"What do you mean, 'shameless'? We clearly caught this soul beast first. Don't try to twist things, old poison freak!"
Yue Guan could tell at a glance that the Man-Faced Demon Spider had been wounded by Dugu Bo's poison. Though it wasn't a fatal injury, it was only a matter of time before it collapsed.
But now that he had already landed the final blow—and considering Dugu Bo had been a thorn in his side for decades—this was the perfect opportunity to return the favor. Even if their past clashes were mostly harmless scuffles, the irritation had certainly piled up.
Time to return the favor.
"Damn it, Chrysanthemum! You're doing this on purpose!"
"Oh? Congratulations, you guessed right. But sorry—no prize for you! Ohohohoho~~~"
"Bastard! Chrysanthemum, are you trying to pick a fight?!"
"Hmph! Old poison freak, you couldn't beat me even if you tried. Save yourself the embarrassment—especially in front of your son."
Yue Guan mocked him in his signature tone, fingers daintily covering his mouth, his expression full of smug arrogance. He had no fear of Dugu Bo's gritted-teeth fury.
"Damn you!!!"
Dugu Bo's beard quivered in rage. He glared at Ghost Douluo with a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
Two Soul Douluos stood across from him. He wasn't a match even for one of them in a fair fight. If he struck first, he'd only suffer a loss.
Endure!
I must endure!
"Chrysanthemum, I suggest you don't get too full of yourself."
"Heh, I am getting full of myself. So what? What are you going to do about it? Bite me?"
"Ohohohoho~~~"
"Arghhh! You're driving me mad!!!"
"You damned Chrysanthemum! I've had enough of you!"
Finally, Dugu Bo snapped. But instead of summoning his martial soul, he launched a straight punch toward Yue Guan's smug face.
"Huh? Old poison freak! Don't call me 'damned Chrysanthemum'!"
Yue Guan instantly flared up, swinging his own fist in response.
In a matter of seconds, the two veterans devolved into a brawl that looked more like a street fight between hooligans—rolling on the ground and hurling verbal jabs about each other's embarrassing pasts.
Gu Han: …
Bibi Dong: …
Dugu Xin: …
Ghost: …
Gu Han rubbed his forehead. While the original novel did say that Dugu Bo and Chrysanthemum didn't get along, it had also made clear there wasn't any deep hatred between them.
Seeing it now—this wasn't mere friction.
This was clearly a pair of lifelong frenemies.
He glanced over at Ghost, who stood with his arms crossed, calmly watching the spectacle like it was an afternoon performance.
Apparently, this was business as usual for him.
Bibi Dong poked Gu Han's arm gently and whispered, "Junior Brother, that green-haired old man is Dugu Bo. He's always had some issues with Senior Yue Guan. The young man next to him is his son, Dugu Xin."
At the moment, Dugu Xin stood frozen, a helpless look on his face. He looked like someone with plenty on his mind but no words to express it—definitely not the talkative type.
Seems like a quiet and straightforward person.
"Uh… Senior Sister, I figured as much."
Gu Han nodded, his gaze full of speechless disbelief as he stared at the two rolling around on the ground.
As for Dugu Bo, Gu Han actually had a favorable impression of him. In the Douluo Dalu world, most people who managed to become Titled Douluo were highly loyal and valued relationships—exceptions aside.
Dugu Bo was certainly one of the loyal ones.
Though he valued his freedom above all else, he once served as a guest elder for the Heaven Dou Empire, all for the sake of repaying a favor to Prince Xue Xing. Later, he risked everything for another favor to help Tang San, and eventually sacrificed his life.
People like him—once won over—could be trusted implicitly.
With that in mind, Gu Han spoke up, "Senior Yue Guan, Elder Dugu, stop fighting already. Would you two hear me out for a moment?"
"What do you want?"
"Shut up!"
The two turned their heads in unison, hands still pressed against each other's faces, neither backing down.
