"Young man, you've got great talent," Dugu Bo said with a beaming smile, no longer addressing Chen Ming as "kid" like before.
To be honest, when Dugu Bo had been stern or angry earlier, Chen Ming thought he carried the dignified air of a Titled Douluo. But now, with that smile plastered across his face, Chen Ming almost associated him with the creepy old men he'd encountered in his previous life.
When he was a child, the security around his neighborhood was poor. Being exceptionally good-looking, not only did the typical grandpas and grandmas adore him, but some not-so-normal ones took an unsettling interest in him as well...
Although nothing overly inappropriate ever happened, that kind of smile still triggered some mild PTSD in him.
Old Man, are you Herbert?
"That technique of yours—you must've learned it from some ancient text, right? I'm curious—what family are you from? With such a high-quality martial soul and such profound family traditions, I, Dugu Bo, after traveling the continent for so many years, have never heard of an outstanding poison soul master family with the surname Chen."
"Senior Dugu, I—"
"Hey, hey, don't call me 'senior,' it's too formal. Makes me sound cold and unfriendly. Just call me Grandpa," Dugu Bo interrupted with a grin.
"Uh… Grandpa Dugu," Chen Ming said awkwardly. Even though his combined age across two lifetimes did make him junior to Dugu Bo, addressing him as "Grandpa" felt incredibly strange.
"Good," Dugu Bo nodded benevolently.
"I come from the Chen family in Biluochen City. Our family's ancestral martial soul is the Emerald Scorpion. Our ancestor, who lived over 500 years ago, rose from the ranks of commoners and earned a hereditary Earl title through military achievements. The family's fief is in Biluochen City.
"Biluochen City itself was originally built by our family's ancestors. The city's first several lords all came from the Chen family."
"Biluochen City? Do you mean that barren wasteland outside Biluoxia Canyon? Sure, it's known as one of the few poison-type soul beast habitats on the entire continent, but there aren't even many ten-thousand-year-level poison beasts there!"
Dugu Bo's bluntness betrayed his initial thoughts, and his expression turned slightly embarrassed.
"Ahem, what I meant to say is that while ordinary people might struggle to live in a place like that, for poison soul masters like us, it's a great location. When I was younger, I visited Biluochen City myself. It's practically a natural poison-type mimetic training ground. Your ancestors must have chosen that place to encourage your family's descendants to excel."
"That's true," Chen Ming nodded before continuing.
"Grandpa Dugu, there's a secret regarding my family's legacy that I'm not sure I should share. By rights, such matters shouldn't be revealed to outsiders, as it might draw unwanted attention.
"But you, sir, are the unparalleled Poison Douluo, whose mastery of poison is unmatched in history and whose name is renowned throughout the land. When you became the first poison-type Titled Douluo, didn't every poison-attribute soul master on the continent celebrate your achievement by shouting your name? I grew up listening to my grandfather tell your stories. So, sharing this with you wouldn't be revealing it to an outsider, would it?"
Chen Ming purposefully flattered Dugu Bo, hoping to pique his curiosity by leveraging his family's secret.
Sure enough, Dugu Bo's face flushed with pride at Chen Ming's words. His posture straightened ever so slightly, and his chest puffed out with confidence.
"Since you've called me Grandpa, you're part of my family now. I swear on the name of Poison Douluo that, without your consent, I will never reveal even a shred of this secret to anyone else!"
Dugu Bo patted his chest firmly, offering his solemn promise to Chen Ming.
Though Dugu Bo doubted that a family that couldn't even produce a Soul Sage could hold any grand secrets, he was a man of his word. Once he made a vow, he would honor it and keep this matter entirely to himself.
"Our ancestors chose to settle near Biluochen because of a great secret..."
Chen Ming began recounting the story of his family's forebears to Dugu Bo. However, the moment the words Jade Phosphorous Exotic Flower came out, Dugu Bo's previously calm smile froze, his eyes widened, and he tugged so hard at his beard that he nearly pulled out several strands. Only his decades of experience in self-restraint allowed him to maintain his composure.
When Chen Ming moved on to discussing the issues with his family's martial soul inheritance, Dugu Bo finally lost control. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he was visibly shaken.
By the time Chen Ming described how he had absorbed the Jade Phosphorous Exotic Flower and the soul ring of the Emerald Scorpion to overcome the martial soul's flaws and trigger its evolution, Dugu Bo could no longer contain himself. He jumped up excitedly, his aged face almost pressing against Chen Ming's, scrutinizing him as though he were some priceless treasure.
Chen Ming's story left Dugu Bo utterly stunned.
From the existence of the Jade Phosphorous Exotic Flower to the Chen family's martial soul mutations caused by cultivating with it, to the martial soul flaws that emerged over generations, and finally to Chen Ming's miraculous resolution of these issues by absorbing a soul ring that no one else could—every detail struck a deep chord in Dugu Bo's heart.
Each word Chen Ming spoke felt like thunderclaps to Dugu Bo.
Just from that short explanation, Dugu Bo's mind erupted with over a dozen potential ways to mitigate his own family's martial soul issues. He even formed a rough hypothesis on how to completely resolve them.
The martial soul of his family had become poison due to its inherent flaws—but under what circumstances had this mutation first occurred?
If he altered the type of soul rings his descendants absorbed, using external means to compensate for their innate shortcomings, could the issue be alleviated or even cured?
If he found a poison-rich area to cultivate, mimicking Chen Ming's ancestors by planting poison plants and raising Jade Phosphorous Snakes, could his family's martial soul mutate in the direction he desired?
Direct solutions, indirect solutions, long-term solutions for his descendants—every idea that had remained dormant in Dugu Bo's mind for decades suddenly ignited like wildfire.
"You, Xiao Ming, are a blessing to my family! You're practically a god-sent angel for the Dugu family!" Dugu Bo's excitement as his words poured out.
"If Yan Yan agrees, you're my grandson-in-law. If she doesn't, I'll take you as my disciple."
"Xiao Ming, when you stabilized Yan Yan's soul power that day, did you sense a strange type of toxin causing chaos in her body?"
"I did," Chen Ming replied calmly, now far more composed as he methodically answered Dugu Bo's questions.
"I did feel a unique poison... Could it be that I inadvertently intruded on the Dugu family's secret inheritance?"
"Inheritance, my foot!" Dugu Bo's emotions were a chaotic mix of frustration and resignation.
Whoever wanted this inheritance could take it—it wasn't something he, his wife, his children, or his grandchildren had ever wished for.
Clenching his teeth and steeling his resolve, Dugu Bo suppressed the pain of backlash as he forced a small portion of the persistent poison within his body to the surface.
Just a few days ago, he had barely managed to suppress this poison and it had remained unstable ever since. The slightest provocation sent waves of pain coursing through him. Now, as he deliberately stimulated it, it felt as though tens of thousands of worms were gnawing away at his body. Sweat poured down his face in streams.
"Xiao Ming, use your soul power to sense this. Is this the same poison you felt that day?"