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"Gui Mei, how's the investigation going? Have you found Tang San's whereabouts?" Bibi Dong asked, her expression changing slightly as she quickly composed herself.
Ghost Douluo knelt on one knee, bowing his head respectfully. "Reporting to Your Holiness, I have not yet found Tang San's specific whereabouts," he said.
Bibi Dong frowned, her expression sinking. Just as she was about to speak, Ghost Douluo continued, "However, I'm not without any gains."
Bibi Dong's expression softened slightly, her eyes flashing. "Oh? What gains?" she asked immediately.
Ghost Douluo slowly raised his head, his voice deep. "I investigated and found that when Tang San was studying at Nuoding Elementary Spirit Master Academy, he took a person named Yu Xiaogang as his Yu Xiaogang," he replied.
When she heard the name Yu Xiaogang, a subtle ripple appeared on Bibi Dong's usually cold and stern face. It was a complex, hard-to-detect emotion that quickly disappeared.
"Knowing who his Yu Xiaogang is? What good does that do?" Bibi Dong asked indifferently.
Ghost Douluo still had his head bowed, his voice steady. "Reporting to Your Holiness, there's another piece of news. According to the records of the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City, Tang San has gone to the Spirit Hall almost every month for the past few years to receive Spirit Master subsidies.
I've already informed the Spirit Hall in all regions of the continent that if Tang San goes to receive the subsidy again, a record will definitely be left."
"Very good," Bibi Dong said, a sharp glint in her eyes and a hint of satisfaction. "Once Tang San reappears, no matter which city he is in, send the news to the Papal Palace immediately."
"Yes!" Ghost Douluo respectfully acknowledged the order.
Just then, Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had been standing silently, suddenly spoke, his tone cautious and hesitant. "Your Holiness, what about this child named Tang Chuan? Do we still need to continue monitoring him?"
Bibi Dong turned her head slightly, her eyes deep, and a cold sneer played on her lips. "His Innate Spirit Power is only level one; he can't possibly have twin spirits.
Even if he's lucky enough to have a secondary awakening of his Blue Silver Grass, it won't be able to stir up much trouble. After all, what can a spirit like Blue Silver Grass achieve, no matter how much it cultivates?"
"For now, leave him be. Let's first uproot Tang San, the real source of trouble. It won't be too late to clear out the other weeds afterward."
Meanwhile, at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy library, Tang Chuan was sitting at a wooden table near a corner. A thick stack of books almost filled the entire table.
He was deeply focused, his eyes bright as he scanned the dense text. These books were:
"Complete Guide to Continental Heaven and Earth Treasure"
"Elementary Herb Identification Atlas"
"Basic Alchemy Principles"
"Pill Furnace Control Techniques"
"How to Use Medicinal Herbs to Detoxify?"
"Fusion Mechanism of Spirit Master and Medicinal Power"
Each book was a valuable tome on alchemy, herbs, and heavenly treasures. Tang Chuan's gaze would sometimes flash, sometimes he would furrow his brow in thought, clearly immersed in acquiring knowledge.
A few students walked by, and seeing the stack of books and his tireless eyes, they all steered clear, afraid of disturbing him. At this moment, he was already preparing for his future visit to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Just as Tang Chuan was intently flipping through a book on medicinal principles, a clear voice, tinged with a hint of stubbornness, came from behind him.
"Tang Chuan, come out! I want to fight you again! I'm not convinced about losing to you last time!"
Tang Chuan's hand, which was turning a page, paused. He frowned slightly and slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the familiar figure. Dugu Yan stood at the library entrance, her arms crossed, her brows showing an unyielding spirit. She looked at him with an unconvinced expression.
"How many days has it been since I enrolled? How many times have you looked for me already? Can't you wait until I'm done with these few busy days?" Tang Chuan said, sighing helplessly. "Look, I'm busy learning alchemy and making medicine right now, aren't I?"
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips. "Why is a Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master learning alchemy? Doing all these flashy things."
"Mind your own business," Tang Chuan retorted unhappily.
Seeing that he still seemed to ignore her, Dugu Yan narrowed her eyes. She reached out to snatch the book from his hand, intending to force him to fight her.
"You need a beating! If you don't fight me today, I won't let you read!" With that, Dugu Yan leaned forward, her palm heading straight for the thick book in Tang Chuan's hand.
Tang Chuan raised an eyebrow, preparing to dodge. But in the next moment, his peripheral vision caught Dugu Yan's body swaying, her steps becoming unsteady, and her posture softening.
"Huh?"
Tang Chuan's expression changed, and he instantly reached out to support her, steadying her. As he touched her, he found her shoulder to be icy cold. What made his heart sink even more was that her originally rosy lips were now faintly tinged with a strange purple color.
"Are you... poisoned?" Tang Chuan's brows furrowed, and his tone became more serious.
Leaning against him, Dugu Yan bit her lip, nodding lightly. Her tone was still stubborn. "It's nothing... This is a hereditary condition in my family. There have been toxins in my body since childhood. When it acts up, I just suppress it, and it passes. I'm used to it."
As she spoke, she reached out and gently pushed Tang Chuan, trying to stand on her own, but she was clearly struggling.
Tang Chuan didn't let go immediately. Instead, he paused, and a certain memory flashed through his mind. He remembered in the original story, Tang San detoxifying Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, the grandfather and granddaughter. The reason Tang San was able to turn Dugu Bo from an enemy to a friend was by starting with detoxification.
Tang Chuan, who had read the original work, after some research, found that Tang San's detoxification method was actually wrong, or perhaps not the optimal solution. In the original work, Tang San said that the poison affecting Dugu Bo's family came from the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. In Tang Chuan's opinion, this was completely wrong.
Why would he say that? There are many spirits on the continent with poison, such as poisonous pufferfish, poisonous spiders, and poisonous toads.
Why is it that they, also having poisonous spirits, don't poison themselves, but Dugu Bo's family's snake venom poisons them? When reading the original work, Tang Chuan had carefully considered this question.
There could only be one possibility: the toxins in the Dugu family's spirit did not come from their spirit itself, but from something outside the spirit, and then it was inherited.
Things outside the spirit are nothing more than two types—spirit ring and spirit bone. The original work clearly stated that if one's spirit and spirit ring attributes clash, attaching the spirit ring to the spirit will result in rejection.
For example, a beast spirit would find it very difficult to attach a poisonous spirit ring. Although a spirit is an energy body, it's also a living body, a manifestation of the host's life. This is why in the original work, when the Datura Snake bit Luo San Pao, Yu Xiaogang was also poisoned.
The original work mentioned that if a poisonous spirit ring were forced onto a beast spirit, the spirit master would very likely be poisoned first, because the beast spirit would directly transfer the toxins from the poisonous spirit ring to the host, thereby causing the host to be poisoned. If this reasoning holds true, then the poison afflicting Dugu Bo's family is very likely to come from spirit rings.
In one of their ancestors' generations, they absorbed a poisonous spirit ring that clashed with their own, leading to the host being poisoned. And subsequent spirit masters again absorbed poisonous spirit rings that clashed with their own, leading to continued poisoning.
By the time of Dugu Bo's generation, the toxins had continuously accumulated and been inherited, completely spiraling out of control. If they couldn't break through to Titled Douluo early enough to suppress the toxins, they would die suddenly! To completely cure this problem, it is definitely not as simple as just introducing the toxins into a spirit bone.