Lin Ze'an glanced at Hu Liena and the other two, then turned back and looked Dugu Bo straight in the eye. "Senior, let's make a deal."
At his words, Dugu Bo looked at the brazen child before him and gave a faint, amused smile. "Oh? A deal? Let's hear it."
What could a mere child possibly have to offer in a deal with a mighty Titled Douluo like him?
Then he heard Lin Ze'an say, "Poison Douluo, your Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. The poison from your Martial Soul is backlashing against you, and you don't have long to live. Am I right?"
Dugu Bo froze. His sinister eyes widened, and fury sent the pressure around him surging. "You!"
But, unexpectedly, the boy before him didn't react to his pressure at all.
He paused, then gave a cold laugh and slightly reined in his pressure. "Are you saying you have a way to cure the side effects of my poison?"
Lin Ze'an shook his head and said regretfully, "Sorry, I can't."
"Granted, I can purify all the poison in your body. But your cultivation is closely tied to that poison. Once I purify it, you'll be crippled."
At this, Dugu Bo looked at him disdainfully. "Then what are you getting at?"
"You've said all that just to make a fool of me?"
Lin Ze'an pointed to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the various Immortal Herbs around it. "Give me these in exchange, and I'll solve your problem."
He glanced at Dugu Bo.
What a pitiful man... His son and daughter-in-law had died from the poison's backlash, leaving him with only a granddaughter.
And the tragedy was, even she faced the risk of suffering the same backlash.
Unless things came to a head, he didn't want to have his master and Uncle Ghost come here and take the place by force.
He raised his hand. A glimmer of light passed through his emerald eyes as pale green Soul Power began to swirl around him.
As Dugu Bo stared in a daze, Lin Ze'an gently took his withered hand.
"Don't be nervous, Senior," Lin Ze'an said softly. A dense stream of vitality flowed from his hand into Dugu Bo, thread by thread.
The moment that vitality entered his body, Dugu Bo shuddered.
For the first time in years, his poison-ravaged body felt such warmth.
A moment later, Lin Ze'an let go. "How do you feel, Senior?"
Although he couldn't remove the side effects of the poison, he could replenish Dugu Bo's vitality.
After all, as long as a person had enough vitality, poison couldn't kill them.
Hearing the question, Dugu Bo came back to himself. He moved his fingers in disbelief, then touched his face, his eyes full of shock.
Unlike the oppressive heaviness he'd felt before, as the poison ate away at him, his body now brimmed with vigor.
The poison was still there, but the backlash that had tormented him day and night had eased considerably.
Lin Ze'an wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Senior, I can't purify your poison without any side effects."
"But I can replenish your body's vitality, so you won't have to worry about the backlash the poison causes."
He raised his hand, showing Dugu Bo the faint green light in his palm. "For a long time, the poison has been continuously eating away at your body."
"A body that's been ravaged can't recover its vitality. With one side diminishing and the other growing, eventually the poison will devour you completely."
"But if I can keep replenishing your vitality and keep your body in peak condition..."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes. "You mean... use vitality to offset the poison's backlash?"
Lin Ze'an nodded. "Mm. The poison eats away at your vitality, and I replenish it."
"That way, as long as I'm here, you'll never die. Your body will recover, and your strength can improve even further."
But in that case, Dugu Bo would never be able to leave him. They'd be tied to the same boat.
A trace of hesitation crossed Dugu Bo's face. He fell silent for a while, then finally sighed. "I agree."
"But judging by the look of you, you probably don't have much power."
He paused, worry flashing in his eyes. "I don't care if I live, but I have a granddaughter... You have to guarantee her safety."
Lin Ze'an was taken aback. He'd rather die than capture him and use him as a blood bag?
"There's no need for that, Senior. Your garden is worth two lives."
He turned and called toward the outside. "Master, Uncle Ghost, come out."
As soon as the words left his mouth, two figures appeared silently beside him.
Yue Guan patted Lin Ze'an on the head. "My disciple, is everything settled?"
At the sight of him, Dugu Bo's expression changed abruptly, and wariness flashed in his eyes. "Chrysanthemum Guan? You... you two?"
Yue Guan snorted and glared coldly at Dugu Bo. "Old Poison Freak, if my disciple hadn't told me not to act, you'd already be dead."
He raised a hand elegantly, and the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum slowly spun in his palm. "It's fortunate you didn't attack. Otherwise, this would have become your burial ground."
Dugu Bo's expression changed. If Yue Guan and Gui Mei attacked together, he truly wouldn't stand a chance.
And this boy was Chrysanthemum Guan's disciple?
After a moment's silence, a complicated look passed through his eyes, and he sighed. "Chrysanthemum Guan, you've taken in a fine disciple. This kind of... truly is rare."
He turned to Lin Ze'an and said solemnly, "Boy, from today onward, everything here belongs to you."
Lin Ze'an beamed and bowed to Dugu Bo. "Thank you, Senior!"
He turned to Yue Guan, a sly glint in his eyes. "Master, go take a look. You'll be delighted."
The place was filled with the rich scent of poison, mingled with all sorts of medicinal herbs and his own scent. Surely his master hadn't seen the Immortal Herbs over there yet?
Otherwise, given his character, he would have run over already.
Yue Guan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Something good here?"
He followed the direction Lin Ze'an pointed and looked toward a special patch on the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Many unusual medicinal plants and Immortal Herbs grew there, but his attention was instantly drawn to a unique plant.
The moment Yue Guan recognized it, he froze.
"This... this is..." He rushed over, his body trembling with excitement.
Yue Guan carefully crouched down and gently stroked the petals of the golden plant.
"The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!!!" He finally cried out its name, his voice full of disbelief.
"Disciple! Disciple! You... you found the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum! This is a legendary Immortal Herb!"
He'd searched for it his entire life and never once laid eyes on it... And now... now...
Just then, seeing that things had settled over here, Hu Liena and the other two walked over and respectfully saluted Ghost Douluo. "Lord Ghost Douluo."
Ghost Douluo gave a slight nod, his hoarse voice ringing out. "You may rise."
Yan moved beside Lin Ze'an and asked in a curious whisper, "What's going on? Why is Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo so excited? Is that golden flower special?"
At this, Lin Ze'an turned to look, then his mouth twitched.
His master was now completely swept up in joy.
Yue Guan was carefully stroking every petal of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, as if he were handling a baby.
This... was mortifying.
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