Chapter 39: Sunset Forest!
"This title was given to me by an Old Poison. He is in Heaven Dou City, none other than the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo. Every year, I go to the Heaven Dou Royal Family to perform this task, and over time, we got to know each other."
"However, I belong to Spirit Hall, and he, due to Prince Xue Xing's kindness to him, pledges his loyalty to him. So, to outsiders, he supports the Heaven Dou Royal Family. Our two factions are opposed, so we occasionally clash. The last time we fought... hmm... should have been a few months ago."
Hu Bai looked 'puzzled': "Then Uncle Yue, your strength should be greater than Poison Douluo's, right? Why do you always fight to a draw?"
Yue Guan laughed heartily: "Yes, I am stronger than him, and we often fight. Seeing that he is a Titled Douluo after all, I initially harbored thoughts of poaching him from the Heaven Dou Royal Family—to see if I could bring Dugu Bo over to our Spirit Hall."
"So, even though I could defeat him, I never tried to kill him. It was more within the scope of friendly sparring."
As Yue Guan spoke, he saw Hu Bai listening so attentively that he couldn't help but ask curiously: "What? Are you interested in this Dugu Bo?"
Hu Bai nodded, deliberately saying: "Uncle Yue, you said this Senior Poison Douluo, since he likes to research poisons, he should also be very knowledgeable about herbs—just like you. And since he likes to tinker with these things, he can't always buy them from outside stores, can he?
Does he have a place similar to a medicinal garden to cultivate his plants?"
Yue Guan paused slightly, then smiled: "Little fellow, you're not thinking that Dugu Bo might have the herbs we're looking for, are you? How could that be? If he had them, he would have eaten them himself long ago. Why would he wait for us to find them? Don't underestimate Dugu Bo's strength; his understanding of herbs is among the top few on the continent."
Dugu Bo: …
Hu Bai chuckled inwardly: 'You hit the nail on the head. Dugu Bo has a treasure trove but doesn't realize it. He knows nothing about those Immortal Herbs, which later directly benefited Tang San.'
Originally, the relationship between Dugu Bo and Tang San was transactional. If Tang San could cure his and Dugu Yan's poison, then he would let Tang San go and not demand Tang San's External Soul Bone.
And after Tang San cured Dugu Bo, Dugu Bo not only kept his promise but, as a repayment, also allowed Tang San to make three requests—as long as they didn't violate his inner principles.
Tang San's first request was to completely plunder the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Although he left the roots, it would take at least several millennia for them to regrow.
The second was to have Dugu Bo become a Guest Elder of Shrek Academy, stating that his freedom would not be restricted.
Later, with the establishment of the Tang Sect, Dugu Bo also joined Tang San. Tang San promised to provide for Dugu Bo in his old age, but whether he did, we don't know.
Looking at it, Hu Bai felt that Dugu Bo got the short end of the stick. He only saw Dugu Bo constantly giving but not receiving anything from Tang San.
Leaving aside everything else, shouldn't Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan have gotten one of those Immortal Herbs each? Those were originally Dugu Bo's possessions.
If Tang San had taken them by force, then so be it—after all, treasures go to those who are capable. Dugu Bo initially wanted Tang San's External Soul Bone, too.
But Tang San took them openly, under the guise of so-called benevolence, and Dugu Bo couldn't say anything.
Isn't this a complete sucker play?!
Hu Bai, who was familiar with the plot, truly intended to recruit Dugu Bo—provided it didn't conflict with Spirit Hall's interests. From any perspective, subduing Dugu Bo would be more beneficial than harmful to Spirit Hall!
Hu Bai showed a naive expression: "That's not necessarily true, Uncle Yue. Think about it—everyone has their specialty. Most of the knowledge you've gathered about Immortal Herbs comes from the ancient texts collected by Spirit Hall.
And Senior Dugu Bo? The only place he can look for information is the Heaven Dou Royal Family, but how can the Heaven Dou Royal Family's collection compare to our Spirit Hall's? You've known him for so long—haven't you tried asking him?"
Yue Guan: ...
He now had a feeling of enlightenment: "That's right, what if that Old Poison doesn't recognize the so-called Immortal Herbs!"
Ask, must ask!
But given their relationship, even if he asked, that Old Poison probably wouldn't say, would he?
Time flew by, and Hu Bai's group's carriage also passed through Sunset Forest.
"Stop!" Hu Bai's voice directly brought the carriage to a halt.
Yue Guan looked at Hu Bai with some doubt: "What's wrong? Little fellow, do you have some kind of premonition?"
Hu Bai blurted out: "It feels like there's something in this forest..."
Hu Bai didn't notice that as he spoke, the silver vertical pupil on his forehead suddenly appeared for a moment, then instantly vanished.
And it was precisely seen by Yue Guan.
"This is Sunset Forest. The last time I fought with Old Poison, it was here. It's getting a bit late now—why don't we..."
Yue Guan hadn't finished speaking when Hu Bai interrupted him: "No, Uncle Yue, let's go in now. I have a very strong premonition."
Hu Bai wasn't lying. It was evening, and due to his Martial Soul, Dugu Bo suffered from a poison backlash every midnight. This period was the most severe, and if Dugu Bo couldn't endure it himself, he would certainly come to suppress it with the help of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
To be honest, it was a miracle that Dugu Bo lived to become a Titled Douluo. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well played an indispensable role in that.
Ultimately, Yue Guan could only have the two carriages wait nearby while he took Hu Bai, Xie Tian, and Hu Leyao into Sunset Forest.
In the shadows, there was also a Spirit Kite Douluo.
After entering Sunset Forest, Yue Guan also educated Hu Bai: "Although Sunset Forest is not as vast as the Star Dou Great Forest, it is still one of the largest wild forests within the Heaven Dou Empire. There are most a thousand-year Soul Beasts here, fewer ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, and I estimate that there are probably no more than a handful of fifty-thousand-year Soul Beasts."
Hu Bai listened quietly, secretly thinking to himself: "Indeed, no more than a handful. After Tang San resurrected Xiao Wu to complete his missing soul rings, he almost completely slaughtered all the fifty-thousand-year Soul Beasts in Sunset Forest."
Although there's nothing wrong with Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts to improve their cultivation, Tang San's claim that 'all the Soul Beasts I hunt are evil' was truly disgusting.
Gradually, under Yue Guan's lead, they began to circle through Sunset Forest. Hu Bai carefully observed his surroundings.
He knew that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was in Sunset Forest, but he didn't know its exact location and could only conduct a slow, systematic search.
However, whether it was good luck or not, at some point during the night, they were about to set up tents to rest when suddenly, the group saw a green mist ahead.
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End of Chapter