When His Little Scheme Was Seen Through, He Stopped Pretending Altogether!

Hearing Ye Qing say that the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot could cure the poison, Dugu Bo once again felt the urge to pick them.

Dugu Bo had barely taken a step.

"Wait!"

Ye Qing blocked his path.

Old Poison's expression darkened instantly.

In his eyes, this level-ten little piece of trash had repeatedly tested his patience. The boy was clearly tired of living.

"Brat, are you playing me?"

There was a dangerous chill in Dugu Bo's voice, jade-green Soul Power flickering faintly in his palm.

"You misunderstand, Senior."

Ye Qing remained unhurried, and the calmness on his face surprised Dugu Bo somewhat.

"This junior has absolutely no intention of fooling you. I simply did not have time to finish what I was saying earlier."

"What is it?"

"The price of using these two immortal herbs to detoxify you."

Ye Qing raised one finger and spoke seriously. "The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot can indeed resolve the bloodline poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul."

"But they have a side effect. Their medicinal power is too overwhelming, and while they detoxify you, they will completely purge the poison technique from your body."

"?"

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted sharply.

"Think about it, Senior. One of these immortal herbs is ice, and the other is fire. Their medicinal effects are unbelievably tyrannical."

"The process of bringing them into balance inside the body is essentially a baptism of ice and fire."

"This baptism is enough to burn away and freeze every trace of poison in your body, including the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison you cultivated your entire life."

Ye Qing paused. "In other words, the poison will be cured, but your poison technique will be gone too."

"..."

Dugu Bo fell silent.

His poison technique would be gone.

Those words struck precisely at the most vulnerable place in his heart.

What had allowed Dugu Bo to survive until now?

What had allowed him to dominate the continent for decades without anyone daring to provoke him?

It was this Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison Technique!

If he lost his poison technique, he would merely be an ordinary Title Douluo. His strength would drop by at least seventy or eighty percent.

And that was not even the most terrifying part.

The most terrifying part was his enemies.

Over the years, he had killed countless people with poison and offended countless forces. Even he could not keep track of them all.

Those people had not dared to touch him while he was at the height of his power.

But once they learned that he had lost his poison technique, they would surely pounce like starving wolves.

His own death did not matter.

But what about Yanyan?

"So you're saying this poison cannot be cured at all?"

Dugu Bo's gaze turned cold, his voice carrying suppressed fury.

"It can be cured."

Ye Qing shook his head. "Just not by directly consuming the immortal herbs."

"Then tell me. What other method is there?"

Dugu Bo sneered. "If you cannot explain yourself, I will make you suffer a little."

"Grandfather!"

Dugu Yan once again stood in front of Ye Qing, her jade-green eyes filled with defiance. "I told you, you are not allowed to hurt him!"

"..."

Dugu Bo was so angry that even his beard trembled.

Watching his precious granddaughter protect this brat like a mother hen guarding her chick, he felt a complicated swirl of emotions.

He had raised her for more than ten years.

More than ten years!

Since she was little, he had held her in his hands for fear she might fall and kept her in his mouth for fear she might melt.

He gave her the best cultivation resources, sent her to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and wiped out the entire family of anyone who dared bully her.

And now?

Yanyan was actually going against him at every turn for some brat she had known for less than half a month!

Dugu Bo felt a faint ache in his chest.

Not the kind caused by poison.

The kind that came from a beloved little cotton-padded jacket letting in a draft.

"Grandfather!"

Seeing his expression, Dugu Yan softened her tone somewhat.

"Ye Qing only said there would be a price if you directly ate the immortal herbs. He has another method, one that can cure the poison without dispersing your poison technique!"

Taking the opportunity, Ye Qing stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Senior, have you ever heard of Soul Bone Poison Extraction?"

"Soul Bone Poison Extraction?"

Dugu Bo frowned, then shook his head.

"Allow this junior to explain in detail."

Ye Qing began speaking fluently. "The poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul is a bloodline poison inherent to a beast martial soul. It has fused with the Soul Master's body and cannot be directly separated."

"But it is not without a solution."

"The key is to find an external host to store the poison."

"And the best choice for that host is a Soul Bone."

