The carriage carried Xue Beng all the way to the gates of the imperial palace. After watching him enter, Dugu Bo let out a sigh of relief, his face etched with exhaustion.
Protecting Prince Xue Beng had clearly drained the old man's strength.
Cradling Ling Yun in his arms, he returned to the carriage and gave the coachman a terse command:
"To Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
The coachman acknowledged the order and steered the carriage toward the academy.
After nearly fifteen minutes, Dugu Bo arrived at the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy with Ling Yun.
Stepping down from the carriage, he instructed the coachman:
"Wait here. I'll take this little fellow to my granddaughter inside, then return to the palace to await His Highness."
"As you command," the coachman replied with a respectful nod.
Dugu Bo turned and strode toward the academy gates, Ling Yun nestled in his arms.
As one of the few native Titled Douluo of the Heaven Dou Empire, Dugu Bo held an exceptionally high status throughout the realm.
Though not as widely renowned as the two Titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, his reputation was nearly as formidable.
The two gatekeepers of Heaven Dou Royal Academy immediately bowed deeply, their backs curving like shrimp shells, their faces radiating obsequious flattery.
Unfortunately, Dugu Bo didn't even glance at them, brushing past them and heading straight into the academy.
The two gatekeepers were deeply annoyed by Dugu Bo's blatant disregard.
However, he was a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse with a notoriously volatile temper and mastery of deadly poisons.
If they dared show any displeasure, they might not even know how they died.
Only after Dugu Bo's figure vanished at the end of the corridor did the gatekeeper with a scar across his face spit on the ground.
"Pah! What a piece of trash! Just a Titled Douluo? And the weakest one at that! What's with the arrogance?
I heard that old geezer only broke through to Titled Douluo at 70. If I live that long, I'll probably be a Titled Douluo myself!"
The other gatekeeper, a man with a thick beard, rolled his eyes at him.
"Scarface, stop bragging. Even the weakest Titled Douluo could crush us like ants.
Why didn't you insult him to his face earlier? What were you afraid of? Weren't you afraid he'd slaughter us on the spot?"
"Bullshit! Afraid of that old geezer? Him?"
A sneer and a chuckle flickered across Scarface's scarred face, radiating contempt for Dugu Bo.
The bearded gatekeeper glanced nervously behind Scarface, his face contorting in terror.
"Lord, you... you're back? We... we didn't mean to discuss you..."
Scarface froze, his entire body trembling violently. He whirled around, bowing his head in a deep kowtow without daring to look up.
"Lord, I only spoke rashly for a moment. I meant no disrespect. Please, Lord, forgive my..."
"Hahahaha..." Before Scarface could finish, the bearded gatekeeper burst into uproarious laughter.
"Scarface, you kept boasting you weren't afraid of this Poison Douluo. Why are you suddenly kneeling? Why don't you fight him then?"
Only then did Scarface realize he'd been tricked by his companion. He roared in fury.
"Old Oilhead, fuck you! You're asking for a beating!"
Ling Yun, who had already moved some distance away with Dugu Bo, found the guards' conversation utterly absurd.
Though they were far off, his cultivation as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast had vastly enhanced all his senses, including his hearing. He had heard every word the gatekeepers had spoken with perfect clarity.
Ling Yun glanced up at Dugu Bo, noticing that the old man's expression remained completely unchanged.
He found this odd. As a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, Dugu Bo should have easily overheard the guards' conversation.
How could this old coot restrain himself from exploding? Ling Yun wondered.
After all, Dugu Bo was notorious for his vindictive nature and eccentric temperament. Ling Yun had initially expected him to immediately demand the lives of the disrespectful guards.
Yet here he was, acting remarkably calm. Or could it be that the old geezer is too weak to even notice...?
As Ling Yun pondered this, two slender, emerald-green snakes slithered down from Dugu Bo's legs, heading toward the main gate.
Though Dugu Bo acted with utmost discretion, Ling Yun's sensory abilities were unparalleled.
Ling Yun grinned, a peculiar smile spreading across his face as he thought to himself:
As expected, this old coot can't stand being slighted. He couldn't hold back after all. For a moment, I thought he'd turned over a new leaf.
As Ling Yun wore this expression, Dugu Bo noticed his ambiguous smile.
However, he dismissed it. In Dugu Bo's eyes, Ling Yun was merely a two-thousand-year-old soul beast.
Even a ten-thousand-year soul beast, with its intelligence significantly developed, couldn't speak human language, let alone a hundred-thousand-year one.
Therefore, Dugu Bo didn't believe this two-thousand-year soul beast could have noticed what he had just done.
He walked to the third floor of the lower-grade classroom building and stopped at the door of a classroom.
Hiding the hand gripping Ling Yun behind his back, Dugu Bo stood expressionlessly in the doorway, watching the teacher passionately delivering his lecture.
Suddenly, the teacher felt an oppressive aura that sent a chill down his spine, interrupting his train of thought.
He slowly turned his head, his gaze locking onto Dugu Bo, and involuntarily shuddered.
Good heavens! What's this ominous figure doing here?
His teeth chattering, the teacher called out to Dugu Yan, who was listening attentively in class:
"Dugu Yan, your grandfather is here for you."
Dugu Yan's expression froze as she looked toward the door, where her grandfather stood like a guardian deity.
No wonder the teachers were so terrified. She quickly gave a slightly apologetic bow to her teacher and hurried toward the door.
To avoid disrupting the class, she pulled her grandfather to the staircase and began to complain, her face full of displeasure.
"Grandpa, why did you suddenly come to school without telling Yan'er first? Look how you scared my teacher—her face turned green!"
Dugu Bo's usually sinister and venomous eyes now brimmed with tenderness as he raised his right hand to gently stroke his granddaughter's head.
"Yan'er, Grandpa came to the academy to give you a gift. Look..."
Dugu Bo lifted Ling Yun in his left hand and presented the marten to Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan's eyes lit up instantly. "What an adorable marten! Grandpa, is this for me? Thank you, Grandpa!"
The Heavenly Snow Marten's special affinity for women instantly captivated Dugu Yan. After taking Ling Yun from her grandfather, she couldn't hide her delight.
...
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