The old man wore an ink-black robe, and his shock of green hair stood out sharply.
His face was extremely unpleasant, his cheeks sunken and his breathing weak and unsteady.
His emerald-green snake pupils were bloodshot, and he looked utterly haggard.
In his eyes, the scene before him was Wang Dong'er pinning Dugu Yan beneath her, while Dugu Yan's snake tail was wrapped tightly around Wang Dong'er's legs.
The two girls' positions were simply too strange.
If they had been girls he didn't know, that would have been one thing, but... Dugu Yan was his granddaughter.
His own granddaughter had actually... sigh!
"What are you doing!"
"What on earth have you done!"
"You—get off her this instant!"
Dugu Bo roared. His aged voice brimmed with barely contained fury and shock.
If the one beside Dugu Yan had been a boy, he would have been delighted—but he would still have acted without hesitation, throwing that little punk straight out the door.
But Wang Dong'er was a girl.
No matter how cold-blooded and ruthless Dugu Bo was, he could never bring himself to lay a heavy hand on a young girl.
He was furious beyond measure, yet for a moment he didn't know how to vent it. All he could do was rasp at them to hurry up and separate.
What a disgrace to the family.
Could the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul, passed down through generations of the Dugu Family, really die out in Dugu Yan's generation?
"Green-haired freak, who are you?"
Wang Dong'er glared at the "old geezer" in the doorway, a flame of anger suddenly flaring in her eyes.
Of course, she wasn't angry because he'd interrupted a good thing.
Thank goodness she and Dugu Yan were completely innocent of anything. If something really had happened, and they'd been caught with their clothes off by this old geezer, what then?
Wang Dong'er had assumed Dugu Yan would be even angrier than she was, but she hadn't expected Dugu Yan's first reaction after coming to her senses to be hurriedly explaining things to the old man.
"Grandpa, I know what you're thinking, but you've misunderstood us. We're just ordinary classmates. What happened just now was because..."
Dugu Yan bit her lip, then her tone shifted, taking on a hint of reproach.
"My snake poison flared up, and Wang Dong'er was helping me suppress it. I'd already lost consciousness at the time, and I couldn't control myself when I wrapped around her..."
She lifted her head and looked at the old man in the doorway, perfectly justified.
"Grandpa, how could you barge into our girls' dormitory without knocking? You scared my friend. Hurry up and apologize to her."
After hearing her explanation, Dugu Bo's fury suddenly ebbed.
His gaze blazed as he fixed it on Wang Dong'er.
What had he just heard?
This delicate-looking young girl had suppressed the snake poison inside Dugu Yan?
That was the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison that even he was powerless to deal with. How could a mere little girl possibly do it?
No.
Dugu Yan would never lie to him about something like this.
If it was true, didn't that mean...
Under Dugu Bo's sharp, icy gaze, Wang Dong'er felt a chill run down her spine, every hair on her body standing on end. It was as if a boa constrictor lurking in the shadows had fixed its gaze on her, pinning her in place.
What had Dugu Yan just called this old geezer?
If she hadn't misheard, it had been... Grandpa?
In other words, this green-haired old man was none other than the legendary Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo?
"Gulp." Wang Dong'er swallowed hard.
What had she just done?
She'd... called a Titled Douluo a "green-haired freak"?
This was bad.
What if the old geezer held a grudge and refused to trade immortal herbs with her?
"Apologize already, Grandpa! You scared my friend!"
"N-no, that's not necessary. It was my fault, though. I was so anxious that I called you something rather rude, Senior."
Wang Dong'er hurriedly waved the suggestion away, afraid that this troublesome young lady might anger Dugu Bo and make him take it out on her.
Dugu Bo's expression visibly improved. He stepped forward and used his Soul Power to examine Dugu Yan's condition.
When he sensed that the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison, which had been ravaging her body, had actually diminished by eighty percent, Dugu Bo's heart clenched twice.
Dugu Yan asked in confusion, "Grandpa, what brought you to the academy all of a sudden?"
"Your symptoms flare up whenever the weather turns rainy. I was worried about you, so I rushed over."
Although Dugu Bo was speaking to Dugu Yan, his gaze never left Wang Dong'er.
A faint green glow shone in his eyes, like a hungry wolf that had fixed on its prey.
"Now that I know you're all right, I can relax. I never imagined your friend was so capable that she could suppress the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison. I really have to thank her properly."
Dugu Bo gave her a friendly smile. Sensing Wang Dong'er's current Soul Power, he continued.
"Little girl, you're at level thirty. You must be in urgent need of a Soul Ring to break through, right? I'll personally take you to hunt for your third Soul Ring as an apology."
Dugu Bo swept his hand through the air, and an invisible wave of Soul Power instantly enveloped Wang Dong'er.
"Yan Yan, get some rest. Your grandpa and your friend will be back soon."
The moment he finished speaking, Dugu Bo vanished without a trace, taking Wang Dong'er with him.
Dugu Yan smacked the bed with her hand and shouted at the empty air, "You'd better treat my friend nicely, or I won't speak to you again!"
An uninhabited mountain behind the academy.
In the middle of a bamboo grove, Dugu Bo suddenly appeared. Wrapped in Soul Power, Wang Dong'er slowly descended to the ground.
"Senior Dugu, why did you bring me here? Weren't you going to take me to hunt for a Soul Ring?"
Wang Dong'er feigned confusion.
Dugu Bo snorted. "You're quite capable, little girl. You actually managed to suppress the snake poison in my Yan Yan."
"There's no rush about the Soul Ring. Do you think I'd lie to you?"
"Now, show me the method you used to suppress the snake poison in Yan Yan. If it satisfies me, then forget your third Soul Ring—from now on, I'll personally help you hunt every Soul Ring you need."
Wang Dong'er understood Dugu Bo perfectly well.
Put simply, he wanted her to try to suppress the snake poison in his own body.
If she could, Dugu Bo would be her patron from then on.
If she couldn't, she was still very important to him. She'd be Dugu Yan's... antidote.
Wang Dong'er concentrated, and the Sea God Mark at her brow shimmered into view. The Sea God's Light glowed once more, though this time its radiance wasn't dazzling.
As he felt the Sea God's Light, Dugu Bo was astonished. This energy made him feel wary from the depths of his heart. It was truly terrifying.
Even more gratifying, the snake poison ravaging his body was slowly retreating. Wang Dong'er's method hadn't completely suppressed the poison, but the fact that it could ease his suffering was already a delightful surprise.
"Senior, you're troubled by the snake poison produced by your Martial Soul too, aren't you?"
Wang Dong'er said.
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