For a long moment, the clearing was wrapped in absolute silence. Only the rustling of leaves and the occasional chirp of distant spirit beasts broke the heavy stillness. Dugu Bo, Dugu Xin, and Dugu Yan all remained frozen in place, their expressions a mix of astonishment and disbelief.
Dugu Bo flexed his clawed fingers experimentally, his venomous green scales shimmering under the dim light filtering through the canopy. A peculiar sensation coursed through his body—one he had never felt before. It wasn't power, nor was it weakness. It was... balance.
'Balance…' he thought, a foreign concept for so long. The constant, gnawing ache that had been his companion for decades was gone. The poison still flowed within him, he could sense it, but it was… docile. Controlled. It was an unbelievable feeling.
Dugu Xin, standing beside him, was staring down at his own hands with a stunned expression. His body, which had often succumbed to sudden poison flare-ups, now felt... stable. Controlled. The ever-looming threat of his poison running wild and crippling him had simply vanished. 'This little… this child actually did it,' he thought, a sense of awe mixed with lingering skepticism.
Dugu Yan, the youngest of the three, was still touching her arms, her fingers tracing the smoothness of her skin as if she couldn't believe it was hers. The dormant poison she had been born with had always felt like a heavy burden, lying in wait for the day it would either awaken fully or destroy her. And yet now... it felt as though it had truly become a part of her. She could sense it, deep inside, but it was no longer something foreign. It was hers. 'I… I feel normal,' she thought, a wide, genuine smile spreading across her face.
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze snapping toward the small boy at the center of this unbelievable phenomenon. Song Qing stood there, a soft, bright smile on his young face, his tiny hands still outstretched as his emerald vines slowly faded away.
'This child…' Dugu Bo thought, his mind still reeling. The implications of what had just happened were staggering. A six-year-old boy had seemingly accomplished what countless healers and his own decades of research had failed to do. It was beyond comprehension.
Song Qing blinked as he noticed their continued silence and then let out a small giggle, his voice as soft as a bell's chime. "Ehh? Senior Dugu Bo, why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Dugu Yan's lips twitched as she stifled a giggle. Her grandfather looked utterly dumbfounded by a child's innocent question. 'He really is cute,' she thought, her earlier fascination returning in full force.
Dugu Bo let out a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress his swirling emotions. He was not a man who let himself be shaken easily, but this situation defied all logic. "...What exactly did you just do, boy?" he finally asked, his voice gruff but steady.
Song Qing blinked again, then smiled sweetly. "I only used my spirit's passive ability, Senior. It has a special connection with poisonous energy. Instead of resisting poison, it helps, um… how do I explain it?" He furrowed his tiny brows in concentration before brightening up. "Oh! It's like talking to a grumpy old snake and making it your friend instead of fighting it! Hehe!"
Dugu Bo stared at him. 'Talking to poison… like it's a sentient being?' The analogy was simplistic, almost childish, but given the results… he couldn't dismiss it outright.
Dugu Xin coughed lightly, trying to maintain his composure. "You're saying... your spirit negotiated with our poison?" He still found the explanation incredibly hard to believe, but the evidence of his own senses was undeniable.
Song Qing put a finger to his chin, nodding thoughtfully. "Mmm... Kind of! Instead of forcing it away, my spirit whispered to it and told it to stop being so angry. The poison inside you three was always part of your spirits, but it didn't like you very much before. Now it does!"
Dugu Bo's lips twitched. The way this little brat explained things made it sound like he had just pacified an angry pet rather than rebalancing a condition that had plagued their bloodline for generations. 'Whispered to it…' he thought, a strange image forming in his mind of tiny vines somehow soothing the raging toxins within them.
Still… The evidence was undeniable. Dugu Bo clenched his fist and released it again. There was no pain. Not even a hint of discomfort. He could control his poison like a part of his very being. His decades-long struggle had ended in mere moments—by a child no older than six.
