"This… this dry, shriveled thing can really boost soul power?"
Dugu Yan reached out a finger and poked the plant in her grandfather's hand, astonishment written all over her face. It looked no better than a withered weed.
"That's right," Fire Meow Meow nodded her little head solemnly, but then her tone changed slightly:
"But… right now it's basically just a clump of dead grass. It's completely dried up~"
"…"
Hearing this, Dugu Bo—who had just been planning to carefully preserve it—couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye, his expression turning bitter.
"This came from this very treasured land. When I first found it, I saw it emitting a faint spiritual glow and thought it looked unusual, so I brought it back."
"But I didn't know what it was, and I didn't dare to experiment too much. Over time… I just forgot about it~"
"That makes sense. There were probably a lot of similar immortal herbs growing here," Fire Meow Meow said as she glanced around meaningfully, "but now…"
Her words trailed off, the implication crystal clear.
"Which thieving bastard was it…!"
Now Dugu Bo was truly furious. If he hadn't heard Fire Meow Meow's explanation earlier, he might have just accepted the loss.
Sure, it would've been troublesome if his master asked about it, but even then, telling the truth should have been fine. After all, it had been so long since he'd offered this land up as a gift, and that lord had never brought it up again. Maybe… he'd even forgotten about it entirely.
But now things were different. The plants that had once grown here, and that strange spring of fire and ice—those were all exceedingly rare treasures!
To have them stolen right out from under his nose—who could stomach that?!
Still, anger was one thing. With no leads, all he could do for now was sigh in frustration.
"Hey, you wanna find them?"
Just then, Fire Meow Meow's sudden words exploded in Dugu Bo's mind like a thunderclap.
Excited beyond measure, he tried to scoop her up in a hug—but the little feline dodged nimbly and ran over to stand between Yu Keke and Zhu Zhuqing, shooting a wary look at the old man who got handsy without warning.
"Ah… terribly sorry, I got a little carried away…"
Dugu Bo looked a little embarrassed at her reaction, but his old face was thick enough to recover quickly. He clasped his fists and asked eagerly,
"Miss Fire Meow Meow, are you saying… you can actually track down the treasures that were stolen from this place?"
Fire Meow Meow didn't answer directly. She glanced at Yu Keke, then gave a small, tentative nod.
"Wonderful!"
Dugu Bo whooped with excitement the moment she confirmed it.
Those things were his! Of course he had to get them back!
And it wasn't just about reclaiming the treasures—he had to make those thieving bastards pay! Dugu Bo's heart burned with righteous fury. If he could just find the culprits, he'd let them taste the wrath of a Poison Douluo!
"Big Sis Yan, Grandpa's acting a little scary…"
Yu Keke tugged nervously at Dugu Yan's sleeve, her voice barely a whisper.
"Grandpa! Get ahold of yourself!"
Dugu Yan scolded him sharply, snapping the old man out of his murderous daydream.
"Ahaha… I-it's nothing, nothing at all…"
Dugu Bo scratched his head awkwardly and gave the girls a sheepish grin.
"Honestly… this place is already trashed anyway. Let's just go," Dugu Yan huffed, shooting him an annoyed glare.
"Wait!"
Dugu Bo raised a hand to stop them.
"I can't let this slide. I just can't."
He turned to Fire Meow Meow, clasping his hands once again.
"Miss Fire Meow Meow, I beseech you—please lead me to retrieve the stolen treasures."
"Uh… no can do."
Fire Meow Meow shook her head after a moment's thought.
"My job is to protect these two. If I run off helping you chase down stolen goods, who's gonna watch over them?"
"Er…"
Dugu Bo hesitated, clearly conflicted.
"Sigh, forget it… let's just leave."
After weighing the risks, he reluctantly gave up the idea of pursuing the lost immortal herbs.
His granddaughter and the two girls by the lord's side were far too important. If anything happened while they were off hunting for clues, he wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.
Better to put it on hold.
"Um… Grandpa…"
Yu Keke timidly called out to him.
"Hm? What is it, Keke?"
Suppressing the fury in his heart, Dugu Bo forced a smile.
"Did you lose a lot of those special plants?"
She pointed with a small finger at the withered herb he had tossed aside earlier.
"There… and over there… and that spot too!"
Dugu Bo gestured grandly.
"All those areas used to be filled with spiritual herbs. And this spot right here—"
He walked over to the edge of a deep pit.
"This used to be a twin spring—one blazing hot, the other bone-chillingly cold. I used them to suppress the toxins from my martial soul…"
"Hm…"
Yu Keke listened carefully to his every word. Seeing the sorrow and anger in his eyes, she squatted down and asked quietly:
"Fire Meow Meow, earlier you said you could find the missing treasures. Is that really true?"
"Of course it's true."
Fire Meow Meow sat on her haunches, curling her hind legs under her and crossing her front paws in a smug pose.
"Then let's help Grandpa find them~ What do you think, Sister Zhuqing?"
Yu Keke turned her head to look at Zhu Zhuqing.
"I think it's worth doing."
Zhu Zhuqing crossed her arms and said thoughtfully,
"Fire Meow Meow just said those plants can enhance soul power. It'd be a real shame to let something like that go."
Yu Keke might not fully understand, but Zhu Zhuqing came from a place of greater knowledge. She knew just how rare and precious such spirit-enhancing herbs were on this continent.
Even in the Zhu Clan or the Dai Clan, she'd only ever heard of such things in ancient records.
Yu Keke nodded again, turning her hopeful gaze back to Fire Meow Meow.
"…Tch."
Fire Meow Meow's mouth twitched. If she'd known this would happen, she wouldn't have shown off earlier.
Now the second little boss was asking her to help that old man find his lost treasures—what a pain…
Still, there was no refusing her.
After a moment of hesitation, Fire Meow Meow sighed and said:
"Alright, I can help find them. But…"
She turned her sharp gaze toward Dugu Bo.
"If I do find them, I want half of whatever we recover. Deal?"
"Eh?"
Dugu Bo blinked in surprise, then slapped his thigh and laughed.
"Miss, forget half—this whole treasure trove was meant to be given to my lord in the first place! If you can get it all back, you can take the whole lot!"
He clenched his fist tightly.
"I just want to find the ones who did this. I want them to pay for what they've done!"
"…Deal."
Fire Meow Meow nodded heavily.
So all these treasures were for the lord?
Then she definitely had to give it her all!
_
(CAUGHT UP WITH THE RAWS IN MY PATREON)
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