Yun Ming had never collected information on Dugu Bo and his granddaughter in this life, but he knew of Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo's granddaughter, from his past life. She was the wife of Yu Tianheng, the ancestor of the Dragon-Snake Branch, one of the three major branches of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family that was deeply tied to Shrek Academy. As for the other two branches of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, they were the Holy Dragon Lineage founded by Yu Xiaogang and the Heavenly Dragon Lineage founded by Yu Tianxin.
In the current era, the external symptoms of poisoning combined with her self-introduction matched everything perfectly. Of course, Yun Ming knew exactly who she was.
After offering the reminder, Yun Ming said nothing more.
Yet, while Yun Ming did not want to speak, Dugu Yan had plenty to say. She replied with disdain.
"You say I am suffering from a severe poison? One that even my grandfather cannot cure?"
"How ridiculous!"
"Do you even know who my grandfather is?"
Ning Rongrong and another girl were also stunned when they heard Yun Ming claim Dugu Yan was poisoned. Was Yun Ming really warning Dugu Yan about this? The granddaughter of the continent-famous Poison Douluo was suffering from a lethal poison? They did not believe it.
Oscar, however, trusted Yun Ming implicitly. Back in Saga City, when so many physicians failed to find the cause of the plague, Yun Ming had resolved it in a few moments; the high level of Yun Ming's medical skills was evident.
Although the facts of that matter were not entirely as Oscar imagined, Oscar did not know that!
Even though Oscar saw Dugu Yan's disdain, he still advised her, as she had helped him before.
"Yun Ming's medical skills are very high. If he says you are poisoned, Yan-jie, there must be a reason for it."
Dugu Yan turned a deaf ear to Oscar's advice; she simply did not believe him.
Seeing that Dugu Yan seemed to know nothing, Yun Ming thought about it and found it unsurprising. Perhaps Dugu Bo could not bear to let his young granddaughter live in constant fear every day! Ignoring the disdain in Dugu Yan's tone, Yun Ming responded directly.
"I know, your grandfather is the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo."
"He is plagued by the same severe poison as you; it is only because he has had fortuitous encounters that he has survived until now."
The three girls, including Dugu Yan, were speechless.
"Haha~"
Hearing the words of the young man before her, Dugu Yan was so angry she laughed. She was now certain that the person in front of her was an ignorant madman. However, slandering her grandfather would come at a price.
Dugu Yan performed Martial Soul Avatar. Her body became extremely supple, and her legs fused together into a thick, heavy snake tail, which she used to sway back and forth to support her body. A diamond-shaped green scale appeared in the center of her forehead, and her pair of green eyes became exceptionally sharp. Her icy aura lacked any human emotion; this was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul. As her Martial Soul manifested, three Spirit Rings—two yellow and one purple—emerged one by one.
Dugu Yan said coldly.
"Kid, you had better worry about yourself first."
"Whether I am poisoned or not is none of your concern!"
As she spoke, her third soul skill began to glow. Regardless of the pedestrians around them, she prepared to poison Yun Ming. The other girl beside Dugu Yan saw that she was about to use poison and shouted to stop her.
"Yanzi, stop!"
This girl was Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan's best friend and teammate.
But Dugu Yan remained unmoved, preparing to release the poison as she pleased.
Seeing Dugu Yan suddenly attack, Oscar gained some insight into her true nature. So, her helping him earlier was just because she didn't like Xue Beng and acted on a whim!
The granddaughter of the Poison Douluo was never a kind soul! Unruly, impulsive, and reckless—that was who Dugu Yan was!
Seeing Dugu Yan about to release poison in public, Yun Ming frowned slightly. A golden light flashed in his eyes, and a vast, slightly released aura directly suppressed Dugu Yan.
Suppressed by Yun Ming's aura, Dugu Yan lost control of her soul power. Not only did her soul skill fail, but she felt as if she were carrying a mountain on her back, causing her to collapse to the ground, unable to move. Furthermore, influenced by Yun Ming's invincible will, Dugu Yan's mind fell into endless terror.
This fear was just like her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul facing her grandfather's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Spirit—it was an absolute gap in hierarchy!
Except for Yang Wutian, who vaguely sensed a familiar aura, the other three did not know what had happened, seeing only that Dugu Yan, who had been acting wildly and attempting an indiscriminate attack, had been instantly suppressed!
Yun Ming looked down at Dugu Yan on the ground and said calmly.
"Whether you are poisoned or not, you will know once you ask your grandfather."
"No matter how much you fly into a rage out of shame, it will not change the facts!"
After withdrawing the aura that suppressed Dugu Yan, Yun Ming turned and left.
Forced goods never sell!
The message had been delivered to Dugu Yan; she would naturally let Dugu Bo know.
Seeing Yun Ming walk away, Oscar said one last thing to the distraught Dugu Yan.
"Yan-jie, you had better confirm this with your grandfather."
"Since Yun Ming could warn you, he must have a way to cure it."
"You should think it over carefully!"
After bidding farewell to Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan, he hurried to catch up with Yun Ming and Yang Wutian.
After the three had left for a while, Yang Wutian asked Yun Ming.
"Ming Er, Dugu Bo is no pushover. What do you want with him?"
He had seen through Yun Ming's goal.
