Although Dai Chengfeng was confident that Dugu Bo would agree to the wager he proposed, he still worried about the butterfly effect until everything was settled.
Only now, with Dugu Bo fully agreeing, did Dai Chengfeng finally let out a sigh of relief, a flicker of joy passing through his eyes.
"It's settled!"
Dai Chengfeng knew that despite Dugu Bo's solitary and distant nature, making it difficult for him to connect with others, he placed great importance on promises.
Dai Chengfeng had no concerns about him going back on his word.
"If that's the case, I hope Elder Dugu will honor his bet."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Dai Chengfeng's lips as he chuckled softly, then turned his gaze toward Dugu Yan beside him.
"Miss Dugu, both you and your grandfather have been poisoned by the martial soul toxin of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. Please tell your grandfather the relevant symptoms yourself."
Dai Chengfeng didn't linger any further.
"Uncle, you, Elder Ye, and Lingling wait at the entrance. After all, this is Elder Dugu Bo's medicinal garden—a private place. It wouldn't be appropriate for everyone to intrude."
"I'll go in alone to look for the herbs needed for detoxification and will come out shortly."
With that, Dai Chengfeng walked past Dugu Bo and eagerly headed toward Dugu Bo's medicinal garden, the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
As he watched Dai Chengfeng's retreating figure, Dugu Bo froze in place, not stopping him.
His eyes were filled with doubt and disbelief: how could this brat still be so confident?
Does he really have absolute certainty?!
Even Dugu Yan, who had complete faith in her grandfather, was now influenced by the overwhelming confidence radiating from Dai Chengfeng.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between Dai Chengfeng and Dugu Bo, her expression complex as she muttered inwardly.
"Could it be... that Grandpa has unknowingly been poisoned by his own martial soul?"
"But how could that possibly happen..."
After a moment, Dugu Bo was the first to snap out of his thoughts.
He turned his gaze to his granddaughter, still carrying a hint of disbelief, but his tone carried a note of urgency.
"Yan'er, what were the symptoms of poisoning that boy mentioned earlier?"
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan continued to gaze at Dai Chengfeng's retreating figure as she slowly began to speak. "Grandpa, do you ever feel an itchy sensation in your ribs during rainy weather, as if thousands of tiny insects are crawling inside you?"
Soon, Dugu Yan recounted to Dugu Bo the symptoms Dai Chengfeng had previously explained to her about her own poisoning.
At first, Dugu Bo's eyes still held a trace of disbelief, even a hint of disdain, thinking this was all nonsense from Dai Chengfeng.
However, when Dugu Yan spoke her first sentence, his expression instantly changed.
After all, the symptoms Dugu Yan described were indeed present in his body—and far more severe than she had described.
For instance, around midnight every night, his scalp and soles would experience sharp, needle-like pain, as if countless needles were piercing his body simultaneously.
Immediately afterward, his entire body would uncontrollably spasm.
Dugu Yan had said this pain would last about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
But for him, it persisted for a full hour, every second an agonizing ordeal.
Previously, Dugu Bo had pondered the reasons behind his abnormal condition.
He had suspected it might be due to old injuries from his youth or instability in his soul power...
But he had never once considered that he might be poisoned.
After all, he was Poison Douluo Dugu Bo!
Across the entire continent, when it came to poison mastery, who didn't know that he, Dugu Bo, was among the very best? Who would have thought he himself could be afflicted by poison?
But!
Despite being certain he wasn't poisoned, there were undeniable abnormalities in his body. Therefore, Dugu Bo had entertained the slightest possibility and agreed to Dai Chengfeng's bet.
And now—
With the "evidence" laid out before him, he couldn't deny it…
After all, these symptoms were things he had never shared with anyone, not even his beloved granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
"So... I've really been poisoned?!"
At this moment, Zhu Fan stood nearby, observing every change in Dugu Bo's expression. Instantly, realization dawned on him.
A glimmer of pride flashed in his eyes. "It's just like this—only someone like Chengfeng could pull this off!"
"Even a Title Douluo is completely manipulated by him!"
"Thankfully, Chengfeng and I will never be enemies. If we were to oppose him…"
"Just imagining myself as his enemy makes me shiver. Every move I made would be under his control, like a puppet on strings, while I remained blissfully unaware…"
"In the end, I'd walk straight into his trap without even realizing how I lost."
