Old Debts Repaid Anew

[At nineteen, your Soul Power Level reached sixty-nine.]

[After leaving Longxing City, you headed east, traveling day and night beneath the stars. Along the way, dark, ink-blue mountains receded layer by layer into the dusk, the main road gradually widened, and carriage wheels rumbled.]

[Several days later, Heaven Dou City's towering walls finally took shape in the morning mist, like a sleeping behemoth crouched at the edge of the plain.]

[After entering the city, you first returned to the courtyard you had bought together with Ah Yin on your last visit.]

[You pushed open the familiar wooden gate. The courtyard's plants remained as before, but beside the stone table, the figure who had lowered her eyes and brewed tea for you was gone.]

[You sat quietly in the courtyard for a while, gathered away the stray thoughts rising in your heart, then got up to clean the dusty rooms. You heated water and bathed, washing away all the dust of your journey.]

[Early the following morning, daylight had just begun to filter through.]

[You changed into plain, clean robes and went out bearing lavish gifts.]

[The person you intended to visit was the Poison Douluo known as "Old Poison"-Dugu Bo.]

[Ten years earlier, while he was away, you had slipped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and swept its garden clean of Immortal Herbs. Though you had left behind Earth Dragon Golden Melons, Antidote Pills, and three lines of writing, "theft" still came first. In the end, you had incurred this debt.]

[Now, ten years later, you had grown from that boy fleeing for his life in panic into a Six-Ring Soul Emperor.]

[Though you were still far from being able to stand on equal footing with a supreme expert like a Titled Douluo, the poison-immune body forged through Ice and Fire Body Tempering, together with trump cards such as the Myriad Forms Dragon Scale Armor and Evil God Forbidden Zone, gave you just enough confidence to stand before him.]

[It was time to repay that old debt.]

[In less than an hour, you arrived at Dugu Manor.]

[The manor occupied a sizable plot in the eastern district of Heaven Dou City, yet it was utterly unlike the gilded splendor of an ordinary noble residence.]

[Blue bricks formed its walls, and gray tiles covered its roofs. High walls and deep courtyards enclosed a garden full of medicinal fragrance. The two stone lions before the gate had been weathered by wind and rain until their carved patterns were mottled, giving off a cold, forbidding air that warned strangers away.]

[Exotic flowers and unusual plants crowded the foot of the courtyard walls, eight or nine out of ten of them poisonous. A faint bitter fragrance hung in the air. Ordinary people would grow dizzy merely by approaching, and even low-ranking Soul Masters would feel slightly unwell.]

[You stood before the manor gates, straightened your robes, and raised your hand to knock with the door ring.]

["Knock, knock, knock."]

[Three knocks, neither too soft nor too loud, measured just right.]

[Before long, a side door opened inward a narrow crack.]

[A young woman leaned out. She had neat, short purple hair and looked to be in her early twenties. Her figure was graceful, her slender waist held straight, revealing something of the suppleness and vigilance peculiar to snake-type Soul Masters.]

[Her green eyes were deep and clear, their outer corners tilted slightly upward. As her gaze shifted, a barely perceptible trace of lively allure glimmered within its coolness.]

[Something stirred in your mind. Purple hair, green eyes, a water-snake waist-she had to be Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan.]

[You discreetly looked her over. Her breathing was long and even, her Soul Power concentrated and solid, and her complexion rosy and clear, without the slightest trace of the dusky blue pallor poisoning should have left.]

[It seemed those two Earth Dragon Golden Melons and the three detoxification methods you had left all those years ago had worked after all.]

[Dugu Bo cherished this granddaughter above all. Since she had recovered because of you, you had a little more confidence about today's visit.]

[Dugu Yan leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded and looked you up and down. Seeing an unfamiliar young man, she could not help frowning slightly. "Who are you looking for?"]

[You cupped your hands in greeting, your tone mild. "My name is Su Yi. I seek an audience with Senior Dugu Bo."]

[She paused slightly, her gaze circling over you again. Her tone was flat but carried a measure of scrutiny. "What do you want with my grandfather?"]

["There are some old matters I'd like to clear up with him in person." Your answer was vague, but your expression was candid.]

["Grandfather isn't here. He's gone to Prince Xue Xing's manor." Though your explanation was unclear, she did not press you, merely saying indifferently, "Come back in half a day."]

[Despite those words, she did not immediately close the door.]

[You smiled at that. "In that case, I'll wait outside the manor."]

[With that, you actually walked to one side of the entrance, found a level stone step, brushed off the dust, and simply sat down.]

[At the sight, Dugu Yan was instead taken aback.]