"Uh…"
Gu Han froze for a second, but quickly recovered and said calmly, with no intention of beating around the bush, "Elder Dugu, I've studied a bit of medicine. Judging by both your appearance and your son's, I'd say you've both been poisoned."
"What!?"
Dugu Bo jolted. He shoved Yue Guan aside and fixed Gu Han with an icy glare. His tone turned threatening.
"You'd better watch what you say, boy. Poisoned? I've spent my entire life mastering poison—how could I be poisoned?"
He was visibly shaken. The flaw in the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul was something only those of his bloodline knew about—and even then, it typically wasn't discovered until old age.
How could this boy possibly know?
If Ghost weren't standing right there, ready to act, Dugu Bo might've silenced him permanently.
But Gu Han only dared to speak up because Yue Guan and Ghost were present. Seeing the murderous glint in Dugu Bo's eyes, he remained unfazed and said, "Elder Dugu, please don't be alarmed. But what if I told you… I might have a way to cure it?"
"Hmph, I don't know what nonsense you're spouting."
Dugu Bo's frown deepened. Their serpent martial soul's toxicity had been an unsolvable issue for hundreds of years. And this kid thought he had the answer?
"You don't have to pretend anymore, Elder. Let me describe your symptoms."
"You get a prickling itch along your ribs whenever it rains, and it gradually worsens—lasting over an hour. It flares up twice a day: once at noon, once at midnight. Around the third watch of the night, you experience stabbing pain at your crown and soles, followed by convulsions lasting no less than half an hour."
"Elder, am I wrong?"
Dugu Bo was completely stunned. This kid… actually got it all right… just from my appearance?
"Father… is that true?"
Dugu Xin looked at Dugu Bo in confusion. He knew his father well. That kind of reaction could only mean that Gu Han was spot-on.
Dugu Bo's eyes flickered, but he didn't answer directly.
"…So this young man is telling the truth. Father, that means both of us have been poisoned. If I'm not mistaken, the poison must come from our own martial souls, right?"
Dugu Xin might've been reserved, but he wasn't stupid. Seeing his father's reaction, how could he not realize the truth?
No wonder he'd been feeling unwell lately—especially around midnight, when those pinprick pains struck his head and feet. The sensation worsened during stormy nights.
"Haha! Old poison freak, imagine that! You played with poison your whole life—only to end up poisoning yourself!"
Yue Guan burst into laughter, well aware of his old rival's personality. Seeing Dugu Bo's flustered reaction, he couldn't help but gloat. Then his tone shifted slightly, becoming more serious.
"Old poison freak, listen. For the sake of our many years of, uh, 'acquaintance'—if you're willing to join Spirit Hall, we might be able to help you find a solution."
"Hmph! My own business is none of your concern."
Dugu Bo scoffed coldly, still as stubborn as ever. He turned to Dugu Xin and said, "Xin'er, go give that spider the finishing blow. We can't absorb its ring, but neither will we let them have it."
"Father…"
Dugu Xin raised his hand slightly, as if wanting to persuade him. If Spirit Hall truly could help resolve their problem, then joining them wasn't out of the question. Personally, he already preferred Spirit Hall over the two great empires.
"Enough talk!"
Dugu Bo cut him off sharply.
"Elder Dugu, how about this—I'll give you a temporary method to suppress the toxin for now. If you're willing to join Spirit Hall, then I'll share the permanent cure with you. How about it?"
Gu Han stepped in just in time, sensing Dugu Bo's rising intent to act.
With someone as freedom-loving as Dugu Bo, trying to rope him into an organization would almost never work unless you earned his gratitude first.
So Gu Han decided to offer a taste—earn some goodwill now, and let Dugu Bo make his own choice later.
And if, thirty-something years down the road, Dugu Bo still chose to stand with the Heaven Dou Empire…
Then Gu Han would show no mercy.
He couldn't risk letting a human biological weapon fall into another faction's hands.
The soul power around Dugu Bo dissipated. He seemed moved, his voice softening.
"…Let's hear it, then."
~~~
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