"Senior Dugu, please take a look at this. If it doesn't interest you after you finish, this junior will turn and leave immediately—no disturbing your good mood."
Walking up to Dugu Bo, Yu Yan produced the notes he had copied about the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, along with some of the warning signs of a Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison flare-up, and placed them before him.
The bamboo slips he had obtained earlier contained the detailed method for using the crystal dragon blood ginseng; Yu Yan would never lay out every trump card before the deal was struck.
If Dugu Bo showed no interest in what he offered, Yu Yan was ready to bash his own head against the ground right then and there.
"Oh?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Dugu Bo was intrigued by the audacious words. He lifted a hand and drew the pages through the air, curious what could make this boy so confident.
However gifted the kid might be, he was only a Spirit Grandmaster—what could possibly move a Titled Douluo?
With that thought, Dugu Bo unfolded the pages and saw the Immortal Herb listed.
A medicinal herb?
crystal dragon blood ginseng—tch, what a na— Before he could finish the mockery, he read its effects, and the half-smile vanished from his face.
"An Immortal Herb born where true dragon blood fell, exerting miraculous influence on Dragon and sub-dragon Spirits."
That single sentence seized his full attention. His own Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor was of the dragon line, while Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphor Serpent was a weaker subspecies. If the paper spoke true, the herb could be a tremendous boon to Yanyan.
No wonder the boy was so sure of himself.
Glancing at the unruffled youth before him, Dugu Bo felt a twinge of irritation but let none of it show.
For his granddaughter's sake, letting the boy strut a little was acceptable.
Still reading, Dugu Bo found exactly what he had surmised.
The page gave a formula: though the supplementary ingredients were not specified, the effect was spelled out—great benefit to Dragon Spirits and a high chance of evolving sub-dragon types.
"Boy, is everything written here true?"
A single page was not enough to earn blind trust; he needed something more convincing.
In the original story Tang San had likewise undergone Dugu Bo's tests before gaining the old man's confidence.
"Absolutely true. Please look at this, Senior Dugu."
Knowing a mere sheet of paper would not suffice, Yu Yan took a box from the storage space within his golden scepter, opened it, and revealed the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.
The moment the ginseng appeared it drew the eyes of everyone present. After Yu Yan's special treatment, the herb displayed its extraordinary nature.
Dugu Bo could feel the energy within the Immortal Herb and, in its faint fragrance, sense the pull it exerted on his own Spirit.
From the instant the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng appeared Dugu Yan was transfixed; its aroma tugged at her so strongly she almost lunged forward to swallow it whole.
Jiang Jing stared blankly; this wasn't the first time Yu Yan had shocked her, and again she rejoiced that she was not his contemporary—otherwise she would have been crushed by inferiority.
"So this is Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng—remarkable indeed."
The previously reclining Dugu Bo sat bolt upright, leaning closer to inspect the herb in Yu Yan's box.
The longer he studied it, the more extraordinary the crystal dragon blood ginseng seemed.
"Boy, what deal do you want to make?"
Dugu Bo was a man who followed his whims; when something interested him he made no effort to hide it.
Seeing the old man's reaction, Yu Yan's ninety-percent confidence leapt to a hundred. Calmly he said, "Senior, may we speak privately?"
At the suggestion Dugu Bo glanced at Dugu Yan and Jiang Jing, then waved them out; he wanted a good talk with this intriguing youth.
Though reluctant, Dugu Yan obeyed her grandfather. She shot Yu Yan a glare before leaving the courtyard.
Jiang Jing looked at Yu Yan; receiving his nod, she followed Dugu Yan out.
"All right, boy, state your terms. Anything within my power, I'll handle for you."
Once the two girls were gone, Dugu Bo leaned back in his chair and asked what Yu Yan wanted.
"Senior, there's still the final section you haven't read. Would you finish it first?"
Yu Yan had placed the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison portion at the end; Dugu Bo hadn't reached it yet. The earlier parts were for Dugu Yan, the last bit for Dugu Bo himself.
Returning his gaze to the pages, Dugu Bo continued reading—first with delight, then with growing alarm.
The paper's deductions about the onset of Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison were almost entirely accurate.
The greatest poisoner on the Douluo Continent, yet himself riddled with a toxin he could not solve—that was a secret, a weakness, and a deep humiliation for Dugu Bo.
When Dugu Bo looked up again, Yu Yan felt a towering green serpent poised to strike; a single wrong word and it would devour him.
A terrifying aura pressed in on Yu Yan, nearly robbing him of breath.
Ice and Fire Twin Fish Martial Soul possessed him; two spirit rings appeared, helping him withstand Dugu Bo's crushing pressure.
"Boy, for the sake of the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng I'll give you one chance to explain."
Dugu Bo regarded him coldly, waiting for a satisfactory answer.
Had Dugu Bo not wanted to know how Yu Yan dared, and had he not still needed the correct method to use the ginseng, Yu Yan would have died many times over.
Seizing the moment when the oppressive spirit power eased slightly, Yu Yan met Dugu Bo's eyes.
"I can dispel the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison that torments you and evolve your granddaughter Dugu Yan's Spirit. Does that explanation satisfy you, Senior Dugu?"