Dugu Bo

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. Over those ten days, Ye Guchen had worked hard to cram in a wealth of theoretical knowledge about poisons.

By then, Dugu Bo had returned to Dugu Manor. Before him lay all the information on Ye Guchen gathered since his arrival in Heaven Dou City.

Dugu Bo was studying the Detoxification Pill Ye Guchen had left behind, trying to reverse-engineer its formula.

People said poison and medicine were two sides of the same coin. As the publicly acknowledged foremost expert in poisons on the Douluo Continent, Dugu Bo's medical skills were naturally top-notch as well.

"Strange. With all my knowledge of medicinal principles, I still can't see through this pill."

"Collecting medicinal herbs?"

He had keenly noticed that Ye Guchen had purchased medicinal herbs, and there was this pill as well.

Dugu Bo couldn't help but venture a bold guess. "That boy definitely has a great family of medical experts backing him!"

"Could be more than one."

Dugu Yan reminded him.

"Impossible. He bought so many herbs. How could one person possibly use them all?"

"Besides, he's so young and already a Soul King. There must be a great power behind him!"

Dugu Bo dismissed her guess outright, then rose and headed for the door.

"Come on. Take me to meet that boy."

Dugu Yan hurried after him and linked her arm through his. She lowered her head and murmured shyly,

"Be polite when we get there. Don't be too fierce..."

At that, Dugu Bo's face darkened. They'd only known each other a few days, and already she was taking the other boy's side!

But Dugu Yan had quietly pinched a fold of flesh on Dugu Bo's arm.

She looked up and glared at him. Her meaning couldn't have been clearer: think carefully before you speak.

"Fine, fine."

Dugu Bo nodded helplessly.

"I knew it!"

Dugu Yan immediately returned to her usual self, swinging Dugu Bo's arm as she led him toward the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

The Hundred Treasures Pavilion had a modest storefront, at least compared with the old, established shops in Heaven Dou City.

Yet when Dugu Bo reached the entrance, he paused slightly.

His gaze settled on the three characters on the signboard, "Hundred Treasures Pavilion," and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Dugu Yan noticed his unusual reaction and followed his gaze, but couldn't see anything special.

"Nothing."

Dugu Bo shook his head, though he remained quietly on guard.

The three characters looked ordinary enough, but every stroke concealed a sharp edge, and Soul Power seemed to flow faintly through them.

Of course, this was nothing rare—just a Level Six defensive Soul Tool, meant to keep petty troublemakers at bay. They would replace it with a higher-grade one later.

"The person backing that boy isn't simple."

He made his silent judgment, then stepped into the shop.

The interior was simply furnished, with only a few counters displaying rare metals and medicinal herbs they had acquired. There wasn't even a shop assistant to greet them.

"Grandpa, this way."

Dugu Yan led Dugu Bo through the shop with practiced ease and into the rear courtyard.

In the courtyard, Ye Guchen sat beside a stone table, engrossed in a book titled Analysis of Hundred Poisons.

Zhu Zhuqing was still cultivating in the courtyard. Though their relationship had warmed rapidly, they never disturbed each other while cultivating Soul Power.

"Ye Guchen! My grandpa's here!"

Dugu Yan called from a distance, her voice carrying a hint of excitement she hadn't even noticed herself.

Dugu Bo's heart sank. He had a bad feeling about this.

Ye Guchen looked up and immediately spotted the tall, imposing figure.

Dugu Bo looked no older than forty. Long, dark-green hair hung loose around his shoulders, and his face was stern. A faint green gleam shimmered in his narrow eyes, like a venomous snake's vertical pupils.

The aura unique to a Titled Douluo was oppressive even when he made no effort to release it.

Ye Guchen closed his book, stood, and cupped his fists.

"This junior, Ye Guchen, pays his respects to Senior Dugu."

Dugu Bo didn't respond at once. Instead, he looked the young man up and down.

He was around fourteen, handsome, and composed. Even under a Titled Douluo's pressure, he showed not the slightest hint of panic.

More importantly, the Soul Power within him truly did seem to be at least Soul King level, just as Yanyan had said.

"Interesting."

Dugu Bo's lips curled faintly as he strode over to the stone table and sat down.

