Dugu Bo: A Wise Man Submits to Circumstances

Meanwhile, Sunset Forest.

Atop a hill roughly five hundred meters tall.

Xu Peinian and Golden Crocodile Douluo stood at the summit, looking down at the inverted-cone-shaped depression before them.

Thick heat rose from the hollow, carrying the distinctive scent of sulfur.

"Grandpa Golden Crocodile, let's go down."

"Alright, Xiao Nian. Hold on tight to my arm."

Golden Crocodile Douluo spread his body and leaped directly from the seemingly bottomless mountainside before them with Xu Peinian in tow.

At the bottom of the valley lay an oval-shaped pool.

The pool was not particularly large, but it was divided into two sections.

The two spring waters were entirely different in color.

One half was vermilion, the other milky white. Though they occupied the same pool, they remained distinctly separate, neither encroaching upon the other.

A green-haired old man sat cross-legged not far from the pool, apparently cultivating.

Suddenly,

the green-haired old man's eyes snapped open as he sensed something and looked in a certain direction.

"Who is it? Who dares trespass into this old man's territory?"

Xu Peinian and Golden Crocodile Douluo landed, meeting his gaze head-on.

Their luck was a little poor. Old Poison happened to be cultivating here.

But it wasn't a big problem. Golden Crocodile Douluo was protecting me, after all. At worst, we'll have to put in some effort to suppress this Old Poison.

Xu Peinian's mind raced before he looked at Dugu Bo and asked:

"Are you Senior Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo?"

Only then did Dugu Bo clearly see what the visitors looked like. His eyes widened and his pupils shrank sharply, and he did not even respond to Xu Peinian's question.

The only one capable of making an old fossil like Dugu Bo lose his composure so suddenly was, naturally, an even older fossil.

"Senior Golden Crocodile, why are you here?"

Dugu Bo's legs felt a little weak.

Golden Crocodile Douluo still remembered him somewhat. After all, he had been present when Dugu Bo received his title years ago.

"So it's little Bo." Golden Crocodile Douluo gave him a slight nod, his tone calm. "I came to accompany a junior while he collects something he needs."

Hearing that, Dugu Bo finally turned his gaze toward Xu Peinian.

Looking at this eight- or nine-year-old boy, Dugu Bo furrowed his brows and asked with confusion on his face:

"May I ask, Senior Golden Crocodile, who is this young man? Ah, no, this little brother is...?"

"My disciple, and also my god-grandson."

After answering, Golden Crocodile Douluo gave Xu Peinian a kindly glance, then added, "Today, I'll follow his lead in all things."

Dugu Bo: "!!!"

Though he sensed no killing intent from the visitors, Dugu Bo could tell from their words that they had come with ill intent. He probed cautiously:

"Then may I ask what this little brother has come here for?"

Xu Peinian did not beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly:

"Senior Dugu, I want to claim this hot spring."

Although Xu Peinian's tone was polite, the meaning behind his words was anything but.

Hearing such bandit-like words, Dugu Bo's eyelid twitched uncontrollably, and his heart sank.

Xu Peinian was not surprised by Old Poison's reaction.

Dugu Bo was a ruthless man by nature. Trying to take food from his hands through persuasion alone would never work.

So Xu Peinian looked toward Golden Crocodile Douluo. Their eyes met, and Golden Crocodile Douluo understood instantly. Pressure poured from his body, enveloping Dugu Bo in the blink of an eye.

Bang!

Dugu Bo, who had originally intended to seize the chance to flee, was forced to his knees on the spot.

His old face turned crimson beneath the immense pressure.

"Senior Dugu, don't even think about running. Our transaction isn't finished yet."

A faint smile rested on Xu Peinian's face, but there was not a trace of warmth in his words.

"You! If you have the guts, then kill me! A man may be killed, but never humiliated!" Dugu Bo said, craning his neck.

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll grant your wish." Xu Peinian turned to Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Grandpa Golden Crocodile, please."

A chilling, murderous aura surged. An invisible and immense pressure emanated from Golden Crocodile Douluo's shadow cast upon the ground, aimed directly at Dugu Bo kneeling there.

In a daze, Dugu Bo saw an image of his own head flying high into the air.

But in the next instant, the illusion vanished. Dugu Bo found that the other party was still standing where he had been, and his head was still firmly attached to his body.

Dugu Bo instinctively touched his crotch, then breathed a sigh of relief.

So it was sweat in his pants. He had thought it was urine.

After experiencing the brink of death, Dugu Bo was no longer as unyielding as before. His eyes widened slightly as he stared blankly at the young man before him.

Even though Golden Crocodile Douluo had withdrawn his pressure, Dugu Bo still knelt on the ground with both hands braced against it.

His legs had truly gone weak. He could not even stand.

"Senior Dugu, dying is easy. I can have Grandpa Golden Crocodile send you on your way immediately, but have you considered your granddaughter?"

"What will happen to her after you die? You wouldn't want to see her bullied by others, would you?"

"You!!!"

The moment Dugu Bo heard the other party mention his granddaughter, he somehow recovered a sliver of courage and shakily rose to his feet.

She was his only granddaughter, and the Dugu Family's last remaining bloodline.

Dugu Bo was so furious that his green hair danced without wind. Gritting his teeth, he said resentfully, "What exactly do you want? Come at this old man if you have something to settle. Don't hurt Yan Yan!"

"Senior Dugu, there's an old saying in my hometown: a wise man submits to circumstances. As long as you give me this hot spring and the rare flowers and herbs around it, then join our Spirit Hall, I naturally won't do anything to you or your granddaughter."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo's face alternated between green and white, and he still hesitated.

Xu Peinian understood the principle of following a stick with a carrot, so he spoke again:

"Besides, as long as you join our Spirit Hall, I can help you cure your poison."

"What!"

Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. The humiliation vanished from his face, replaced by wild delight.

This boy could actually see that he had been poisoned!

His parents, his son, and his daughter-in-law had all died from the backlash of Jade Phosphor Snake Poison.

Every day, he longed to rid himself of this poison. It had practically become an obsession in his heart.

If someone truly could help cure him and his granddaughter, what was a mere hot spring? Even if he had to hand over his life, he would do so willingly.

"You can really cure us?"

"Of course. There's no need for me to lie to you."

Dugu Bo's attitude underwent a complete reversal. His old face blossomed like a chrysanthemum.

"Haha, Young Master, I'll brave fire and water for you."

Xu Peinian's mouth twitched. He truly had not expected Old Poison to be so adaptable.

"Alright. This is an Earth Dragon Golden Melon. Once you consume it, your martial soul will definitely evolve into a dragon martial soul, and the deadly poison in your body will naturally dissolve bit by bit."

"As for your granddaughter, Dugu Yan, find her a suitable spirit bone and have her force the poison into it while cultivating her poison techniques. Then there won't be any problems."

After saying that, Xu Peinian had Golden Crocodile Douluo pluck a small golden melon and hand it to Dugu Bo.

Though he had some doubts about whether this melon could truly cure his poison, Dugu Bo still did as instructed and swallowed it in one bite.

Watching Dugu Bo sit on the ground and begin refining and absorbing the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, Xu Peinian withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the other immortal herbs.