The Amazing Orange

"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan set Jiang Lan and Doro down on the chairs beside her, then rushed to the desk in three quick strides.

With both hands braced against the desktop, Dugu Yan leaned forward. Her dark green eyes held a panic Dugu Bo had never seen on her face before. "I'm asking you something, and you have to answer me honestly!"

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow.

No one knew his granddaughter's temperament better than he did. Since childhood, she had feared neither heaven nor earth. Even before a Titled Douluo, she could hold her head high as she spoke.

This was the first time he had ever seen her like this.

Dugu Bo set down what he was holding and leaned back in his chair, his aged fingers lightly tapping the armrest. "What could be urgent enough to make you this anxious?"

"The poison in my body... was I born with it?"

Dugu Bo's fingers froze against the armrest.

The air in the study seemed to be clenched tight by an invisible hand.

Every sound vanished, leaving only the rustle of wind through the bamboo outside the window, and the faint swishing of Jiang Lan's penguin suit against the cushion as he squirmed in his chair to adjust his posture.

The change in Dugu Bo's expression was extremely subtle, but Dugu Yan saw it clearly.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Dugu Bo's voice sounded calm, but that instant of silence had already betrayed him. "How could you possibly be po—"

He knew the truth of it all too well. For all these years, he had been searching for a solution, trying to keep Dugu Yan from meeting the same fate as him.

Dugu Bo looked into the eyes so identical to his own. There was none of Dugu Yan's usual pride or stubbornness in them now, only an almost pleading persistence.

She clearly had not come to discuss this with him today. She had come for an answer.

Dugu Bo remained silent for a long time.

Jiang Lan sat rigidly in his chair, his little legs dangling in midair without daring to swing. Even Doro held her breath, curling herself into a genuine little ball.

The atmosphere in the study was as oppressive as the sea before a storm, the heavy air pressing down on everyone's shoulders.

At last, Dugu Bo slowly leaned back in his chair.

His shoulders sagged, and he seemed to age ten years in an instant. A weariness Dugu Yan had never seen before appeared on his usually sharp face.

"How much do you know?" His voice was terribly hoarse.

"She said it was poison carried from the womb." Dugu Yan turned and pointed at the person and Martial Soul sitting on the chairs. "She said that once this poison erupts, I'll definitely die."

Dugu Bo followed the direction of her finger.

Jiang Lan sat up straight, the hood of his penguin suit tilted to one side. Seeing Dugu Bo look over, he immediately raised a chubby little hand and greeted him politely. "Hello, Grandpa. My name is Jiang Lan, and her name is Doro. She was the one who noticed it, not me. I can only fight."

Doro poked half her head out from behind Jiang Lan. Her big purple eyes blinked twice, and she let out a timid "Doro," as though agreeing.

Dugu Bo stared at the little white ball for quite a while.

He had lived most of his life and seen countless spirit beasts and Martial Souls, yet he could not fathom this little white ball at all.

Not because she was too strong, but because she was too strange.

She was clearly a Martial Soul, yet she was like an independent individual—an independent existence with her own thoughts and judgment.

Dugu Bo was still rather surprised that this little fellow had seen the problem within Dugu Yan.

"Who are you?" Dugu Bo looked at Doro, unconsciously lowering his voice.

Doro blinked, seeming to seriously consider how she should answer. Then she puffed out her round little chest and said in the most solemn tone possible, "Doro."

Dugu Bo: "..."

He turned to Dugu Yan, his eyes clearly asking what she was talking about.

Dugu Yan spread her hands, indicating that she did not understand either.

In the end, Jiang Lan translated for Doro. "She says her name is Doro."

Dugu Bo looked to Jiang Lan and asked, "Little one, does your Martial Soul have a way to solve my granddaughter's problem?"

As he spoke, he began examining Jiang Lan.

One look was all it took to shock him.

Level 19?!

This child looked no more than six, yet he was already level 19. What kind of outrageous genius was this?

Jiang Lan tilted his head in thought, then reached out and poked Doro's round belly. "Doro, Grandpa is asking whether you have a way to deal with that poison."

Jiang Lan tilted his head in thought, then reached out and poked Doro's round belly. "Doro, do you have a way?"

Doro wobbled twice from the poke. Her big purple eyes narrowed as if she were seriously searching through her orange inventory.

A moment later, she flipped her tiny hand, and the white Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up. A pale golden orange appeared out of thin air in her little paw.

The orange's peel glowed with a gentle luster. It was not as bright and eye-catching as the previous oranges, but once its fragrance spread, the air throughout the study instantly became clearer. Even the cup of poisonous tea still bubbling on Dugu Bo's desk gradually calmed.

"This orange can suppress the poison in her body." Doro held the orange out before Dugu Bo, rare solemnity in her purple eyes. "But it can't cure it completely. Only after Jiang Lan grows stronger will there be a way to cure it."

Dugu Bo accepted the golden orange. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, while the radiance beneath its peel flowed slowly like liquid gold.

Looking at the golden orange in his hand, Dugu Bo hesitated briefly before deciding to eat it.

This was merely the soul skill of a child's Martial Soul. It was impossible for it to harm Dugu Bo.

Even if there was a problem, he could kill Jiang Lan in an instant.

After eating the golden orange, Dugu Bo felt warmth spread through his entire body, and he inexplicably felt a little lighter.

Dugu Bo checked his condition and found that the poison within him had been suppressed slightly.

He took a deep breath, forcing down the shock in his heart, then looked again at the little fellow in the penguin suit.

"You mean that as long as this boy's level rises, he'll be able to completely remove the poison from Yan Yan's body?" A hint of urgency unconsciously entered Dugu Bo's voice.

For all these years, he had scoured ancient records, tested every poison, and even risked his life exploring countless forbidden lands in search of an antidote, only to find nothing.

And now, the Martial Soul of a six-year-old child was telling him there was a way.

"Yes." Doro nodded with certainty.

Dugu Bo looked at the little ball of flesh sitting in the chair, secretly pulling dried fish from his penguin suit pocket and gnawing on it.

A six-year-old child with level 19 Soul Power, whose Martial Soul could produce something capable of suppressing the poison of his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor.

He had lived for so many years and seen all kinds of geniuses, but this sort of monster was truly a first.

What was more, this child's Martial Soul had said that once his level rose, Dugu Yan's poison could be cured completely.

Dugu Bo turned to look at Dugu Yan.

His granddaughter stood beside the desk. The panic had not entirely faded from her dark green eyes, but she was much calmer than before.

There was a silent expectation in the way she looked at him.