Yin Xuan glanced at Dugu Yan and said, "Senior, you might as well try reaching out to Yang Wudi from the Breaking Clan. It beats sitting around and giving up. Honestly, if you don't want to do it for yourself, at least do it for Little Goose, right?"
Dugu Bo mulled it over, and yeah, that made sense.
Letting Dugu Yan live in pain just to protect his own ego? No way. That wasn't worth it.
"And... I've got a thought. You and Little Goose could search for a Spirit Bone to store the toxins."
"My Spirit is a plant Spirit — not a Beast Spirit — so I'm not affected by the poison," Yin Xuan explained.
This idea was rough around the edges, but he figured it was worth mentioning.
Even with a Spirit Bone, though, they'd still need to brew Detoxification Pills to keep the poison under control and help transfer it safely into the Spirit Bone.
"Can that really work?" Dugu Bo wondered aloud, his eyes locking onto Yin Xuan's dark blue silver emperor vine. The purple light on the plant was intense, but it didn't seem to bother Yin Xuan at all.
"Kids these days... so quick-witted. I should've thought of that myself."
Dugu Bo pushed away his doubts and eyed Yin Xuan, dropping his voice. "You're not just some random kid, are you? Tell me honestly — what's your story?"
Yin Xuan kept his cool. "All I'll say is, I used to be connected with the Clear Sky Sect. Now? No ties at all."
"Oh?" Dugu Bo lifted an eyebrow, his brain running through possible connections.
Maybe the kid was an illegitimate son or got tossed out for not awakening the Clear Sky Hammer Spirit? Big clans always cared about Spirit inheritance so... that was plausible.
"If you don't want to go there, I won't push." Dugu Bo nodded and let it drop. "Thanks for the suggestion."
Yin Xuan rubbed his chin, then drew out a rough shape in the dirt. "The Breaking Clan loves working with poisons. There's a rare herb called the ethereal fragrance immortal herb. In its vicinity, poison loses all effect — top-tier stuff for preventing poison."
He went on, "This herb's a big, pale pink flower with no leaves. Its stem is three feet tall, and the flower's huge — over a foot across. Each petal is clear like quartz, and the stamens are pale purple, almost like tiny purple diamonds."
"If Senior can find this and offer it as payment, Yang Wudi—he'll jump at the chance and probably drag his whole clan over to help."
"The ethereal fragrance immortal herb, huh?" Dugu Bo studied the drawing. It looked weirdly familiar, but he couldn't place it.
Right then, a servant showed up. "Master, Young Lady, lunch is ready."
"Good," Dugu Bo replied, giving Yin Xuan's shoulder a friendly tap. "Kid, this old man likes you."
"Come, have a drink with me."
Dugu Yan looked troubled, her thoughts swirling as she tried to smile.
Yin Xuan caught the shift right away.
She was fine a second ago. Now she looked miserable. Something happened.
He leaned in, lowering his voice. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," she said, forcing a grin.
Inside the dining room, there was a small round table, just big enough for three. Cozy, really.
"This wine's home-brewed. Almost fifty years old." Dugu Bo poured a glass for Yin Xuan.
"I'm only good for one glass, so please help yourself."
Yin Xuan drank it all in one shot, then used spirit power to handle the potency. Given his age, a vintage that old hit pretty hard.
"Whoa!" Dugu Bo grinned. "You've got guts! Have another."
He was clearly plotting to get Yin Xuan drunk.
"Grandpa!" Dugu Yan saw Yin Xuan's face getting red and stepped in. "I'll drink instead!"
Both Dugu Bo and Yin Xuan blinked in surprise.
"Eat, eat," Dugu Bo chuckled, then stopped pushing. He sipped his own drink, sometimes staring at the sky.
Eventually, Dugu Bo put down his cup. "I've got stuff to do. You two, enjoy yourselves."
Just like that, he shot into the air and disappeared.
Sunset Forest.
Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
As evening drew near, Dugu Bo headed to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, settled in and sat cross-legged. Out of nowhere, he spotted a giant pink flower.
He remembered Yin Xuan's description and bent closer, brow furrowing. "Is this the ethereal fragrance immortal herb he was talking about?"
Time to test it.
If it really stopped poisons, it shouldn't be easy to kill with toxins, right?
Dugu Bo flicked his sleeve, releasing a cloud of dark green poison towards the flower. But as soon as the mist got close, it fizzled out — totally inert.
He stared, stunned. "Didn't think something like this actually existed."
His gaze travelled over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, taking in all the strange flowers and herbs. He only recognized the stuff he'd planted himself. The rest? Who knew.
"Maybe that kid could ID the others."
Just as he was thinking about bringing Yin Xuan here, his body started itching — a prickly sensation spreading fast.
"It's starting! Damn it!"
...
...
Back at the Dugu residence.
Dugu Yan let out a long sigh. "Xuan, let's break up."
Yin Xuan's eye twitched.
Dugu Yan cradled her face in her hands, worry clouding her look. "I just found out my mom didn't die from some birth complication. While she was pregnant with me, my dad's Bilin Snake Poison infected her. My dad didn't die naturally either — it was the Bilin Snake Poison. Even my grandparents died from the same."
She was starting to think that living a life packed with dangerous poison, always one step from death, wasn't fair to anyone. Relationships felt impossible. If she slipped up, she could poison Yin Xuan for real — not just some mild infection, but something deadly.
Yin Xuan tried to cheer her up. "Don't look at it so bleak. I told you, you can guide the poison into a Spirit Bone. That'll keep it from hurting you."
"Sounds easy, but Spirit Bones are one-in-a-million finds!" Dugu Yan muttered, bitterness in her voice.
"We'll figure something out." Yin Xuan gently patted her shoulder.
He honestly hadn't expected her to say this. It caught him off guard, even shocked him.
"Let's just be friends for now. If I ever fix what's wrong with me, then we can talk about dating again." Dugu Yan grabbed the wine pot, skipped the cup, and drank straight from it.
"Ah, that's better. Another pot!"
With her cheeks flushed, she shattered the jade wine pot on the floor. It popped and splintered.
Yin Xuan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I've got no words for this."