He skipped the pleasantries and slapped the "Hundred Poison Clear" pill Ye Guchen had left on the table.

"Did you make this pill?"

His tone was direct, carrying the air of a superior inspecting a subordinate.

Ye Guchen wasn't offended. He answered calmly, neither servile nor arrogant. "No. As Senior surely knows, someone my age couldn't have attained such skill."

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow, keenly catching the implication in Ye Guchen's words. "Someone backing you can make it?"

"Senior has a keen eye."

Ye Guchen admitted it openly. "The pill did indeed come from an elder."

A glint flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes.

Those words revealed a great deal: Ye Guchen really did have someone backing him, and that person possessed a pill formula even Dugu Bo couldn't decipher.

"Where is that elder now?"

"Traveling the world. This junior doesn't know where he is."

Ye Guchen shook his head. He had no choice but to invent a nonexistent elder on the spot and give an answer without a single loose thread.

Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment, then struck like lightning and seized Ye Guchen's wrist.

The move was so fast that even Ye Guchen, a Soul King, couldn't react in time.

Dugu Yan cried out, "Grandpa!"

Dugu Bo ignored his granddaughter and sent a wisp of Soul Power into Ye Guchen's body, carefully examining him.

A moment later, he let go, his expression turning complicated.

"Fourteen years old, fifty-fourth rank Soul Power! And... your Soul Power is solid. It doesn't seem to have been forcibly raised."

His voice held a trace of disbelief. He silently nodded to himself. "This boy's talent may be even more monstrous than that madwoman from Spirit Hall."

"Whether or not I can find a way to stop the backlash from my Martial Soul's poison, I need to befriend him this time. That way, after I die, Yanyan will have someone to rely on."

"Senior is too kind."

Ye Guchen rolled his wrist, which was still somewhat numb from the grip, his expression calm.

Dugu Bo gave him a long look, then suddenly smiled.

His smile carried a hint of scrutiny and amusement.

"Boy, no need for pleasantries. I came here today for one thing."

He picked up the "Hundred Poison Clear" pill and turned it between his fingers.

"How did you cure the Jade Scale Snake Poison?"

At the question, the courtyard's atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

Dugu Yan watched Ye Guchen nervously. Zhu Zhuqing, too, came out of her cultivation and turned her gaze toward them.

Ye Guchen didn't answer at once. Instead, he picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip.

He wasn't putting on an act. He was choosing his words.

Facing a Titled Douluo—especially one famed for his mastery of poison—he had to weigh every word carefully.

"Senior, this junior dares to ask you something."

Ye Guchen set down his teacup and met Dugu Bo's gaze.

"Is the antidote to the Jade Scale Snake Poison really that important?"

Dugu Bo frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..."

Ye Guchen paused, then spoke each word clearly. "Compared to the antidote for the Jade Scale Snake Poison, shouldn't you be more concerned with how to remove the poison from your own body?"

The moment he finished speaking, the courtyard fell dead silent.

Dugu Yan froze. Zhu Zhuqing froze, too.

Dugu Bo's face darkened in an instant.

A terrifying pressure burst from him—the killing intent of a Titled Douluo unleashed at full force, enough to make an ordinary Soul Master crumple on the spot.

"Boy, what do you mean?"

Dugu Bo's voice was cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

The flowers and grass in the courtyard withered instantly. Zhu Zhuqing's face paled, and she instinctively backed away several steps.

But Ye Guchen remained seated, utterly still.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, yet his eyes stayed clear, even carrying a faint smile.

"Why so angry, Senior?"

Ye Guchen's voice remained steady.

"Your Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. By now, the poison has already seeped into your meridians. On rainy days, you feel pain in your lower back, and each year it grows more severe."

"Am I wrong?"

Dugu Bo's expression stiffened completely.

He clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked, but his pressure burst like a pricked balloon and quickly dissipated.

"How do you know?"

His voice was hoarse, carrying the instinctive wariness and unease of someone whose secret had been exposed.

He hadn't even told his closest granddaughter about this.

"Why are you so surprised, Senior? Isn't this why you came here?"

Dugu Bo stared at Ye Guchen, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if trying to see right through him.

But Ye Guchen calmly met his eyes. He even picked up his teacup and made a gesture inviting Dugu Bo to drink.