Chapter 61: Detoxification

Ling Xiao reached out, pushed open the room door, and looked at the three people seated inside.

Aside from Ye Lengleng, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were also present.

Upon seeing Ling Xiao, Ye Lengleng waved her hand happily.

Dugu Bo, however, wore an expression of worry and doubt, looking at the newcomer with a somewhat unsettled heart.

When Dugu Yan had returned previously and told him that Ye Lengleng said she was poisoned, he sought out Ye Lengleng to inquire about it. To his surprise, Ye Lengleng discerned that he was also poisoned, and that his condition was practically terminal.

Considering that her martial soul was the Nine-Heart Begonia of the healing attribute—the most powerful healing martial soul in the entire continent—he had asked her whether she could cure him.

The result, however, was clearly negative; even Ye Shuyun, who was a Titled Douluo, could not achieve it.

This left him feeling desperate and furious, yet he could only swallow his anger. After all, he was merely a ninety-first-rank Titled Douluo, whereas Ye Shuyun was rumored to have already reached the ninety-sixth rank.

Even though she was merely a healing-type soul master with inherently weak combat prowess, she was still slightly stronger than him. Not to mention that she had healed numerous people and many powerful figures owed her favors, including several Titled Douluo whose strength surpassed his own.

If he were to do anything detrimental to the Ye family, even if he managed to escape, his granddaughter would not be able to get away. He did not want Dugu Yan to be dragged into a life of fleeing and living as a fugitive because of him.

Later on, however, a turning point arose. Yesterday, Ye Lengleng found a distressed Dugu Yan and told her that she had found someone who could save them.

Though he harbored some skepticism in his heart, not only for his own sake but also for Dugu Yan's, he ultimately decided to give it a try.

Only he knew the agonizing, life-worse-than-death torment; he did not want Dugu Yan to face that same suffering.

"Lengleng, this must be the soul master who can save us, right?" Dugu Bo stood up, appearing very enthusiastic.

Although Ling Xiao was currently shrouded in a cloak, appearing rather mysterious, as long as they could be cured, none of those details mattered.

"Yes, Senior Poison Douluo, he said he can help you and Yan Yan resolve the pain caused by the poison!" Ye Lengleng said.

She did not reveal his identity, knowing that if Dugu Bo were to learn who Ling Xiao was, he would likely find it hard to believe.

"Good, good, good! Esteemed soul master, as long as you can save me and Yan Yan, I will agree to any condition you name. Even if you can only save Yan Yan, I will still fulfill all your requests!" Dugu Bo said with an anxious expression. Dugu Yan's parents had perished precisely because of the toxins, and he did not want to endure the heartbreak of a younger generation passing away before him again.

Had he not broken through to become a Titled Douluo and still had his granddaughter Dugu Yan to look after, he probably would not have lasted until now.

After all, the agony was truly unbearable, enough to make one wish for death.

"Very well. I do not need any reward. After all, she is the one who invited me here; otherwise, your lives and deaths would have nothing to do with me!" Ling Xiao said coldly. Had Ye Lengleng not spoken up, he would not have cared about the lives of strangers.

Hearing this, Dugu Bo's facial muscles twitched involuntarily, and anger flared within him.

Yet, this was his last hope. Suppressing the fury in his heart, he put on a smile and said, "Yes, yes, indeed. This matter is truly thanks to Miss Lengleng, and we are endlessly grateful!"

Watching Dugu Bo act with such humbleness, Dugu Yan felt a profound bitterness in her heart.

She knew that if it were not for her, Dugu Bo would never lower himself like this. He was a Titled Douluo, someone who feared not even death.

Ling Xiao looked at Dugu Bo, held up two fingers, and said, "I am aware of both of your conditions. There are two ways to resolve this!"

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. A method truly existed!

He quickly asked, "May I ask, soul master, what are these methods?"

"First, I can directly purge all the toxins from both of your bodies. However, after this, neither of you will ever be able to cultivate again. Otherwise, the toxins will flare up once more, and because your bodies' compatibility with the poison will have been altered, the pain will become even more excruciating."

