Making a Friend, a Wise Decision

Having figured out what Dugu Bo truly wanted to ask,

Ye Qiu raised his eyes to look at him and said with a teasing smile, "Senior, if you mean how you suppressed the snake venom near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, I really didn't see it..."

"!!!"

Dugu Bo's hand froze as he poured the tea. He abruptly raised his head and stared at Ye Qiu.

Just as he'd suspected!

An outsider had learned the Dugu Family's secret!

Yet what Ye Qiu was saying now filled his heart with doubts.

Dugu Bo's expression shifted between light and dark. He set down the teapot in his hand and asked in a low voice, "What do you mean by that? If you didn't see it, how did you know what I was doing here?"

As the words left his mouth,

Dugu Bo's forefinger slid gently across the teapot lid, leaving no trace.

Ye Qiu smiled faintly. "Naturally, that's because I already knew... the Dugu Family are actually all short-lived wretches suffering backlash from snake venom."

"What did you say?!!"

Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed into cold, vertical slits. He stared fixedly at Ye Qiu, nearly crushing the teapot in his hand.

Ye Qiu had been hiding right beneath the spring,

so it was hardly strange that he knew Dugu Bo had been suppressing the snake venom in his body here.

But what gave this brat the grounds to claim

that every member of the Dugu Family would suffer backlash from snake venom?!

Ye Qiu smiled confidently.

"Senior Dugu, you should know better than I do what I'm talking about."

"Are you trying to bluff me?!"

Dugu Bo probed in a low voice.

The Ye Qiu before him was so mysterious that even an old hand like him couldn't figure him out!

A commoner Soul Master

had exposed the Martial Soul defect the Dugu Family had concealed for generations with a single remark?

How could he dare believe it?!

"Senior Dugu, what good would bluffing you do me?"

Ye Qiu asked with a smile.

"Or is it... that I haven't made myself clear enough?"

"Hmph! Then make yourself clearer."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly and threatened,

"Otherwise... for cursing everyone in my Dugu Family to be short-lived wretches alone, I won't spare you!"

"Haha..."

Ye Qiu couldn't help smiling.

"..."

Veins bulged on Dugu Bo's forehead.

No junior had ever shown him such contempt!

He truly couldn't do anything to Ye Qiu, but that didn't mean he had no temper!

Dugu Bo's face turned cold,

and a wisp of green light quietly emerged from his forefinger.

He was the Poison Douluo, renowned as the supreme master of poison under heaven. Naturally, poison was what he excelled at!

Ye Qiu didn't want to waste any more words. He gave Dugu Bo a meaningful look and said mildly, "Senior, I can cure you... do you believe me?"

"You... what did you say?!"

Dugu Bo stared at Ye Qiu in astonishment, then couldn't help bursting out laughing.

"Haha..."

"You? You think you can do it?!"

Dugu Bo looked at Ye Qiu dismissively and said with disdain, "What gives a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you the right to say you can cure me?"

As his words fell,

Dugu Bo held out the teapot and filled the cup before Ye Qiu. As he withdrew his hand, he looked up and warned him, "Brat, I admit you have some ability, but don't get too arrogant!"

"Senior, don't you want to give it a try?"

Ye Qiu glanced at the hot tea Dugu Bo had poured and spoke leisurely.

His expression unchanged and utterly unruffled, he said,

"Even if you won't think of yourself, Senior, shouldn't you at least think of your granddaughter?"

"!!!"

At those words,

Dugu Bo's expression changed instantly. His face turned ashen, an ugly sight.

Even his words carried killing intent.

"Brat, you know so much about my Dugu Family. I'm afraid you came prepared!"

"You could say that."

Ye Qiu nodded calmly and said sincerely,

"But I mean no harm. I simply want to make friends with you, Senior Dugu."

"Make friends... hehe..."

"Throughout the Soul Master World, who knows how many people want to make friends with my Dugu Family? Unfortunately, they either lack the qualifications or the nerve..."

