Qian Renyue, you really are a sneaky little schemer

Go in?

Qian Renyue froze for a moment.

Honestly, she had no such intention.

But something in there really was drawing her in. "Senior, what kinds of soul beasts are farther inside?"

Qian Renyue took off the gas mask and turned to ask him.

It wasn't that she hadn't heard the warning in Dugu Bo's words, but right now, she cared more about why this body of hers yearned so strongly for the depths of the forest.

Just what was in there?

"Inside?" Seeing Qian Renyue remove her gas mask, Dugu Bo took his off as well. He was practically suffocating. The mask barely let any air through, and after wearing it for just a little while, sweat had already beaded on his face. If the girl hadn't made it sound so mysterious, he wouldn't have bothered wearing the thing.

"Farther in is supposedly where hundred-thousand-year soul beasts live. Ordinary soul masters wouldn't venture in lightly. Though I've lived in the Sunset Forest for decades, I've never been in there. After all, I don't need any more soul rings. Besides, anyone who barges into a hundred-thousand-year soul beast's habitat for no reason either has something wrong with their brain or is completely mad."

After saying that, Dugu Bo deliberately glanced at Qian Renyue. His meaning was clear: if she wanted to go in, that last remark was meant for her.

To this, Qian Renyue replied, "Senior, I was only asking. I wasn't planning to go in. Don't worry!"

"Don't worry? How can I not worry? Your eyeballs are practically following it in there already, and you're telling me not to worry? How am I supposed to do that?" Dugu Bo didn't know Qian Renyue's temperament very well, but he knew the girl had plenty of crafty ideas and wasn't necessarily obedient. After all, that master of hers wasn't exactly normal. Could a master with something wrong with their brain teach a disciple whose brain was perfectly fine?

The answer was no.

At least, that was what Dugu Bo believed at the moment.

"All right, girl. If you really want to put my mind at ease, hurry up and come with me. With your current strength, you can't possibly kill this Netherworld Flower Emperor. Time is short, so stop wasting it."

It was plain to see that Dugu Bo really wanted to hurry Qian Renyue out of there.

Qian Renyue was a little speechless, but fortunately, she had already plucked all the immortal herbs clean. Even if she left immediately, it wouldn't be a bad thing for her.

Still, she had to take care of what needed doing first.

Her gaze settled on Dugu Bo, and she looked him up and down with a rather peculiar expression. Noticing it, Dugu Bo thought there was something on him. "Girl, why are you staring at me like that? Is there a caterpillar on me?"

"No," Qian Renyue replied. Folding her arms across her chest, she tilted her head and studied him thoughtfully. "I just noticed that you haven't changed clothes in many days, Senior, and found it odd. But as a Titled Douluo, you couldn't possibly be a pauper who can't even afford new clothes. So I was wondering whether you've cultivated too much poison, leaving toxins built up inside your body with no way to expel them?"

At that sly look, Dugu Bo was briefly taken aback. Qian Renyue's deduction was more or less correct. Though somewhat surprised, he didn't let much of it show. "How do you know toxins have accumulated in my body?"

"Because-"

Qian Renyue smiled lightly. "Senior, you're famous for poison, so naturally, you practice poison cultivation. Besides, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul is itself highly venomous. Seeing how green you've become, there's a good chance you're deeply poisoned. I spent a month with Sister Yanzi and learned a little from her too. Once you string all those things together, doesn't that lead straight to this conclusion?"

"..."

Though Qian Renyue's analysis made perfect sense, Dugu Bo still couldn't help rolling his eyes at her. What does she mean, "how green you've become"? How green have I become? I was a pretty boy back in the day, all right? Who wasn't handsome when they were young?

Honestly.

Still, irritation aside, Dugu Bo didn't take her words to heart. Something seemed to occur to him, and he suddenly joked, "And then, little girl? Don't tell me you're planning to cure my poison?"

Even he could do nothing about the poison throughout his body, so it was impossible for anyone else. Now that Qian Renyue had suddenly brought it up, he couldn't help wondering what her intentions were. Perhaps because of her unusual status, he thought the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or the Heaven Dou Imperial Family might truly possess some rare treasure that could help him. That was why Dugu Bo asked with a smile. Otherwise, with his old temper, if anyone claimed they could cure his poison, he would have poisoned them to death with a jumble of toxins rather than leave them alive to spout such boasts.