This sense of helplessness sent a chill down Zhu Fan's spine, causing him to instinctively shrink his neck.
Ye Renxin, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan also observed the changes in Dugu Bo's expression.
From the increasingly solemn look on his face, they too understood the final outcome.
This round, Dai Chengfeng had won!
Their eyes were filled with admiration, especially Dugu Yan, whose heart was a whirlpool of emotions.
She found it hard to believe that her illustrious grandfather, renowned for his expertise in poisons, could lose to Dai Chengfeng in this field.
"Chengfeng… he's truly remarkable…"
Dugu Yan couldn't help but sigh softly, but she quickly snapped out of her amazement, her eyes now filled with worry.
She hurried forward, clutching her grandfather's arm, her voice tinged with anxiety. "Grandpa, it seems what Chengfeng said is true—you really have been poisoned…"
"Let's go find him quickly! If he can cure my poison, he must be able to cure yours too!"
Seeing his granddaughter's anxious expression, Dugu Bo's eyes softened with a touch of reassurance.
Smiling, he reached out and gently patted Dugu Yan's head, soothing her. "Yan'er, don't worry."
At this moment, Dugu Bo wasn't overly concerned.
After all, if Dai Chengfeng had said he wanted him as a bodyguard for ten years, he certainly wouldn't let him die prematurely.
Otherwise, wouldn't that be a huge loss for him?
But just then, Dugu Bo suddenly froze, his pupils contracting sharply. "No!"
"Dai Chengfeng knew from the start that I was poisoned by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent toxin, yet he didn't directly point it out. Instead, he deliberately provoked me…"
"Hiss!"
"His goal was to make me bet with him!"
"And I actually fell for it, completely played like a puppet in his hands from start to finish…"
At this moment, a flicker of anger involuntarily passed through Dugu Bo's eyes—a mix of shame and frustration at being outmaneuvered by a stronger opponent.
However, this anger vanished as quickly as it appeared.
He realized that Dai Chengfeng had never deceived him. It was entirely his own arrogance that made him unwilling to believe he could be poisoned…
With this realization, Dugu Bo felt a sense of acceptance.
He looked again in the direction Dai Chengfeng had gone, shaking his head helplessly and letting out a long sigh. "The young are truly formidable, truly formidable!"
Then, with a bitter self-deprecating smile, he murmured, "I hold the title of Poison Douluo and have always believed that no one on this continent could surpass me in poison mastery."
"Yet who could have imagined that I would unknowingly be poisoned by my own martial soul?"
"And to think a mere youth saw through it all… how ironic!"
Dugu Bo gazed up at the sky, shaking his head in resignation. "I lost—utterly and convincingly!"
"I accept my defeat!!!"
With that, Dugu Bo lowered his head and looked at Dugu Yan beside him, his expression turning serious. "Yan'er, are you and Dai Chengfeng good friends?"
"Mm… I suppose so," Dugu Yan hesitated, nodding slightly, unsure of how to define their relationship.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo's eyes reflected a grave seriousness. He leaned down slightly and whispered softly into Dugu Yan's ear. "Yan'er, remember Grandpa's words!"
"No matter what happens in the future, never oppose Dai Chengfeng. It's best to maintain a good relationship with him."
As he spoke, he once again looked in the direction where Dai Chengfeng had disappeared, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Innate full soul power, a top-tier beast-type White Tiger martial soul, supported by false imperial decrees from the Star Luo Emperor, and possessing such keen insight at such a young age…"
"The most terrifying part is—"
"He's only at the twenty-something level of soul power, yet he remained unfazed under the pressure of a Title Douluo like me, meticulously planning every step."
"This young man's future potential is absolutely limitless!"
"Ah…"
Hearing her grandfather's advice, Dugu Yan nodded vaguely, half-understanding.
"Let's go!" Dugu Bo sighed again, seeing her reaction. "Grandpa will go apologize to Dai Chengfeng and ask how to cure the poison affecting both you and me…"
With that, Dugu Bo, accompanied by Dugu Yan, quickened his pace and hurried after Dai Chengfeng in the direction he had departed.
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