condition had stabilized, he finally let out a breath of relief.
Then he began examining the Immortal Herbs around him.
There were still many Immortal Herbs left: the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, the Nether Other Shore Flower... As Chrysanthemum Douluo identified them one by one, each revealed its name. Every one was exceptionally precious, each enough to drive anyone in the Soul Master World wild.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's grin slowly widened.
"Old Poison, oh, Old Poison! You've occupied this treasure trove for years, sitting on a mountain of gold without knowing it. Hahaha!"
"Now they're all ours!"
He rolled up his sleeves, took a stack of jade boxes from his Storage Soul Tool, and began carefully picking the Immortal Herbs.
Three days later.
A loud boom rang out.
A figure burst out of the spring.
Gu Qingshan stood on the bank wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. He had grown noticeably taller and now looked like an eight- or nine-year-old boy.
When Chrysanthemum Douluo sensed Gu Qingshan's Soul Power Level, he leapt to his feet in shock.
"Young Master Qingshan, you... you've reached level thirty?"
"Mm. The two Immortal Herbs worked very well."
His Soul Power had increased by six levels, and his health bar had reached 9,000.
Gu Qingshan gave himself a little pat on the back.
The Infernal Delicate Apricot, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—the combination had worked even better than he'd expected.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, did you pick all the Immortal Herbs?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's grin slowly widened. "All of them, Young Master Qingshan. Ten in total! I never imagined there were so many Immortal Herbs here. That clueless Old Poison guarded this whole mountain of treasures, thinking they were ordinary herbs. What a waste!"
He took jade boxes one by one from his Storage Soul Tool and handed them to Gu Qingshan.
Gu Qingshan looked at the golden chrysanthemum in one of the boxes, then glanced at Chrysanthemum Douluo in puzzlement. "Elder Chrysanthemum, you didn't consume the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum?"
Before you continue