Chapter 17: Gaining Trust
Seeing Ning Bei pass through the poisonous mist unscathed, Dugu Bo's eyes nearly bulged out.
"What kind of monster are you? Even some Soul Douluo would find it difficult to withstand these toxins."
Ning Bei looked at Dugu Bo speechlessly, thinking to himself, You're the real monster, your whole family is.
"It's just that my martial soul is a bit special, it happens to have some resistance to toxins."
Dugu Bo, hearing this, glanced at the Pill Tower in Ning Bei's hand and asked with confusion, "As the son of the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, your martial soul is not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower?"
"That's right, Senior. My martial soul mutated during awakening, and now I can summon soul beasts with acquired soul rings to fight."
"And the toxin resistance halo is a special effect that comes with the martial soul."
Dugu Bo stared deeply at Ning Bei.
"If it weren't for the fact that your methods could help Yan Zi, I'd say I'd crush you. You're basically the nemesis of us poison-type soul masters."
Ning Bei swallowed nervously.
"Senior, Yan Zi and I are friends. Our relationship will be quite good in the future. There's no need for such drastic measures, right?"
"Yes, you're right. That's why I didn't act on it," Dugu Bo responded.
The two of them walked through the poisonous mist and arrived at a medicinal garden. At the center of the garden stood two springs, one blue and one red, positioned opposite each other. It was just as in the previous life, known as the "Mandarin Duck Pot."
The entire garden was a vibrant array of countless medicinal herbs. Ning Bei immediately recognized several, such as the "Miraculous Fungus" and "Heartbreak Red," among others. These herbs were quite unique in appearance.
For the others that he didn't recognize, it didn't matter. When placed in the Pill Tower, it would automatically identify their names and effects.
"Kid, have you decided which herbs you want?" Dugu Bo asked, noticing how Ning Bei was inspecting the garden like an old man entering a grand mansion.
Ning Bei went over to pick the herbs he recognized, first taking the Miraculous Fungus and Heartbreak Red, then slowly collecting some of the unidentified herbs into the Pill Tower. If they weren't immortal herbs or weren't useful to him, he would return them to the garden.
One after another, herbs such as the "Fragrant Qi Luo Immortal Item," "Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid," "Water Immortal Jade Skin Bone," "Underworld Ghost Orchid," "Primordial Grass," "Qi Luo Tulip," "Autumn Water Dew," and "Phoenix Tail Chicken Crown Sunflower" entered Ning Bei's Pill Tower.
Of course, Ning Bei didn't neglect the central springs, where he found the "Eight-Cornered Xuan Ice Grass" and "Fiery Apricot Blossom," both excellent for body refinement.
Dugu Bo watched on without stopping Ning Bei. Once he finished selecting the herbs, he asked, somewhat awkwardly, "Is that all you need? Aren't you going to take a few more?"
Ning Bei rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, You're guarding a treasure trove and you don't even realize it. You think these herbs are a great deal, but you don't know they're just a drop in the bucket compared to a 10,000-year soul bone.
However, since it was better to gain than to lose, Ning Bei silently collected some herbs for enhancing strength and vitality. While these herbs weren't as effective as the immortal ones, they were still helpful to soul masters.
"These should be enough, Senior Dugu Bo. It's best not to be greedy."
Dugu Bo nodded before asking about the soul bone.
"So, what about Yan Zi's 10,000-year soul bone?"
Ning Bei knew what Dugu Bo was going to ask, so he didn't keep him guessing.
"I'll go back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and ask my father for the soul bone. If you're worried, you can come with me."
"Alright, we'll go together. It's not that I'm worried, but I don't want to wait even a second about Yan Zi's situation. The sooner we solve it, the sooner we'll have peace of mind."
Just as the two were about to head back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, a voice rang out from outside the valley.
"Senior Dugu Bo, I am Ning Fengzhi, accompanied by Sword Douluo, coming to pay my respects."
The two exchanged glances, and Ning Bei thought for a moment before looking at Dugu Bo.
"I suppose it's the guards from my family who are worried about my safety. They've notified my father, Senior, there's no need to be alarmed."
"Mm, let's go out and meet them."
The two crossed the poisonous mist and arrived outside the valley.
When Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo saw Ning Bei completely unharmed, they both let out a sigh of relief.
Ning Fengzhi then turned to Dugu Bo, his expression slightly unfriendly.
"I wonder why my son has caused trouble with Senior Dugu Bo to the point of being brought here?"
Ning Bei quickly answered before Dugu Bo could speak, seeing that his father misunderstood. "Father, I wasn't brought here against my will. I simply needed some herbs from Senior Dugu Bo's medicinal garden, so I came to ask for them."
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were both surprised. Herbs?
The last time Ning Bei had been interested in herbs was when he found the Snake Heart Grass.
"Oh? What kind of herbs do you need that you had to come personally?"
Ning Bei immediately signaled to his father with his eyes, who understood right away. He then bowed to Dugu Bo.
"In that case, I apologize for the misunderstanding. Please forgive me, Senior Dugu Bo."
Dugu Bo waved his hand casually.
"It's fine, this was just a transaction."
"Transaction?"
Ning Fengzhi looked back at Ning Bei.
"Father, it's like this. Senior Dugu Bo's granddaughter is my classmate. She needs a 10,000-year soul bone."
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo frowned slightly. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had soul bones, but giving one away like this felt a bit too careless.
However, as the Sect Master, Ning Fengzhi had his own considerations. He didn't immediately refuse. He trusted Ning Bei wouldn't make such a request without reason and was prepared to ask more questions and make a decision after returning.
"Senior Dugu Bo, we were in a rush to come out and didn't bring the soul bone with us. Once we return, we'll bring it to you. Would that be acceptable?"
After thinking for a moment, Dugu Bo nodded in agreement. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was so powerful that they wouldn't deceive him. Even if someone tried to back out, they'd have to consider the consequences. Though Dugu Bo couldn't take on Sword and Bone in a one-on-one fight, he could still make them regret it if they tried to mess with him or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
After a bit of polite conversation, the two left with Ning Bei and returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Once at the sect, they summoned Gu Rong, and the group made their way to the conference hall.
"Let's talk, Bei'er. Why make such a decision?"
Instead of answering, Ning Bei summoned his Pill Tower. The "Qi Luo Tulip," "Underworld Ghost Orchid," and "Primordial Grass" appeared in his hands.
"Father, Grandfathers, do you know the effects of these herbs?"
The three of them shook their heads, waiting for Ning Bei to continue.
"This Qi Luo Tulip is an immortal herb that absorbs the essence of the sun and moon. It has the potential to transform the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Tower."
"What?"
"Impossible!"
"How can something like this exist?"
Just introducing one of these herbs caused the three of them to jump up in disbelief.
Ning Fengzhi looked seriously at Ning Bei.
"Bei'er, you must be joking. You should know what the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Tower means to our sect."
Ning Bei had once read about this in the sect's records. It was said that one of the ancestors of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had his martial soul evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Tower after mistakenly consuming a certain herb. Ning Bei suspected that the Qi Luo Tulip was that herb.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Johanssen10