Chapter 115: Reminding Dugu Bo
Toward Lin Beiya, Dugu Yan felt a gratitude that came straight from the heart.
It was much like someone being diagnosed with a terminal illness—only for a doctor to discover it in time, warn the patient, and even tell them that he had a way to cure it.
After testing it out, they found that the doctor's method actually worked.
The gratitude a patient would feel toward such a healer was self-evident.
Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Dugu Bo—who had been inside his room researching various poisons—quickly poked his head out.
When he saw that it was Lin Beiya who had arrived, those emerald-green pupils of his lit up instantly. Then, as if remembering himself, he drew back the smile at the corner of his mouth and put on an angry face as he said:
"So you brat still remember to come, huh? I heard the Soul Master Tournament has already been going on for quite a while."
"Senior Dugu, you're really wronging me here. The Spirit Hall team is a seeded team—we only need to participate in the final stage. Naturally, there was no need for me to come so early."
"Hmph, always full of crooked reasoning. Hurry up and put that gold cloth on Yan Yan. Over the past year or so, the toxins inside her body have shown signs of resurfacing again."
Nodding, Lin Beiya paid no mind to Dugu Bo's lack of politeness. After all, he had already obtained all the benefits he was supposed to get. Letting the old man gain a bit of verbal advantage didn't really matter.
Once again, the Cancer Gold Cloth was handed to the little girl in the form of a gold card.
Having gone through this once already, Dugu Yan didn't hesitate in the slightest. After thanking him, she took the gold card and headed straight into the room. In the courtyard, only one old man and one young man were left, staring at each other wide-eyed.
"Ahem—about that Snow Swan Kiss you mentioned, I've tested it already. That power is simply…!"
When it came to the Snow Swan Kiss, Dugu Bo could only be described as brimming with pride. With this immortal-grade herb in his possession, he was absolutely confident that he could shake off the title of the weakest Titled Douluo. Moreover, his strategic deterrence value would rise by several more levels.
After all, I may not be able to beat the Titled Douluo in your family—but wiping out everyone else and leaving only that Titled Douluo behind is no joke.
"Uh… Senior, exactly which ecosystem did you go and ruin this time?"
Imagining the once-lush Sunset Forest being turned into something resembling a living hell in Dugu Bo's hands, Lin Beiya immediately felt a sense of foreboding rise in his heart.
Who would've thought that upon hearing this, Dugu Bo would instantly bristle, glare, and roll up his sleeves.
"Hey! What kind of image do I have in your eyes, brat?"
"Do I look like the type who slaughters indiscriminately and destroys the environment?"
Under the old man's pair of eyes, now widened to perfect circles, Lin Beiya calmly nodded inwardly. 'I think so!'
Of course, thinking that was one thing—he wasn't about to slap the old poison freak in the face by saying it out loud.
"Of course not. I was just worried that you might not have controlled the dosage properly, Senior. After all, Snow Swan Kiss…"
In the original work, Tang San used this herb to destroy the entire Slaughter City, so one can imagine how terrifying the Snow Swan Kiss immortal herb could be in the hands of someone with ill intentions.
Hearing this, Dugu Bo immediately put away his anger and nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Indeed. If this herb is mishandled, it truly could result in a massacre of all living beings."
"Don't worry. I'll use it responsibly. Unless I'm forced into a corner, I won't take it out."
Lin Beiya smiled and nodded, accepting his words. In any case, he possessed the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Herb, the natural nemesis of all poisons in the world. No matter how terrifying the Snow Swan Kiss immortal herb was, it wouldn't be able to harm him.
After chatting for a while, the old poison freak once again sighed over Lin Beiya's talent.
"The last time we met, you had only just broken through to Soul Ancestor, hadn't you? And now you're already at rank forty-six. That cultivation speed is truly terrifying."
"This old man had better keep his eyes wide open—looks like I can't afford to make an enemy of you in the future."
What Dugu Bo said was meant as a joke, but it caused a flicker of thought to pass through Lin Beiya's mind. After offering some modest words of humility, he likewise responded playfully, giving the old poison freak a subtle reminder.
"Not at all, not at all. I've merely been lucky—Senior Dugu is praising me too highly."
"As for us becoming enemies… where would that even come from?"
