Aftermath

Half a day slipped by in the blink of an eye. The sun above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well gradually sank in the west, giving way to dusk.

Lin Ze'an's little face was also covered in exhaustion.

A little while later, he slowly withdrew his hands and let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Did Dugu Bo have no idea how to use his poison properly?

He had actually let it seep into his bones, leaving poison in every meridian throughout his body.

So even with the energy of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well assisting them, it had taken two Titled Douluo at level 95 this long to treat a Titled Douluo at level 93.

Lin Ze'an sighed and glanced beyond the Domain.

At the edge of the medicinal garden, a dense crowd of Soul Beasts had gathered at some point.

From Ten-Year Soul Beasts to low-tier Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, all kinds of Soul Beasts lay quietly around the perimeter.

As if making a pilgrimage, they greedily absorbed the life force radiating from the Fragrant Domain.

"So many." Lin Ze'an muttered under his breath, then stirred his thoughts.

The Domain enveloping the entire medicinal garden instantly turned into specks of light and merged into his body.

As the Fragrant Domain dissipated, the attracted Soul Beasts paused in confusion, then cried out in a variety of voices.

But they could only depart reluctantly, and soon vanished into the dusk.

Seeing that Lin Ze'an had finished, Yue Guan and Gui Mei withdrew their Soul Power at the same time.

Yue Guan hurried to Lin Ze'an's side and asked with concern, "Disciple, are you all right?"

Lin Ze'an shook his head, a weary smile appearing on his little face. "I'm fine, Master. Just a little tired."

Just then, Dugu Bo slowly opened his eyes, his face full of astonishment.

He stood up and stretched, feeling a comfort throughout his body unlike anything he had ever experienced. His voice trembled slightly. "Boy... you... you really did it..."

The pain caused by the poison backlash that had tormented him for years was completely gone.

Lin Ze'an nodded and asked with a smile, "How do you feel, senior?"

He had forcibly drawn out the poison that had penetrated Dugu Bo's bones with life force, driving it back into his Martial Soul. Surely Dugu Bo would be fine for now?

Dugu Bo smiled. "This feels wonderful. I can't remember how many years it's been since I felt this relaxed."

"The backlash that tormented me day and night has actually disappeared."

Seeing Dugu Bo like this, Lin Ze'an smiled with relief.

After all, what doctor wouldn't want their patient to recover? Well, except for the twisted ones.

Suddenly, as if he had remembered something, he took out an Immortal Herb and handed it to Dugu Bo.

The herb was translucent all over, its petals as clear as purple crystal. A strange fragrance wafted from its stamens, invigorating anyone who smelled it.

It was the Aromatic Silk Beauty.

Lin Ze'an said, "Senior, this is for you."

Dugu Bo took the Immortal Herb, a puzzled look on his face. "What is this?"

It looked like one of the medicinal herbs from his garden, didn't it? Hadn't he already given them all to this boy? What did this mean?

"The Aromatic Silk Beauty," Lin Ze'an explained seriously. "If you use it properly, it can strengthen poison, and it can also detoxify."

"But..." He paused, his little face turning stern. "Whatever you do, don't eat it."

With Dugu Bo's strength, if he ate this thing, the poison inside him would react violently in an instant. At that point, even Lin Ze'an might not be able to save him.

Dugu Bo nodded and carefully put away the Aromatic Silk Beauty.

He looked at Lin Ze'an for a while, then suddenly asked, "Boy, what's your name?"

At this, everyone present froze. They looked at one another, their expressions odd.

After a long moment, Lin Ze'an blinked and said incredulously, "My name is Lin Ze'an... Didn't we introduce ourselves earlier?"

That couldn't be right. Hadn't he told them his name?

Dugu Bo also froze when he heard this, then awkwardly scratched his head. "I was so excited just now that I forgot to ask your name."

After chatting for a while, Lin Ze'an sent Hu Liena and the other two away, telling them to find Immortal Herbs suited to themselves. Then he quietly made his way to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

He carefully looked around and, after confirming no one was paying attention, gently opened the necklace around his neck.

"Doudou!" Little Sprout sprang right out.

The moment it emerged, it excitedly circled Lin Ze'an, blinking as it checked him for injuries.

Lin Ze'an crouched and gently stroked Little Sprout's head. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

But Little Sprout still didn't seem reassured. It circled Lin Ze'an a few more times, its little nose sniffing constantly. Only after confirming there was no smell of blood and no wounds did it finally relax.

Amused by Little Sprout's anxious behavior, Lin Ze'an pointed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. "Look, this is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"It contains an enormous amount of energy. It's a powerful tonic for you."

Although he could absorb the energy here as well, cultivation required steady progress. Absorbing it this way could leave his foundation unstable, so it wasn't suitable for him.

At this, Little Sprout nodded vigorously. "Doudou!"

It chirped twice, then closed its eyes. Its tiny body began to emit a gentle glow.

Lin Ze'an raised his hand too, a glimmer flashing in his emerald eyes.

He carefully began to draw the energy out. Before long, wisps of the well's icy and fiery energies began to gather in his palm.

Then an astonishing sight unfolded.

The two intertwined energies flowed through Lin Ze'an's palm. Their icy and fiery attributes gradually vanished, until at last they became pure energy.

Under Lin Ze'an's control, the energy transformed into dense life force and slowly flowed toward Little Sprout.

A short while later, Lin Ze'an withdrew his hand and studied Little Sprout in surprise.

It hadn't absorbed much energy, but Lin Ze'an could feel that the Soul Power within Little Sprout had already reached the level of an ordinary human Soul Elder.

The little flower bud atop its head had grown plumper, and its body had grown considerably too.

Just then, Yue Guan's surprised voice came from behind Lin Ze'an. "Disciple, is this the Soul Beast you keep?"

"I'd only heard about it before. I didn't expect you really did have one. Where did you get it?"

He didn't seem to remember his disciple ever bringing a Soul Beast home.

Hearing this, Lin Ze'an turned around and saw Yue Guan and Gui Mei standing not far away. He wasn't sure when they had arrived.

"Master." Lin Ze'an hesitated. "This is..."

"That's enough." Yue Guan stepped forward, cutting him off. "Everyone has their own opportunities. This is something you've gained, so you don't need to tell your master everything."

"Today, I'm going to teach you something."

"A secret is only a secret if you keep it in your heart. The more people who know, no matter how much you trust them, the greater the risk."