"Mm, just down there." Dugu Bo lifted his chin.
Yang Yunhai stood and looked. Below the steep cliff, mist curled and a strong smell of sulfur wafted up.
"A hot spring down there?" he asked knowingly.
"You can tell just by smell?" Dugu Bo was a little surprised.
"The scent of sulfur usually only appears near volcanic hot springs," Yang Yunhai explained.
"You know quite a bit. But this isn't a volcano." Dugu Bo stepped closer to the cliff, then turned back with a raised brow, his tone amused. "It's a long way down. Do you need me to carry you?"
Compared to Yu Tianheng, he found Yang Yunhai much more to his liking.
"No need for that." Yang Yunhai smiled, stepped forward, summoned his martial soul, and pressed a hand to his chest. Soul power surged, and faint mist puffed out. In the next second, strands of Blue Silver Grass sprouted along his clothes, quickly extending into vines that wrapped around his torso. Behind him, six vine-like tendrils extended like limbs.
With a soft hiss, the vines stabbed into the ground, lifting his body.
"Not bad. No wonder you could defeat Yu Tianheng." Though inwardly shocked at Yang Yunhai's control and creative use of his martial soul, Dugu Bo kept his face calm, only nodding slightly.
Then he leapt straight off the cliff.
"…" Yang Yunhai twitched his mouth, then drove two vines into the cliff to anchor himself, while the others worked like spider legs to climb downward. The vines above stretched continuously, keeping his balance as he descended.
Soon, with a thud, his feet landed on the valley floor.
He looked around. The entire valley was split in two, painted red and blue, even the oval-shaped pool at the center. From the middle where the two halves met, heavy mist rose, spreading outward and cloaking the valley above. Around the pool's shore grew lush and vibrant plants.
"Well, Xiao Hai, are the things here enough for you?" Dugu Bo's voice rang out.
"More than enough." Yang Yunhai refocused, walked up to him, and said solemnly, "Grandfather Dugu, I'm fully confident I can cure you and Sister Yan, and even help you both improve your strength."
"But before that, I need to use the herbs here to protect myself. The opposing forces in this place are too strong—I can't withstand them yet."
Even here at the border of cold and heat, the extremes were painfully obvious. Still, he didn't circulate his soul power for protection.
"As long as you can cure me and Yan'er, you can take whatever herbs you need." And if they could even improve his strength, all the better—Dugu Bo's eyes shone with eagerness.
"Then I can't waste time." Yang Yunhai nodded, swept his gaze around, and quickly moved to a pink plant near the convergence zone. Following Chrysanthemum Douluo's illustrated record, he carefully plucked it.
The moment he held it, the biting heat and chill faded, easing the strain on his body. He let out a breath of relief.
"What herb is that?" Dugu Bo stepped up curiously.
"This is the Beautiful Silk Tulip," Yang Yunhai explained. "It restrains all poisons. It doesn't detoxify, but it blocks poison from entering the body. Carrying it creates a protective aura. With it, I can weaken the influence of this valley's extremes."
"Amazing!" Dugu Bo was taken aback.
"Grandfather Dugu, since you're skilled with poison, once I'm done with it, you should keep it by your side. When you refine poisons, place it nearby and it'll protect you from harm." Yang Yunhai smiled. "But you mustn't let anyone know you have this. For someone who specializes in poison, this herb is priceless."
At that, Dugu Bo's heart warmed. His earlier question had already exposed that he didn't recognize this plant. Yang Yunhai could have lied, kept it for himself, or claimed it was needed to treat poison. But instead, he explained truthfully and even warned him to be careful.
It showed he truly regarded him as a grandfather figure.
'What a good kid. And to think earlier I was ready to kill him if he failed, just to protect this place… shameful. This child has already gone out of his way to help Yan'er and me. He's practically our benefactor.' Dugu Bo felt a pang of guilt.
"Xiao Hai, I won't say more. If you ever need anything, just come to me." His tone was open and firm.
'Such a good child. Talented, strong, good-hearted. If only he could be my grandson-in-law… then calling me grandfather wouldn't be wasted.' The thought arose unbidden.
"You're too kind, Grandfather Dugu. This was yours to begin with." Yang Yunhai smiled, then added, "But this herb alone isn't enough. I need to do more."
He turned and walked toward another plant. "Come with me."
Dugu Bo nodded and followed.
Soon, they reached a fiery-red plant at the center of the hot zone.
"This is the Infernal Delicate Apricot, containing the purest fire poison." He pointed across the pool at a white plant in the cold zone.
"And that is the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, the opposite, containing the purest ice poison."
"Taken together, the ice and fire poisons transform from clashing to complementary. They can remodel and strengthen the body. After absorption, the body nearly becomes immune to ice and fire. It's exaggerated to say invulnerable, but the resistance is immense. And since the body carries both extremes, it also gains powerful resistance to all poison."
"So, if I eat them, I can cleanse my poison?" Dugu Bo's eyes lit up.
"They can cleanse poison, but neither you nor Sister Yan can eat them," Yang Yunhai shook his head.
"Why not?!" Dugu Bo grew anxious.
"Because eating them creates a miniature version of this pool inside your body, constantly grinding down poisons. That would include your Jade Phosphorus Serpent poison," Yang Yunhai explained.
"That serious!?" Dugu Bo was struck dumb. The poison pearl condensed within his body carried much of his cultivation. If that dissolved, his strength would plummet.
That was something he could never accept.
"Other herbs might be blended, but these two are too fierce. If tampered with, their effect would weaken or backfire. Then I couldn't guarantee your cure." Yang Yunhai's gaze hardened. "So, there's only one option."
"What option?!" Dugu Bo pressed.
"I must eat them myself, then use my blood as the medium." Yang Yunhai said firmly. "The medicinal power, diluted in blood, can be safely combined with other herbs. Most importantly, the effect will remain in my blood. That means in the future, whenever Sister Yan absorbs new soul rings and external poison enters her, she can come to me for detoxification."
"And one more thing."
"After eating them, my body will gain strong resistance to both ice and fire. I'll be able to withstand the extreme energies here and freely move about, gathering herbs and preparing medicines."
'Damn, he's turning himself into a walking medicine cauldron!' Dugu Bo was stunned—and moved.
To save him and Yan'er, Yang Yunhai was willing to risk his life on these herbs. Even without knowing their full properties, he could sense the terrifying ice and fire toxins. Eating them recklessly could mean instant death.
"There won't be danger?" Dugu Bo asked despite himself.
"It should be fine." Yang Yunhai smiled, then gave a bitter laugh. "Besides, I no longer have a choice. Just standing here this long, the opposing forces have already seeped into me, damaging my foundation."
"!!" Dugu Bo's expression changed. He quickly grabbed Yang Yunhai's wrist and probed.
"Damn… it really got in." His guilt deepened.
This child had come to help him detoxify, but now had been harmed instead. A disaster without cause.
"Ah, it's grandfather who wronged you." Dugu Bo let go, face full of shame.
(End of Chapter)
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