At Heaven Dou City Noble Soul Master Academy, Dugu Yan and the others were eating in the cafeteria, but the atmosphere was quieter than before. Although they were still sitting together, there was a strange sense of distance.
They hadn't fallen out, it was just that there had been no news from Li Qing since Dugu Bo took him away yesterday.
Dugu Yan didn't find Dugu Bo when she went back last night and knew that it was highly likely Li Qing had met with misfortune, so she chose to remain silent when facing the others' questions.
Silence was the best answer.
The reason Oslo and the others were so concerned about Li Qing wasn't that they had built a deep friendship with him in just one month.
Rather, they had all told their families about Li Qing's situation, and their families were all very optimistic about him.
They weren't in a hurry to show goodwill because different people required different investment strategies. For a genius like him, money seemed a bit vulgar.
Affection and bonds were the best approach.
The final choices of each family were surprisingly consistent; they all wanted to establish a bond with Li Qing that surpassed money through their children, namely Oslo and the others.
The result... it had just started, and the person was gone.
Oslo and the others had informed their families last night that Li Qing had been taken away by Dugu Bo and was possibly in danger, but their families chose to remain silent.
What else could they do besides remain silent?
Even if Li Qing had been captured by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, they would dare to demand his return, but he was unfortunately in the hands of the Solitary Douluo, Dugu Bo.
Moreover, this matter concerned the rise and fall, the very survival of the Dugu Family.
Regarding the family's prosperity and decline, there was absolutely no possibility of Dugu Bo releasing him. Even if a Title Douluo went to demand him, it would be useless. Therefore, they could only give up on this potential stock.
"Yan Yan!"
Dugu Bo walked into the cafeteria, immediately attracting the attention of Oslo and the others.
"Dugu Bo!"
"Let's go!"
Dugu Bo didn't say much, and Dugu Yan didn't ask many questions. She followed him directly and left.
"Sigh!" Oslo couldn't help but sigh.
Only Dugu Bo returned; the last hope was shattered. Li Qing was likely gone.
Shi Mo and the others didn't speak, just ate their meal in silence.
Only Yu Tianheng couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
Genius?
Heh heh.
Although he didn't know exactly what happened, it wasn't hard to guess from the others' questions and Dugu Yan's silence that Li Qing had most likely met with misfortune.
...
"Dugu Bo, Li Qing, he..."
Dugu Yan didn't really care about Li Qing's life or death, but the changes in Oslo and the others because of this made her feel a bit uncomfortable. If possible,
She still hoped Li Qing was alive.
"He?"
Dugu Bo glanced at Dugu Yan with some surprise. He knew his granddaughter's personality; why did she seem a little upset?
That shouldn't be the case.
In just one month, have their bonds become so deep?
"He's dead."
Dugu Bo said, feigning indifference. He wanted to see how Yan Yan would react upon hearing this news.
"Sigh."
Dugu Yan sighed helplessly, thinking, 'As expected, he's dead.'
"Pfft..."
Dugu Bo couldn't hold back a laugh, immediately drawing Dugu Yan's confused gaze.
"Cough cough..."
Dugu Bo gave an awkward smile and said seriously, "Don't worry, that kid is doing well. From now on, he is a great benefactor to our Dugu Family, far surpassing Xue Xing."
Dugu Yan's eyes widened, "Dugu Bo, do you mean that the Martial Soul defect in our family has been resolved?"
Dugu Bo nodded, "It's resolved, and perfectly resolved. As long as the Soul Rings are properly configured, it might not be much worse than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
Dugu Yan was overjoyed, so excited she almost jumped up.
Wait.
That's not right.
"Dugu Bo!"
Dugu Yan, realizing she had been tricked, glared fiercely at Dugu Bo.
"Haha..."
Dugu Bo laughed heartily.
"You're still laughing."
Dugu Yan said angrily, "Do you know how I spent today in the academy? Each and every one of them looked at me as if I were a murderer."
"Oh?"
Dugu Bo said in surprise, "That kid is so amazing, he captured your teammates in just one month?"
Dugu Yan said crossly, "Did you forget his talent? How could their families miss such a genius? They must have intended to invest."
"Tch!"
Dugu Bo said with a look of disdain, "They can't even catch up to eating hot shit. With Dugu Bo as his background in the future, how could it be their turn to invest?"
Dugu Yan: "..."
Forget it.
Don't dwell on this.
Dugu Yan asked, "Where are we going now? Are we going home to solve my Martial Soul problem?"
Dugu Bo said, "To Dugu Bo's secret base. Although that kid helped solve our family's Martial Soul defect problem, he used Dugu Bo's things."
"No..."
Dugu Yan asked in confusion, "Dugu Bo, you have such good stuff, why are you only taking it out now?"
"Cough cough..."
Dugu Bo said awkwardly, "Most of those things contain potent toxins. Even Dugu Bo couldn't withstand them. How could I have known there were such good things hidden within?"
What could he say? He couldn't possibly say that Dugu Bo didn't recognize good stuff, so he could only use poison to cover it up.
Dugu Yan was startled. Dugu Bo was the only poison-attribute Title Douluo on the continent. How terrifying must the toxins be that even he couldn't withstand?
What was most outrageous was that Li Qing was only seven years old, yet he could discover things from within that even Dugu Bo, a Title Douluo, couldn't recognize.
Was his breadth of knowledge a bit too wide?
Dugu Bo then said seriously, "Yan Yan, remember, that kid is no ordinary person. His future achievements are bound to be extraordinary. You must maintain a good relationship with him."
He actually wanted to say it would be best to let the other party become his grandson-in-law directly.
However, the age gap between the two was really quite large. It would probably be difficult to reach that point, and he didn't want to interfere with Yan Yan's emotional matters.
He certainly wouldn't exchange her happiness for anything.
In the future, it didn't matter what kind of person Yan Yan found, or what their background was. What was important was that Yan Yan liked him, and what was important was that he treated Yan Yan well.
Dugu Yan nodded seriously, "Don't worry, Dugu Bo, I've remembered."
Then the two went straight out of Heaven Dou City and headed towards the Sunset Forest. Although to speed up, Dugu Bo was also carrying Dugu Yan as they traveled.
However, it was much gentler than when he carried Li Qing.
The gentleness came at the cost of speed. It wasn't until dark that the two arrived above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but Dugu Bo didn't take Dugu Yan down directly.
"Li Qing, have you put your clothes on?"
"???"
Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Dugu Yan was full of questions. What kind of place was this? Why did he need to take off his clothes? Would she also have to later...
Thinking of this possibility, Dugu Yan's small face couldn't help but blush.
"I put them on long ago."
Just as Dugu Bo's voice fell, Li Qing's somewhat speechless reply came from below.