[Over the years, countless people had come seeking an audience with her grandfather. Even members of the imperial family-who among them had not trembled in fear and bowed and scraped? This was her first time seeing someone like you, who sat down on the ground at the slightest turn in the conversation.]

[She hesitated briefly before opening the door halfway. "You'd better come inside to wait. That poisonous camphor tree outside has roots that seep poison into the soil all year round. The ground is full of corrosive venom. If an ordinary person stood there for half an incense stick, even the soles of their shoes would rot through."]

[At her words, you stood, brushed the dust from your robe's hem, and nodded with a smile. "Thank you, miss."]

[With that, you followed her into the manor.]

[You passed along a winding stone path lined with poisonous herbs of every kind. Fine droplets of poisonous dew clung to their leaf edges, refracting uncanny colors in the sunlight.]

[Your expression remained unchanged, your steps unhurried. The poisonous mist that could make ordinary Soul Masters dizzy brushed your face like a gentle breeze, having not the slightest effect.]

[Dugu Yan walked ahead. Catching sight of your manner from the corner of her eye, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she asked nothing.]

[Before long, you reached the main hall.]

[The hall was simply furnished, without the glittering luxury of an ordinary noble residence. Only densely packed shelving lined all four walls, filled with bottles and jars whose labels bore the names of various poisonous plants and insects. An Eight Immortals table stood in the center with a celadon tea set upon it, wisps of steam still rising from the teapot's spout.]

[Dugu Yan poured you a cup of plain water, while she herself held a cup of emerald-green tea and sipped it little by little.]

[The tea was thick in color and gave off a strong, rank herbal odor. It had clearly been brewed from poisonous herbs.]

[She sipped from her cup with perfect composure, as though it held ordinary tea rather than a deadly poison that could ravage the bowels.]

["Are you afraid of poison?" she suddenly asked, her green eyes settling on the untouched cup of water before you.]

["Yes," you answered honestly, lightly touching the rim with your fingertips. "That's why I don't dare drink just anything."]

[Dugu Yan burst into laughter, the corners of her eyes curving slightly. "You're afraid of poison, yet you dared come to Dugu Manor? You really are interesting."]

[She was about to say something more when a hoarse cough suddenly came from outside.]

[Dugu Yan's face brightened, and she immediately rose to greet him. "Grandfather!"]

[You stood as well and looked toward the hall entrance.]

[An old man with white hair and a white beard strode inside. He was tall and thin, with a lean face and unfathomable green eyes. His aura was restrained and steady, yet carried an invisible pressure of its own.]

[The newcomer was none other than Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.]

[His gaze swept the hall, lingering on your face for an instant before moving away. Only when it fell on his granddaughter did his expression soften a little. "Yanyan, how did your cultivation go today?"]

["All right." Dugu Yan took his arm and gestured toward you with her lips. "He says he's here to see you. He's been waiting quite a while."]

[Only then did Dugu Bo look at you again. He slowly walked to the seat of honor and sat down, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a brimming cup of emerald-green tea. He tipped his head back and drained it before drawling, "Boy, what business do you have with me?"]

[You stepped forward, took the long-stored External Soul Bone from your Storage Soul Tool, and offered it with both hands.]

["Back then, I was young and reckless. I trespassed into your medicinal garden and took all the Immortal Herbs. It was truly an offense." You lowered your eyes, your tone sincere. "I obtained this External Soul Bone by hunting a twenty-two-thousand-year-old Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon. Today, I've brought it expressly as a small token of apology."]

[Hearing this, Dugu Yan covered her lips in surprise, her green eyes moving back and forth between you and the Soul Bone.]

[She had never expected the little herb thief who had broken into her grandfather's medicinal garden to be the young man before her. Ten years ago, he probably had not even been ten years old...]

[Dugu Bo stared at the Soul Bone. A flicker of barely concealed astonishment flashed deep in his green eyes, and his fingers paused briefly on the armrest before he resumed his cold, haughty manner.]

[He did not accept the Soul Bone. Instead, he snorted coldly. "Boy, so you were the one who robbed my medicinal garden back then?"]

["I was." Your expression remained candid. "I left a letter promising that once I had attained success in cultivation, I would return to repay the debt. I've come today expressly to keep that promise."]

["Repay the debt?" Dugu Bo set down his teacup and fixed his green eyes on you, his lips pulling into a cold curve. "Boy, you robbed my medicinal garden and cost me dearly. You think you can fob me off with one lousy bone?"]

["If you feel it isn't enough, Senior, I can also..."]

["Enough." Dugu Bo waved a hand, cutting you off. He took a jade-green wine cup from his storage ring and gently set it on the table.]

