"Heh, he dared to covet my granddaughter and my residence; he shall remain my medicine slave for the rest of his life!"
Dugu Bo didn't care who the visitor was. Anyone who crossed his bottom line would face his wrath without exception.
"Dugu Bo, you don't need to be in such a hurry to refuse me. Although Xiao Chuan was at fault first, I believe he has realized his mistake. Consider it as giving me some face."
The middle-aged man sighed helplessly. He hadn't wanted to bother with this "wild child" he had picked up, but every time he checked on him, he found the boy screaming in agony. He finally felt a twinge of pity. After raising him for six years, even without a blood relation, the boy was still like half a son to him.
"Give you face? I don't think a scruffy fellow like you has much face to give." Face? Dugu Bo didn't need to give anyone face, especially not to someone whose "son" dared to eye his home and granddaughter.
However, as soon as Dugu Bo finished speaking, a terrifyingly powerful aura erupted from the disheveled middle-aged man.
"How about now?"
That's right—this was the foster father of the God-King Tang Chuan: Tang Hao.
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black. Nine spirit rings pulsing with terrifying energy materialized before Dugu Bo.
"I didn't come here to argue. Xiao Chuan was indeed wrong, but he has been punished for over two years. I hope the Poison Douluo doesn't choose the hard way over the easy way." Tang Hao's voice turned sharp. He couldn't let his foster son remain a medicine slave forever; if word got out, his reputation would be ruined.
Meanwhile, Tang Chuan, who was still plotting how to steal the antidote and escape, sensed this familiar, powerful aura! A brilliant light of "wisdom" flashed in his murky eyes. His dad was here!
"You are actually... a Title Douluo!" Dugu Bo was stunned. There weren't many Title Douluos on the continent, and he had never heard of one who dressed like a total beggar.
"Extract the poison from Xiao Chuan's body, and this matter can be settled peacefully. Otherwise... you wouldn't want to be marked by a Title Douluo, would you?" As he spoke, Tang Hao summoned his martial soul—the Clear Sky Hammer.
Dugu Bo's eyes turned solemn. As a veteran Title Douluo, he recognized that massive, pitch-black cylindrical hammer immediately.
"The Clear Sky Hammer... Fine, take this little thief. But if he ever dares to have designs on my granddaughter again, I don't care if you're from the Clear Sky Sect—I won't let it go."
Dugu Bo sighed. He knew he couldn't keep that piece of trash today. However, while he could spare the boy's life, he wouldn't let him off scot-free. His Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor poison had already spread from the boy's brow to every corner of his body.
At that moment, Tang Chuan came running out from nowhere. Upon seeing Tang Hao, his dark eyes filled with tears of joy. "Dad!!"
Tang Hao's brow furrowed. This foster son was far too good at causing trouble, and the hostility radiating from the boy was too heavy. If left to grow, he would likely cause massive trouble in the future. Tang Hao actually felt a surge of regret; perhaps letting this troublemaker die here quietly wouldn't have been a bad thing...
As Tang Chuan ran toward him with snot and tears streaming down his face, Tang Hao felt a wave of disgust.
SLAP!
A loud, heavy palm struck Tang Chuan's face. The boy stumbled and crashed face-first into a nearby tree.
"You still have the nerve to call me Dad! You've thrown away all the dignity of the Tang family!"
Tang Chuan looked up in disbelief, his face already disfigured. "Dad, your son almost died at the hands of this old bastard! How can you..."
SLAP!
Before he could finish, another heavy slap landed on his ugly face. THUD. Tang Chuan's head hit the tree again, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
"You unfilial son! I worked hard to raise you for six years, sent you to an academy, and you still couldn't stay out of trouble! You even snuck here to be a thief! I should just..."
Seeing Tang Hao prepare another strike, even the ruthless Dugu Bo couldn't watch anymore. Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs, yet this man seemed ready to beat his son to death in the name of justice!
"Hey, hey, brother, wait a second. The kid is naughty and deserves punishment, but you're his father—you can't actually kill him." Dugu Bo actually stepped in to mediate.
"Don't hold me back! Today I'll teach this little brat the house rules of the Clear Sky Sect!" Tang Hao's strength was immense; how could a "mage" like Dugu Bo hold him back?
And so, a "heartwarming" scene of fatherly discipline played out in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
By morning, Tang Hao finally left, carrying the unconscious Tang Chuan. Dugu Bo had "kindly" removed the life-source poison from the boy's brow, but he remained silent about the lingering toxins left in the boy's meridians. Soon, Tang Chuan would experience the same agony Dugu Bo once suffered.
Meanwhile, at Tianshui Academy.
A stunningly beautiful girl lay nestled in Fu Ye's arms. Her blue-and-white hair fell like a waterfall over the pillows. Her skin was as white as snow, glowing in the soft morning light. Her eyes slowly opened, revealing deep sky-blue orbs.
Feeling the warmth of the embrace, a playful and triumphant smile appeared on her lips. Fu Ye also opened his golden eyes, nearly losing his composure when he saw her smug expression.
"Xue Wu, you little brat... you really went overboard, didn't you?"