Chapter 63: Ice and Fire Yin Yang
In the Sunset Forest.
Inside a certain cave.
"You said you want to kill me?"
Tang San looked at the green-eyed elder in front of him with disdain. "Old monster, you're a Titled Douluo, yet you stoop to attacking a mere Spirit Elder. Doesn't that lower your status?"
Ha!
Dugu Bo sneered, "Boy, don't try to provoke me. I am a Titled Douluo, and I don't need you to teach me how to conduct myself. This world is survival of the fittest. I bully you because I can. What can you do about it?"
"What can I do?"
Tang San shook his head, becoming incredibly calm. He smiled, "I may not be able to do anything, but soon, you'll come looking for me in the afterlife. If I take my time, we might even keep each other company."
Hmm?
Dugu Bo picked up on the underlying implication in Tang San's words. "Boy, are you suggesting that I will die?"
"What a joke. I'm a Titled Douluo. Living another hundred years is no problem."
"Whether it's a joke, you know best."
Tang San fell silent, his face displaying an air of confidence.
This piqued Dugu Bo's interest. With a wave of his hand, immense pressure bore down on Tang San, forcing him to bow.
Dugu Bo pressed, "Speak. If you can't give me a satisfactory answer, I'll kill you immediately."
Seeing that Dugu Bo was genuinely angry, Tang San didn't dare to play games any longer. He merely wanted to pique Dugu Bo's interest, not actually die.
Under the crushing pressure, he struggled to speak, "Old monster, your title is 'Poison,' and you pride yourself as a poison master, yet you don't even know that you're poisoned? Isn't that laughable?"
Hearing this, Dugu Bo's expression changed slightly but quickly composed himself.
"Rubbish. I've dealt with poison my entire life. How could I not know if I'm poisoned?"
"Really?"
Tang San confidently described the symptoms Dugu Bo experienced during his poison flare-ups.
Dugu Bo's face finally changed.
Now he believed that Tang San wasn't making baseless claims.
Seeing Dugu Bo fall silent, a smug smile crept onto Tang San's face.
He knew he had struck a chord.
Tang San continued, "Old monster, I am confident I can rid you of your poison."
Dugu Bo remained silent.
Tang San was correct. He was indeed poisoned, a consequence of his martial spirit. His son had died young because of it. Now, his granddaughter Dugu Yan was similarly afflicted. Without intervention, she wouldn't live past twenty-five. He managed because of his strength, suppressing the poison with spirit power. But Dugu Yan, with her lower cultivation, suffered greatly.
This poison felt like a curse on their family.
For Dugu Bo, enduring it himself was one thing, but he couldn't bear to see his granddaughter suffer.
After a long silence, Dugu Bo spoke, "Boy, if you tell me how to detoxify, I won't kill you."
Ha!
Tang San sneered, "Old monster, are you joking? If I tell you and you don't keep your word, I can't do anything to stop you from killing me."
Dugu Bo frowned, "I am a Titled Douluo. My word is my bond."
Ha!
Tang San's sneer deepened.
Trusting Dugu Bo was out of the question. He had been captured and nearly killed over a minor offense. How could he trust such a person?
Dugu Bo, thinking of his granddaughter, relented, "What do you want?"
Tang San replied, "Swear on your martial spirit that you won't harm me after I detoxify you. Additionally, you must promise to do three things for me. They will be within your capability, and if you refuse, I won't force you."
"Fine. I swear on my martial spirit," Dugu Bo agreed without hesitation.
Afterward, he asked, "When will you help me detoxify?"
Tang San shook his head, "It can't be rushed. To detoxify you, I need some rare herbs. Gathering them will take time."
"What herbs do you need?"
Dugu Bo said, "I have a small medicinal garden with many rare herbs. It might have what you need."
Oh?
"Then take me to see it."
...
Dugu Bo led Tang San through his poison array to a place brimming with mystical energy.
As soon as he saw the pond ahead, Tang San was stunned.
"Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"
"What Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" Dugu Bo asked, puzzled.
Tang San ignored him, his eyes fixated on the area around the well.
"That's... Water Immortal Jade Muscle Bone, Lovesick Heartbroken Red, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum..."
Tang San exclaimed the names of the celestial herbs one by one.
Joy surged in his heart.
With so many celestial herbs, if he consumed some, his strength would increase exponentially.
Moreover, some of these herbs could improve his physical constitution.
Because he had absorbed a ten-year spirit ring for his third ring, these herbs could compensate for that deficiency.
Thinking of this, Tang San's face flushed with excitement.
He finally had a stroke of luck. With these celestial herbs, his path to becoming a Titled Douluo was much more certain.
Once he had these herbs, defeating Su Bai and dealing with spirit beasts would be no problem.
And Xiao Wu, his destined girl, could also return to his side.
Excitedly, he said to Dugu Bo, "Old monster, before coming here, I was seventy percent sure I could cure your granddaughter. Now, I am one hundred percent sure."
Oh?
Dugu Bo was surprised.
Could his medicinal garden really be that valuable?
He was a poison master, skilled in using poison but not well-versed in herbs. Many herbs here were unknown to him. He had only occupied this place because it helped suppress his poison.
"What about the poison in me?" Dugu Bo asked.
Tang San shook his head, "Because of your high cultivation and prolonged toxin accumulation, I only have a fifty percent chance of curing you."
Only fifty percent?
Dugu Bo frowned.
But for now, curing his granddaughter was the priority.
As for himself, he could endure.
If anything happened to him, Dugu Yan would be left without a protector, facing a harsh future alone.
"Grandpa..."
Just as Dugu Bo was about to agree to let Tang San prepare the antidote, he heard Dugu Yan's voice from outside.
Soon, Dugu Yan appeared, her face lit with joy.
"Yan Yan..."
Dugu Bo's initial joy turned to suspicion as he saw the young man beside her.
"Yan Yan, who is he?"