"No way!"

Hearing this, Dugu Bo rejected the option without even thinking. If he were to truly lose his cultivation and strength, he shuddered to think what might befall the grandfather and granddaughter.

"I knew you wouldn't choose the first option. That leaves only the second method: I will compress all the toxins within your bodies into a single poison core. All the toxins you generate through cultivation from then on will be stored inside this poison core, and you can release them whenever you need to use them." Ling Xiao outlined the second method.

Dugu Bo nodded and said excitedly, "Let's go with this one then! Sorry to trouble you, soul master!"

Dugu Yan also grew excited. She had briefly considered that if nothing else worked, they would have to choose the first option—at worst, she would stop cultivating and simply live out the rest of her life as an ordinary person.

However, since the second method allowed them to continue cultivating, it was naturally the best outcome.

Observing Dugu Bo, who had made his decision, Ling Xiao stated, "The second method is extremely painful. She will be fine since the toxins have not penetrated deeply, so the pain will be minimal. But you are different. It feels as though your flesh is being slowly sliced away by a thousand blades, your bones smashed with hammers, and your bone marrow gouged out. Do you truly wish to choose this method?"

Dugu Bo paused upon hearing this, then said with firm resolve, "Yes. I cannot lose my soul power, or I won't be able to protect Yan Yan. Therefore, no matter how agonizing it is, I can endure it!"

"Grandfather!"

Hearing the words of the man before her, Dugu Yan wanted to urge Dugu Bo to choose the first option. Just the thought of that agony filled her with terror.

"Say no more, Yan Yan. My mind is made up."

Dugu Bo said, "Soul master, please begin!"

Ling Xiao stretched out his hands and placed them on the shoulders of the two. Instantly, both of them felt the onset of pain.

Dugu Bo even let out a roar, but Ling Xiao had long anticipated this and had already sealed off the space within the entire room.

Dugu Yan fared better; the pain merely caused her to clench her teeth and turn slightly pale.

Dugu Bo, however, felt as though tiny blades were slowly carving his flesh, heavy hammers were shattering his bones, and his marrow was being scraped out.

That excruciating agony caused his body to writhe uncontrollably. Yet, Ling Xiao held his shoulders firmly, not allowing them to sway in the slightest.

Ye Lengleng covered her ears with a look of unbearable sympathy, sitting to one side and slowly turning her head away.

She could not fathom the level of torment Dugu Bo was enduring at that moment.

"Grandfather!" Dugu Yan cried out in a sob, gazing through tear-blurred eyes at Dugu Bo's agonizing shrieks.

Golden light flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes as he watched the toxins throughout Dugu Bo's body slowly condense into a green poison core located at his dantian.

The green hue in Dugu Bo's hair was also gradually fading, returning to a normal shade of white.

After the span of half a quarter of an hour, the poison cores within both of their bodies fully formed, and all the residual toxins vanished entirely.

Dugu Bo's voice had grown hoarse, and his consciousness had become blurred. The moment Ling Xiao released his grip, he collapsed powerlessly onto the sofa, his body still convulsing from the lingering agony.

Seeing that the treatment had concluded, Ye Lengleng hurriedly summoned her martial soul and began healing the two of them.

The Nine-Heart Begonia truly lived up to its reputation as the ultimate healing martial soul. Moreover, Ye Lengleng had consumed a great deal of the Spring of Life water, which had caused her martial soul to undergo an evolution, further enhancing her healing capabilities.

Soon, Dugu Bo regained consciousness, and the severe pain throughout his body had dissipated. Seeing Dugu Yan crying by his side, he quickly propped his upper body up and comforted her, "Yan Yan, don't cry. Grandfather is right here!"

"Grandfather!"

Dugu Yan buried her face in Dugu Bo's arms and wept, while Dugu Bo continuously stroked her back to soothe her.

Feeling that his body had fully recovered its health, Dugu Bo looked at Ling Xiao, who was sitting beside Ye Lengleng sipping tea, his eyes filled with profound gratitude.