Chapter 76: Dugu Shuo's Methods
"Second Uncle, your nephew Dugu Shuo has come to pay his respects!"
A loud voice sounded outside the mansion, making Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan both freeze for a moment.
"He still dares to come? I want to see what he has to say!" Dugu Bo said angrily.
He immediately ordered for Dugu Shuo to be brought in.
As Dugu Shuo entered, he quickly noticed Dugu Yan's bloodshot eyes. He thought to himself, It seems my son truly managed to anger her this time.
"Dugu Shuo, are you saying you don't want your son anymore?" Dugu Bo asked coldly.
Dugu Shuo replied calmly, "It was I who told Feng'er to do that. Even if Yan Yan hadn't invited him to the stage, he would have challenged Yu Tianheng anyway. Yan Yan and Yu Tianheng are not suited for each other."
"Bang!"
Before he could finish, a green light flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes, and Dugu Shuo was thrown backward by a violent force, slamming heavily into the door behind him.
"Do you really think you're the patriarch of the Dugu family? Since when do you have the right to meddle in Yan Yan's affairs?"
Dugu Bo's tone was icy.
"Second Uncle, you should understand—whether male or female, once the poison in our Dugu bloodline flares up, it affects our partners.
If Yan Yan truly ends up with Yu Tianheng, once her poison is triggered, how can she survive in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
A wave of pain spread through Dugu Shuo's back, yet his expression did not change. "Yu Tianheng has been groomed as the heir of his clan since childhood. Do you really think he pursues Yan Yan purely out of affection? Second Uncle, you greatly underestimate Yu Yuanzhen.
Even when he had a son whose martial soul had degenerated into a useless form, Yu Yuanzhen still managed to send him to the Spirit Hall to gain benefits for his clan.
Among the top three sects, Yu Yuanzhen is as cunning as a fox.
The continent is currently in turmoil—the Spirit Hall is plotting to overthrow the Heaven Dou Empire. The incident with the Elephant Armored Sect and Chrysanthemum Douluo's attack on you was not a coincidence.
Heaven Dou City is now at the eye of the storm. Second Uncle, do not become a mere pawn for the upper sects!"
Dugu Shuo spoke slowly.
"With Grandfather around, what could the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan possibly do to me?
Aren't you the one hiding behind Grandfather's name? If not for his deterrence, how could our Dugu family claim the profits of the Great Spirit Arena? How could we have dared to wipe out the Elephant Armored Sect?" Dugu Yan suddenly erupted angrily.
Dugu Bo's face turned dark. "You, who could die at any moment from poison backlash, meddle far too much," he said coldly.
Dugu Shuo laughed.
"Second Uncle, the Dugu family is one whole. As long as I live, I will think for our family's good.
Even if I die, there is still Feng'er. One day, we shall refine the Poison Pill and resolve our poisonous affliction.
I came today to warn you—the Heaven Dou Emperor Xue Ye has been poisoned with a chronic toxin. The culprit is in Heaven Dou City. I suspect the Spirit Hall harbors a Titled Douluo with a poison attribute martial soul.
Yu Yuanzhen absolutely knows of the Spirit Hall's schemes, yet has he ever warned you?
Second Uncle, you must not leave the city for now!"
Dugu Shuo's tone was deliberately vague, mixing truth with falsehood.
Dugu Yan's expression changed slightly.
Dugu Bo's face grew uncertain. He had always known his nephew to be calculating and resourceful.
Could he really have discovered so much?
Even Dugu Bo himself was unaware of these details.
But he couldn't deny—he had indeed sensed Chrysanthemum Douluo's killing intent last time.
He had to admit, his nephew's methods were impressive.
"You've said your piece. You may leave now.
If you dare act on your own again, I will not spare you!"
Dugu Bo barked.
In the end, he did not take action.
Seeing this, Dugu Shuo turned and left.
