Chapter 140: Targeting Dugu Bo, Yu Xiaogang's Fateful Idea
"What?! The soul bone is gone?!" Liu Erlong and Flender, sitting opposite Yu Xiaogang, were utterly shocked.
Yu Xiaogang's face was incredibly grim at this moment, his eyes also showing a hint of panic. He was certain that the students of Shrek Academy wouldn't dare, nor would they, steal the soul bone. After all, outside his dwelling, Liu Erlong had set up a barrier that would trigger an alarm if any soul master below Soul Sage dared to approach.
Therefore, Yu Xiaogang speculated it might have been taken by Liu Erlong or others close to him. However, from his most beloved woman and closest friend, Yu Xiaogang received no information he hoped for.
At this moment, his weathered face turned pale, and his pupils even began to dilate. "It's over, a Title Douluo must have broken in last night." Yu Xiaogang almost fell to the ground, murmuring with lifeless eyes.
Who else but a Title Douluo could take the soul bone right under their noses without alerting them?
"I've let Xiao San down!" Yu Xiaogang was on the verge of tears, having only intended to study the soul bone, and now it was lost on his watch.
How would he explain this to Tang San when he returned? And how would he face Tang San's father, Tang Hao, or even the Haotian Sect behind him? To obtain that eighth-grade Immortal Blue Vine, Yu Xiaogang knew the price Tang Hao had mentioned was enormous.
It was said that relying on Tang Hao's elder brother, Tang Xiao, the current sect master of Haotian Sect, they barely managed to take this treasure out of the Haotian Sect's treasury! All to exchange for the most suitable external soul bone for Tang San! And now, that soul bone was lost from his hands!
What to do now?!
Seeing Yu Xiaogang blaming himself, Liu Erlong was also deeply distressed, immediately comforting, "Xiaogang, don't panic. Our priority now is to find the lost external soul bone before Elder Tang Hao and Xiao San return."
Flender nodded in agreement, "Er Long is right. It will take at least a month for Tang Hao and Xiao San to return. We still have over half a month to trace the soul bone."
Flender then turned to Liu Erlong, asking, "Er Long, you've spent the longest time in Tian Dou Imperial City. Do you know any soul masters who are good at tracking and finding clues? We urgently need such talented individuals."
Liu Erlong pondered, "I don't know many such soul masters, but Prince Xue Qinghe of the royal family might have such talents under him. I've heard he gathers talents from all over, treating them generously. Many soul masters are willing to serve him. If we could seek his help, we might have a chance to find such soul masters."
Xue Qinghe? Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's face turned awkward, and Flender's expression also changed.
Yu Xiaogang remembered Xue Qinghe's look that night; if he went to ask for help, he might be kicked out before even entering the door.
Flender, knowing his old friend Yu Xiaogang's thoughts, then said, "Er Long, even if we ask for Prince Xue Qinghe's help, not to mention whether he would help us, what can we offer in return? You and Xiaogang are openly or secretly affiliated with the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Sect, which is neutral between the two empires."
"If the Tian Dou royal family learns of this and publicizes it, even if we find the soul bone, the future development of your Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Sect could be affected."
Liu Erlong, persuaded by Flender's words but still frustrated by the loss of the soul bone, asked irritably, "Flender, you always have ideas, what should we do?"
"I have an idea," Flender's eyes gleamed.
"What is it?" Yu Xiaogang eagerly asked.
"Go to the black market," Flender said, his eyes shining with insight.
The black market, simply put, is the underworld. Where there's light, there must be darkness. The underworld is home to individuals who operate on the fringes of law. Some have skills but had to flee into the underworld due to crimes against the empire or sects.
To find someone with the rare ability to search, the underworld might have suitable candidates.
Flender's suggestion immediately received approval from Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang.
That night, under Flender's guidance, a sneaky figure approached the house where Yu Xiaogang had lost the soul bone.
"The usual rules, we pay, you keep your mouth shut, understand?" Flender, revealing his Soul Sage strength, informed the other party that he had the capability to easily erase him.
Clad in a black robe and wearing a black veil, the slender figure, although possessing the strength of a Soul King, was naturally nodding like a pecking chicken under the suppression of Flender, who was two major realms higher.
Seeing this, Flender nodded in satisfaction and said, "Let's start."