Qian Renyue was honest. She shook her head and answered, "No. I'm not a physician, and I don't know how to cure poison. But I do have a good idea that you could try, Senior. Perhaps it could ease your painful symptoms."

"What is it?" Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. He didn't know why, but even though he didn't quite believe Qian Renyue, his actions always seemed to go along with her wishes-just like that gas mask she had tossed him earlier.

Qian Renyue smiled faintly, unfolded her arms, and stood with her hands behind her back. "At its root, your poisoning was caused by poison cultivation, Senior. Your martial soul is a beast martial soul, and beast martial souls merge with their soul masters. So when you cultivate poison, the toxins merge with you along with your martial soul. But poison harms the human body, which is why you end up poisoned. I noticed Sister Yanzi is a little green too, so this poison can probably pass to descendants through the womb... but that isn't the important part. If you want to cultivate poison without poisoning yourself, the best method is to find a host for the poison, somewhere to store the toxins. And I believe that host could be a soul bone."

A soul bone...

"..."

Dugu Bo fell silent for a while after hearing this. The method did sound workable, and as it happened, he had a head soul bone...

"But I wouldn't recommend using a head soul bone to store the toxins, Senior."

Knowing the plot, Qian Renyue was all too aware of where Dugu Bo's soul bone was.

A head soul bone could indeed store toxins, but the amount of poison in Dugu Bo's body was enormous. On top of that, a head soul bone was rather special. What if it failed to contain all that poison and exploded?

An explosion in an arm or leg would still be relatively manageable, but if it happened in his head, how would that be any different from courting death?

When watching the animated series, Qian Renyue had complained about this. Tang San had dug up so many immortal herbs, yet he hadn't even thought to give Dugu Bo a soul bone. He insisted on having him store the poison in his head soul bone without considering that if anything went wrong, the man would be dead as a doornail.

But the old monster had ultimately died in battle, so that situation had never arisen, naturally leaving Qian Renyue's complaint without grounds.

She didn't recommend using a head soul bone?

Dugu Bo said, "But the only soul bone I have is a Medusa Skull."

"That's all right. I'll find a way." Qian Renyue blinked and said, "A fifty-thousand-year Netherworld Flower Emperor is guaranteed to drop a soul bone. When that happens, I'll give it to you, Senior."

A soul bone as a gift?

Dugu Bo's eyes widened in mild surprise. "Did I hear you correctly, little girl? You're planning to give me the soul bone dropped by a fifty-thousand-year soul beast you went to all that trouble to defeat yourself?"

Qian Renyue's words left Dugu Bo puzzled for quite some time. He kept feeling that this girl couldn't be that kindhearted.

"Of course."

Qian Renyue nodded. She didn't casually leave debts of gratitude unpaid. It was only a soul bone. In the future, she would probably have as many as she wanted, so one wouldn't make a difference.

With a soul bone as her bargaining chip, it was time to discuss the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. "But Senior, this soul bone won't be a free gift. You have to agree to one thing."

"What thing?"

Dugu Bo asked.

He had known this little girl wasn't that kindhearted.

"Well-"

Qian Renyue's smile was rather peculiar. She pressed her lips together, then broke into a huge grin. At the sight, Dugu Bo instinctively took two steps back, the corner of his mouth twitching. Good grief. This really wasn't anything good.

Qian Renyue said, "When I was at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well earlier, a few flowers caught my eye. Could you give me all the flowers I picked out, Senior?"

Flowers?

Just flowers?

Dugu Bo frowned slightly, feeling doubtful.

His instincts told him that what this little girl meant couldn't be as simple as flowers.

"What's wrong? You don't want to, Senior? Can't bear to part with them?" Qian Renyue tilted her head and puffed out her cheeks. Her gaze narrowed, her eyes fixing on Dugu Bo. That look made his hair stand on end even more than Medusa's serpent eyes would have.

A shiver ran through his whole body. Dugu Bo felt as though he really had seen a ghost. This girl was only a Soul Elder, so why was the aura around her so strange?

Letting out a deep sigh, Dugu Bo said, "It isn't that I can't bear to part with them..."

"Then you can!"

Qian Renyue gave Dugu Bo no chance to change his mind. With a chuckle, she said, "Since you can bear to part with them, Senior, it's settled between us. I give you a soul bone, and you give me flowers. Neither of us gets to go back on it!"

