We're the Best in the World

"Come on, Qinghe. It doesn't matter if you don't understand Immortal Herbs. I understand them, and I'll pack some for you too."

As he spoke, Duan Yu grabbed a handful of Immortal Herbs and stuffed them into Xue Qinghe's pocket, saying generously,

"Qinghe, no need to be polite with me. Just take them."

Xue Qinghe looked at the Immortal Herbs in his hand and asked doubtfully, "If you didn't steal these, then where did you get them?"

Duan Yu coughed lightly. "That old thing gave them to me."

They should count as being given to him. Since he was going to detoxify Sister Yan and Dugu Bo, how could he not take something to strengthen his foundation and increase his soul power?

"That old thing?"

Xue Qinghe looked puzzled. "Who is that?"

Only then did Duan Yu remember that Xue Qinghe had no dealings with Dugu Bo. He explained, "That Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo."

The moment Xue Qinghe heard that all of these had come from Dugu Bo, his expression changed. He immediately threw the Immortal Herbs from his pocket onto the ground.

Even Snake Spear and Stingfish, the two Title Douluo disguised as guards behind him, stared fixedly at the Immortal Herbs on the ground.

Seeing Xue Qinghe suddenly throw the Immortal Herbs from his pocket onto the ground, Duan Yu asked in confusion, "Qinghe, what are you—?"

"Careful."

Xue Qinghe said in a low voice, pulling Duan Yu back behind the Immortal Herbs. Soul power gathered around him as he guarded against them warily.

?

Now Duan Yu understood. So Qinghe thought there was something wrong with these Immortal Herbs.

Duan Yu looked at him helplessly. "Qinghe, don't worry. There's nothing wrong with these Immortal Herbs."

"Nothing wrong?"

Xue Qinghe froze for a moment. "How could there be nothing wrong? That old poison freak has an unpredictable temper. Why would he give you these for no reason? There must be a trick."

Seeing that Qinghe still did not quite believe him, Duan Yu could only explain, "Sister Yan is Dugu Bo's granddaughter. That old thing, Dugu Bo, gave all of these to me."

"That old thing asked me to do something for him. These are the payment he gave me."

"Really?" Xue Qinghe asked, half-convinced.

"Of course it's true. Ah, Qinghe, stop overthinking it. Come on, hurry and pick some to absorb."

As he spoke, Duan Yu selected several suitable Immortal Herbs for Xue Qinghe from the pile.

The Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb would work, the Qiluo Tulip was decent, and the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone suited Qinghe perfectly as well.

Later, he would crush them all up and let Qinghe try them. Qinghe was currently at six rings; with the help of these three Immortal Herbs, he should be able to break through to seven rings.

Then, eight years from now, Qinghe would have eight rings, then nine rings. Duan Yu wanted to see how Tang San would beat Qinghe then.

Would it be five rings against eight rings, a Soul King against a Soul Douluo?

Or six rings against nine rings, a Soul Emperor against a Title Douluo?

By then, Qinghe could fight with his feet and Tang San would still lose.

Xue Qinghe looked at the three Immortal Herbs before him, stunned. "I'm supposed to absorb all three of these?"

"Mhm." Duan Yu nodded. "When the time comes, pluck off the petals one by one, crush them up, divide them into three portions, and take them in three separate doses."

"Wait until the effects of the first dose have passed before taking the second. You can't eat them directly."

Whenever he thought of Tang San actually eating Immortal Herbs raw, Duan Yu found it utterly absurd.

Tang San's method was basically like swallowing raw antidotal herbs after being poisoned, without crushing the herbs at all. How could that possibly bring out their full medicinal potency?

How could eating one Immortal Herb raw compare to crushing three Immortal Herbs together, blending them into medicine, and taking it?

Crushing all three Immortal Herbs together would indeed unleash a massive amount of energy.

But dividing it into three doses meant none of the herbs' medicinal power would be wasted, and the benefits of three Immortal Herbs were far greater than those of one.

"Fine. I'll arrange for an auxiliary-system Soul Master to come crush them."

After saying that, Xue Qinghe turned to leave, but Duan Yu hurriedly stopped him and reminded him,

"Qinghe, find people you trust to handle it. There'll probably be quite a commotion later, so we need to isolate the aura."

"Alright."

