"Yan Yan, don't panic. Grandpa's here. Xin'er will be fine."
Dugu Bo soothed her softly, then hurried into the room. When he saw Dugu Xin writhing in agony on the bed, his heart lurched. He rushed forward to suppress the poison.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo had already broken through to level 90. Relying on his powerful Soul Power, he forcibly suppressed the poison.
Even though the poison had been temporarily suppressed, Dugu Bo didn't dare let his guard down for a moment.
Recently, Dugu Xin's poison had been flaring up more and more often, and each time it was more severe than the last.
If they still couldn't find a way to cure the poison, it would only be a matter of time before Dugu Xin died.
It might be a month. It might be three days. No one could say for sure.
Only after Dugu Xin finally fell into a deep sleep did Dugu Bo let out a sigh of relief.
"Yay! Grandpa, you're amazing! You cured Daddy so quickly again!"
Little Dugu Yan didn't yet know what it meant to be poisoned. All she knew was that Grandpa had cured Daddy's illness in no time.
"Of course. Who do you think your grandpa is?"
Dugu Bo replied with a smile, though there was a hint of bitterness at the corners of his mouth. He gazed at his granddaughter beside him, his eyes full of tenderness.
If they couldn't cure the poison, Dugu Xin would die suddenly.
And Dugu Yan, who had inherited the most potent form of the poison, would die even more miserably than her father.
Dugu Bo's heart sank into despair. "What did my Dugu family do to deserve this? Why has Heaven brought such a heavy punishment upon us?"
Just then, Dugu Yan's soft voice brought him back to reality. "Grandpa, does Daddy feel really bad right now?"
Dugu Bo smiled bitterly, unsure how to explain it to his granddaughter. Could he really tell this little girl about the cruel fate that awaited their family?
No. He couldn't.
At the very least, he had to let her enjoy a complete childhood, didn't he?
Dugu Yan tugged at Dugu Bo's sleeve. "Grandpa, Mr. Zhang at the teahouse said that if someone feels bad, you can blow on their forehead and they'll feel better. I want to blow on Daddy's forehead. Is that okay?"
Looking at his innocent granddaughter, Dugu Bo fell silent.
After a long while, he nodded. "...All right."
With Grandpa's permission, Dugu Yan immediately scampered over to the bed. She solemnly blew on Dugu Xin's forehead, doing her best to look the part.
Maybe it really had worked.
After a while, Dugu Xin slowly opened his eyes.
Dugu Yan turned around, delighted, and proudly announced to Dugu Bo, "Yay, Grandpa! Look, look! It really worked!"
"Mr. Zhang at the teahouse wasn't lying!"
Dugu Xin asked weakly, "Yan Yan, why didn't you go to school today?"
Dugu Yan turned away, folded her arms, and sulked. "Hmph! Daddy doesn't care about me at all. I just blew on your forehead so carefully, and when you woke up, you asked why I hadn't gone to school!"
Sure enough, every human cub hated going to school.
Dugu Xin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He hurried to comfort her. "All right, all right, Yan Yan, Daddy was wrong. Thank you for blowing on my forehead!"
"Hehe, you're welcome!"
Children's moods changed in the blink of an eye.
Dugu Yan was smiling again almost immediately. She looked seriously at Dugu Xin. "Daddy, next time you feel bad, remember to tell me. I'll blow on your forehead again, and then you won't feel bad anymore."
At that moment, Dugu Xin fell silent too.
After a long while, he nodded with a bitter smile. "All right... Next time, Yan Yan can blow on Daddy's forehead again."
He knew all too well that his poison had reached the point where he was beyond saving.
A child's innocent words could pierce through the strongest defenses an adult struggled to maintain.
Dugu Bo could hold back no longer.
The seventy-year-old Quasi-Titled Douluo burst into tears, and the sorrow he had suppressed for half his life came crashing down.
Tears and snot streamed down his face.
Dugu Yan panicked at once, furrowing her brow like a little adult. "Oh dear, Grandpa, why are you crying too?"
"Honestly, neither of you is ever easy. Grandpa, please stop crying, okay? Yan Yan will blow on your forehead too!"
Dugu Yan went over to Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo was so tall that even on tiptoe, Dugu Yan couldn't reach his forehead. So she went out of her way to bring over a little stool, climbed onto it, and gently blew.
After a while, Dugu Bo suddenly stood up.
No. He would not wait here to die.
He absolutely could not bear to see his precious Yan Yan lose her father.
And he absolutely could not bear to see the old bury the young.
But could he really find a way to cure the poison?
A person suddenly came to mind.
The young master!
"Yan Yan, can you stay home and take good care of Daddy? Grandpa has to go out for a while."
Dugu Yan immediately planted her hands on her hips and answered with confidence, "Okay! With Yan Yan here, no one will bully Daddy!"
Dugu Bo smiled and gently rubbed Dugu Yan's head.
He didn't know whether he would live or die on this journey.
He didn't know how it would end.
But he had to go.
Because only then would he have a chance to seize that final glimmer of hope!
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
After absorbing the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Poseinan slowly awoke.
"Ah! Little Nan Nan, you're finally awake!"
Sea Witch was delighted and eagerly asked, "How much did this Immortal Herb help you?"
"Hahaha, my Spiritual Power has improved immensely. I feel terrifyingly strong now!"
Poseinan opened his eyes, and the world before him seemed to have become much clearer.
More importantly, his Spiritual Power had increased enormously.
Even his perception had improved by a whole level.
He could now sense almost every movement in the grass within twenty meters.
Poseinan suddenly furrowed his brow. "Hmm... Someone's coming?"
At the moment he turned around,
Dugu Bo dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "Please, young master, save my Dugu family!"
"If you're willing to help, I, Dugu Bo, will serve you for all eternity."
"I can swear it on my Martial Soul!"
Swear on his Martial Soul?
At those words, Sea Witch's expression changed at once. Her earlier nonchalance vanished, replaced by a measure of respect for the man before her.
Everyone knew that swearing on one's Martial Soul was the most solemn vow in the Soul Master World!
If you broke it, the consequences would truly haunt you for the rest of your life!
It was fair to say that no one would dare use a Martial Soul oath to deceive someone.
Poseinan asked, though he already knew the answer, "Tell me. What do you need my help with?"
He was naturally delighted at the chance to bring Dugu Bo into his service.
After all, while Dugu Bo wasn't particularly strong in a one-on-one fight, in a group battle,
Dugu Bo was practically the strongest person on the entire Douluo Continent.
If he trained him well in the future, keeping him as a Divine Servant wouldn't be a bad idea.
As soon as Poseinan spoke, Dugu Bo immediately laid out everything about his family's poison and their inheritance, holding nothing back.
It was fortunate that the person before him was Poseinan.
If it had been anyone else, Dugu Bo would have chopped them into a sieve the moment they heard even one of the Dugu family's secrets.
After all, the lives of his entire family were at stake. He couldn't afford to be careless.
When he finished, Dugu Bo knelt once more, his expression utterly sincere. "Please, young master, help us!"
"I, Dugu Bo, swear on my Martial Soul: if you cure the poison afflicting my Dugu family, I will brave fire and water for you, for all eternity, and never break this oath!"