Dugu Bo's expression darkened slightly upon hearing Lin Fan's words.
"What did you just say? He's Tang Hao's son? But his spirit is just Blue Silver Grass!" Dugu Bo was utterly stunned—he hadn't expected this time to be a case of "the river god flooding his temple."
Naturally, Dugu Bo had heard of the rumors—how Tang Hao had once crushed the former Pope of the Spirit Hall.
"Dugu Bo, that's just what you see on the surface." Yu Xiaogang, clutching his chest, forced out the words.
"You mean… He's a twin-spirit wielder? And the other one must be the Clear Sky Hammer!" Dugu Bo was even more shocked.
"That's right," Yu Xiaogang confirmed.
For a moment, Dugu Bo was at a complete loss for words.
Lin Fan then spoke calmly, "Dean Flender, you've all suffered injuries. You should return to the academy first. I'll personally bring Tang San back to you later."
Flender exchanged a glance with Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong, then nodded. "Very well, Sword Shadow Douluo. We'll trouble you with this matter."
Yu Xiaogang had sustained the worst injuries, especially as the core controller of their Spirit Fusion Technique, and only a Grandmaster at that.
Naturally, Liu Erlong helped support Yu Xiaogang as they left first. After giving Lin Fan a respectful nod, Flender quickly followed.
"I underestimated Dugu Bo's strength," Yu Xiaogang muttered, coughing heavily. "I never expected that, even as the so-called weakest among Titled Douluo, I wouldn't be able to withstand his eighth spirit ability."
"Sword Shadow Douluo… Will he bring Tang San back safely?" Liu Erlong, having just met Lin Fan, couldn't help but doubt.
"He will," Flender replied confidently. "Though Sword Shadow Douluo's actions sometimes seem difficult to comprehend, he once saved Tang San and the others before."
"I just didn't expect Sword Shadow Douluo to be in Heaven Dou City… and to rescue us again today." Flender sighed deeply.
"If not for his intervention, even if we had revealed our identities and declared Tang Hao's name, we likely wouldn't have survived," Flender continued gravely.
"Hmph, I doubt Dugu Bo would dare to kill us," Liu Erlong retorted stubbornly.
"You're being too naive," Yu Xiaogang said, shaking his head. "You've seen Dugu Bo's poison firsthand. If he wanted to leave nothing behind—not even bones—it'd be all too easy."
"By then, who would your clan even know to seek revenge against?"
"Erlong, Xiaogang is right," Flender added. "If Sword Shadow Douluo hadn't intervened, and we had tried to reveal our backgrounds, we'd likely have vanished without a trace."
The three of them left Sunset Forest, no longer mentioning Dugu Bo.
Meanwhile, back near the spring, Lin Fan gazed at Dugu Bo and spoke coldly, "Dugu Bo, it's been three months, and I see your appearance has changed quite a bit."
"It's all thanks to you," Dugu Bo said with deep gratitude. "Following your guidance, I transferred my poison into my spirit bones. I can feel my body improving significantly."
"Is that so…" Lin Fan's tone suddenly turned icy as he swiftly stepped forward, grabbed Dugu Bo by the throat, and slammed him harshly against a tree behind him.
"What did I tell you back then? No one else was allowed to enter that sacred ground—no one—and you even swore you would guard it."
"And yet, here you are, bringing Tang San in."
"Don't you realize? Tang San is Tang Hao's son. If Tang Hao were to follow him and discover that place, neither you nor I would ever be able to use it again."
"You're just lucky Tang Hao didn't come along today. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had the chance to act so smug earlier."
Lin Fan had sensed the area carefully and confirmed that Tang Hao's presence wasn't nearby.
He suspected that Tang Hao had been guarding Tang San in Soto City for many years, likely neglecting his search for Ah Yin's remains, which was why he hadn't followed Tang San to Heaven Dou City this time.
Originally, Lin Fan had assumed that his previous warning would be enough to keep Dugu Bo from repeating the mistake he made in the original story and bringing Tang San to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Yet, Dugu Bo had still led Tang San there.
Choked by Lin Fan's grip, Dugu Bo struggled to speak. "This… this was my mistake. I truly didn't know he was Tang Hao's son."
"Hmph!" Lin Fan let go of Dugu Bo's throat and asked coldly, "Is Tang San awake yet?"
"He was still unconscious when I left. I doubt he's woken up yet," Dugu Bo replied, still shaken.
"I hadn't expected him to be this tough… How did his strength rise so quickly? Could it be because of those herbs near the spring?" Dugu Bo muttered.
During his three months at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo had naturally noticed that the peculiar, vibrant herbs around the spring were all gone.
Of course, those herbs had long since been harvested by Lin Fan.
However, due to the well's unique nature, new immortal herbs would eventually grow again after many years, just like in the far future, when they would not only regrow but also evolve into spiritual beasts.
Thus, Lin Fan's ideal outcome was for Tang San to never learn about the well's true value.
After all, once Tang San knew its true nature, it would inevitably attract more trouble.
"Let's go inside." Lin Fan turned and headed into the poisonous mist.
Dugu Bo quickly followed.
Soon, in a mountainside cave overlooking the valley where he often cultivated, Lin Fan saw the unconscious Tang San.
In the original story, Tang San would have awakened by now thanks to the Eight Spider Lances fortifying his body and allowing him to absorb Dugu Bo's poisons.
However, in this version, Tang San didn't have the Eight Spider Lances and couldn't recover so quickly from Dugu Bo's toxins.
Still, Lin Fan could see Tang San's Xuan Tian Skill automatically circulating, forming a faint white aura that was gradually expelling the poison.
"You didn't poison him with anything fatal, did you?" Lin Fan asked.
"Of course not," Dugu Bo replied. "I merely used a mild sleeping agent back at Blue Tyrant Academy to knock him out."
"Good." Lin Fan's voice sharpened again. "From now on, aside from you and your granddaughter, no one else is allowed in here."
"If you break this rule again, you can forget about ever setting foot here yourself."
With that, Lin Fan picked up the unconscious Tang San, ready to leave.
Just before entering the poisonous mist, Lin Fan turned back and added, "Oh, right—find a spirit bone for your granddaughter. Teach her to transfer her poison into it during her cultivation."
"Otherwise… her fate will be even worse than yours."
Without another word, Lin Fan carried Tang San and vanished into the mist.
"My Yan Yan…" Dugu Bo's heart tightened at the mention of his granddaughter. Her unusual condition had always been a thorn in his heart.
Now, thanks to Lin Fan's reminder, he realized that she had indeed inherited his poison.
But Dugu Bo also understood Lin Fan's true intent—to make sure he would diligently guard this sacred place.
After walking out of Sunset Forest, before they even reached the city, Tang San slowly began to regain consciousness.
Sensing this, Lin Fan gently placed Tang San down on a patch of grass by the roadside.
"You're awake," Lin Fan said calmly.
"Y-You're… Sword Shadow Douluo!" Tang San groggily sat up, clutching his aching head as he looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Why am I… in a place like this?" Tang San asked in confusion.
The last thing he remembered was being ambushed—he didn't even know who his assailant was.
"Do you remember being taken from the academy by Dugu Bo?" Lin Fan asked with a faint smile. "How did you end up provoking him?"
"Poison Douluo…" At the mention, Tang San's memories of what had happened at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy quickly resurfaced.
He immediately realized that this was all because he had cured Dugu Bo's granddaughter's poison.
Thinking of this, Tang San finally understood why Dugu Bo had attacked him.
Thank you, Sword Shadow Douluo," Tang San said with a bitter smile. "I never imagined Poison Douluo, despite being a Titled Douluo, would be so petty and vengeful.