Xue Qinghe looked toward Stingfish, who was disguised as a guard. With just one glance, Stingfish understood his young master's intention and quietly withdrew.

After Stingfish left, Xue Qinghe looked at Duan Yu and asked, "Are these Immortal Herbs only for me, or does everyone else get some too?"

Duan Yu answered honestly, "Others get some too."

"Heh."

Xue Qinghe sneered. "I thought you brought them especially for me. Turns out others get them too. You really do have a lot of good friends."

Duan Yu smiled faintly. "Even though others get some too, you're the first one to choose an Immortal Herb."

Xue Qinghe paused. "I'm the first one to choose?"

"That's right."

Hearing Duan Yu say that, Xue Qinghe's expression finally improved somewhat. He said haughtily,

"Fine, I'll admit you have some conscience. At least you knew to think of me first."

"Of course. You're my best brother. We're the best in the world, so naturally I think of you first."

Before Xue Qinghe could respond, Duan Yu leaned his head over toward him.

Caught off guard, Xue Qinghe asked, "What are you doing?"

Duan Yu pointed at the corner of Xue Qinghe's eye and said seriously, "Qinghe, I just noticed you have a beauty mark here by your eye. It looks really nice."

Xue Qinghe was startled. The hand he had just raised to push Duan Yu away stopped in midair, resting against Duan Yu's chest.

This feels a little too intimate.

"Qinghe, why aren't you saying anything?"

Coming back to his senses, Xue Qinghe hurriedly lowered his hand, though the tips of his ears had already turned faintly red.

Xue Qinghe shook his head. "Nothing. I've had this beauty mark since I was little. It's not that pretty."

"What do you mean, it isn't?"

Duan Yu immediately retorted, "It's obviously very pretty, alright?"

Xue Qinghe smiled. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Duan Yu cry out, "Oh no!"

Xue Qinghe was startled by his reaction and thought something had happened. He quickly asked, "What is it? What happened?"

Duan Yu looked at Xue Qinghe with a near-tearful expression.

"Qinghe, I think I forgot to take one Immortal Herb."

"..."

Xue Qinghe said helplessly, "So you forgot one. It's only one Immortal Herb. It's not a big deal."

"That one is different."

Duan Yu explained, "I picked that Immortal Herb specifically for you. It's the one most compatible with you."

Xue Qinghe froze. "You picked it specifically for me?"

"Yeah."

"Then have you chosen your own Immortal Herb?"

"Not yet."

Duan Yu shook his head. "I was in such a hurry to come find you that I chose in a rush. I still haven't finished choosing."

"What's the big deal? Mine isn't urgent. You can go back and look for it slowly."

Duan Yu nodded, seeming to agree with him, and said nothing more.

Yet for some reason, he vaguely felt a trace of unease deep in his subconscious.

Before long, Stingfish returned with an elderly man and bowed to Xue Qinghe.

"Young Master, this man happens to be a plant-system Soul Master. His martial soul is the Tree of Life, and he has some knowledge of medicinal herbs."

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. This old man is Li Fenzhen. My martial soul is the Tree of Life, and I am a level seventy-eight auxiliary-system Soul Master."

"This old man will do his utmost to refine them for Your Highness shortly."

Xue Qinghe gave Stingfish a look, signaling that he could leave. However, he did not immediately respond to Li Fenzhen. Instead, his gaze turned toward Duan Yu.

When Duan Yu met Xue Qinghe's gaze, he immediately understood that Qinghe wanted him to take command.

Duan Yu stood up and politely shook Li Fenzhen's hand.

"Elder Li, it isn't Qinghe who wishes to refine medicinal herbs. Rather, this junior has several herbs that I would like refined."

"However, the refining process will be rather difficult, so I'll have to trouble you shortly, Senior."

Li Fenzhen nodded confidently. "Don't worry, young man. No matter how difficult the medicinal herbs are to refine, they won't be a problem once they reach this old man."

"That would be wonderful."

Smiling, Duan Yu took the three Immortal Herbs he intended to refine for Qinghe from his pocket.

The instant the three Immortal Herbs appeared, their rich aura filled the entire room.

Li Fenzhen, who had just been calm and brimming with confidence, trembled when he saw the three Immortal Herbs in Duan Yu's hand. His pupils contracted as he blurted out in shock,

"These are Immortal Herbs!"