Hearing Yang Wutian's question, Yun Ming gave only an ambiguous answer.
"Cooperation."
As for how they would cooperate, Yun Ming did not say much more. Originally, Yun Ming had planned to find a time to visit later, but meeting Dugu Yan directly now was not bad either.
Yang Wutian looked at the mysterious Yun Ming and felt a bit confused, but as long as Yun Ming knew what he was doing, it was fine.
After the three of them strolled around for a while longer, they checked into the Heaven Dou Grand Hotel, the best in Heaven Dou City.
Meanwhile, on Dugu Yan's side.
"Yanzi, what's wrong with you?"
"Yan-jie?"
"."
Under the calls of Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan finally broke free from her inner fear and replied to the two of them.
"I'm fine. I'm heading back first!"
Then, she walked off toward Dugu Manor on her own.
Watching Dugu Yan leave, Ning Rongrong and the other girl didn't know what to say, so they parted ways as well.
In the world of Soul Masters, strength is respected. After being suppressed once by someone—whether it was Yun Ming or the old man standing behind him at the time—Dugu Yan no longer absolutely dismissed Yun Ming's judgment, but she still wanted to find flaws in his reasoning.
On the way back, Dugu Yan kept recalling the tone and expression Yun Ming had when he spoke. What he revealed was nothing but confidence, certainty, and calmness; even when mentioning her grandfather Dugu Bo, he hadn't wavered in the slightest. Dugu Yan replayed it over and over, yet she still couldn't find a single crack.
Soon, she returned to Dugu Manor and found the butler, asking anxiously.
"Grandpa Qian, is my grandfather still at home?"
Seeing the anxious Miss, the butler replied, confused.
"The master went out early this morning to cultivate!"
"Miss, has something happened?"
Hearing the butler say that Dugu Bo had gone out to cultivate, Dugu Yan knew she wouldn't see her grandfather for another two days.
This had been Dugu Bo's fixed weekly cultivation routine since she could remember: going out to cultivate for two days. But what kind of cultivation required leaving every week, and even keeping it hidden from his own granddaughter?
Thinking back to Yun Ming saying that Dugu Bo was also poisoned but had survived due to a stroke of luck, Dugu Yan grew even more worried!
Dugu Yan casually replied to the butler.
"It's nothing!"
Afterward, she returned to her room. Looking into the vanity mirror at her green pupils, which were noticeably deeper in color than when she was a child, the scales of her trust were gradually tipping toward Yun Ming.
Two days later.
Dugu Bo, who had been out cultivating, finally returned. But before he could even enter the door, he saw his granddaughter, looking somewhat haggard, pacing back and forth in front of the entrance.
Seeing Dugu Bo return, Dugu Yan hurriedly stepped forward and asked the question that had been haunting her for two days.
"Grandfather, are we poisoned?"
Shock!!!
Dugu Bo was completely stunned. How did Dugu Yan know? Could it be... Thinking of this, Dugu Bo's expression changed. He quickly grabbed Dugu Yan's wrist, pouring his Soul Power inside to check the state of the toxins in her body.
Seeing Dugu Bo's reaction, Dugu Yan seemed to know the answer. So, what Yun Ming said was true—was her life nearing its end?
After Dugu Bo carefully inspected her, he found that the toxins hadn't flared up, and seeing his granddaughter's "I knew it" expression, he hurriedly took Dugu Yan to a secluded place to carefully ask how she had found out.
Hearing her grandfather's question, Dugu Yan recounted everything that had happened that day, along with everything Yun Ming had told her, and relayed it all to Dugu Bo.
When Dugu Bo heard that someone had seen through the truth just by looking at his granddaughter's features, he felt a surge of murderous intent, but at the same time, he felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps they might be saved. This was the first time someone had ever seen through it!
After learning about Yun Ming, Dugu Bo used his influence in Heaven Dou City and found Yun Ming's location in just two hours, then rushed to the Heaven Dou Grand Hotel without stopping.
These past two days, Yun Ming had also been quite busy. Aside from cultivating, he had been researching information on advanced Soul Master academies, wanting to see which one had more potential, as well as reviewing the files on the Dugu Family that Yang Wutian had collected.
Just as Yun Ming was flipping through the materials on various academies, he suddenly sensed something. He closed the documents in his hand, stood up, and extended an invitation.
"Since Senior Dugu has arrived, why not come in for a chat!"
Dugu Bo, who was standing in mid-air outside the window observing Yun Ming, was quite surprised to see that Yun Ming had discovered him without even looking his way. However, since Yun Ming had already spotted him, he might as well go in and meet the boy! He flashed inside, and Yun Ming finally saw the appearance of the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo was thin and tall, looking like a javelin. His hair and beard were dark green, and his eyes shone like emeralds. His entire person gave off an illusory feeling, as if he were a phantom. He was expressionless—or rather, the expression on his face was completely rigid. His cheeks were sunken, his green hair was messy, and he wore only a simple gray robe.
Dugu Bo looked at the composed Yun Ming before him and held him in higher regard. It was extremely rare for a youth to remain so calm in the face of a Titled Douluo, and he felt more confident about the purpose of his visit. He let out a sigh of praise before asking.
"You've got some guts!"
"Kid! How did you discover me?"
ps: Seeking monthly tickets and recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader