Heaven Dou Royal Academy!
As soon as Dugu Bo appeared, he made his way directly to a courtyard. This courtyard was Dugu Yan's residence within the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
He didn't conceal his aura, so Dugu Yan sensed his presence and happily went out to greet him. She even spoke in a coquettish tone:
"Grandpa, it's great that you're here. I have something important to tell you."
Seeing Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo's face softened into a warm smile, his eyes filled with affection. He patted her head and said with a chuckle:
"Yanyan, as soon as I heard you were back, I rushed over. What is it you want to tell me?"
Dugu Yan took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and then quickly summarized everything that had happened since she reunited with Chen Yuan. When she finished explaining the method of using spirit bones to store poison, Dugu Bo's heart shook. He felt a sudden clarity, as if this method truly had potential. Spirit bones were rare, and poison-type spirit bones were even rarer. But if it could save his granddaughter's life, he wouldn't hesitate to slaughter countless poisonous spirit beasts to obtain them.
Finally, Dugu Bo spoke in a low voice:
"I never expected that the boy we met three years ago would give us such a pleasant surprise. Yanyan, where is he? I want to meet him. First, I need to express my gratitude, and second, I need to see if he has any ulterior motives."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan quickly tried to dissuade him:
"Grandpa, he's my savior. You can't give him a hard time."
Dugu Bo looked at her in disbelief. It felt like his precious granddaughter was slipping away from him. He sighed and said helplessly:
"Yanyan, he's the disciple of Sword Douluo Chen Xin. Just based on that relationship alone, I wouldn't do anything to him. But the poison that afflicts us is our greatest secret. I just want him to make some promises not to spread this information."
Dugu Yan realized she had overreacted and felt a wave of confusion. Her gaze wandered as she said:
"He's also at the academy. Grandpa, should we go now or wait until tomorrow?"
Seeing his granddaughter's hesitation, Dugu Bo felt a pang of irritation. It was clear that his granddaughter had developed feelings for someone. He wanted to see for himself what was so special about this boy.
With a wave of his hand, Dugu Bo made a decision:
"Yanyan, we'll go now. He's done you a great favor, so as your grandfather, I must personally thank him."
With that, Dugu Yan led the way, and Dugu Bo followed. They headed toward the residence where Chen Yuan, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were staying.
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A short while later, in another courtyard!
Dugu Bo was about to knock on the door when Dugu Yan stepped forward and gently tapped on it. She said softly:
"Junior brother Chen Yuan, are you busy? My grandfather is here. I told him about the advice you gave me, and now he insists on thanking you in person."
Inside the room, Chen Yuan, who had been playing cards with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, felt a surge of joy. The cards were something he had created out of boredom during their journey, just to pass the time.
Chen Yuan set down his cards, removed the white slips of paper stuck to his face from losing, and said to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing:
"Senior sister Dugu Yan and her grandfather are here. I'll go out and see them."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression changed slightly, and she said with concern:
"Will it be okay? He's a Title Douluo!"
Ning Rongrong, however, was unfazed. She said dismissively:
"This is the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan isn't far from here. Nothing will happen. Let's go out and see. But, Brother Chen Yuan, when did you give Dugu Yan advice?"
Chen Yuan had already stood up. Hearing the question, he replied calmly:
"I mentioned a few things casually. It seems they took it very seriously. Let's go out and see."
Soon, the three of them walked out. Chen Yuan greeted Dugu Yan with a smile:
"Senior sister."
Dugu Yan nodded with a smile and then began the introductions:
"Junior brother Chen Yuan, this is my grandfather. You've met him three years ago. Grandpa, this is Chen Yuan, and that's Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. They… um…"
Dugu Yan trailed off, feeling a bit troubled. She wasn't sure how to describe the relationship between the three. Before, she hadn't thought much of it, but now, the more she thought about it, the more her heart ached. She hadn't been interested before, but now she was starting to feel something.
Behind Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo glanced at Chen Yuan and then at Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing standing beside him. He frowned imperceptibly. This seemed a bit like the behavior of a playboy, and he had never had a good impression of such people.
But at this moment, Chen Yuan spoke up:
"Senior Dugu."
Dugu Bo nodded, his green eyes fixed on Chen Yuan as he said solemnly:
"Young friend, I've come to thank you. The method you suggested to my granddaughter—using spirit bones to address the flaw in our martial soul—I also believe it has great potential. Could we talk further? Since this involves the secrets of our Jade Phosphorus lineage, I hope we can speak privately."
Chen Yuan was more than willing and naturally didn't refuse. He smiled and said:
"Of course. Rongrong, Zhuqing, you two can go back inside. I'll take a walk with Senior Dugu. Being able to exchange insights on martial souls with a Title Douluo like him will be beneficial for me."
Hearing this, the two girls obediently returned to their room. Since this involved the secrets of the Jade Phosphorus lineage, it was understandable that they didn't want outsiders to know.
However, what surprised them was that even Dugu Bo had come to seek Chen Yuan's advice. His understanding of martial souls must be incredibly profound.
In the now-empty courtyard, only Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, and Chen Yuan remained.
Facing Chen Yuan, a young man with both a strong background and a favor owed to his granddaughter, Dugu Bo spoke politely:
"Young friend, the advice you gave my granddaughter—using spirit bones to store poison—was a revelation to me. With this method, my granddaughter's life is no longer in danger. I owe you a debt of gratitude, and I will repay you generously in the future."
"Additionally, this is our family's greatest secret. I hope you can keep it confidential and not mention it to others."
Chen Yuan agreed and nodded:
"Senior Dugu, you can rest assured. I'm not the type to spread others' secrets. In truth, I only offered a suggestion based on my understanding of martial souls. I don't know how to cure poison. To resolve the poison in your bodies, you'll need to find a solution yourself."
"Senior, you also have the Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul and suffer from the poison corroding your body, yet you've managed to cultivate to the Title Douluo level. You must have some method to suppress the poison. Even without me, as long as you were willing, you could have suppressed the poison in Senior Sister Dugu Yan's body. Given how much you care for her, you wouldn't have left her to suffer."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo's face showed a pained expression. After some thought, he finally revealed:
"I have a very secluded place for secluded cultivation. The violent energy of ice and fire there helps me suppress the poison. But for lower-level spirit masters, it's a deadly place."
"When I was being corroded by the poison, my spirit power was already very strong, so I could use the ice and fire energy to suppress it. But in our Jade Phosphorus lineage, the poison is passed down along with the martial soul. From birth, Yanyan's body has been corroded by the poison. That's why I couldn't do anything. Yanyan doesn't have enough time. If her spirit power grows too quickly, the poison will become more intense. If her spirit power grows too slowly, the poison will corrode her body more thoroughly. Both paths lead to death. It's only because of your suggestion that Yanyan finally has hope of survival."
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—Dugu Bo had finally mentioned it himself. Chen Yuan's eyes gleamed. The next step was to propose that Dugu Bo take him there.
(End of Chapter)
Word Count : 1,436
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