Yin Zhang was momentarily stunned, then gave a wry smile. "Brother Xin, stop teasing me. Just like back in Hanyan City, you can call me Xiao Zhang."
Walking alongside Dugu Yan, Dugu Xin said helplessly, "I don't want to either, but my father said you're the disciple of my grandfather's close friend. By seniority, I should call you Uncle Zhang. My father can call you Xiao Zhang, and as for Yan Yan… Father said that since she's the same age as you, she can call you whatever she likes."
For a moment, the entire place fell silent.
Qiangu Yunying froze as well. She had been following the conversation just fine, but that last sentence completely short-circuited her thoughts.
"Ah?" she muttered blankly.
Yin Zhang was also stunned for a second or two by the tangled relationships. Then he smiled helplessly and looked at Dugu Yan.
"Hello, my name is Yin Zhang. I'm eleven this year. Just call me Yin Zhang."
"Hello, my name is Dugu Yan. You saved my father and the entire Dugu Family. I'm truly grateful to you!"
Dugu Yan bowed deeply—ninety degrees—toward the hand Yin Zhang had extended, her voice filled with sincerity.
Yin Zhang was startled. Seeing Qiangu Yunying's confused expression, he first whispered, "Sister Yunying, I'll explain it to you later."
Then he quickly said, "It's nothing, really. Your great-grandfather and my teacher were close friends. What I did was only natural, given our connection…"
Dugu Xin also spoke earnestly, "Xiao Zhang, I'm deeply grateful to you as well. If you hadn't happened to be in Hanyan City back then, I'd probably already be dead. Even if I had survived, I would've only been able to come back and see Yan Yan one last time before passing away."
"Instead, I've been blessed in disguise. Not only did I survive the Jade Phosphor Serpent Venom, but I even turned calamity into fortune and advanced to the Spirit Emperor realm."
"In the future, if you ever need anything, just come to me. Whether I can do it or not, I'll do my utmost!"
In the past, because of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Venom in his body, Dugu Xin had always restrained himself from cultivating.
Later, the venom was gradually guided into his spirit bone. On top of that, he absorbed a sixty-thousand-year Poison Dragon left arm bone that Dugu Bo had quietly obtained. His spirit power surged forward at an astonishing pace.
He broke straight through to Rank 60. After Dugu Bo helped him absorb a spirit ring beyond his level, his cultivation jumped to Rank 63.
After another year of cultivation, his spirit power reached Rank 67.
He was a textbook example of gaining fortune after surviving a great disaster.
As for whether his cultivation speed would slow down in the future—that remained to be seen.
Facing Dugu Xin's sincerity, Yin Zhang smiled helplessly. "Alright. If I need anything in the future, I won't stand on ceremony."
"Good! Just come to me whenever you need," Dugu Xin replied immediately.
"Yin Zhang, my name is Dugu Yan. You can call me Yan Yan from now on," Dugu Yan said with a smile.
"Mm, hello, Yan Yan." Yin Zhang coughed lightly, then took Qiangu Yunying's slender, fair hand and introduced her. "This is my girlfriend, Qiangu Yunying."
Qiangu Yunying blushed, feeling both shy and flustered. She tried to pull her hand away but found she couldn't. Clearing her throat softly, she said, "Hello, my name is Qiangu Yunying. You can just call me Yunying."
Good heavens… she looks at least twenty, doesn't she? Xiao Zhang, so you like older women?
Dugu Xin was inwardly shaken. Qiangu… He remembered Dugu Bo mentioning before that among the Spirit Hall Elders he knew, there were several with the surname Qiangu—two of them in particular.
He couldn't help swallowing hard. Befriending Yin Zhang really meant they'd struck gold!
He hurriedly said, "Hello, Auntie!"
"…Uh."
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong—but it was already too late. The atmosphere instantly froze.
Qiangu Yunying stood there, stunned, thinking to herself, This middle-aged man just called me Auntie?
Even though she had already heard how Dugu Xin addressed Yin Zhang, being called "Auntie" in person still made her feel uncomfortable.
Because of her age, she already felt a sense of inferiority when facing Yin Zhang, and this only made it worse.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Dugu Bo and Tang Zhen were chatting enthusiastically.
Before coming, Dugu Bo had felt a bit uneasy, but once they started talking, he was quickly drawn in by the other man's straightforward and bold temperament.
Tang Zhen suited Dugu Bo's tastes perfectly—and for Tang Zhen, it was the same.
The two seemed even closer due to their respective backgrounds. Tang Zhen was a junior promoted by the Golden Crocodile Douluo, while Dugu Bo was the child of the Golden Crocodile Douluo's close friend.
In fact, Tang Zhen was a few years older than Dugu Bo, but after becoming a Titled Douluo, his appearance had become noticeably younger.
Normally, when a Spirit Master advanced to the Titled Douluo realm, their physical appearance would become much more youthful.
The reason Dugu Bo still looked like an old man was likely due to the toxins in his body—or perhaps because he personally preferred that image. Ultimately, it depended on the Spirit Master's own wishes.
"Brother Tang, speaking of which, there's quite a bit of fate between you and me. Back when I was young…"
Dugu Bo and Tang Zhen chatted casually. After a while, Tang Zhen suddenly brought up Dugu Bo's son.
When he heard about Dugu Xin's blessing in disguise after surviving his calamity, Tang Zhen offered his congratulations repeatedly.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps reached them, and both men turned to look.
"I hope I'm not interrupting your conversation, esteemed sirs?"
A refined middle-aged man came into view, every gesture exuding noble elegance.
Behind him stood an old man with a tall, broad frame and deeply sunken eyes.
Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong.
The two recognized the pair instantly.
Gu Rong didn't bother concealing the aura radiating from his body—Rank 94.
Dugu Bo and Tang Zhen exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"I wonder what brings Sect Master Ning here?" Dugu Bo asked calmly.
Tang Zhen smiled. "Greetings, Sect Master Ning. Greetings, Bone Douluo."
He was genuinely curious about their purpose. Were they here to test their strength—or to assess the Spirit Hall Academy Team accompanying them on this trip?
Among the four, only Ning Fengzhi and Tang Zhen wore smiles. Gu Rong and Dugu Bo remained expressionless, making it impossible to tell what they were thinking.
"Haha." Ning Fengzhi laughed lightly. "I heard that His Excellency the Dragon Turtle had arrived in Heaven Dou and intended to play host. I didn't expect Poison Douluo to arrive first. It makes me feel a bit awkward, haha."
A trace of confusion and unease flickered across Ning Fengzhi's face.
He couldn't understand why Dugu Bo—who had always been close to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family—was now together with a newly emerged Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall, and chatting so amicably at that.
Could it be that Dugu Xin's survival from his calamity had something to do with Spirit Hall?
What weighed even more heavily on Ning Fengzhi's heart was the quality of the Spirit Hall Academy Team he had seen on the way here. Just as the intelligence reports stated, every single member was a Spirit Ancestor.
And that Spirit King captain, along with the Spirit Elder vice-captain, were actually among the main objectives of his visit this time.
-----------------_-----_-----------------
Read 40 advanced chapter on
👉 patreon.com/Master_fic