"I sensed Yu Hezai's presence, but there are others with him. I can only take you this far."
After telling Yu Hengqing where Yu Hezai was, Bi Ji left him to continue on his own.
Yu Hengqing wasn't surprised by Bi Ji's departure, because Leiyi had told him that the people with Yu Hezai were Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.
"Time to get on with the God Trial!"
Yu Hengqing glanced at the sky as it gradually darkened, muttered to himself, then headed toward Yu Hezai's location.
An hour earlier.
"Poison Douluo, I didn't expect you to arrive so early. If I'd known, I would've put up the tent!"
Looking at Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, who had suddenly arrived, Yu Hezai sheepishly scratched his head.
For the past few days, Yu Hezai had been so worried about Yu Hengqing that he hadn't had the heart to pitch a tent.
"It's fine. We can put it up together in a bit. Yan Yan, we'll stay here for a few days and wait for Yu Hengqing to come back."
Dugu Bo rubbed Dugu Yan's head. Sitting on a rock, she didn't say anything in response.
As long as she could solve the problem with her body, Dugu Yan would be willing to live here for the rest of her life. Besides, her grandfather often went off to Sunset Forest anyway.
Seeing that Dugu Yan had no objections, Dugu Bo started chatting with Yu Hezai.
As they talked, the three of them suddenly noticed the sky above darkening at a rapid pace.
"Looks like it's going to rain and thunder again. Poison Douluo, we'd better hurry and put up the tent. It doesn't matter for us two grown men, but Miss Dugu Yan can't be left out in it."
Having spent several days in Thunder Valley, Yu Hezai recognized the signs of an approaching storm and promptly ended the conversation.
Dugu Bo had learned about Thunder Valley and knew Yu Hezai was right, so he helped him put up the tent.
Once they had finished, the three of them sat inside and started making a meal.
Yu Hengqing had just reached the area near the tent when Yu Hezai and Dugu Bo rushed out.
"Xiao Qing, are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Yu Hezai anxiously checked Yu Hengqing over, while Dugu Bo summoned his Martial Soul and warily surveyed their surroundings.
"No, I'm perfectly healthy!"
Seeing how worried Yu Hezai looked, Yu Hengqing patted his chest. Once Yu Hezai had finished checking him and relaxed, Yu Hengqing turned to Dugu Bo.
"Senior Dugu Bo, long time no see!"
"It's certainly been a while, especially since I learned you'd been taken away by someone."
Seeing Yu Hengqing standing before him without a scratch, Dugu Bo appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he had already let out a long sigh of relief.
Yu Hengqing was the only way Dugu Yan could rid herself of the poison accumulated in her body. Naturally, Dugu Bo didn't want anything to happen to him.
"All right, Xiao Qing, let's get back in the tent. It's about to rain, and the food's nearly ready."
Yu Hezai glanced at the dark, heavy sky and hurried Yu Hengqing inside.
"Sure, I'm getting a little hungry too!"
Yu Hengqing wanted to use the Lightning Attraction Technique while the storm was coming, but for now, it was more important to exchange information with Yu Hezai.
Stepping into the tent, Yu Hengqing saw Dugu Yan sitting at the dining table.
"Long time no see, junior!"
As soon as Yu Hengqing came in, Dugu Yan jumped up from her chair and waved to him.
"Long time no see, senior."
Yu Hengqing pulled out a chair, sat at the table, and smiled at Dugu Yan.
Dugu Bo and Yu Hezai took their seats, and lunch began.
"Senior Poison Douluo, whenever it's damp and rainy, you feel an itching and numbness in both sides of your ribs that lasts for more than an hour. It flares up once at noon and once at midnight, correct?"
Yu Hengqing's sudden question made Yu Hezai and Dugu Yan both stop what they were doing and turn to look at Dugu Bo.
Under everyone's gaze, Dugu Bo calmly finished chewing, set down his chopsticks, and looked up at Yu Hengqing.
"That's right. Do you think you're capable of treating me?"
"This junior wouldn't dare make any rash promises, but I can offer you a treatment plan."
Yu Hengqing replied softly, then continued picking up food and eating.
"Mm. Then just tell me what you want, or what you want me to do."
With that, Dugu Bo picked up his bowl and continued eating, as if nothing had happened.
"Grandpa, how can you be so calm? My junior has a plan to treat the poison accumulated in your body!"
Dugu Yan slammed both hands down on the table, knocking over the bowls and chopsticks in front of her.
Yu Hengqing's indifference was understandable. Maybe he didn't realize how important this plan was to Dugu Bo. But why was her grandfather acting like he didn't care either?
Dugu Bo turned Dugu Yan's bowl upright, patted her shoulder, and gestured for her to sit down.
"Yan Yan, the poison in my body isn't that easy to treat. I hope you understand that sometimes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."
"I—Hmph! Do whatever you want, Grandpa. If you don't care, then I don't care either!"
After venting her anger, Dugu Yan stopped responding to Dugu Bo. She quickly finished eating and left.
As for Yu Hezai, he was still trying to process what he'd just heard. This was the first time he'd learned that Poison Douluo Dugu Bo had been poisoned.
After the meal, Yu Hezai took it upon himself to wash the dishes. Of course, he was also trying to get away from there. Sometimes, the more you knew, the greater the danger.
"Tell me about your treatment plan."
Dugu Bo pulled his chair over beside Yu Hengqing and sat down, asking as casually as if they were chatting.
"I have a special cultivation method called a Soul Core. It can condense liquid Soul Power into a solid. The poison in your body is a special kind of Soul Power, isn't it?"
Yu Hengqing leaned back in his chair, quietly watching the ink-black sky.
"Crack!"
A bolt of thunder split the pitch-black sky, illuminating Dugu Bo and Yu Hengqing's faces.
"The poison accumulated in my body is indeed a special kind of Soul Power. Whenever I cultivate, my Martial Soul, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, produces this poison."
"Your plan is a good one. If it works, I'll owe you two lives. If it doesn't, I'll consider it as if you never said anything."
After studying the poison in his body for so many years, Dugu Bo understood as soon as he heard the plan that it had a very high chance of success. What's more, if it worked, the attacks would never return.
"You honor me, senior. I only want to visit your Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. You don't need to repay me with your life."
"Fine. Just tell me when you want to go, and I'll take you there."
If Yu Hengqing hadn't looked so young, anyone seeing them would have thought he and Dugu Bo were old friends.
"Aren't you afraid the poison will rebound and kill you if it fails? I never promised you that this plan was completely safe."
That was why Yu Hengqing was willing to tell Dugu Bo how to condense a Soul Core. He didn't dare—and wouldn't—trust Sky Dream Ice Silkworm completely.
The method Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had given him was devised by Soul Beasts. It couldn't possibly be a perfect fit for Soul Masters, and it was bound to have flaws.
Rather than waiting until he cultivated with it himself to find and fix those flaws, he'd rather let Titled Douluo like Dugu Bo try it first. Pooling everyone's wisdom was sometimes better than working behind closed doors.
After hearing Yu Hengqing out, Dugu Bo seemed to find it amusing and answered with a scoff, "If I were afraid of failure, I wouldn't have cultivated to become a Titled Douluo on my own, nor would I have endured all these years of torment!"
"Still, I'm quite afraid of dying. If I died, I wouldn't be able to eat delicious food or enjoy fun things, and I wouldn't get to see Yan Yan become a Titled Douluo."
That was the real point, wasn't it?
Yu Hengqing glanced at Dugu Bo, who had closed his eyes to listen to the rain, and silently grumbled to himself.
Before you continue