"As long as Senior hastens to repay the favor you owe Prince Xue Xing, I believe the two of us won't ever become enemies in this lifetime."
"Hmm?"
At those words, the smile in Dugu Bo's eyes vanished in an instant. As a seasoned old fox, how could he fail to hear the deeper meaning hidden beneath what sounded like a joke?
Failing to repay Prince Xue Xing's favor meant that, at a critical moment in the future, he would be forced to lend the other party a hand.
And given Xue Xing's status, any future conflict involving him…
Dugu Bo immediately thought of Spirit Hall's designs on the Heaven Dou Empire. In truth, this was already an open secret among the major powers—something everyone understood without needing to say aloud.
What he never could have imagined, however, was that the upper echelons of the Heaven Dou Empire had already been infiltrated by Spirit Hall to the point of being riddled with holes like a sieve.
"Hahaha, you're right. If a debt of gratitude isn't repaid quickly, who knows how much trouble it might cause down the line?"
In an instant, Dugu Bo weighed the pros and cons in his heart. If Dugu Yan's life truly couldn't be saved, then perhaps—having lost all hope in life—he might have chosen to clash head-on with Spirit Hall just to repay Xue Xing's favor.
But now, with a solution finally in sight for the toxins in his granddaughter's body, he was still hoping to one day hold a great-grandchild in his arms. There was no way he would foolishly smash an egg against a rock, risking everything to shield Xue Xing—or the Heaven Dou Empire—from danger.
Lin Beiya smiled faintly. He could tell that Dugu Bo had already made his decision, and so he immediately spoke again, his words carrying an unmistakable hint:
"I once read in an ancient tome about a medicinal herb called the Holy Radiance Leaf. From the moment it sprouts, it carries its own light. It can refine the bloodline of those who possess holy-type martial souls and may even promote the evolution of their martial soul."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo froze slightly. Lin Beiya definitely wasn't mentioning the Holy Radiance Leaf at this moment without reason.
His thoughts immediately flashed to the extraordinary-looking herbs growing in his own medicinal garden. There really did seem to be one that matched Lin Beiya's description perfectly.
And wasn't the martial soul possessed by the Heaven Dou royal family precisely a swan imbued with innate holy attributes?
Once he connected the dots, Dugu Bo's eyes lit up, and when he looked at Lin Beiya again, his gaze was filled with admiration.
"So that's how it is. Then, for someone with a holy-type martial soul, this herb truly would be an opportunity they couldn't hope for more."
They were both intelligent men. With the point made, neither had any intention of continuing further on the topic.
"By the way, in this tournament, there shouldn't be anyone who can stand against you, right, brat?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, the championship should be as good as ours."
When it came to the Soul Master Tournament title, Lin Beiya showed not the slightest hint of false modesty. Dugu Bo already had a rough grasp of his strength—acting humble at this point would only look pretentious.
Nodding noncommittally, Dugu Bo said with a broad smile:
"When the time comes, I'll bring Yan Yan to watch the finals. While we're at it, I'll also take care of a few matters."
"Alright. Once Sister Yan finishes clearing out the toxins, we'll meet again in Heaven Dou City—"
Lin Beiya was just about to say See you in Heaven Dou City when he suddenly remembered that the leader of the Spirit Hall team this time was Chrysanthemum Douluo. Those two were old enemies.
"Um… Senior Dugu…"
"Hm? What's with that expression, brat? You don't welcome this old man and Yan Yan to watch the matches?"
"Ah, watching the matches is fine. It's just that if a Senior happens to run into someone you don't particularly want to see, I hope you'll restrain yourself a bit."
"Huh?"
As soon as he heard that, a certain infuriating face—one so irritating that even its gender was hard to distinguish—immediately surfaced in Dugu Bo's mind. He shot Lin Beiya a vicious glare.
"Forget it. This old man won't go. I'll handle my business and let Yan Yan go watch the competition herself."
"Mm, that works too."
Lin Beiya didn't try to persuade him in the slightest and readily agreed with Dugu Bo's decision.
Who knew whether, if those old fellows ran into their enemies, they might get carried away and fight until heaven and earth were torn apart?
After all, Dugu Bo now possessed Snow Swan Kiss. If he truly lost control, the entire Heaven Dou City could end up being buried alongside them.
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End of Chapter