A Stroll Before the Gates of Death

"Perhaps?"

Dugu Bo frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with that answer. But he quickly relaxed. "Indeed, this old man was being greedy. Although the poison in my body has made me suffer, I can still live. But if it is truly cured, I'm afraid all this poison cultivation of mine will be gone, won't it?"

Ouyang Ling neither confirmed nor denied it. "Do you still want it cured?"

"Yes!"

Dugu Bo did not hesitate and looked toward Dugu Yan.

"But not for this old man. For Yan Yan."

"Even if your cultivation speed slows in the future and you no longer have powerful poison to rely on?" Ouyang Ling was not only asking Dugu Bo that question, but Dugu Yan as well. After all, it was a choice they had to make themselves.

"Yes!"

Dugu Yan tucked back the hair by her temple and smiled resolutely. "Even if it becomes difficult for me to become a powerful Soul Master, I still have to think about my future children. If Tianheng and I get married someday and I haven't been cured, wouldn't I be harming our future children?"

Dugu Bo secretly gritted his teeth. "..."

That brat from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect deserved to die!

Ouyang Ling was somewhat speechless. "..."

Sweat. Had she really thought that far ahead already?

But it was none of his business, so he said, "Dugu, I'll cure your poison first."

Upon hearing that, Dugu Yan walked to the open area of the main hall. She spread her arms. "Begin. I'm ready."

Dugu Bo frowned slightly at the sight.

"Right here?"

"Right here."

Ouyang Ling stood, and the Sea God Dragon Martial Soul possessed him!

"It's only a matter of using one soul skill."

But before acting, he turned his head toward Dugu Bo. "If Senior Dugu wishes to preserve his poison cultivation while also curing the poison, I have another method. However, that method has a flaw."

"Really?!"

Dugu Bo was immediately overjoyed.

Just when things had seemed hopeless, a new path had opened up!

"Of course."

Ouyang Ling nodded, but then stated his conditions. "However, to achieve that, quite a few rare medicinal herbs will be needed. It will also take some time."

At that moment, he finally revealed his true intentions.

"That is not a problem."

Dugu Yan, who had been standing with her arms spread while waiting, noticed that the water had yet to arrive. Upon hearing Ouyang Ling and Dugu Bo's conversation, she spoke up. "My grandfather has a medicinal garden with all kinds of herbs growing in it. There are even quite a few that Grandfather himself cannot identify. If you need them, Ling, why not simply go to my grandfather's medicinal garden and look?"

Ouyang Ling forcefully suppressed the upward curve of his lips and feigned curiosity. "Oh? Your family has such a medicinal garden?"

Dugu Yan guaranteed, "Absolutely."

Dugu Bo, who had been "left out," said, "..."

Cough, cough, cough—his lovely little padded jacket had been leaking air nonstop today. It was making him want to cough.

But when their gazes turned toward him, Dugu Bo still nodded calmly. "We'll do as Yan Yan said."

"Then there's no problem." As he spoke, ripples had already begun to spread around Ouyang Ling. "Let me cure Dugu's poison first—Deep Blue Purification!"

In an instant, jade waves carrying the vitality of the sea rippled outward at the Sea God Dragon's summons, enveloping the life poisoned to the core and soothing the body that had long been ravaged by toxins until it was riddled with wounds...

Under Dugu Bo's watchful gaze, the jade waves summoned by Ouyang Ling purified the toxins in Dugu Yan's body at an astonishing speed, leaving him unable to suppress his shock!

Dugu Bo had never expected that the Jade Phosphor Snake Poison that had plagued him for nearly half his life would be resolved by a soul skill that seemed to be this brat's self-created technique.

And there was another important point:

When he had arrived earlier, all his attention had been on the poison, so he had not paid much attention to Ouyang Ling's age or cultivation. Now that he looked closely, this brat was only eight or nine years old, yet his cultivation was already catching up to Yan Yan's!

What a monster!

While Dugu Bo was still stunned, under his concerned gaze, it did not take long for the residual poison in Dugu Yan's body to be completely swept away by Deep Blue Purification. Her beautiful hair turned completely black, and even the nails on her hands lost their former jade-green color.

The moment Ouyang Ling withdrew his hand, Dugu Bo rushed forward in a single stride to examine her. After checking and finding that not a trace of poison remained in Dugu Yan's body, Dugu Bo's heart finally settled.

He turned around and looked deeply at Ouyang Ling.

"Boy, I will keep my promise."

Dugu Yan, now free from the threat to her life, was equally overjoyed. She bowed in thanks. "Little Ling, thank you."

"No need to thank me. I'm not losing out either."

Ouyang Ling waved with a smile, then reminded her, "Dugu, although I have cured your poison, your body has been eroded by those toxins for far too long. You may not have any major problems in the short term, but for the sake of your future health, it would be best for you to stay home during this holiday and nourish your body with medicinal herbs that strengthen your foundation, along with suitable food."

"No problem."

