Shui Bing'er's Shock: This is Way Too Rich.

Although he was a Title Douluo, he was a lone wolf who disdained serving the powerful. Despite having accumulated a fair amount of wealth, five million gold soul coins was still an unimaginably massive sum to him!

It was enough for him to purchase countless rare poisonous herbs and research materials, and it could even fundamentally change his and Dugu Yan's lives.

Moreover, how did Ning Fengzhi know the specific situation and value of his herb garden? Alarm bells rang instantly in Dugu Bo's heart, and he looked at Ning Fengzhi with vigilance.

Caught between immense temptation and intense wariness, Dugu Bo remained silent for a few seconds before finally shaking his head slowly, his voice raspy:

"Sect Master Ning, I appreciate the kind offer. But that herb garden holds special significance to this old man and cannot be measured in money. Let us not speak of this again."

He refused? Ning Fengzhi raised an eyebrow, though he was not surprised. If Dugu Bo had agreed immediately, he would have instead suspected whether the herb garden was truly as miraculous as his son had described.

"Ten million." Ning Fengzhi's expression did not change; he simply uttered the number as if he were talking about a thousand copper soul coins.

Hiss—!

This time, even Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, who had seen their fair share of grand scenes, could not help but glance over.

Ten million gold soul coins for a plot of land? Fengzhi was really betting the house! But thinking of Ning Xiaochun's solemn demeanor and the "great opportunity" that might concern the future of the sect, it seemed... worth it?

Shui Bing'er covered her small mouth, her ice-blue eyes filled with shock.

She knew the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was wealthy, but she had not expected it to be to this extent! Ten million gold soul coins were enough to buy half of Tianshui City!

Just to buy an herb garden? Was... was this the confidence of the world's number one support sect?

Dugu Yan was also stunned, her green eyes filled with disbelief. Ten million? Her grandfather's herb garden had some peculiar herbs, but was it worth ten million? Had the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect gone mad?

Dugu Bo's breathing grew noticeably heavier, his ink-green pupils contracting like needles. Ten million! This figure was enough to drive any soul master insane!

For a fleeting moment, he felt tempted, but a deeper chill rose from the bottom of his heart immediately after.

For the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect to pay such a price, their intentions were definitely not small! The secret of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well had likely been exposed! Furthermore, if he lost the suppression of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, what would happen to him and Dugu Yan?

"Sect Master Ning," Dugu Bo's voice turned colder, carrying a hint of suppressed anger, "I said, it is not for sale! This is not a matter of money!"

"Oh? Not a matter of money?" The smile on Ning Fengzhi's face faded slightly, but he remained composed. "Then may I ask, Senior Dugu, what is the problem? If there are any difficulties, perhaps my Seven Treasures Glazed Sect can help resolve them. There is little in this world that my Seven Treasures Glazed Sect cannot accomplish."

This was a naked display of power. Wealth, connections, resources—the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had the confidence to back it up.

Dugu Bo's face darkened, and just as he was about to refuse firmly once more, a youthful yet clear voice cut in again.

"Senior Dugu," Ning Xiaochun had walked to a position slightly in front of his father at some point. He tilted his small face up to look at the conflicted Dugu Bo and said in a serious tone, "When you refuse, are you worried that after losing the special environment of that herb garden, you and Sister Dugu Yan will face the problem of... the backlash of the virulent poison accumulated over a long time due to the Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor martial soul?"

As these words fell, it was like a thunderclap on flat ground!

Dugu Bo's entire body shook violently. His ink-green pupils shrank to mere pinpoints, and he looked at Ning Xiaochun in disbelief. The cold, terrifying aura belonging to a Title Douluo, which he had been restraining, could no longer be contained. It erupted, locking onto Ning Xiaochun instantly like a venomous python ready to strike!

"What did you say?!" Dugu Bo's voice carried terrifying killing intent and suspicion. "Brat, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo stepped forward almost simultaneously, shielding Ning Xiaochun behind them. Two auras, not a whit inferior and perhaps even more powerful and heavy, rose up to collide head-on with Dugu Bo's pressure!

The air solidified instantly. The invisible pressure made Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er turn pale and retreat repeatedly.

Though Ning Xiaochun's face was also slightly pale while being firmly protected by his two grandfathers, his eyes remained exceptionally calm. Meeting Dugu Bo's gaze, which seemed as if it would tear him apart, he said slowly, word by word:

"I am not spouting nonsense, Senior Dugu. I know the pain you and your granddaughter suffer. The ice and fire energy in that herb garden is the key to suppressing the poison in your bodies, isn't it?"

"But suppression is not a solution. The poison remains, and it will continue to accumulate and deepen as your cultivation increases and you use your martial soul. One day, it will erupt completely and endanger your lives."

Ning Xiaochun's voice was not loud, but it struck Dugu Bo's heart like a heavy hammer, as well as the heart of Dugu Yan, who had just realized what was happening.

"Yan'er... what poison? Grandfather, what is he talking about? What poison? What will kill us?"

Dugu Yan's face turned deathly pale. She grabbed Dugu Bo's sleeve, her voice trembling. She had always thought her occasional dizziness and fatigue were due to overtraining; she had never imagined it was poisoning, let alone the kind that would endanger her life!

Dugu Bo did not answer his granddaughter. He stared fixedly at Ning Xiaochun, his gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the six-year-old child's body to see into the depths of his soul.

This child... how could he know?! This was a secret he had not even fully disclosed to his closest granddaughter!

Protected by the mountain-like, steady auras of his two grandfathers, Ning Xiaochun took a slow breath and continued in his childish yet strangely persuasive voice:

"Senior Dugu, we did not come to seize your life-saving sanctuary. We came to discuss a partnership with you."

"You fear losing the herb garden and the poison spiraling out of control. But what if we said... we might have a way to truly resolve the poison within you and Sister Dugu Yan?"

"Using the method to resolve the poison, combined with enough wealth to ensure you and Sister Dugu Yan live a life without worry, in exchange for the right to share that herb garden and the right to research and use some of the herbs within. How do you feel about this trade?"

The violent killing intent around Dugu Bo, like a punctured balloon, stalled instantly and then began to fluctuate wildly.

He looked at Ning Xiaochun, then at the smiling, confident Ning Fengzhi, then at the battle-ready Sword and Bone Douluo, and finally, his gaze landed on his granddaughter, who was looking at him with terror and confusion...

After a long while, that monstrous aura finally, slowly, bit by bit, receded.

He spoke in a hoarse voice, every word sounding as if it were squeezed from his throat:

"Resolve the poison? Based on what? Brat, do you know what kind of poison Yan'er and I have contracted?!"

Ning Xiaochun felt a sense of relief, knowing the most critical step—piquing the other party's greatest interest and hope—had been achieved. A "naive" yet "sincere" smile reappeared on his face:

"Senior Dugu, how will you know if it doesn't work if you don't try? The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect never makes promises it cannot keep. Besides, even if it cannot be resolved in the end, with those ten million gold soul coins as a foundation, you and Sister Dugu Yan could still look for other methods, or use the money to build a similar, or even better, herb garden, couldn't you?"