First Encounter with Tang San and the Others

"Six-year-old child knocked Xue'er to the ground?" Qian Daoliu asked, his voice already restored to its usual calm.

But those who knew him understood that beneath this calm often lay even more turbulent undercurrents.

"Yes," Jiang Mo Douluo answered with his head lowered. "That was what the young mistress said in her letter. Also, this child has currently been taken in as Dugu Bo's disciple and is temporarily staying at Dugu Manor in Heaven Dou City."

Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Dugu Bo? Poison Douluo? That Titled Douluo who was only level ninety-two?

Tang Chen and Bo Saixi's son had taken a poison user as his master?

Who would believe that?

Who was Bo Saixi?

Sea God Douluo, a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, one of the three great Peerless Douluo of the present age alongside him and Tang Chen, and the ruler of Sea God Island.

Even if her child wanted a teacher, only someone of the same caliber would be worthy, wouldn't they?

How could the likes of Dugu Bo possibly qualify?

Qian Daoliu's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

There had to be a problem here.

Either this child was not Tang Chen and Bo Saixi's at all, or Bo Saixi had become utterly disappointed in Tang Chen and, by extension, did not care much for the child either, casually tossing him onto the continent to fend for himself.

But no matter which it was, this child named Jiang Lan should not have been treated this way by Tang Chen and Bo Saixi.

Meanwhile, on the road to the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Master... slow down..."

"Doro—"

Jiang Lan and Doro, one human and one soul, were being carried through the air at high speed by Dugu Bo.

In one month, he had broken through to level twenty. When Dugu Bo learned of it, he was utterly shocked.

Level twenty at six years old?

Brother, were you cheating?

In the entire history of Douluo Continent, no one had ever risen ten levels in just a few months.

This made Dugu Bo immensely grateful that he had encountered Jiang Lan. In the future, the Dugu Family and Dugu Yan would have a powerful backer.

At the same time, Dugu Bo made up his mind to raise Jiang Lan as his own grandson.

After helping Jiang Lan obtain his second Soul Ring, he would take Jiang Lan to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

At present, only he knew about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Even his precious granddaughter did not know.

It was not that he did not want to tell Dugu Yan. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was far too dangerous, and she could not handle it at all.

Jiang Lan, however, knew perfectly well why he had broken through so quickly.

It was because of the heavenly treasures the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had given him before.

Although he had consumed and refined them, he had not fully absorbed all their medicinal effects. His recent cultivation had allowed him to absorb another portion of their potency.

The raging wind poured into Jiang Lan's penguin outfit, puffing his hood into a ball. The little fellow looked like a marshmallow being tugged through the sky on a string.

Doro's tiny arms and legs flailed wildly in the wind. Her purple beady eyes were squeezed into two slits by the gusts, while she still clenched the half-eaten orange tightly in her mouth.

Dugu Bo remained expressionless. One hand gripped Jiang Lan by the back of his collar, while the other held Doro by the scruff of her neck. He streaked through the clouds like lightning.

The bruise on his abdomen had nearly faded, yet whenever he looked at this little disciple, his stomach would ache faintly in conditioned reflex.

"Bear with it. We're almost there," Dugu Bo said flatly.

"Master... where exactly are we going?" Jiang Lan's voice was broken apart by the wind.

"The Star Dou Great Forest. To hunt for you."

"What kind of Soul Ring do I need?"

"We'll talk when we get there." Dugu Bo said that, but he did not have much confidence either.

Finding a Soul Ring for a six-year-old monster who could send him flying with thirty percent of his strength had never had a precedent in the continent's history.

He was even considering whether to hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for Jiang Lan directly, but he worried that a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's Soul Ring would place too much strain on a six-year-old's body and mind.

Three hours later, Dugu Bo landed with Jiang Lan and Doro in a small town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

This was the final supply point for soul masters before entering the forest. The town was filled with hunters in all kinds of soul master robes, while the streets were lined with stalls selling herbs, soul beast meat, and maps.

"Eat something first." Dugu Bo found a restaurant and carried Jiang Lan inside.

The moment he entered, Jiang Lan's eyes lit up.

Like a kitten that had caught the scent of fish, he stood on tiptoe and leaned over the counter, looking up at the menu hanging on the wall. His big eyes gleamed with hunger for food.

"Master! I want this! And this! This too!" Jiang Lan's little hand jabbed rapidly at the menu, so fast that the waiter could barely keep up.

"That's too much. Order fewer dishes." Dugu Bo frowned.

"You promised you'd feed me." Jiang Lan turned around and looked at Dugu Bo with those clear black-and-white eyes, his gaze full of accusation: How could you go back on your word?

Dugu Bo's mouth twitched. He took a deep breath and told the waiter, "...Write them all down."

After ordering, the two humans and one soul prepared to find a place to sit.

"So cute!"

Just then, a cry of surprise rang out.

Jiang Lan looked toward the voice and saw eight people standing by the entrance: one middle-aged man, four youths, and three girls.

One of the girls wore a simple white dress that made her seem clean and pure. She had neat, ear-length short hair, soft skin like lychee flesh, delicate features, and stood around one meter sixty-five tall.

Her figure was very well-proportioned, and her temperament was noble and refined. She looked like an aristocratic young lady who had received an excellent education. Like a warm spring breeze, her gentle smile infected everyone around her.

Seeing these people, Jiang Lan formed a few guesses.

The girl jogged over to Jiang Lan, crouched down, and said, "Hello, little friend. My name is Ning Rongrong. What's your name?"

Jiang Lan thought for a moment before answering, "My name is Jiang Lan."

Once he learned that the girl was named Ning Rongrong, Jiang Lan confirmed who these people were.

The Shrek Seven Monsters and Zhao Wuji.

Jiang Lan did not think much of the Seven Monsters from the first Douluo era, except for Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun was genuinely scummy. Getting into a conflict with someone and having them beaten up was one thing, but he had even made that person into a eunuch afterward.

Tang San from the first Douluo era had plenty of problems, but he had not yet reached the point where everyone despised him.

Tang San from the second Douluo era was the truly disgusting one.

Still, Tang San's moral standards were considered high among male protagonists in web novels.

The reason so many people criticized Tang San was not because of what Tang San had done, but because Tang San was someone's pen name.

After all, before the internet cleanup, not many people talked about the things Tang San had done.

The overwhelming majority of fanfiction had Tang San as the protagonist's brother.

Of course, one person's reputation had not changed much: Yu Xiaogang.

A universally acknowledged good-for-nothing, with barely any use at all.

Jiang Lan recalled a joke: if Yu Xiaogang lectured on theory, no one would come listen, but if he taught people how to pick up girls, the place would be packed.

At that moment, another girl jogged over.