The Cunning Dugu Bo

"Wait!"

"You mean Yanyan can cure her poison backlash by eating it?"

Dugu Bo's green eyes widened, and his hands unconsciously hugged the Earth Dragon Golden Melon to his chest.

"There's only a chance." Gu Ping'an nodded lightly.

Having taken the man's herb garden, he didn't mind lending a hand.

"The Earth Dragon Golden Melon contains rich earth energy and greatly benefits dragon-type martial souls.

Dugu Yan's martial soul is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. The Earth Dragon Golden Melon is very likely to trigger its dragon transformation.

During that transformation, there's a good chance the Jade Phosphorous Serpent's poison backlash will be resolved as well."

Gu Ping'an didn't speak with absolute certainty.

There had been plenty of speculation online in his previous life about the Jade Phosphorous Serpent's poison backlash, but he felt the Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul itself was probably flawed.

Tang San's later problems cultivating Blue Silver Grass arose because the attributes of the soul rings he absorbed conflicted with those of Blue Silver Grass itself. Had it not awakened into the Blue Silver Emperor, his Blue Silver Grass martial soul would have been ruined.

As for claims that absorbing poison-attribute soul rings caused poison backlash later in a soul master's life, that seemed unlikely.

Otherwise, poison-type soul masters wouldn't exist on the Douluo Continent.

"Of course, the herb garden is mine now. If you want to take the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, you'll have to catch some soul beasts for me."

A faint smile touched Gu Ping'an's lips, his gaze fixed steadily on Dugu Bo.

"Just catch some soul beasts?

No problem. I'll catch as many as you want."

Holding the Earth Dragon Golden Melon in both hands, Dugu Bo looked as though this joy falling from the heavens had knocked him senseless.

This was a completely unexpected windfall for him.

Never mind that he had already given the herb garden away—even if he still owned it, he wouldn't have known how to use it.

Resolving Dugu Yan's martial soul backlash would remove the greatest burden weighing on his heart.

"Take the Earth Dragon Golden Melon to Dugu Yan first, then come back and catch soul beasts for me.

Remember, I only need soul beasts with earth, wood, or metal attributes. Thousand-year or ten-thousand-year ones—whatever you can manage.

Also, catch me a Thousand-Leaf Clone Vine between three thousand and five thousand years old."

Dugu Bo looked briefly taken aback by Gu Ping'an's requirements.

When he first heard the request to catch some soul beasts, he had assumed they were for the boy to absorb soul rings.

Now it seemed they had another purpose.

Still... that was none of his concern.

"I'll bring Yanyan here first, then go catch your soul beasts."

With that, Dugu Bo turned into a streak of green light and flew toward the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy in Heaven Dou City.

"Looks like I'm still missing water."

Watching Dugu Bo disappear into the distance, Gu Ping'an lowered his gaze to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well before him.

Ice should count as a variant of water, not truly the water attribute itself.

After a moment's thought, he withdrew the Blue Silver Grass draped over the red-and-blue pool.

His gaze settled on the octagonal mysterious ice grass and infernal delicate apricot growing a short distance from the pool.

With a sweep of Blue Silver Grass, he rolled up both immortal herbs and stuffed them into his mouth.

Two forces, one cold and one hot, immediately exploded inside him.

From his throat to his stomach, it felt as though he was both encased in ten-thousand-year ice and scorched by blazing lava.

"Even partial resistance to ice and fire isn't enough?"

Gu Ping'an frowned, quickly removed his two Storage Soul Tools, set them on the bank, and jumped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

One cold, one hot!

One within, one without!

Heat and cold alternated simultaneously inside and outside him.

His body trembled uncontrollably.

On one side, cold seeped through his pores like countless tiny ice needles piercing his flesh; on the other, scalding fire energy poured into his meridians like lava.

"Ngh!"

Gu Ping'an couldn't hold back a groan of pain.

The power of ice and fire seemed intent on tearing him in two.

Frost and fiery red continuously crept across his body.

Gradually, the pool's power of ice and fire invaded his body and came into contact with the medicinal power of the octagonal mysterious ice grass and infernal delicate apricot.

Boom!

The medicinal power exploded inside him like fireworks, flowing into his extraordinary meridians, limbs, skin, bones, blood, and flesh.

Inch by inch, it destroyed, repaired, and tempered them.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Ping'an floated quietly in the pool of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

"Hey, brat! How about putting some clothes on?"

A voice tinged with surprise and uncertainty reached his ears.

Gu Ping'an slowly opened his eyes and immediately saw Dugu Bo crouching at the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, studying him.

Looking farther away, he saw a little girl with short purple hair standing with her back to them.