"..."

Dugu Bo parted his lips, then swallowed the words that had been stuck in his throat. "No, I'm just curious. All the flowers and plants in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well are highly poisonous. What would a green little girl like you want with those things?"

Dugu Bo couldn't quite make sense of Qian Renyue's actions. He had lived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for decades, and even he didn't dare touch the things growing there carelessly. Why would this girl trade a soul bone for them?

Could those all be valuable treasures?

"You don't need to worry about that. Anyway, those things are reserved for me now. You absolutely mustn't let anyone else pluck them away."

Though she had already plucked the place bare.

Still, there were a few that hadn't fully matured yet, so she hadn't picked them. She didn't know whether Tang San would go after those immortal herbs, but she might as well secure them now. Even if the old poisoner later discovered that she had harvested the immortal herbs ahead of time, at least he would have something to console himself with. He wouldn't have lost everything down to his last penny.

After finishing her discussion with Dugu Bo about trading immortal herbs for a soul bone, Qian Renyue spread her external soul bone and set off for Heaven Dou City.

Dugu Bo had wanted to escort her, but Qian Renyue declined his kindness. She felt it was better for him to stay at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Besides, she didn't fly slowly. Apart from the journey being rather long and requiring her to stop and rest along the way, there wasn't much difference.

There were still a few days before the team battles began, so she had more than enough time. Besides, the matter of the Ice Crystal Phoenix and the Sunset Forest felt a little strange to her. If Dugu Bo escorted her, she wouldn't be able to make proper use of this stretch of time. Once she returned to Heaven Dou City, she would be busy competing and might not have any free time to ask the Ice Crystal Phoenix about certain things. To avoid any delay, she chose to fly back herself. Along the way, she could also thoroughly question this little fellow who had suddenly popped up.

After watching Qian Renyue leave, Dugu Bo returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to meditate.

Perhaps because Qian Renyue had left, the red light that had covered the herbs dissipated. Within a quarter of an hour, those herbs seemed unable to tolerate the environment and withered one after another. When Dugu Bo opened his eyes again, all around him was a bare expanse of withered grass. It looked even barer than a bald head...

"..."

Only at that moment did Dugu Bo understand why Qian Renyue had made that deal with him-

So the girl had acted first and sought permission afterward. No wonder she had looked so happy...

Faced with the desolation before him, Dugu Bo's heart was a jumble of conflicting emotions. His face darkened. "Qian Renyue, you really are a sneaky little schemer-"

By then, Qian Renyue had already flown far away. Even with several hundred li between them, she couldn't help shivering. By her calculations, the old poisoner was surely cursing her entire family right about now. After all, that red light could only cover the plants for so long. All she could say was that she hoped the old poisoner remained in good health and didn't collapse from anger.

"Whoosh~"

As she traced a graceful arc through the sky, the Ice Crystal Phoenix's babyish voice suddenly rang in Qian Renyue's ears. "Master, Master, we can fly even higher! When that white-haired show-off chased me back then, he flew ten thousand meters up! If there'd been a sun that day, I would've suspected he could stand shoulder to shoulder with it!"

Qian Renyue faltered in midair. "..."

For some reason, only one line surfaced in her mind: A show-off can not only soar into the sky to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun, but also dive into the water to go mouth to mouth with a turtle.

"..."

Though it was rude to put it that way, the little phoenix really wasn't wrong. That white-haired fellow was a show-off!

Under the Ice Crystal Phoenix's guidance, Qian Renyue flew higher. She wove through the clouds, wind whistling past her ears. It was sunset, and the evening light spilled across the heavens, turning everything around her orange-red, like an exquisitely beautiful painting. Qian Renyue slowed her flight, wanting only to savor the lovely scenery of that moment.

If she'd had a phone, she definitely would have captured it.

After roughly an hour of flying, the fiery clouds at the horizon slowly faded, giving way to a deep-blue sky.

Neither night nor day, this was the beauty that lay between the two. That stretch of sky resembled a vast galaxy filled with stars, its beauty sinking deep into the heart.

Qian Renyue had never witnessed such a beautiful moment. She suddenly stopped, the blue phoenix wings behind her looking especially striking against that sky. And at the very moment she stopped, a biting chill swept toward her on the wind. Not far away, another pair of snow-white ice wings was flying toward her, and their owner-

"It's him! That white-haired show-off!"