"Interesting, interesting. Boy, your name is Murong Ci?"
Dugu Bo stroked his beard, teasing him.
"That's right. This boy is!"
Nearby, Xue Beng frowned when he saw how gently Dugu Bo was treating Murong Ci.
From what he knew of Dugu Bo, the man never showed a newcomer the slightest kindness.
This left Xue Beng a little puzzled.
But he didn't dwell on it, because Murong Ci's "kind" smile was already turned toward him.
Dai Mubai had kicked Xue Beng away, and Xue Beng was probably even more ruthless than Dai Mubai.
"Hmm... Boy, come with me."
Dugu Bo swept out a hand, and in an instant, he carried Murong Ci and Dugu Yan away, vanishing into the distant sky.
"Ah Ci!" "Murong Ci!"
Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian cried out anxiously, but in the end, Dugu Bo left them with nothing but an order to return.
At that moment, Meng Shenji and the other two watched their anxious faces and nodded slightly.
"You two, since Senior Poison Douluo took Murong Ci away instead of killing him on the spot, it means he thinks highly of him. You can rest easy."
Nearby, Bai Baoshan hurried to chime in.
"Exactly. Senior Poison Douluo is renowned throughout the Soul Master World. He wouldn't bring himself to kill such a talented junior."
Watching his companions join in, Zhi Lin couldn't help mulling things over.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy had already suffered heavy losses today. They couldn't afford to pass up a chance to recruit such talent.
He could tell that Murong Ci and Huo Wu were unusually close, so he was also trying to curry favor with her.
"Miss, Murong Ci is exceptionally gifted. Would you consider joining our Imperial Academy after he graduates?"
His aim was clear: he only wanted her to become a teacher. As for poaching Murong Ci, that would be no different from offending another genius.
"You two may stay at our academy. I'll notify the dean of Blazing Fire Academy. Once Senior Poison Douluo brings Murong Ci back, you can leave together, and we can discuss things then. If you join us after graduation, the benefits will be beyond your imagination."
He was clever. He gave them time to think it over, then dangled a generous reward before them. This "deal" was certainly worth careful consideration.
Murong Ci was held fast in Poison Douluo's right hand, unable to break free.
By contrast, Dugu Yan, held in his left hand, had already relaxed, clearly accustomed to flying this way.
Save your strength, boy. You can't shake a Titled Douluo right now.
Murong Ci finally stopped struggling and resigned himself to his fate.
He simply took a nap.
Dugu Bo felt his right hand grow heavier, and his flying speed slowed a little.
This kid had a pretty good temperament. He could still fall asleep under these circumstances.
Dugu Bo's favorable impression of Murong Ci grew a little more.
As Dugu Bo passed through the poison formation he had laid out, he had planned to send in some poison-attribute Soul Power to help Murong Ci withstand it.
But to his surprise, all the poison-attribute Soul Power he sent into Murong Ci's body dissolved, was absorbed, and became part of him.
At that moment, Dugu Bo fully believed what his granddaughter had told him: poison truly had no effect on Murong Ci.
What a shame. How could that old monster know that Ultimate Ice is the bane of all poison? But what a shame—at this point in time, no one has even come up with the concept of an "ultimate" attribute.
Right then, the system was surely in the Sea of Consciousness, holding court and offering its sage advice.
When they reached their destination, Murong Ci rubbed his eyes to wake himself up. In an instant, he sensed the surrounding energy.
Dense ice and fire elemental energy gathered there, each holding its ground against the other, evenly matched.
Murong Ci took a breath and felt the affinity between his body and the ice and fire elemental energy within him growing stronger.
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Senior Dugu, you truly are impressive to have found such a rare treasure."
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? You mean this place? I just feel more comfortable here."
That made sense. Both Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire naturally countered poison.
No wonder Dugu Bo, whose Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison had seeped deep into his bones, was still alive.
"You said you could cure my granddaughter. Fine, I'll give you a chance. Start her first treatment here. If you can't cure her... Heh heh."
Dugu Bo made a gesture with his hand, drawing it across his throat like a blade.
Murong Ci didn't think much of it. Instead, he found the old man a little endearing, even childish.
Dugu Yan, on the other hand, felt as if thorns were pricking her back.
"Don't be nervous. It'll be quick. No need to rush."
Murong Ci soothed Dugu Yan and sent a wisp of icy energy into her with his right hand.
Dugu Yan felt wonderfully refreshed all over.
"Mmm..."
Dugu Yan might not have realized how seductive that sound was.
Murong Ci shook his head hard.
What am I doing? I'm here to treat her.
"This is just an appetizer. Next, I'll turn my Soul Power into threads and slowly send them into your body, assimilating the poison hidden deep inside and returning it to you."
Dugu Yan nodded vigorously without hesitation.
Because... the sensation was just too wonderful.
The pleasure of having something foreign removed from deep within her bones was simply indescribable.
Dugu Yan couldn't help blushing.
Murong Ci didn't hesitate any longer. He took hold of Dugu Yan's wrist.
His ice-attribute Soul Power turned into exceedingly fine strands of frost and entered her meridians, freezing some of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison scattered throughout her body.
Then he expanded and filled out those strands, forming an ice-attribute vortex inside her.
It swept up the excess poison and gathered it into one spot.
Murong Ci stood behind Dugu Yan, one hand continuously channeling Soul Power into her back, while the other stayed ready to catch her in case she fell.
"Can you feel the vortex? It's transforming your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. As it rises, it'll gradually turn into water and impurities."
"Spit it out!"
Murong Ci gave the order, and Dugu Yan didn't dare disobey. She felt a vortex inside her rushing from her dantian straight toward her mouth.
Then, with a "pfft," a large amount of water sprayed onto the ground.
A little Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison was mixed in, but most of it had already been transformed by the Soul Power.
The ice-attribute vortex had also drawn the impurities out of her body.
"Mmm..."
Dugu Yan collapsed to the ground. The sensation was just too strange.
The road was winding, but the future was bright.
Some impurities had been expelled, and the snake poison had been transformed.
The process itself had also felt incredibly good. But when pleasure collided with shame, the contrast was at its sharpest.
Especially for a wild woman like her. Moaning in front of her grandfather and another man had cost her every last shred of dignity.
Dugu Bo cleared his throat, though he didn't seem too bothered. The only thing he cared about was whether the poison in his granddaughter's body could be removed.
And the result was clearly a success.
As for this kid... he was a little flirtatious.
But his intentions were good, and he seemed like a decent person.
Still, seeing his granddaughter in such a disheveled state, he secretly decided he would teach the boy a lesson tomorrow.
Though his granddaughter was mostly to blame for her own behavior, and Murong Ci had little to do with it.
But he couldn't very well beat up his granddaughter, could he?
"Boy, stay here for a month and remove my granddaughter's poison every day. You can use any of the medicinal herbs here, but remember to leave seeds behind whenever you use them."
"I'll go to the academy and tell your two friends not to wait for you. I won't treat you unfairly."
Before Murong Ci could respond, Dugu Bo vanished in a burst of light.
Murong Ci watched Dugu Bo disappear in an instant, then looked at Dugu Yan lying on the ground. Her chest heaved as she panted heavily, her face flushed, yet she looked strangely satisfied.
His heart was a jumble of emotions.