The Fated Demise

Dugu Bo certainly paved a wide path for himself. It must be said, as the weakest Title Douluo in the original work, his ability to pick a side is truly unrivaled!

In the Consecrated Hall of Spirit City, Qian Daoliu sat in his usual spot at the very back, eyes closed in meditation as he always did.

The other Consecrated sat on either side, following his lead with their eyes closed in meditation as well.

Just then, someone pushed the doors open, startling all the drowsy Consecrated.

Qian Daoliu looked up and discovered that the person was none other than Snake Spear Douluo, whom he had sent to protect Qian Renxue.

"Snake Spear, why have you returned to the Consecrated Hall instead of guarding Xue'er? Don't tell me something has happened to her!"

Upon hearing this, Snake Spear Douluo immediately shook his head and replied.

"Reporting to the Great Consecrated, the Young Master is fine. She entrusted me to deliver this letter and this bag of gold soul coins to you."

As he spoke, he pulled the two items from his sleeves and respectfully handed them to Qian Daoliu.

Hearing that Qian Renxue was safe, Qian Daoliu breathed a sigh of relief and took the envelope and the gold soul coins.

The letter read: "Grandfather, I stole this bag of gold soul coins from someone who was swindling commoners. I hope you can return them to their rightful owners."

Qian Daoliu nodded and muttered to himself.

"Xue'er has truly grown up; she has started to think of the common people."

At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo's family knelt respectfully before Chen Qi and his two companions, having already sworn to follow Chen Qi to the death.

The naive Dugu Yan knelt beside her father, Dugu Xin, feeling utterly confused. She could not understand why her grandfather, who had just recently rejected Xue Ye's invitation to the palace, would suddenly want to acknowledge a handsome older brother as his master.

Qian Renxue watched Dugu Yan, who was glancing around, and for some reason, a sense of wariness rose in her heart.

She looked at Chen Qi, pulled him aside, and said.

"Chen Qi, I think Dugu Bo's family has ulterior motives in wanting to follow you, especially that little girl. I can tell at a glance that she doesn't have good intentions."

If you want to be possessive, just be possessive; you could have just singled out Dugu Yan, but Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin were caught in the crossfire for no reason.

"Don't worry, I have my own judgment."

He waved his hand and walked over to Dugu Bo, pulling him up.

"Stop kneeling with your whole family; I can't afford to accept that."

"This is my loyalty to you. If you do not accept us, we will continue to kneel."

With that, he knelt even more fervently. Seeing this, Chen Qi wondered if he had some strange fetish.

Those who knew him recognized Dugu Bo, but those who didn't might have mistaken him for Titan, the head of the Strength Clan.

He licked Tang Hao's boots so hard he had lost all sense of dignity; he was practically ready to lie in bed waiting for Tang Hao.

"I didn't say I wouldn't accept you, it's just that your strength makes me worry."

Hearing Chen Qi's words, Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin understood his meaning and spoke in unison.

"I, Dugu Bo (Xin), am willing to swear by my martial soul that I will never betray Master Chen Qi!"

Swearing by one's martial soul was equivalent to swearing to the Heavenly Dao in other fantasy novels; once broken, one's soul would be utterly destroyed.

"Very well, I shall accept you as my subordinates."

"Thank you, Master!"

Chen Qi smiled; this was more like the life of a protagonist. For the past few years, he had been trailing behind Qian Renxue, and let alone showing off, he had even been stripped of his freedom.

It was fortunate that Qian Renxue wasn't as spoiled as Ning Rongrong; if she had been, he would have been dead long ago.

"Heh heh, Chen Qi's soldiers are my soldiers, Qian Renxue's. From now on, you will all follow me, Qian Renxue."

Qian Renxue spoke up. Since she was Chen Qi's master, his subordinates were naturally hers as well.

Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin were stunned, remembering that Chen Qi seemed to have called Qian Renxue "Master."

Thus, the two bowed to Qian Renxue and said.

"Greetings, Master."

"Heh heh, very obedient. Chen Qi, you really do think of me, knowing I'm short on people and specifically finding these two as subordinates for me."

In an instant, Qian Renxue had stolen all of Chen Qi's thunder, making him grit his teeth in frustration, though he dared not speak his mind.

If he really tried to do something about it, that damned system would surely reverse time and make him do it all over again.

It seemed the system was Qian Renxue's lapdog.

"Yes, Master, I am truly working myself to the bone for you."

Chen Qi said through gritted teeth. The day he was no longer restricted by the martial soul, he would definitely have to discipline Qian Renxue properly.

He would make her understand who the real boss was.

Having accepted Dugu Bo's family as his subordinates, it was time to get down to business; these immortal herbs scattered everywhere couldn't just be for show.

He looked at the two immortal herbs closest to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—one blue and one red. They were the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb from the original work, which could grant immunity to ice and fire.

"Master, consume that blue grass and that red grass at the same time, then jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well immediately after."

Dugu Bo was stunned by Chen Qi's words. Those two herbs were the most terrifying in the entire garden; let alone consuming them, one would feel bone-chilling cold or unbearable heat just by getting near them.

To jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—she really didn't want to leave even a corpse behind.

However, since these were Chen Qi's words, Dugu Bo, as a subordinate, couldn't say much and could only wish Qian Renxue the best of luck.

Qian Renxue was a bit puzzled upon hearing this.

"Chen Qi, didn't you say the herbs in here are all poisonous?"

"That's why I'm telling you to consume them simultaneously. The cold and heat will cancel each other out, and then you jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to accelerate the absorption."

Qian Renxue nodded; it seemed to make some sense.

Pufferfish Douluo looked at the two herbs and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well before him. If Qian Renxue really went through with this, it would likely be a narrow escape from death.

"Young Mistress, you absolutely must not! These two medicinal herbs are incomparably tyrannical. Once consumed, they will torture a person to death, and as for this lake, I wouldn't dare to attempt entering it lightly. If you go down there, I fear not even your bones will remain!"

"It's alright, Uncle Pufferfish. Chen Qi is my Martial Soul, so how could he possibly harm me? If something happens to me, he won't be able to escape death either, so rest assured."

As she spoke, she arrived before the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb. Merely by approaching them, she could already feel the scorching heat and the extreme cold.

"Chen Qi, do I really have to eat these?"

Qian Renxue felt a bit of fear; it was hard to imagine what would happen to her body after consuming them.

"Oh, it's fine. Don't worry, following my method will absolutely be correct. Once the absorption is complete, you will simultaneously possess the ability to be immune to cold and fire."

Chen Qi comforted her softly and then arrived before the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb. To his surprise, he didn't feel how cold or how scorching hot they were.

Could this have something to do with his identity as a Martial Soul?

Chen Qi scratched his head; he felt he could even pluck these two immortal herbs with his bare hands.

No sooner said than done, Chen Qi didn't hesitate. He grabbed the stems of both herbs at once. There was no expected heat or cold; instead, they felt very mild, with no sensation at all.

"Master, open your mouth. After consuming these two immortal herbs, do not hesitate; rush into the lake immediately. If you delay even a second, your life will be in danger."