Dugu Bo's gaze sharpened slightly.

"The material of a Soul Bone is extremely special. It will neither be corroded by poison nor fail to resonate with a Soul Master's spiritual power."

Ye Qing continued, "You only need to guide the poison within your body into the Soul Bone and seal it there. That will completely relieve the pain of the poison's backlash while preserving your poison technique intact."

"Furthermore, after the poison is sealed inside the Soul Bone, it can be further tempered with the Soul Bone's power. When you use your poison technique in the future, its might will only increase, never decrease."

After Ye Qing finished speaking, the valley fell silent for a moment.

Dugu Bo's expression shifted.

Following Ye Qing's explanation and calculating it in his mind, he found that it truly seemed feasible!

He was immediately stunned. How had he never thought of it himself?

"What is the price?"

Suppressing his excitement, Dugu Bo asked in a low voice.

Pies did not fall from the sky. That was an ironclad rule he had learned from life.

"There are three costs."

Ye Qing raised three fingers.

"First, the poison will not be eradicated. It will merely be sealed within the Soul Bone."

"Second, guiding the poison out will take considerable time."

"Third—"

Ye Qing paused. "You will need a Soul Bone, preferably one of exceptionally high quality. Otherwise, it will not be able to withstand the corrosion of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison."

"Of course, with a medicinal catalyst, everything will become much easier."

"..."

Dugu Bo said nothing.

He lowered his head, his jade-green hair concealing his expression.

But Ye Qing and Dugu Yan noticed that the fingers behind his back were trembling faintly.

"Grandfather..."

Dugu Yan looked at her grandfather nervously.

Dugu Bo slowly raised his head, his eyes blazing. "You said a medicinal catalyst is also needed?"

"Senior is indeed perceptive."

Ye Qing nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "That medicinal catalyst is precisely the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot."

Dugu Bo frowned. "Didn't you say there would be problems if they were eaten directly?"

"I am not asking Senior or Yanzi to eat them directly."

Ye Qing shook his head. "I will eat them."

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow.

"This junior will first use the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot to forge a Hundred Poison Immunity Body."

"Then I will use my blood as the medicinal catalyst to help Senior guide the poison from your body out, soften it, and transfer it into the Soul Bone."

After hearing this, Dugu Bo did not respond immediately.

He merely stared silently at Ye Qing with those jade-green eyes.

After a long silence.

He suddenly sneered. "Brat, after all that, you just want to eat these two immortal herbs, don't you?"

Ye Qing blinked.

Damn, he saw through me!

Of course he had seen through him.

What schemes and tricks had Dugu Bo not seen before?

Ye Qing's little thoughts were simply not enough in front of him.

"Senior truly has keen eyes."

Yet Ye Qing admitted it openly, without the slightest panic at having been exposed.

"That's right. I want to use the power of these two immortal herbs to improve myself. I do not think there is anything shameful about that."

As for Tang San's claim that each person could only eat one immortal herb, Ye Qing treated it as complete nonsense.

Tang San had eaten three himself.

"Oh?"

A flicker of surprise flashed through Dugu Bo's eyes.

Dugu Yan was stunned as well.

This guy was not even going to make excuses?

"What? You're not going to make up some reason to fool me?"

"Because Senior is not a fool."

Ye Qing answered frankly. "Trying to play clever tricks in front of a Title Douluo is no different from covering one's ears while stealing a bell."

"Besides, my feelings for Yanzi are genuine, my desire to detoxify Senior is genuine, and my desire for these two immortal herbs is equally genuine."

"Since that is the case, why not be honest with each other?"

Dugu Bo looked at Ye Qing, and the scrutiny in his eyes gradually changed.

He admitted it?

He did not even try to conceal it, just admitted it so openly?

Dugu Bo had seen all kinds of people.

Some trembled before him, some shamelessly flattered him, and some acted respectful while plotting behind his back.

But someone like this brat, who openly said to his face, "That's right, I want to take advantage of you. But while taking advantage of you, I also want to help you"—that was truly a first.

It really was a first.

Dugu Bo suddenly understood a little why Yanyan had become so devoted to this brat.

The boy's way with words was extraordinary. He really knew how to handle people.