The black-clad figure immediately summoned his martial soul, a Hound! Although it seemed no different from ordinary canine martial souls, the man in black had absolute confidence in his own martial soul.
His martial soul had a positive mutation, allowing him to easily sniff out information that ordinary people couldn't detect.
Using this skill, he had led his team in the Star Dou Great Forest to avoid many direct confrontations with soul beast herds.
A thorough inspection took a good half hour.
After investigating both inside and outside the house, the conclusion was: not a single clue was found!
Subsequently, under Liu Erlong's murderous gaze, the person immediately fled from her sight.
"Not a single clue found, and it cost me so much in gold soul coins, what a waste!" Liu Erlong cursed without holding back.
Yu Xiaogang stood on the spot, anxious like an ant on a hot pan.
Just then, Flender, who had suddenly left, came back, and his expression had turned grave.
"Er Long, Xiaogang, I've just received some bad news," Flender said with a somber tone.
"What news?" the couple asked simultaneously.
Flender took a deep breath and said, "According to the information I got from the black market, Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan, seems to need a soul bone for treatment due to the influence of her martial soul's origin."
"And the best soul bone for the treatment is an external soul bone."
"I also got information from the black market that Dugu Bo did indeed attend our auction that day, but Xiaogang, your bid was so high that Dugu Bo had no chance to bid."
Boom! Yu Xiaogang's expression changed: "You mean, that night Dugu Bo stole Xiao San's external soul bone?"
Flender nodded, "Who else but a Title Douluo could enter our academy without a trace and take the soul bone right from under our noses?"
"The rest of the Title Douluos, mostly well-known and with their own family forces, naturally disdain to do such a shameful act of theft."
"But Dugu Bo is different, all his children died early, leaving only a granddaughter by his side. For his granddaughter's life, why would he care about his reputation?"
Flender's analysis was indeed very reasonable, leaving no room for rebuttal after hearing it.
After all, within the entire imperial city, Dugu Bo was the most suspicious.
His motive was too obvious, forcing one to suspect him.
Upon hearing Flender's words, Liu Erlong immediately burst into rage: "What a shameless old man! If you can't afford it, you steal it! No wonder his whole family died early, it's karma!"
Yu Xiaogang was also filled with anger towards Dugu Bo.
A Title Douluo using such a despicable method to steal a soul bone!
Even a direct robbery would have been more respectable to Yu Xiaogang!
His eyes suddenly lit up.
It might have been that Dugu Bo sensed Tang Hao's presence, choosing to act opportunistically, waiting until Tang Hao and Xiao San had been gone for several days before making his move!
Yu Xiaogang was filled with regret.
"If only I had let Tang Hao take the soul bone first, then let me study it when they returned."
"What now?" Flender asked.
"What else can we do?" Liu Erlong, hands on her hips and face full of anger, said: "We go directly to his door and make that old man return the soul bone!"
"Are you going to wait until he uses the soul bone on his granddaughter and then wait for him to apologize?"
Who would admit to such a thing?
Yu Xiaogang looked conflicted: "But we don't have any evidence right now, what can we do if Dugu Bo doesn't admit it?"
Crack!
Liu Erlong, still as hot-tempered as ever, even when facing a Title Douluo like Dugu Bo, she clenched her fist so hard that her knuckles cracked: "Then we fight until that old man hands over the soul bone."
Yu Xiaogang said, "But Dugu Bo is a Title Douluo."
Even if Dugu Bo was only a level ninety-one Title Douluo.
That was not something the three of them could confront.
Flender shook his head, "I heard from people in the underground black market that Dugu Bo was seriously injured while treating his granddaughter, even aggravating his own old injuries, unable to exert his full strength."
"With our three-person soul skill fusion, perhaps we have a fighting chance against him."
Dugu Bo was injured? Yu Xiaogang's eyes shone.
In that case, they might actually have a way to defeat him.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang had an idea.
He immediately said, "I think, our priority is to find Dugu Yan first."
"Let's see if she has absorbed the external soul bone. If not, it's not too late to confront Dugu Bo."
Flender, as Yu Xiaogang's longtime friend, immediately caught the implied meaning in his words, his glasses reflecting a cold light: "You mean..."
(End of Chapter)
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