Dugu Bo stopped before Dugu Yan, his gaze fixed on Oscar behind her with ill intent. Oscar didn't meet Dugu Bo's stare.
After all, this whole mess was partially his fault. Besides, the old man had just seen him embracing Dugu Yan, which made Oscar feel a bit guilty.
It wasn't just Dugu Bo. Gai Yue was also staring at him with a serious expression. While Gai Yue was overjoyed and excited to see Oscar alive, he knew the situation couldn't be that simple.
After all, Dugu Bo had been so certain Oscar was gone. And now he was standing here, perfectly unharmed... and moreover, he was being so intimate with the Poison Douluo's granddaughter.
Clearly, something must have happened.
Oscar subtly squeezed Dugu Yan's shoulder, signaling her to speak first. He didn't dare to be the one to explain.
Feeling his gesture, Dugu Yan's beautiful brows twitched slightly before she said slowly, "Grandfather, Xiao Ao isn't actually hurt. He had consumed an immortal herb from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye and, for some special reason, entered the eye itself."
"Because he ingested those two special immortal herbs, he wasn't harmed by it. That's why we couldn't find him when we went this afternoon."
"And then, just the day after you left, I went down and happened to run into Xiao Ao coming out of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. That's when we realized we had misunderstood..."
As she spoke, the scene from that day flashed through Dugu Yan's mind. Oscar's impressive endowment instantly filled her thoughts, causing her cheeks to flush crimson.
It was at that moment that Oscar quickly chimed in, "Your Excellency, so it was all a misunderstanding. By the time Sister explained everything to me, it was too late."
"With our speeds, we naturally couldn't catch up to you, so we decided not to waste any more time here and continue our cultivation. After all, you were bound to return, and once you did, we could just explain everything."
After finishing his explanation to Dugu Bo, Oscar turned to Gai Yue. "Teacher, I acted impulsively this time and worried you."
Hearing this, Gai Yue let out a sigh of relief. "It's fine, as long as you're unharmed."
After listening to Oscar and his granddaughter's explanation, Dugu Bo's expression gradually calmed. But his gaze remained sharp as he stared at Oscar.
"Are you going to let go of Yan Yan or not? How long are you going to hold her?"
At his words, Oscar jolted. He instantly released his hands and took two steps back.
Hearing her grandfather's words, Dugu Yan's face turned even redder, like a ripe apple.
Oscar took two steps back and continued, "Don't get the wrong idea, Sister and I were just researching poisons just now, nothing else."
But his explanation only made Dugu Bo angrier. You jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye for no good reason, fine. I'm only gone for a few days, and you're already cozying up to my granddaughter?
And researching poisons? Do I not know what kind of person my granddaughter is? And! If you're researching poisons, why do you have to do it hand-in-hand?
Seeing the veins on Dugu Bo's forehead beginning to throb, Oscar immediately said, "Your Excellency, I have a way to deal with the poisons for you and Sister, and I'm confident I can cure yours as well. I've already found the method!"
Hearing this, Dugu Bo frowned. Then he let out a long, slow breath and said flatly, "Is that true?"
Oscar nodded. "Naturally, but it will require you and Sister to first refine the toxins out of your bodies before we can proceed. Otherwise, we can't completely eradicate them."
"So, you'll need to find a Soul bone for Sister, preferably a Ten Thousand Year one. In short, the higher the grade, the better."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo nodded thoughtfully for a moment before replying, "I can get a Soul bone for Yan Yan within half a month. How else do we need to cooperate?"
Oscar thought for a moment and replied, "For now, the first step is to refine the toxins in your bodies into the Soul bone. After that, I will prepare some pills for you and Sister to take along with the antidote."
"Sister will be completely cured within three months, but because your body has been severely corroded by the poison, it will conservatively take at least a year for you."
"A year?" Dugu Bo muttered. Then he asked, "How confident are you in curing my poison?"
"At least eighty percent. If nothing goes wrong, it should be completely eradicated. Your strength might even increase as a result," Oscar replied with a smile.
Seeing Oscar smile, Dugu Bo glared at him. "Don't get cocky, kid. Don't think that just because you've done me a huge favor you can run wild. I..."
Just as Dugu Bo was about to deliver a warning, Dugu Yan cut him off. "Grandfather... why are you like this? Xiao Ao helped us! Without him, we wouldn't know how long we'd be plagued by this poison!"
Hearing this, Dugu Bo cooled down a bit. Dugu Yan had a point. And he had previously considered matchmaking the two of them, as Oscar was indeed outstanding.
But for some reason, whenever he thought of Oscar holding his granddaughter's hand and guiding her, he couldn't help but want to give the kid a hard time.
Oscar wasn't bothered by Dugu Bo's deliberate provocation. After all, old men were all like this.
It was only natural for him to feel upset after his precious granddaughter, whom he had doted on for over a decade, became so intimate with some other 'punk.'
It was like a real-life scenario where some punk on a motorcycle parks downstairs to ask your daughter to run away with him. He even has the nerve to ask, "Old man, is the bike parked okay?"
But no matter how you looked at it, this 'punk' was Oscar, which made all the difference. After all, Oscar's own qualifications were excellent, and he could even detoxify poisons.
In a way, from Dugu Bo's perspective, if Oscar and Dugu Yan got together, his own gains would be the same as the feeling of them being together.
Because Oscar could not only cure them but was also incredibly talented. If he didn't meet an untimely end, he would likely reach the Title Douluo realm.
And with Oscar's talent, even though he was a food-type Soul Master, Dugu Bo believed he could go far on the path to becoming a Title Douluo.
As for his combat ability, Oscar's external Soul bone could make up for it. After all, it evolved along with his own strength.
Even though it wasn't a martial Soul, by the time Oscar cultivated to the Title Douluo realm, the power of his external Soul bone would also rise to the Ten Thousand Year level.
At that point, even if he wasn't fighting enemies, he would be more than capable of defending himself. And with his own support abilities, Oscar's achievements would certainly not be low.
Therefore, if Dugu Yan and Oscar got together, Dugu Bo would actually be quite satisfied.
It was just that seeing the two children being so intimate so suddenly made him unhappy. After all, you two have only known each other for a week, tops?
And isn't Oscar only eleven years old? What eleven-year-old is such a smooth-talker with girls?
(End of Chapter)