"Flender, it's time to talk business," Yu Xiaogang said impatiently as he nudged Flender.
Flender turned to Lan Si and asked, "Little brother Ritian, what brings you to the Sunset Forest? Do you know where the Poison Douluo resides?"
"Poison Douluo lives in the Sunset Forest?" Lan Si feigned surprise. "I'm just passing through, searching for a breakthrough opportunity. I have no idea where Poison Douluo lives."
Yu Xiaogang frowned and asked, "Have you seen an old man and a young boy in the forest? The old man has green clothes, green hair, and green eyes, while the boy has black hair and wears blue clothes. He's about your age."
Lan Si shook his head, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. "Aside from you three, I haven't seen anyone."
"Did you notice any strange places, like areas filled with poisonous fog?" Liu Erlong picked up the conversation and explained to Flender and Yu Xiaogang, "Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo, is known for his poisons, and his residence is in the Sunset Forest. To prevent soul beasts from invading, he must have set up poison traps around his home."
"Poison fog?" Lan Si pretended to think for a moment, then pointed in the direction he had come from. "You might mean that area. There's a place with few soul beasts, and the air there has a faint purple mist. I was worried it was dangerous, so I didn't go in. I'm not sure if that's the place you're looking for."
"It should be! Flender, Erlong, let's go!" Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang immediately rushed toward the direction Lan Si pointed. Liu Erlong, concerned for Yu Xiaogang's safety, quickly followed, leaving only Flender behind.
Flender hurriedly said to Lan Si, "Thank you, little brother! If you dare to venture into the Sunset Forest alone, you must be quite strong. If you're ever interested in joining Shrek Academy, just mention my name, Flender."
With that, Flender ran after Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
Watching the three of them disappear into the distance, a dangerous smile appeared on Lan Si's face as he muttered, "I hope they find what they're looking for." Naturally, he wouldn't freely reveal Dugu Bo's location. With Dugu Bo currently away from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, if he returned to find the place in ruins and saw Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong lurking around, things would get interesting.
It would be enough to give them a headache.
To avoid another encounter like the one with the Golden Iron Triangle, Lan Si deliberately took a longer route to Heaven Dou City.
Three hours later, Lan Si finally exited the Sunset Forest and arrived on the official road to Heaven Dou City.
At that moment, a horse-drawn cart full of goods passed by, and on it, Lan Si spotted a familiar figure—Tang San. At the moment, Tang San looked ragged, like a child from a poor family. Beside him sat an old man dressed as a farmer, wearing a straw hat with a striking bundle of dark green hair underneath.
As the cart and Lan Si crossed paths, Tang San and Lan Si made eye contact. A mocking smile curled on Lan Si's lips, and he continued on his way without looking back.
Tang San looked slightly bewildered, feeling a sense of unease in his chest and a faint premonition of something bad.
Dugu Bo, noticing Tang San's reaction, asked curiously, "What's wrong? Do you know that person?"
Tang San shook his head. "No, I've never seen him before. He just looked familiar. Maybe I was mistaken."
"Alright, we're far enough from Heaven Dou City now. Even if someone is tailing us, they won't catch up." Dugu Bo stopped the cart, removed his straw hat, and tore off his ragged farmer's clothes, revealing a set of green robes underneath.
Tang San nodded, changing back into his own clothes. With Dugu Bo leading the way, they hurried toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the place Tang San had been longing to visit.
-
-
-
-
In the Heaven Dou City Prince's Mansion.
Porcupinefish Douluo knelt on one knee behind Qian Renxue and reported respectfully, "I failed to capture Dugu Bo. He slipped away right under my nose. Please punish me, my lord."
"It's fine, Uncle Ci. You may rise. It's not your fault. Who would've thought that old poison user would lower himself to disguise as a cart driver to sneak out of Heaven Dou City!" Qian Renxue, still facing away from him, casually tossed him a piece of paper. "Look at this. This is the message sent by Uncle She three hours ago using his Soul Pigeon."
Porcupinefish Douluo stood up and took the paper. It had two lines of text: "Lan Si's martial spirit seems to have undergone a second awakening. His appearance has changed drastically, and his spirit power has surged to level 39. He also appears to have awakened an innate domain."
"This... What's going on?" Porcupinefish Douluo's face showed disbelief. Now, he understood why Qian Renxue, who usually despised failure, hadn't blamed him. It was because her beloved had achieved unprecedented gains.
"Ah Si is on his way back. We'll know the details when he arrives," Qian Renxue said with a faint smile. Clearly, she was in a good mood. Half an hour earlier, Snake Spear Douluo had sent another message saying that Lan Si was returning and had encountered Flender, Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong, and the disguised Dugu Bo. He even thoughtfully described Lan Si's new appearance.
The letter was full of praises, and at the end, it concluded with: "If there's anyone in the world who can match the beauty of our young lord, it's only Lan Si."
Everyone is naturally drawn to beauty, and the more beautiful or handsome someone is, the more they care about looks. Qian Renxue was no exception. Lan Si had always been handsome, the type of sunny, handsome boy who had captured her heart with his charm. After spending over a month together, their relationship had grown deeper, and now, knowing that Lan Si's appearance had changed, Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel anxious.
Although Snake Spear Douluo had practically worshipped Lan Si in his letter, Qian Renxue still worried—what if, just what if, he wasn't as handsome as before?
Waiting was always hard, and to see Lan Si as soon as possible, Qian Renxue had to suppress the urge to spread her angel wings and fly to him. She repeatedly sent Porcupinefish Douluo to gather updates.
After two hours of waiting, Porcupinefish Douluo made several trips between the prince's mansion and Lan Si's location. On the last trip, Snake Spear Douluo returned as well, bringing both good and bad news.
--
Check out my pa**on to read 100 advanced chapters. Link is in synopsis/description of this fic.