[The cup was emerald green throughout, its sides carved with fine snakescale patterns. It was half-filled with a thick liquid, dark as green ink, as though an entire poisonous marsh had been condensed within it. A faint wisp of mist drifted from its rim and lingered in the air without dispersing, giving off a sickly-sweet, rank scent that made the heart quail.]

[Dugu Bo slowly pushed the cup of wine toward you, a meaningful glint passing through his clouded eyes. "This is Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison Wine, refined from ninety-two kinds of snake venom. For anyone below Titled Douluo, a touch to the lips means death."]

[He leaned back in his chair, folded his arms, and regarded you with the hint of a smile. "Drink it, and I'll wipe the slate clean between us. What do you say?"]

[Dugu Yan's expression changed sharply. She seized Dugu Bo's sleeve and said urgently, "Grandfather! He may have robbed your medicinal garden back then, but he also left behind methods to cure the poison!"]

["It was his method that suppressed the poison in your body, and my Martial Soul only evolved thanks to the Earth Dragon Golden Melons he left!"]

["He saved you, in a way, and helped me even more. How can you repay kindness with vengeance?"]

["Yanyan." Dugu Bo patted her hand, helplessness and affection flashing through his green eyes. "Your grandfather knows how far to go."]

[Dugu Yan snorted and turned her back. "If you really poison him to death, I'll never speak to you again!"]

[Dugu Bo looked at his granddaughter's back, a trace of indulgence, caught between laughter and tears, flashing through his aged eyes. Then he looked back at you, the amusement fading from his clouded gaze.]

["Boy, have you made up your mind?"]

[You looked at the vivid green cup of poisoned wine and fell silent for a moment.]

[The wine was thick as syrup, and the poisonous mist spilling from the rim lingered without dispersing. Your fingertips lightly touched the cup's side, making the wine tremble. That rank, sweet scent entered your nostrils. You merely frowned slightly, but did not move away.]

[Ice and Fire Body Tempering had granted you a body immune to all poisons. To you, the myriad poisons of this world were no more than water passing through your bowels, harmless to drink. But what truly gave you pause now was Dugu Bo's attitude toward you.]

[This Old Poison was a renowned Titled Douluo of the Heaven Dou Empire, eccentric in temperament and unpredictable in his actions, yet he had always drawn a clear distinction between kindness and grudges.]

[Stealing his herbs and leaving a letter had indeed cost him face, but the detoxification methods you had left had also genuinely saved both his life and his granddaughter's.]

[By rights, kindness and enmity should have canceled each other out. He should not have dealt you such a deadly hand.]

[Yet the human heart was difficult to fathom after all.]

[Old Poison never acted according to common sense. If he insisted on using this matter as a pretext today and suddenly attacked with his Titled Douluo cultivation, even playing every trump card might not let you escape unscathed.]

[Or perhaps... this was merely a test-]

[From the moment he brought out this cup of wine, he had never intended to take your life. All he wanted was a show of your attitude.]

[You lowered your eyes, your gaze settling on the deep green within the cup. The wine swayed gently, reflecting your half-lit, half-shadowed face.]

[After a moment, you raised the wine cup and lifted your eyes to meet his appraising gaze, your expression open.]

["Senior, do you mean what you say?"]

[Dugu Bo snorted coldly. "My word carries the weight of nine cauldrons."]

[You took a deep breath and said nothing more, tipping your head back and draining the cup.]

[As the poisoned wine entered your throat, the expected bone-corroding agony did not come. Instead, a gentle current of warmth slid down your gullet into your abdomen, dissolving into fine threads of warmth that slowly spread through every limb and bone.]

[You felt all the meridians throughout your body relax. Your Soul Power flowed somewhat more smoothly than usual, and even your spirits lifted.]

[You lowered your head to look at the empty wine cup, then raised your eyes to Dugu Bo.]

[Dugu Bo suddenly burst into hearty, unrestrained laughter. "Hahahaha! Good lad, you really do have courage!"]

[You paused slightly, then seemed to catch on. Setting down the cup, you cupped your hands with a smile. "Thank you for the wine, Senior."]

[Dugu Bo waved a hand, a reminiscent look entering his eyes. "Back then, you dared break into my medicinal garden alone, and even dared leave a letter openly admitting it. I knew then that you were no ordinary person."]

[He stroked his white beard, a little more appreciation in his green eyes. "Meeting you today, I see you truly have courage and judgment. You haven't disappointed me."]

["You flatter me, Senior." You cupped your hands again. "I was young and reckless back then and offended you greatly. I hope you can forgive me."]