With a low, raspy inquiry, the thick, seemingly impenetrable emerald-green toxic fog ahead slowly began to dissipate, revealing a passageway for people to walk through.
As the fog receded,
A gaunt old man gradually came into view.
His expression was stiff, his cheeks deeply sunken, and his unkempt hair had a dark green tint. His eyes gleamed like eerie green gemstones, and he wore an old gray robe that fluttered gently in the breeze, giving him the air of a reclusive master.
Upon seeing the old man, Dugu Yan's eyes instantly lit up with joy and admiration. She rushed over eagerly, clinging tightly to his arm and cooing affectionately.
"Grandpa, I haven't seen you for so many days. Did you miss me?"
"I missed you so much…"
At this moment, Dugu Yan was still just a teenage girl.
Since learning about the poison tied to her martial spirit, she had been silently anxious these past few days, though she hadn't said anything.
But now, her worries were finally gone.
In her heart, her grandfather was her strongest support in this world. As long as he was here, any problem could be solved.
Though Dugu Bo was puzzled about why his granddaughter had suddenly crossed half the Sunset Forest from Tiandou City to come to his medicinal garden, seeing her beloved granddaughter being affectionate with him caused a faint smile of indulgence to unconsciously appear on his lips.
He reached out and gently patted her head.
"Yan'er, of course Grandpa missed you."
"But I was already planning to return to Tiandou City. You should have waited for me there. Why did you come all the way here? It's dangerous."
As he spoke, he slightly raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ye Renxin, Ye Lingling, Dai Chengfeng, and Zhu Fan.
In his memory, while Ye Renxin and Ye Lingling weren't particularly familiar faces, he knew that Ye Lingling was his granddaughter's close friend, and Ye Renxin was her grandfather. He had met them a few times before and vaguely remembered them.
However, Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan were completely unfamiliar faces, which made Dugu Bo instinctively feel a sense of caution.
"Yan'er, who are they?"
"Why did you bring them here?"
"Or… were you forced to come by them?"
By the end of his words, Dugu Bo frowned slightly, his voice turning icy cold. A terrifying aura surged out from him like a tidal wave.
The surrounding air seemed compressed by this overwhelming presence, emitting a low humming sound, and the sand and stones on the ground trembled slightly.
This was the first time Dai Chengfeng had faced a human Title Douluo at such close range.
Even though the pressure wasn't directly aimed at them, it still made one instinctively shiver.
For a moment, Dai Chengfeng couldn't help but admire inwardly, 'The aura of a Title Douluo is truly extraordinary. No wonder they're considered the pinnacle of Douluo Continent.'
'Having a Title Douluo as a bodyguard…'
Dai Chengfeng clenched his fist slightly, a flicker of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
At this moment, Dugu Yan noticed her grandfather's possible misunderstanding. She quickly tugged at his arm and shook her head, explaining hurriedly, "Grandpa, you've misunderstood. These are my friends and their elders."
As she spoke, she hurried over to Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan, her face glowing with enthusiasm as she introduced them to her grandfather.
"Grandpa, you already know Lingling and Ye Grandpa, so I won't introduce them again."
"As for these two—this is my new friend, Prince Dai Chengfeng, the fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire."
"And this is his uncle, Zhu Fan, the former commander of the Star Luo Imperial Guard."
Seeing this, Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan gave a slight bow. "Greetings, Elder Dugu Bo."
Dugu Bo nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Then, his gaze fell on Dai Chengfeng, sizing him up from head to toe. A flicker of curiosity appeared in his eyes.
"So you're the fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire?"
Dugu Bo asked, his voice tinged with inquiry. "I've heard rumors that you were born with full soul power, but due to your stubbornness, your martial spirit and soul rings conflicted, leaving you useless."
"I didn't expect you to come to the Tiandou Empire."
"Are things so bad in the Star Luo Empire that you had to leave?"
Dai Chengfeng was momentarily taken aback, but before he could respond, Dugu Yan quickly interjected, shaking her head. "Grandpa, what are you talking about? Those are all rumors; don't believe them!"
"Prince Dai Chengfeng is incredibly strong—far stronger than that genius from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianheng!"
At this point, Dugu Yan suddenly grinned smugly. "By the way, Grandpa, you've been fooled by the Star Luo Empire too, just like me."
"Who would've thought that the emperor of the Star Luo Empire, who seems only capable of waging wars in our Tiandou Empire's eyes, could deliberately spread such rumors?!"
"Rumors?"
Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with surprise. "And you're saying he's even stronger than that genius from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—and by a large margin?"
"Really or fake?"
"That's the number one beast-type martial spirit—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
"Although the White Tiger martial spirit isn't weak, how can it compare to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?"
For a moment, Dugu Bo couldn't help but feel even more curious about Dai Chengfeng.
Dugu Yan nodded emphatically and pulled Dugu Bo's arm toward the direction of the "medicinal garden." "Of course it's true, but I'll explain it to you later, Grandpa."
"For now, take us into the medicinal garden so Chengfeng can find herbs to cure my poison."
"Hopefully, your garden has the herbs needed to detoxify me. Otherwise, you'll never see your precious granddaughter again."
However, Dugu Bo didn't move.
"Let Dai Chengfeng find herbs to detoxify you? And if he doesn't, I'll never see you?"
His brow furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with confusion. "Yan'er, what poison do you need to detoxify?"
As he spoke—
His gaze swept back and forth over Dugu Yan, trying to detect any signs of poisoning.
But soon, Dugu Bo's eyes turned cold. "Yan'er, have you been deceived by someone?"
Dugu Bo prided himself on being a Title Douluo specializing in poisons, having devoted years to studying toxins.
Though he wouldn't dare claim he knew every poison in the world, with his expertise, he could clearly see that his granddaughter was lively and energetic—showing no signs of being poisoned.
As for detoxification?
If she wasn't poisoned, what was there to detoxify? It was utterly absurd.
Thinking this, Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Dai Chengfeng like prey, his voice laced with accusation. "Yan'er says you're coming to my medicinal garden to find herbs to detoxify her?"
"What poison does she have?"
"Why can't I see it?"
Dugu Bo paused, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes. "Or perhaps… she isn't poisoned at all…"
"Could it be that someone is using her supposed poisoning as an excuse to covet my medicinal garden?"
As he spoke, Dugu Bo lightly patted Dai Chengfeng's shoulder, seemingly casually, but with hidden menace. "Boy, you'd better explain yourself clearly!"
"Remember!"
"Even the emperor of the Tiandou Empire shows me respect."
"Don't think that because you're the fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire, I won't dare do anything to you!"
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