Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
After an hour's journey, Lin Mu brought Tang San to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
At this time, Dugu Bo was carefully tending to the medicinal herbs.
This was a task Lin Mu had given him; to solve his granddaughter's martial soul problem, he dared not be careless in the slightest.
For this reason, Lin Mu specifically asked Tang San to compile a compendium of medicinal herbs and give it to Dugu Bo so that he wouldn't have to worry about the Poison Douluo accidentally damaging the precious plants.
"Master, why are you here?"
Seeing Lin Mu suddenly appear, Dugu Bo quickly stopped what he was doing and hurried to greet him.
After getting closer, he realized that standing next to Lin Mu was a handsome and extraordinary stranger who had no visible connection whatsoever with the ordinary-looking Tang San he knew.
But the problem was, how could Lin Mu bring a stranger to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a place of utmost secrecy?
"What is your name, young brother?"
Dugu Bo looked up at Tang San and asked cautiously.
Seeing Dugu Bo's reaction, Tang San couldn't help but chuckle, teasingly saying, "Senior Dugu, you don't recognize me so quickly?"
"Have I seen you before?"
Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Dugu Bo was even more confused.
Seeing this, Tang San stopped teasing Dugu Bo and smiled faintly. "I am Tang San, but my appearance has changed slightly."
"You are Tang San?!"
Dugu Bo's eyes widened, staring intently at Tang San for a long time, but he couldn't see any resemblance.
After a moment, he could only look to Lin Mu for confirmation.
"That's right, he is indeed my disciple. I took him to complete the second awakening of his martial soul, and his appearance changed somewhat as a result," Lin Mu explained simply.
Hearing this, Dugu Bo reluctantly believed Tang San's identity, never expecting Tang San's appearance to have improved so drastically.
After explaining Tang San's identity, Lin Mu didn't waste any time. He handed the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Purse back to Tang San, instructing, "Little San, find a suitable place for your mother first."
"Master, what about the Blue Silver King? Where should we place it?"
"Place it on the other side of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, and don't let it get close to your mother, lest something unexpected happens."
Lin Mu was wary of the Blue Silver King.
Although it was loyal to the Blue Silver Emperor lineage in the original story, once it gained sufficient strength and proximity to the weakened Emperor, it might choose to devour Ah Yin's bloodline for further advancement.
Even a clan can only unite under the drive of self-interest; otherwise, internal strife is common.
"Yes, Master."
Tang San's eyes lit up at Lin Mu's arrangement; this would indeed ensure his mother's safety.
Immediately, Tang San took his Ruyi Hundred Treasure Purse and headed toward the Well, carefully surveying the surrounding geology, preparing to find the most suitable place for the Blue Silver Grass to grow near the life-giving waters.
Hearing their conversation, Dugu Bo, though filled with doubt, did not interrupt.
At this moment, Lin Mu looked up at Dugu Bo and said calmly, "You've been quite diligent these past few days. Once I return to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I'll help Dugu Yan resolve her martial soul issue."
"Thank you, Master!"
Dugu Bo's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly knelt down to express his gratitude.
To him, his granddaughter was his only weakness. As long as his granddaughter could resolve her martial soul issue, at least their Jade Phosphor Serpent lineage could continue without the curse of poison.
"Get up." Lin Mu casually lifted Dugu Bo up with his soul power and continued, "As long as you complete the task I assigned you, I can also help you resolve your own martial soul issue."
"Master, please give your orders. Even if this old servant has to risk his life, he will complete the task you assign."
Standing up from the ground, Dugu Bo still bowed deeply, speaking with utmost respect.
At this moment, he was completely subservient to Lin Mu, harboring no further disloyalty. He was willing to do anything to solve his family's curse.
"The same as before, you're in charge of looking after the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."
After a pause, Lin Mu looked toward Tang San and continued, "However, there's an 85,000-year-old soul beast here now. You must keep a close eye on it, making sure it doesn't damage the herbs or escape."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo was stunned.
He quickly realized that this meant keeping a near-hundred-thousand-year soul beast under his control.
But the problem was, how could he possibly control an 85,000-year-old soul beast? Even if he could barely handle it in a fight, he couldn't completely suppress it without causing collateral damage. The aftershocks of the battle alone would be enough to destroy the herb garden.
Thinking of this, Dugu Bo hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Master, with my strength, I can only try to keep it here; I can't guarantee it won't damage the herbs if it struggles."
"Don't worry, it's a plant type and not very mobile. You can handle it. But just in case, here's something for you."
With that, Lin Mu took out a jade bottle from his storage soul tool and tossed it to Dugu Bo.
Seeing the bottle, Dugu Bo quickly caught it. Since it was something Lin Mu had given him, it must be an extremely precious treasure.
"This contains a wisp of my compressed Qilin Fire, extremely harmful to plant-type soul beasts. It's very easy to use; just throw it at the beast if you need to suppress it."
Hearing Lin Mu's detailed explanation, Dugu Bo felt a wave of fear. 'If I hadn't caught it gently, wouldn't it have exploded in my face?'
This was Lin Mu's Qilin Fire! Even a Titled Douluo couldn't withstand it easily, let alone a plant-type soul beast.
After some time, Tang San finally settled Ah Yin in a prime spot, while the Blue Silver King was planted on the far side of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a safe distance away.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
On the rooftop of a building, Tang Hao, clad in a gray robe, lay with a gourd of wine in his hand.
He had just taken several gulps of wine, slightly calming his sorrow. His gaze fell on the Royal Fighting Team's training ground, but he didn't see Lin Mu or Tang San.
"Why hasn't that kid Lin Mu brought Xiao San back yet?"
So many days had passed, and Tang Hao's mood grew increasingly irritable, as if something major had happened.
Unfortunately, he wasn't specialized in speed, and returning to Nuoding City would take a considerable amount of time. Even if he went, he might not find Lin Mu, likely wasting his time.
Therefore, he could only stay here and wait for Lin Mu to return to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy with Xiao San.
Just as his mood grew increasingly depressed, a streak of azure light streaked across the sky, quickly arriving in the airspace of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and landing precisely on the training ground.
Seeing this, Tang Hao was immediately overjoyed.
Without a doubt, Lin Mu must have returned with Xiao San; only Lin Mu possessed such incredible speed.
However, upon closer inspection, he couldn't find Xiao San, only a handsome young man with blue hair standing beside Lin Mu.
"How is this possible?!"
Tang Hao's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with disbelief. This handsome young man looked remarkably like Ah Yin.
After a long while, Tang Hao finally realized what had happened. 'No wonder it took so long; he went to awaken Xiao San's Blue Silver Emperor bloodline. But how did Lin Mu know about the location and how did he know about Xiao San's Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline?'
Tang Hao wasn't particularly dissatisfied with this development, but he felt things were starting to spiral out of his control.
"Could Lin Mu have some ulterior motive?"
In an instant, Tang Hao dismissed the thought.
In his view, Lin Mu treated Xiao San completely like his own son; how could he possibly have any malicious motives?
Besides, Lin Mu stood on the opposite side of Spirit Hall, essentially on his side. Even if he had some ulterior motives, Tang Hao felt he could only choose to tolerate it for now.
Regardless, he still needed to talk to Xiao San and inquire about the details, especially about the awakening.