Time trickled by.
Soon, night fell.
Gui Yuan remained submerged in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, tempering his body, while Yue Guan and Gui Mei guarded the shore without taking a single step away.
But suddenly, Gui Mei snapped his head up, his sharp gaze turning toward the top of the valley.
"Something's moving!"
Yue Guan instantly grew alert as well, Soul Power surging around him.
A green figure leaped down from the valley entrance at tremendous speed, carrying the strong scent of poisonous mist.
The man stumbled upon landing and braced one hand against the ground, barely steadying himself.
It was Dugu Bo!
Something was clearly wrong with his condition.
His face alternated between green and white, veins bulged on his forehead, and his features twisted slightly in pain.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison inside him had flared up. That was why he had rushed to Sunset Forest at this hour, hoping to use the environment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to suppress the poison.
But then, despite his bodily pain, Dugu Bo suddenly noticed that there were actually people here.
And he knew both of them, especially Yue Guan. The two had been dealing with each other for far more than a day or two.
He looked around and discovered that several medicinal herbs were missing. Fury shot straight to the crown of his head.
"Chrysanthemum Guan! What are you doing here! This is my medicinal garden!" Dugu Bo's voice was hoarse and furious. "Did you pick my herbs!"
Yue Guan raised his eyebrows and smiled unhurriedly.
"No wonder. I was just thinking that the poison barrier outside felt a little familiar. So you were the one who set it up, Old Poison."
"But looking at you now, you don't seem to be in very good shape."
"There are two Titled Douluos here. Are you sure you want to fight?"
Yue Guan could clearly tell that something was wrong with Dugu Bo. He asked tentatively, "You've been poisoned?"
Dugu Bo snorted coldly. "None of your business!"
But no sooner had he said that than he let out a muffled groan, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He had already been on the verge of losing control over the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, and now his fit of anger had struck at his heart.
The poison churned even more violently inside him.
He could no longer spare any attention for Yue Guan and Gui Mei. He immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his Soul Power to suppress the poison.
Jade-green poisonous mist seeped from his body and withdrew again, alternating repeatedly as his face turned green, then white.
Gui Mei looked at Yue Guan and lowered his voice. "How should we handle this?"
Yue Guan shook his head. "Leave Old Poison alone for now. He's clearly been poisoned and needs to use the environment here to suppress it."
"I never expected that the Poison Douluo, renowned throughout the continent, would himself be afflicted with deadly poison."
There was a hint of ruefulness in his tone, but his expression grew somewhat graver.
Although he and Dugu Bo did not get along, they had fought for many years, and those repeated clashes had forged a measure of affection between them.
Their involvement had begun back when Spirit Hall discovered through its investigations that Dugu Bo had broken through to Titled Douluo.
Bibi Dong had sent him to recruit Dugu Bo, but Dugu Bo had refused to join, and the two had come to blows.
After going back and forth like that, they could be considered old acquaintances.
Seeing Dugu Bo in such agony, Yue Guan could not help speaking up. "Dugu Bo, would you consider joining Spirit Hall?"
"If you join Spirit Hall, perhaps that poison of yours can be cured."
"You should know that poison is what His Holiness the Pope excels at most."
"Besides, you're sitting on a treasure trove without even realizing it. You call this your medicinal garden? I think you were simply the first to discover this place."
Dugu Bo was doing everything he could to suppress the poison inside him, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
At Yue Guan's words, his lips moved, but he said nothing.
It was not that he did not want to speak. He was simply in too much pain to open his mouth.
The corner of Gui Mei's mouth twitched. "Old Chrysanthemum, wait until he's suppressed the poison inside him before talking. Look at how much pain he's in."
Yue Guan nodded and said no more.
The two stepped aside, leaving Dugu Bo some space.
That night was so quiet that only the churning waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well could be heard.
Dugu Bo sat cross-legged on the ground, poisonous mist roiling around him as his face alternated between light and dark.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei guarded the edge of the spring where Gui Yuan was submerged, constantly watching the surface for any movement.
Time passed, minute by minute, second by second.
Early the next morning.
The waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well suddenly churned violently. The surface burst open, and a figure leaped out of the spring.
Gui Yuan was bare-chested, his skin glowing faintly with alternating red and blue light.
After landing, he immediately took a set of clothes from his Soul Tool and put them on.
The clothes he had worn before had dissolved outright after he entered the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Xiao Yuan? How are you feeling?" Yue Guan immediately stepped forward.
Gui Mei also looked at him, concern in his eyes.
Gui Yuan felt the changes in his body, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "It should have worked."
Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."
Gui Yuan glanced around, his gaze settling on the green figure seated cross-legged nearby.
"Who's that? What's he doing here?" he asked, despite already knowing the answers.
Yue Guan followed his gaze and said indifferently, "Old Poison. The Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo."
"He's been afflicted with deadly poison himself and came here to suppress it. He happened to run into us. This seems to be his medicinal garden."
Gui Yuan gave an "Oh" and asked no further questions.
While Dugu Bo was still suppressing the poison inside him, Gui Yuan pulled Yue Guan and Gui Mei aside and gestured for Gui Mei to set up a soundproof Soul Power barrier.
Gui Mei said calmly, "Xiao Yuan, what do you want to say? Speak freely. He can't hear us."
Gui Yuan nodded. "First Dad, I heard before that you once tried to recruit this Dugu Bo, but he refused. Do you still want to recruit him?"
Yue Guan thought for a moment before saying, "If we can recruit him, of course we will. He's a Titled Douluo, after all. And although he isn't much in a one-on-one fight, his poison can play a major role in group attacks."
Then Yue Guan sighed. "It's a shame. That old fellow is too stubborn. He isn't willing to join Spirit Hall."
"It isn't because he thinks Spirit Hall is bad. Apparently, a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire saved him before, so to repay him, both he and his granddaughter live in Heaven Dou City."
"Although he isn't a consecrator of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, to outsiders, that's no different from siding with the Heaven Dou Empire."
"That alone actually shows that Old Poison has quite good character."
Only after hearing Yue Guan say this did Gui Yuan reveal his purpose.
"Then, First Dad, I think this is an opportunity. Isn't he afflicted with deadly poison? If we can help cure him, wouldn't he feel grateful to us and repay our kindness?"
Yue Guan paused in surprise. "You have a way? That poison of his doesn't look simple. Even a Titled Douluo like him can't withstand it."
"Normally, a Soul Master who cultivates a poison-attribute Martial Soul should have considerable resistance to poison."
Gui Yuan said calmly, "Before, I naturally wouldn't have had a way. But now, I do."
P.S. Please keep reading during the trial period. Thanks, brothers~~