After Lor Diarra left, Chen Qianqiu pondered for a moment, then raised a claw and tapped the ground.
"Have Yang Wushuang come here."
The Soul Saint standing guard nearby immediately acknowledged the order and left.
Before long, a man who looked seventy or eighty percent like Yang Wudi, but much younger, strode over.
He had a slender build and refined features, with the sharp bearing unique to the Breaking Clan in his brows and eyes, but compared to Yang Wudi's ruggedness, he had a touch more scholarly air.
This was Yang Wushuang, Yang Wudi's younger brother.
After the Breaking Clan pledged allegiance, he had naturally begun working under Chen Qianqiu as well.
Because of his exceptional talent in medicine refining, Yang Wushuang now independently commanded a medicine-refining team, with full responsibility for the Breaking Clan's poison-production quotas.
"My lord, you sent for me?"
Yang Wushuang saluted according to protocol, his manner composed.
Chen Qianqiu looked him over and asked bluntly:
"I won't beat around the bush. Have you heard of Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo?"
Yang Wushuang paused slightly, then nodded.
"I've heard the clan's elders mention him. Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, is a rank ninety-one Titled Douluo. He used to be unaffiliated, but now he seems to hold an honorary guest position in the Heaven Dou Empire."
"He made his name through poison, and his potent poisons are incomparably overbearing. Even Titled Douluo of the same rank are unwilling to provoke him."
Chen Qianqiu nodded. Since Yang Wushuang knew about him, that saved him some explaining.
"Since you and he are both experts in poison, what do you think of his abilities?"
"My lord, I once happened to witness his poison and even studied it. Based on my knowledge, I can only say that his reputation is well deserved. He is an absolute expert."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Chen Qianqiu was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Yang Wushuang to have had such an opportunity. That saved him some trouble.
The reason he had summoned Yang Wushuang was to see whether there was any way to counter Dugu Bo, taking precautions before trouble arose.
After all, Sunset Forest lay directly north of him. Although it was quite far away, that old bastard wasn't right in the head. If he went mad one day and came running over here, Chen Qianqiu would suffer a huge loss without a way to deal with him.
For another thing, if an opportunity arose, Chen Qianqiu also wanted to strike first with human-wave tactics. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was simply too tempting. The Immortal Herbs nurtured around it weren't even the most important part-the well itself was.
If he could occupy that spring, the quality of the medicinal herbs brought back by the Speed Clan would definitely rise another level. As a bonus, the energy he gained from this source every day could multiply as well.
So in the long run, he had to take the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and the greatest obstacle to claiming this treasure land was Dugu Bo.
"Then can you cure his poison?"
Chen Qianqiu pressed further.
Yang Wushuang knitted his brows and fell silent. Only after a long while did he answer cautiously:
"My lord, you may not know this, but the reason Dugu Bo's use of poison is so unfathomable isn't just his superb skill. A large part of it also comes from his Martial Soul, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor."
"If it were only a medicinal poison he administered, then, without wishing to boast, I would have a ninety percent chance of curing it. But if the poison came from his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, then please forgive my inability. I have no absolute confidence."
"If I had to put a number on it, I might have a twenty percent chance of alleviating the symptoms."
After hearing this, a trace of approval flashed through Chen Qianqiu's eyes.
This fellow was honest, unlike some people who insisted on boasting until flowers rained from the heavens despite their inability, pretending to understand and leading others astray.
"That's fine. Twenty percent it is."
Chen Qianqiu said slowly:
"Start preparing first, and don't put yourself under any mental pressure. Give the research your all. Whatever you manage to come up with will do. I won't demand more."
"Just tell me whatever resources you need. I'll support you with everything I have."
Having a god's-eye view really was wonderful; it let him identify talent precisely. Yang Wushuang should have been second only to Dugu Bo in using poison. Even if he fell short in some areas, he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed.
After all, wasn't Dugu Bo equally helpless against Yang Wushuang's Seven-Colored Poison?
Besides, Chen Qianqiu wasn't asking Yang Wushuang to cure Poison Douluo's poison. That was clearly unrealistic. Simply alleviating the symptoms would be enough, as long as everyone wasn't wiped out in one go.
Better prepared than sorry.
"Thank you for your trust, my lord. I will give it everything I have."
Gratitude and excitement flashed through Yang Wushuang's eyes as he accepted his orders and withdrew.
Being able to challenge a poison expert of Dugu Bo's caliber was also a dream opportunity for Yang Wushuang, who had spent years immersed in the same field.
Since Chen Qianqiu was willing to support him, he had no reason to refuse.
After Yang Wushuang withdrew, Chen Qianqiu spread his wings and rose into the sky.
Night had fully fallen.
Chen Qianqiu hovered in the night sky, feeling the chill in the air as he looked down at the brightly lit encampment below.
The clamor kept reaching his ears. On the surface, the people of the Four Great Clans seemed to have truly grown accustomed to living here.
But Chen Qianqiu knew that, aside from the Breaking Clan being somewhat closer to him, the other three clans were probably still merely keeping up appearances.
When their lives were truly on the line, they would probably still side with the Clear Sky Sect. They were only lying low because they knew they couldn't stir up any waves right now.
"But..."
Chen Qianqiu licked his lips, an eerie gleam passing through his golden pupils.
"They all say a forcibly picked melon isn't sweet, but forcibly picked melons happen to be just what I like."
He suddenly opened his draconic jaws and drew a deep breath.
In an instant, the atmosphere above the entire encampment changed.
All the various negative emotions accumulated over these many days turned into invisible masses of energy, and Chen Qianqiu swallowed every last one.
"Burp-"
Chen Qianqiu belched. His verdict on the taste was spicy egg fried rice.
Although it wasn't as delicious as the Asura Baleful Aura from back then, it made up for that in generous, filling portions.
And more importantly,
"These emotions will only keep growing."
A calculating gleam flashed through Chen Qianqiu's eyes.
This had already formed a perfect cycle.
He exploited them, and they worked themselves to the bone transporting supplies for him. Then they developed negative emotions, which he devoured along with the supplies to grow stronger. Then he exploited them even harder, and they worked even more desperately, producing negative emotions even more desperately.
The cycle repeated endlessly. Fantastic!
But after carefully weighing things up, Chen Qianqiu decided he still had to do something.
Although all these negative emotions were delicious, their hostility couldn't be directed solely at him. Otherwise, a revolt would inevitably erupt one day. These people were all his assets, and unless necessary, he didn't want to lose a single one.
Relying solely on Lor Diarra to secretly fan the flames clearly wasn't enough. These people weren't all fools. Sooner or later, they would catch on.
I need to make some preparations.
After circling for a while, Chen Qianqiu flew back to the raised platform and lifted a claw to summon a Soul Master.
"Go ask around and find out who nearby is known for literary talent. Bring them all here."
"Anyone who can write essays and has a good reputation will do. If they've published books, even better."
The Soul Master froze, clearly not expecting Chen Qianqiu to ask about this.
"As you command!"