Dugu Bo stepped into the poisonous formation and confronted Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo.
"What are the two of you doing trespassing in my territory?" he asked coldly.
Ning Fengzhi stepped forward and said, "Honored Poison Douluo, my uncle Sword and I came only to pay our respects. We're unfamiliar with the area and may have accidentally offended you."
"Pay your respects?" Dugu Bo replied with displeasure, "Ning Fengzhi, if you wanted to visit me, I have a residence in the Heaven Dou Empire. You could have simply sent a calling card through your servants. Coming uninvited like this is quite rude, don't you think?"
Ning Fengzhi said, "Honored Poison Douluo, I admit it was wrong of me to arrive unannounced, but I did so because the matter is urgent and requires your immediate attention."
"Speak, then. What is it?" Although clearly unhappy about the intrusion, Dugu Bo held back somewhat, considering Ning Fengzhi's status as a sect leader.
Ning Fengzhi said, "Honored Poison Douluo… have you been poisoned?"
"I've been poisoned?" Dugu Bo frowned.
"What do you mean?" he looked at Ning Fengzhi and said, "I've played with poison all my life. What poison could I possibly have?"
"Dugu Bo, tell me this: Whenever it's cloudy or raining, do you feel numbness and itching along both sides of your ribs, with the sensation gradually intensifying? Around midday and midnight, do these symptoms flare up, each episode lasting at least an hour in your current condition? Also, around the third watch of the night, do you feel sharp, stabbing pains in your head and chest, followed by full-body spasms for at least half an hour?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
Dugu Bo was momentarily stunned.
Why do these words sound so familiar...?
Wait a minute—didn't my granddaughter say something similar to me before?
He gave Ning Fengzhi a suspicious look and said, "Sect Master Ning, you came all this way just to tell me I've been poisoned? What exactly are you after?"
Seeing Dugu Bo's reaction, Ning Fengzhi thought to himself, Looks like my daughter guessed right.
Ning Fengzhi said, "I came across records in ancient texts detailing the flaws of the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul. It may reign supreme in poison, but in the end, the poison harms its own master."
"However, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect just so happens to have a method that can treat the poison from the Jade Phosphor Serpent. While it may not be suitable for you, Honored Poison Douluo, it can definitely help your granddaughter."
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. "If you're offering treatment for me and my granddaughter, then what is it that you want in return?"
Ning Fengzhi replied, "If possible, I'd like to invite you, Honored Poison Douluo, to become a guest elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Of course, your personal freedom would not be restricted."
"Hmph… Hahahahahaha!" Dugu Bo burst into laughter. "That's the funniest joke I've heard in years. My poisons reign supreme across the world. There are few who can surpass me in the ways of poison. I've not been poisoned, nor am I interested in becoming a guest elder of your sect."
Ning Fengzhi: "…"
Sword Douluo: "…"
Seeing how confident Dugu Bo was, Ning Fengzhi began to waver. After all, unlike Ning Rongrong, they didn't have the advantage of being reborn. They had only inferred Dugu Bo's condition from what his daughter had said and from various bits of intelligence.
"You really haven't been poisoned?" Ning Fengzhi asked, uncertain.
"I don't know where you got that nonsense, Sect Master Ning," Dugu Bo replied. "But let me be clear: I haven't been poisoned, and I'm not interested in joining any sect."
"Well then, since that's the case," Ning Fengzhi said, "let's change the subject and talk about something else."
"Oh? What else is there to talk about?"
"I heard your territory is full of rare and exotic plants. I'd like to buy a few of them—how about it?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
Dugu Bo replied, "You want to buy herbs from my secluded residence? What exactly are you looking for?"
"A special type of tulip," Ning Fengzhi said, and then described in detail the shape and characteristics of the Beautiful Silk Tulip (Qiluo Tulip) as relayed to him by Ning Rongrong.
It was only then that Dugu Bo understood. Ning Fengzhi hadn't come just out of goodwill—he had come with a motive. He had used the excuse of curing his poison to gain a favor, lure him into joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and ultimately, to obtain the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Under different circumstances, had Ning Fengzhi truly been able to cure his affliction, Dugu Bo might actually have agreed to join the sect. But his granddaughter had already warned him of his condition and even offered a remedy.
What Ning Fengzhi thought of as a sincere gesture now felt manipulative to Dugu Bo.
Though he didn't know how Ning Fengzhi had learned of his condition or of the Beautiful Silk Tulip, Dugu Bo disliked being used.
"No such flower exists in my place," he said coldly. "Only wild herbs and weeds. You won't find what you're looking for here. Now leave."
With a wave of his hand, he signaled for them to go.
Seeing no other choice, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo reluctantly departed.
"It seems Dugu Bo isn't poisoned after all," Sword Douluo chuckled. "Looks like we were too naïve to take Rongrong's words at face value."
"If he really was poisoned, and Rongrong's description was accurate, he would definitely need our help," Ning Fengzhi replied with a bitter smile.
According to Rongrong, Poison Douluo was a dying man—but judging from his earlier demeanor, he didn't seem like someone on the verge of death at all.
"Still," Ning Fengzhi added as he turned to gaze into the poison-shrouded depths of Sunset Forest, "Rongrong was right about one thing—Dugu Bo must be hiding something in there. Otherwise, why go to such lengths to guard it with a poison formation?"
"Sect Master, should I find an opportunity to sneak in and investigate?" Sword Douluo asked.
"No, Uncle Sword," Ning Fengzhi replied. "After all, Poison Douluo is a guest of Prince Xuexing of the Heaven Dou Empire. If we act rashly, we could alienate both him and the prince. With the Spirit Hall growing stronger, all factions should be uniting, not turning against each other over something like this."
And so the two returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Meanwhile, while Dugu Bo was negotiating with Ning Fengzhi, Dugu Yan had successfully absorbed the twin immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and stepped out of it.
Her clothes had long since been burned away by the extreme energies, revealing her alluring figure shrouded in mist—like a beauty emerging from a bath, though, sadly, there was no one around to admire the sight.
She calmly retrieved a change of clothes from her soul tool and dressed herself, then quietly observed the changes in her body.
Originally, Dugu Yan's cultivation was at level 26. But after absorbing the immortal herbs, her spirit power surged to level 30.
If not for the bottleneck of needing a new spirit ring, she was certain the medicinal effects could have pushed her even further.
In addition, the absorption of the Ice and Fire herbs had also triggered a mutation in her martial soul.
She summoned her spirit to examine the transformation.
(End of Chapter)
If you'd like, I can help with further chapters or support me at https://www.patreon.com/YugiroTL