Dugu Yan

Outside Dugu Manor, a notice challenging people to solve a poison had hung for years. Anyone who could neutralize the poison concocted by Dugu Bo would receive a handsome reward.

Ye Guchen arrived in front of Dugu Manor and studied the notice, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He'd been worrying about how to get close to Dugu Bo, and here was the perfect opportunity.

Although Ye Guchen didn't know much about detoxification, there were Detoxification Pills in the Dou II timeline.

And right now, Ye Guchen had a box of "Hundred Poison Clear" Detoxification Pills in his hands. They couldn't neutralize every kind of poison, but they could handle most of the poisons on the market. These pills came from ten thousand years in the future, so Dugu Bo would surely be very interested in them.

Not interested in the pills themselves, but in the person who could make them.

The guards at Dugu Manor saw yet another person come to try the challenge. Though the young man before them was far too young and was most likely another hopeful fool, they didn't slack off in the slightest. They hurried over and greeted him politely.

"May I ask, young master, are you here to challenge the poison Master Dugu left behind?"

Seeing how polite the guards were, showing not the slightest sign of looking down on him, Ye Guchen understood.

"It seems Dugu Bo has tried every possible way to find someone who can cure the poison caused by Martial Soul backlash."

Ye Guchen didn't rush to state his purpose, which would have seemed too deliberate. Instead, he pointed at the notice and asked the guards,

"How long has this notice been posted?"

"I don't know. It was already here when we arrived. It's been at least ten years!"

The guard answered honestly.

Ye Guchen pretended to ponder. After a moment, he finally made up his mind.

"Then can I give it a try?"

"Of course. Anyone can try!"

The two guards had long since grown used to this. They led Ye Guchen to a room.

The guards deftly took out several bottles and jars, along with some white mice they kept in cages.

"This is the poison left by His Excellency Dugu. If you can cure the white mice after they take it, you'll receive a reward. Of course, you'll have to hand over your method of detoxification."

Ye Guchen nodded slightly. It looked like Dugu Bo was showing off his skill with poisons, but in truth he was out of options and had to search for a detoxification expert this way.

Once Ye Guchen was ready, one of the guards fed the white mice food dipped in poison. Each mouse was given food dipped in a different poison.

In just a moment, the white mice began to grow weak.

"Little brother, if you can't detoxify them within half an hour, these mice will die. In other words, you only have half an hour to prepare."

After speaking, the guard stepped aside, giving Ye Guchen plenty of room to study the poisons.

Hearing this, Ye Guchen didn't show any of the panic the guard had expected. Instead, he calmly took out a pill and slowly ground it into powder.

Under the two men's puzzled gazes, Ye Guchen mixed the powder with water and fed it to every white mouse in turn.

"This?"

The two exchanged a glance, their faces full of confusion. They had no idea what Ye Guchen was doing.

But according to Dugu Bo's rules, they had to wait until the mice died or the person attempting to detoxify them was poisoned before approaching. No matter what happened, they weren't allowed to interfere.

So the two could only watch. Just as they began to think this was another freeloader, they saw all the white mice visibly start to recover.

Most unbelievable of all, even the mice that had taken Jade Scale Snake Poison were slowly recovering.

The two guards exchanged a glance, barely able to hide their excitement. If they found a way to cure Jade Scale Snake Poison, they would receive a handsome reward too.

"May I ask, young master, if you could leave your method of detoxification and your address?"

The guard put on a fawning expression and rubbed his hands as he spoke. As if afraid Ye Guchen would misunderstand, he hastily explained,

"I don't mean anything else by it. His Excellency Dugu specifically instructed us that if anyone who could cure Jade Scale Snake Poison showed up, we had to keep them here and take them to see him. But His Excellency Dugu hasn't been at Dugu Manor for over ten days, and we don't know when he'll return. If you leave your address, we can find you then."

Seeing how cautiously the two behaved, Ye Guchen didn't give them a hard time. He took out a jade-green pill and handed it to them, then produced a business card.

"My address is on here."

The two took the card and glanced at it. Their brows immediately furrowed.

"Hundred Treasures Pavilion? This..."

"It's a shop I just opened. It's only natural you haven't heard of it."

The two understood at once. One of them hurried inside and returned with a Gold Soul Coin card.

"This is your reward for completing the detoxification challenge. One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Please take it."

"One hundred thousand? Never mind. Even a mosquito's leg is meat."

After taking the Gold Soul Coin card, Ye Guchen prepared to leave.

But just as he stepped outside, he collided with a girl with jade-green hair who was rushing in.

"Who is it? Watch where you're going!"

Dugu Yan pulled herself out of Ye Guchen's arms, rubbing her head as she scolded him. When she looked up, she caught sight of Ye Guchen's sharply defined features.

"He's kind of handsome. I didn't come off too badly."

The thought flashed through Dugu Yan's mind, but on the surface she still looked angry.

"I asked you a question!"

"My name is Ye Guchen. Who are you?"

He knew perfectly well that she was Dugu Yan, but acting as if he already knew her would seem too deliberate.

"Listen up. My name is Dugu Yan! My grandfather is Poison Douluo Dugu Bo! So, are you scared now?"

To his surprise, Ye Guchen showed not the slightest shock. He merely replied calmly,

"Oh."

"Just... 'oh'?"

Dugu Yan was so exasperated that she couldn't help grumbling inwardly, Aren't you supposed to be shocked? You could at least show some expression!

Just then, the two guards who had heard the commotion hurried over. They approached Dugu Yan and explained what had happened.

"Oh... So you came to take the detoxification challenge."

Dugu Yan was still looking proud. In her opinion, when it came to poison among her peers, she was sure to rank at the very top.

But when she heard Ye Guchen had cured Jade Scale Snake Poison, her expression stiffened. She couldn't believe it.

"How is that possible?"

Ye Guchen spread his hands.

"I did cure Jade Scale Snake Poison."

The calmer Ye Guchen remained, the more interested Dugu Yan became. She immediately revealed her three Soul Rings.

"I don't believe you! My Martial Soul is the Jade Scale Poison Snake. Unless you can defeat me!"

Ye Guchen glanced down and saw that Dugu Yan was still holding a box of pastries, with no intention of putting it down. Clearly, she was confident in her strength.

"But what does defeating you have to do with detoxification? Shouldn't you let me try to cure the poison again?" But Ye Guchen didn't dwell on it and immediately agreed.

"Sure!"

Ye Guchen was amused, then began releasing his Soul Rings.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black!

The instant the second Soul Ring appeared, Dugu Yan's expression turned serious. By the time the fourth, ten-thousand-year Soul Ring appeared, she had frozen in place.

The moment the fifth Soul Ring appeared, the box of pastries in her hand fell to the ground.

"Soul King! H-how is that possible!"