Dugu Bo sneered.

"You certainly have the nerve, but are you qualified to make me trust you?"

"Senior... there's only one chance... once you miss it, it's gone."

Ye Qiu spoke with a smile,

then picked up the teacup before him and drank more than half of it. Looking as though he were savoring the taste, he said,

"Tsk..."

"Your tea tastes good, Senior, but it has a snaky smell..."

"?!"

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted slightly. He looked at Ye Qiu, uncertain and suspicious.

Could the brat have tasted it?

But so what?!

Dugu Bo had absolute confidence in his snake venom. The corners of his mouth curled upward slightly as he said mockingly, "It seems I'll soon find out whether you have the qualifications."

"Oh?"

Ye Qiu looked at Dugu Bo in amusement and teased, "May I ask roughly how long it takes for the poison to take effect? Shall I help you keep time?"

"You brat!"

Dugu Bo's gaze shifted slightly, and his face instantly darkened again.

It was as though he'd been insulted!

Never before had anyone been so arrogant after being poisoned by his snake venom!

"You certainly have a lot of nerve, but arrogance comes at a price. Don't worry, though... I'll save you before you die... enjoy the pain that's coming!"

Dugu Bo spoke in a sinister voice.

"We'll see."

Ye Qiu remained unmoved. Instead, he raised his cup and drained the tea in one gulp.

"Give me another two cups."

"..."

Dugu Bo's face darkened, but he poured Ye Qiu more tea with a gloomy expression.

"Thank you, Senior."

Ye Qiu spoke politely.

"Drink... after this, you'll never want to drink tea again."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly, his face dark.

"Gulp~"

Ye Qiu ignored him and drained the cup in one gulp again.

"..."

As time passed, Ye Qiu finished all the tea.

A quarter of an hour passed.

His face was still glowing, and he was full of vigor.

Dugu Bo watched Ye Qiu expectantly. He appeared calm, but his heart had long since been roiling with turmoil... had he seen a ghost today?

Clack!

Ye Qiu set down his teacup, neither too hard nor too softly. When he looked up again, a bloody light had appeared in his eyes. He rose slowly and said with both regret and relief,

"Senior, your decision not to take my life was truly a wise one..."

"Otherwise, I'm the sort who pays back even the smallest slight."

As his words fell,

a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring emerged beneath Ye Qiu's feet under Dugu Bo's astonished gaze.

The brat was leaving?!

At that thought,

how could Dugu Bo remain seated?

Just as the Soul Ring beneath Ye Qiu's feet was about to light up, Dugu Bo hurried to his feet.

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

Ye Qiu asked curiously, "Senior, is there anything else you'd like to teach me?"

"Hmph!"

Dugu Bo shook out his sleeves, forcibly swallowed his frustration, and asked,

"Was what you just said true?"

"Senior, what good would lying to you possibly do me?"

Ye Qiu looked utterly helpless.

"Besides... Senior Dugu, you're renowned as the supreme master of poison under heaven. You'll know whether I can cure your poison as soon as you try."

"Fine!"

Dugu Bo nodded firmly. He had already seen what Ye Qiu was capable of, so he agreed without any further hesitation.

"Then I'll give it a try!"

"If it works, I'll acknowledge you as a friend and grant you one more..."

"No...! Not one, but three!"

Dugu Bo held up three fingers and said solemnly, "If it works, I'll grant you three more conditions!"

"It's a deal!"

Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Dugu Bo frowned. "My word carries the weight of nine tripods. I never go back on it!"

"Good!"

Ye Qiu nodded firmly. The Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, and under Dugu Bo's puzzled gaze, his body began to twist.

His voice slowly emerged from the vortex.

"Senior Dugu, I wasn't actually leaving. I just drank a little too much tea and wanted to find a place to expel the excess water from my body... haha... please wait here a moment."