"Grandfather, is what he said true? The Spirit Hall wants to kill you?" Dugu Yan sensed something from his reaction.
"Yan Yan, you need not worry," Dugu Bo said confidently. "They cannot kill me."
After a pause, he added, "Yan Yan, there is one thing he said that is correct—the Dugu family is one unit.
That's why so few outsiders know of the conflict between our two branches.
Do not underestimate Dugu Feng. Though young, he is not much weaker than that uncle of yours.
Moreover, I suspect they've found a method to resist the toxin; otherwise, Dugu Feng could not have endured for so long."
Dugu Bo speculated.
This was also why he refrained from using force. He, Dugu Bo, would never waste an opportunity to solve the poison problem—no matter internal strife.
He wanted to see how far Dugu Shuo and Dugu Feng could go.
And the matter of Emperor Xue Ye's poisoning, along with the possible poison-type Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall, required verification.
Meanwhile, outside the Dugu mansion, Dugu Shuo secretly let out a breath of relief.
His second uncle wasn't as foolish as he feared.
So what if one was a Titled Douluo? In the grand struggle between the continent's powers, even such figures could become mere cannon fodder.
For a family to endure through the ages, it could not rely solely on one or two individuals.
No matter what, the two Dugu branches must maintain outward harmony.
Originally, if Dugu Bo had continued to press the matter, Dugu Shuo had planned to share the method of using spirit bones to buffer poison effects.
Now, seeing his uncle's awareness of Spirit Hall's threat, he decided it wasn't necessary.
But relations with Yu Yuanzhen, that old dragon, would surely become strained.
That old dragon had harbored ill intent last time. They must not draw too close.
He needed to break through to Spirit Douluo as soon as possible—remaining at Spirit Sage level was far too weak!
Pondering this, Dugu Shuo gradually made his way back to the Dugu ancestral halls.
There, he found Dugu Feng waiting.
In truth, Dugu Feng's thinking was the same as his father's—the worst outcome would be to reveal the antidote technique.
It wasn't a cure anyway, so he didn't consider it a great loss.
"Feng'er, what do you think we should do about the Serpent branch?" Dugu Shuo asked suddenly amid the curling incense smoke.
Dugu Feng's thoughts raced. Knowing how things would unfold in the future, he certainly couldn't allow Dugu Bo to keep acting as Tang San's pawn.
But he couldn't speak of events that hadn't happened yet.
"All decisions should prioritize the family's inheritance and strength," Dugu Feng said after some thought.
"Your thinking is correct.
The Clear Sky Sect, once the strongest on the continent, when faced with annihilation, chose to seal its gates and preserve its power.
As the future leader of the Dugu family, you must always place our family's survival and heritage above all decisions."
Dugu Feng nodded quickly. "Yes, Father!"
"I'm going into seclusion for a while to reach the Spirit Douluo realm. You'll handle the family's matters during this time."
Dugu Feng was speechless. Sure enough, every "lesson" from his father simply meant more burdens.
A short while later, Dugu Feng left the mansion and returned to the Royal Junior Spirit Master Academy dormitory.
The first person he saw waiting there was Ning Rongrong.
"Why were you running so fast? Don't tell me you're afraid of Dugu Yan causing trouble? With me here, what are you afraid of?"
Ning Rongrong pouted.
A warmth spread in Dugu Feng's heart. Ever since returning from the City of Slaughter, his interactions with Ning Rongrong had softened.
He hadn't sensed her spoiled side much lately.
Instead, she had grown diligent in her cultivation, and was genuinely kind to him.
"I suddenly remembered something and returned home for a bit. Let's keep cultivating. I need to break through to Spirit King soon and absorb my third spirit ring."
"Cultivate, cultivate, that's all you ever talk about! Don't you have anything else in mind?" Ning Rongrong said helplessly.
To think—spending time with such a beauty, and all he could think about was training. What was going through his head?
(END CHAPTER)
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