"What is it?"

His thoughts had yet to settle, and Gu Ping'an spoke in bewilderment.

"Nothing. I'm just checking whether you've developed yet."

As Dugu Bo spoke, his gaze kept drifting downward.

"Holy shit!"

Gu Ping'an jolted, only then realizing that all his clothes had been completely eaten away by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Watching Gu Ping'an cover himself with both hands, a trace of amusement flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes.

Still a greenhorn.

"Yanyan, take the Earth Dragon Golden Melon right here!"

"Hey! Wait, I'm still here!"

Gu Ping'an clung to the edge of the pool and stared speechlessly at Dugu Bo.

Having Dugu Yan absorb the Earth Dragon Golden Melon beside the pool—was he trying to keep him from getting out?

"Grandpa!"

Dugu Yan covered her eyes with both hands and stamped her foot bashfully.

Dugu Bo had told her he was bringing her to the herb garden to absorb an immortal herb. Who could have imagined that she would arrive to find a naked child floating in a red-and-blue pool?

More importantly, he had been floating faceup.

She had seen everything.

And now her grandfather wanted her to absorb the immortal herb right here. How embarrassing!

"Uh... Dugu Bo, could you take your granddaughter a little farther away?

Let me get out and put some clothes on?"

Gu Ping'an looked tentatively at Dugu Bo.

The old man was clearly enjoying his embarrassment.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

Even if his body belonged to a six-year-old child, his mind was that of a hot-blooded adult.

He really couldn't climb out naked in front of a little girl.

"Yanyan, what do you think?"

Dugu Bo turned toward Dugu Yan, who was peeking through her fingers with one wide eye.

"Grandpa!"

Dugu Yan protested bashfully and hurried away.

Dugu Bo shook his head and followed at a leisurely pace.

He simply wanted to enjoy Gu Ping'an's embarrassment. That was what the boy got for forcing him to swear on his martial soul.

Having a laugh at his expense didn't count as breaking his oath.

Once the two had gone far enough, Gu Ping'an scrambled out, picked up his Storage Soul Tools, and pulled out fresh clothes to put on.

"Brat, my granddaughter will be refining the Earth Dragon Golden Melon here. Keep an eye on her.

I'll go catch your soul beasts."

"Huh?"

Gu Ping'an stared blankly at Dugu Bo as he flew away.

He's just leaving?

Doesn't he want his granddaughter anymore?

He looked back at Dugu Yan. Her cheeks still carried some baby fat, and her eyes were equally bewildered as she watched Dugu Bo fly off.

What is that old man up to?

"Why don't you start absorbing the Earth Dragon Golden Melon?

You have it with you, right?"

Gu Ping'an looked at Dugu Yan and asked tentatively.

Honestly, being alone with Dugu Yan now left him squirming with embarrassment.

After all, Dugu Bo had arrived with Dugu Yan while he was floating unconscious in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

She had probably seen things she shouldn't have.

"I have it."

Dugu Yan spoke timidly, turning halfway away as she took a blue leather pouch from inside her clothes.

The Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch!

A Soul Tool capable of storing living things.

Much like the bracelet Ye Lingling's mother had given him, it could store living things.

"Should I eat it now?"

Dugu Yan asked without meeting Gu Ping'an's eyes.

"Why don't you settle your thoughts first?" Gu Ping'an suggested after a moment's hesitation.

Although Dugu Yan looked calm on the surface, she still wouldn't meet his gaze, which meant she wasn't calm inside.

"Aaaaah!"

The little figure in Dugu Yan's mind screamed frantically.

"What do I do?"

"What do I do?"

"Since I saw his body, do I have to take responsibility for him?"

"But I'm still just a child!"

The more Dugu Yan thought, the redder her face became.

"What's wrong?" Gu Ping'an leaned over to look at Dugu Yan with an odd expression.

She seemed almost ready to start smoking.

"Put the Earth Dragon Golden Melon away for now!

Absorb it once you've calmed down."

With her thoughts in turmoil, a large portion of its medicinal effect might be wasted during absorption.

The Earth Dragon Golden Melon could strengthen the body, stabilize one's foundation, improve a soul master's affinity with earth energy, and promote the dragon transformation of their martial soul.

For Dugu Yan, it was the most suitable immortal herb.

Wasting even a fraction of its energy would be a terrible pity.

While the two endured their awkward time together, Dugu Bo revealed a smile of successful calculation amid the poison miasma surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

There was only one Earth Dragon Golden Melon. It could resolve Dugu Yan's poison backlash, but what about him?

Without a cure for his poison backlash, there was no telling how much longer he could live.

What would happen to Yanyan after he died?