Dugu Yan agreed immediately. After a flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes, she said, "But Little Ling, what about my grandfather...?"

"Wait a few days."

Ouyang Ling shook his head, not in a hurry.

"Given Senior Dugu's poisoning and his current cultivation, his condition is definitely a hundred times more troublesome than yours. It will take quite some time as well. So I need to discuss it with Big Brother Xue first, so he does not worry."

Dugu Yan nodded, showing that she understood.

"That makes sense..."

"Hey, brat Ouyang."

At that moment, Dugu Bo suddenly asked:

"Who is this Big Brother Xue of yours?"

Xue was the royal family surname. In Heaven Dou City, that alone was enough to draw his attention.

Ouyang Ling said, "Of course, His Highness the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe."

In an instant, Dugu Bo's brow furrowed, suspicion surfacing in his eyes. "You belong to Xue Qinghe? Could it be that he sent you to cure Yan Yan's poison this time?"

"I belong to His Highness the Crown Prince." Ouyang Ling did not deny the first half, but questioned the latter half. "However, why does Senior Dugu say I was 'sent here'?"

"Because this old man has dealings with Prince Xue Xing."

Dugu Bo did not hide anything and spoke frankly. "To be honest, this old man is beginning to suspect that everything you have done thus far is part of Xue Qinghe's plan to deal with Xue Xing and Xue Beng, starting with this old man."

Ouyang Ling said, "..."

You guessed half of it right.

Naturally, though, he could not admit it.

"The royal family and politics have nothing to do with me." Ouyang Ling lied without batting an eye. "Learning that Dugu was poisoned was originally just a coincidence, and I wanted to help out of friendship from the beginning. Of course, Senior's offered conditions were indeed quite tempting as well."

Dugu Yan was the first to nod in agreement.

"I think that makes perfect sense."

Dugu Bo snorted. "You brat are honest enough." His tone was rather flat, making it impossible to tell whether that was praise or criticism.

Ouyang Ling remained unmoved and instead asked, "Could it be that Senior Dugu finds this troublesome because of Big Brother Xue's identity?"

"What is there for this old man to find troublesome?"

Dugu Bo was unconcerned. "This old man's friendship with Xue Xing began because he once did me a favor. By now, the debt I owed him has already been repaid. Besides..."

He glanced at Ouyang Ling.

"You brat intend to use this to win me over?"

Ouyang Ling denied it. "We only have a personal friendship."

"Good. This old man cannot be bothered with those vexing affairs between the royals." Dugu Bo glanced at Dugu Yan, yet could not stop himself from sighing inwardly.

Afterward, he gave Ouyang Ling an address. "Boy, this is my address in Heaven Dou City. Once you have decided when to visit this old man's medicinal garden, come find me there."

With that, he prepared to leave with Dugu Yan.

Seeing this, Ouyang Ling made a show of trying to keep them.

"You're not eating the pastries? Not drinking the tea?"

Without turning back, Dugu Bo said:

"Keep them for yourself."

Dugu Yan turned around and waved:

"See you in a few days, Little Ling. Thank you!"

As the manor gates opened and then closed, Ouyang Ling's smile faded. He glanced at the untouched pastries on the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"What a pity."

Then he turned and asked:

"Grandpa Porcupinefish, would you like some?"

Porcupinefish Douluo, who had appeared beside Ouyang Ling at some point, shook his head. "No. I need to report this matter to the Young Mistress first."

"Then I'll trouble Grandpa Porcupinefish to pass a message to Sister Xue'er: the herbs in Dugu Bo's medicinal garden are quite unusual. Even a Poison Douluo like him cannot identify them all. They might be rare and uncommon medicinal materials, so I need a more comprehensive book to distinguish them."

"Alright."

Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Crown Prince's Residence.

"Was that all?" Qian Renxue sat behind her desk. After hearing Porcupinefish Douluo's report, she asked, "Dugu Bo did nothing out of line, did he?"

"He did," Porcupinefish Douluo answered truthfully.

Qian Renxue's gaze instantly turned sharp. In that moment, even Porcupinefish Douluo could feel her killing intent.

"What did he do?!"

Porcupinefish Douluo did not dare delay in the slightest. He reported every single thing Dugu Bo had done in the main hall without embellishment.

After Qian Renxue heard it all, her killing intent receded.

"Are you certain Little Ling was not injured?"

"He was not."

Porcupinefish Douluo said:

"His granddaughter stopped him, so he held back."

"That's good."

Qian Renxue withdrew her killing intent completely. Dugu Bo had no idea that he had just taken a stroll before the gates of death.

"By the way, Little Ling wants a more comprehensive book?"

"Yes."

After considering it for a moment, Qian Renxue instructed:

"Elder Porcupinefish, return to Spirit Hall now and ask Chrysanthemum Douluo for a book with the most comprehensive records on the subject. That man loves flowers and plants most of all. He should have one that Little Ling needs."

Porcupinefish Douluo said, "Yes."