Dugu Bo!

A flicker of delight appeared on the young man's previously calm face, but vanished in an instant.

"Mm, I understand!"

She Long and Ci Xue looked at the man before them, a hint of inquiry entering their voices. "Young Master, shall we make the arrangements?"

"No! Who said I wanted to see him? You're not to arrange anything!"

The man's voice changed, shifting from a gentle male voice to a melodious female one, with a trace of petulance in her tone.

"Yes! Understood!" Neither dared say more. They bowed in acknowledgment and prepared to leave.

Just as they reached the doorway, that female voice sounded behind them again, carrying a little reluctant hesitation. "Forget it. Make the arrangements. Sometime in the next few days will do."

Yu Long and Ci Xue paused. Neither turned around, in tacit understanding, and they merely replied softly, "As you command."

Indeed, this man was Xue Qinghe, the Heaven Dou Empire's second imperial prince, though the original Xue Qinghe was already dead.

The man now occupying his place was Qian Renxue, disguised using the Soul Bone Skill of the Angel God Armor Soul Bone.

Elsewhere, by the time Dugu Bo returned to his residence, dusk had already spread over the courtyard's upturned eaves.

His personal attendant approached with light steps and presented a plain sheet of stationery. "Your Eminence, someone delivered this visiting card just now. It's from Su Yu of Spirit Hall."

Dugu Bo took the visiting card. As he unfolded it with his fingertips, a trace of amusement flashed through his eyes.

The name "Su Yu" had been written with steady strokes that carried a young man's sharpness, while the words "Spirit Hall" stood out clearly in the signature.

"Oh? Bibi Dong's disciple?"

He tapped the paper lightly with his fingertips, the corners of his lips curving into something that was not quite a smile.

"He does have some nerve."

He raised his eyes to the attendant, his tone casually languid yet carrying an authority all its own. "Send him a reply. Tell him I'll be waiting at my residence tomorrow at noon."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

The attendant bowed in acknowledgment and quietly withdrew.

The night breeze swept through the courtyard, stirring a few withered leaves as Dugu Bo gazed at the stars sinking toward the horizon.

The visiting card between his fingertips gleamed pale white in the moonlight. He would see just what this youth from Spirit Hall had up his sleeve.

Soon, noon the following day arrived, and Su Yu and Chrysanthemum Douluo came to Dugu Bo's Residence.

"Please, this way, both of you. His Eminence is already waiting for you in the reception hall!"

Su Yu and Chrysanthemum Douluo entered the reception hall and saw Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo was tall and thin, looking much like a javelin, with dark green hair and beard.

His eyes shone even more brightly, like emeralds, and his entire person gave an illusory impression.

His face was expressionless-or rather, his facial expression was completely stiff.

His cheeks were deeply sunken, the green hair on his head was disheveled, and he wore nothing more than a plain gray robe.

The Soul Power emanating from him seemed to be at rank ninety-one.

The reception hall was dimly lit, and a faint, sickly-sweet scent hung in the air.

Unidentified medicinal herbs burned in a bronze brazier in the corner, their smoke curling upward, yet unable to suppress the sinister chill unique to the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor.

Dugu Bo sat upright in the seat of honor, his tall, thin body like a poisoned spear poised to strike. His dark green hair and beard fell over his shoulders, swaying slightly with his breathing.

His emerald eyes swept over Su Yu, carrying scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible probing.

The lines around his mouth were as rigid as a stone carving, as though even his expression had been frozen by the poison within his body.

"Chrysanthemum Guan, I didn't expect Bibi Dong to send you."

When he spoke, his voice was as hoarse as sandpaper scraping over stone.

"What? Was she afraid I'd hurt this brat?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo held a hand beside his face, thumb and middle finger pinched into an orchid gesture, and a trace of coldness entered his voice. "Pah! Take a good look at what you are!"

He stepped forward, abruptly unleashing the pressure of his rank ninety-three Soul Power. It collided with the sinister chill emanating from Dugu Bo, making even the air in the hall seem to freeze a little.

"His Highness Su Yu is the personal disciple of Her Holiness the Pope. Dare touch a single hair on his head, and I guarantee you won't make it out that door today!"

"Heh."

Dugu Bo sneered. His gray robe stirred without wind, and his dark green Soul Power surged like a tide.

"After all these years, you chrysanthemum are still just as sharp-tongued."

"This is the Heaven Dou Empire, and I'm Xue Xing's guest. What? Do you mean to fight me here?"

"So what if it's the Heaven Dou Empire? Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo lowered his hand, and golden Soul Power condensed over the surface of his body.

"This is the perfect chance to let you taste how much my 'Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum' has improved over the years!"

Seeing the two with swords drawn and bows bent, Su Yu stepped forward and bowed slightly to Dugu Bo, his voice steady. "Senior Dugu, I am Su Yu. I've come to visit on my teacher's orders. Uncle Chrysanthemum is straightforward by nature and meant no offense. Please be magnanimous, Senior."

His calm gaze met Dugu Bo's green eyes, neither servile nor overbearing. "We came today with a sincere desire to speak with you, Senior, not to fight."

Dugu Bo's gaze settled on Su Yu, and the light in his emerald eyes shifted slightly.

The boy before him looked only about ten, yet he remained composed under the pressure of two Titled Douluos. Such steadiness was rare indeed.

He slowly withdrew his Soul Power, his tone remaining cold. "If you have something to say, say it. I don't have all day to waste on you."

"Senior Dugu Bo, I've come to invite you to join Spirit Hall!"

"Join Spirit Hall? Go back! I'm accustomed to an unfettered life. I won't join Spirit Hall!"

"Senior Dugu Bo, don't be so quick to refuse. I've come with sincerity. Don't you want to hear me out?"

"Interesting. I don't want to join. Even if you offered me your teacher's position, I still wouldn't join!"

Not a trace of embarrassment appeared on Su Yu's face. Instead, he smiled composedly, his gaze settling on Dugu Bo's emerald eyes. "You jest, Senior. Naturally, no one can match my teacher in her position."

"Even if my teacher were willing to step down, you wouldn't be able to occupy that seat for long!"

"You!"

"Don't get worked up, Senior. What I've brought may be something you care about more."

Dugu Bo's green eyes abruptly narrowed, and cold instantly spread around him. "Boy, don't even think about playing tricks! If you have something to say, spit it out. I have things to do!"

Su Yu walked to one side and sat down. Looking at Dugu Bo, he spoke with a hint of teasing in his voice. "Senior, being poisoned doesn't feel very good, does it?"

Dugu Bo looked at Su Yu with a grave expression, then seized him by the collar in a flash.

"I, Dugu Bo, am the Poison Douluo. You dare claim I've been poisoned? Do you want to die?"

"Dugu Bo, let His Highness go, or this place will be where you die today!"

At this sudden turn, Chrysanthemum Douluo unleashed all his Soul Power, his eyes fixed intently on Dugu Bo.

"Chrysanthemum Guan, don't think I'm afraid of you!"

"Put His Highness down, or don't blame me for showing no mercy!"