"This power of yours..." Dugu Bo's green eyes sharpened, his mind already racing. "This is no ordinary ability. A spirit with such passive effects... I've never heard of such a thing before." He studied Song Qing intently, trying to discern any hint of deception or ulterior motive.
Song Qing merely smiled, his hands tucked behind his back, looking as harmless as a fluffy little rabbit.
Dugu Bo took a slow step forward, his voice lowering. "Boy… which force are you from?" He knew a talent like this wouldn't arise from nowhere. Someone powerful, some influential faction, had to be behind this child.
Dugu Xin immediately tensed at his father's question, his hand instinctively moving towards the pouch containing his own potent poisons. He remained wary, despite the boy's seemingly benevolent actions.
Dugu Yan looked at Song Qing with a mix of curiosity and admiration. This little boy—this adorable, clever, and strangely knowledgeable child—had to belong to some incredibly powerful faction. There was simply no other explanation for how he was so strong at such a young age. 'I wonder who he is?' she pondered, her green eyes sparkling with intrigue.
And yet... Song Qing's smile did not falter. Instead, a playful glint sparkled in his eyes. He put his hands behind his back and swayed slightly, looking up at Dugu Bo with an expression of pure innocence. "Senior Dugu Bo," he said softly, "you'll find out soon enough."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Is that so?" He didn't like vague answers, especially not in a situation like this. But there was something about the boy's confidence that made him hesitate to press too hard.
"Mhm!" Song Qing nodded, his small face beaming with confidence. "But for now, let's just say I'm just a little traveler who wanted to help."
Dugu Bo exhaled through his nose, his sharp mind working through all the possibilities. There was no way a child like this had wandered into the Sunset Forest alone. Someone powerful had to be backing him—perhaps watching from the shadows even now. 'But if they wanted to harm us, why send a child?' he wondered.
And yet, he couldn't deny the goodwill the boy had shown. His body felt the proof of his words. "Brat," Dugu Bo finally said, folding his arms. "You should know that you've done my family a great favor today." He rarely admitted to being indebted to anyone, let alone a child.
Song Qing grinned. "Ehehe~ does that mean Senior Dugu Bo won't be suspicious of me anymore?" His innocent question held a hint of playful teasing.
Dugu Bo snorted. "Don't push your luck, boy." He wouldn't admit it, but his initial suspicion had definitely lessened. There was something disarming about the child's demeanor.
Song Qing pouted slightly but then giggled, clearly unbothered.
Dugu Yan, who had remained quiet all this time, finally stepped closer, her eyes sparkling. "Little Qing, you're really amazing!" she said, her voice filled with genuine admiration. "You're so smart, and your spirit is really special. I don't think I've ever met someone like you before!"
Song Qing scratched the back of his head, his cheeks turning a soft pink. "Hehe… Sister Yan, you're making me shy…" He genuinely appreciated her kind words.
Dugu Yan's heart melted a little at how adorable he looked. If she weren't afraid of her grandfather's glare, she might have scooped him up and hugged him right then and there. 'He's like a cute little doll who can also perform miracles!' she thought with a giggle.
Dugu Bo, meanwhile, let out a low chuckle. "Hmph. Well, brat, it seems you've earned my curiosity. Whether that's a good thing or not… we'll see." He still wasn't entirely convinced, but he was definitely intrigued.
Song Qing merely smiled again, a mysterious glint in his youthful eyes.
Dugu Bo watched him closely. This child was no ordinary prodigy. There was something more to him, something hidden beneath that innocent facade. And Dugu Bo intended to find out exactly what it was.
Song Qing then tilted his head slightly, his gaze drifting towards the lush, albeit somewhat strange, vegetation surrounding them. "Senior Dugu Bo," he said, his voice regaining its earlier sweetness, "if it's not too much trouble, I was wondering if I could take a look at your herbal garden. I sensed a lot of… interesting plants when I arrived. My spirit seems quite drawn to them."