Bibi Dong erupted in fury. Chrysanthemum Douluo, having gotten Poison Douluo indebted to Spirit Hall, narrowly escaped her wrath.
Once outside with Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo let out a long sigh of relief.
"Old Ghost, if we don't complete Her Holiness the Pope's task soon, we're going to be in big trouble."
As they walked down the corridor, Chrysanthemum Douluo brought it up again, glancing sideways at his companion.
Ghost Douluo shuddered—he was terrified.
"Old Ghost, did you see that poser at the funeral? You might not know who he is, but let me tell you—he used to be a renowned figure, known as the Grandmaster. People say he's very wise."
Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke slowly, a glint flashing in his eyes.
Ghost Douluo looked puzzled, not understanding why he mentioned Yu Xiaogang.
Chrysanthemum Douluo stopped in his tracks, smiled, and continued:
"Previously, every scapegoat we considered either couldn't convincingly play the part, or they were willing but not credible enough. The person we need should be seen as a man of wisdom."
"But now… hasn't that person shown up?"
A smile curled up at Chrysanthemum Douluo's lips.
Having seen Yu Xiaogang today, he had finally picked the right candidate.
Ghost Douluo was momentarily stunned, but soon realized what Chrysanthemum Douluo meant.
"He's a fame-seeking fraud. All we have to do is flatter him, praise him, let him know there's an unclaimed achievement on the table—he'll take the bait! And when he does…"
Chrysanthemum Douluo grinned at Ghost Douluo.
Ghost Douluo smiled too.
With that, their mission would be complete!
Yu Xiaogang was once a Grandmaster. If he admitted to it, Bibi Dong would buy it. And if he later denied it—they could just claim they were deceived!
"Alright, let's go with your plan," Ghost Douluo agreed.
...
At the library.
Dan Heng was back at work. Although he wanted to go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well himself, Poison Douluo had declined, so he let it go.
After all, the deal had only been for a single herb.
Today, neither Ning Fengzhi nor Shui Yue'er came. Dan Heng read alone.
Having gone through medical texts, he was now diving into lost crafts.
Soul tools!!!
A long time ago in the Douluo Continent, soul tools were a thing.
But now, nearly all storage soul tools were old stock, and the crafting techniques had been lost.
He wanted to learn, to restore this craft.
"Brother-in-law…"
A voice suddenly called out.
Dan Heng looked up to see Dai Mubai leaning on the service desk, grinning obsequiously.
Dan Heng frowned slightly. "Just call me Dan Heng."
"No, you're my respected brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, where's Ziji? She mysteriously disappeared after we separated in the Star Dou Forest."
"I'm really worried about her. If you know, please let me know."
Dai Mubai put his hands together, pleading earnestly.
Dan Heng frowned. Ziji hadn't specifically asked him to keep her whereabouts secret, but Dai Mubai was troublesome. Dan Heng didn't want to get involved with him.
"I can ask for you, but don't be a nuisance."
Dan Heng said flatly.
Dai Mubai nodded quickly, grinning ear to ear. "Of course! I'll do whatever brother-in-law says! If you don't want me to do something, I won't!"
"If there's nothing else, please leave. Don't disturb others."
Dan Heng waved him off.
Dai Mubai scratched his head awkwardly. "Brother-in-law, what about Zhuqing… She's your disciple, right? How is she doing?"
He hadn't forgotten that Zhu Zhuqing was his fiancée.
Having one in hand, he was eyeing the next already!
Dan Heng replied, "She's with the Blue Tyrant Team."
"Great, great! Thank you, brother-in-law!" Dai Mubai was practically jumping for joy.
Joining the Blue Tyrant Team meant he got to see both Ziji and Zhu Zhuqing—what could be better than this?
He thanked Dan Heng again, as if he were about to live the life of a polygamist.
"You just said Zhu Zhuqing? You know her?"
A girl's voice rang out behind Dai Mubai.
He turned around to see Huo Wu standing with her hands on her hips, questioning him.
Dai Mubai blinked, then tried to charm her too—but with Dan Heng standing nearby, he didn't dare push too far.
"Yes. Are you her friend?"
Huo Wu didn't answer directly. She probed, "Do you know her teacher is Dan Heng?"
"Of course! Dan Heng is my brother-in-law! A married man! His relationship with Zhu Zhuqing is purely that of teacher and student!"
Dai Mubai spoke earnestly.
He didn't want anyone thinking there was something improper going on between Dan Heng and Zhu Zhuqing.
That would be a big blow to his ego.
Huo Wu was stunned. She had just asked casually, but now she'd learned the truth—Zhu Zhuqing's teacher was actually Dan Heng, an ordinary person!
An ordinary person teaching someone as talented as Zhu Zhuqing?
"She… she must have another teacher, right?"
Huo Wu's voice trembled. She was clearly trying to fool herself.
Dai Mubai replied, "She has others, but none taught her as much as my brother-in-law. Want to chat? I really want to know more about Zhuqing."
"No, this can't be…"
Huo Wu turned and ran.
Dai Mubai tilted his head, confused by her reaction.
"Brother-in-law, I'll take off now too."
...
Huo Wu ran to the Blue Tyrant Team's training ground to confirm with Gu Yuena whether Dan Heng really was Zhu Zhuqing's teacher. Once she got confirmation, she returned to the Blazing Fire Team's dorm.
She slumped alone on the sofa, dazed.
Accepting that Dan Heng—the ordinary guy she had looked down on—was Zhu Zhuqing's teacher was something she just couldn't process.
Why would a soul master choose a non-soul master as a mentor?
Click…
The door opened.
Huo Wushuang returned. Seeing his sister in such a state, he was startled and sat down beside her, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Huo Wu, what's wrong? You're totally out of it."
He looked at her with concern.
Huo Wu grabbed his arm and pinched hard. "Does that hurt?"
He grimaced. "What do you think? Are you trying to kill your brother?"
Huo Wu paused for a few seconds, her eyes flickering.
"So it's true… It's really true… Bro, I found out who Zhu Zhuqing's teacher is!"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Huo Wushuang brightened. "Isn't that great? You've been trying to find him. If he agrees to teach you, it'd be amazing."
Huo Wu shook her head, face crumpling. "But it's Dan Heng!"
"Dan Heng! That ordinary guy! Can you believe it?"
She practically broke down.
All her expectations had come crashing down!
Huo Wushuang was also stunned. How could someone like Dan Heng have taught Zhu Zhuqing?
...
The Shrek Team was supposed to spar with the Blue Tyrant Team, but Flender postponed it, saying they needed more time to prepare.
In truth, he was trying to boost his own reputation.
Not wanting to rely on Liu Erlong's money, he set up a betting pool within the academy: a gamble on which team would win.
Blue Tyrant Team had odds of 1.5:1.
Shrek Team had odds of 1.1:1.
This clearly showed Flender's confidence in his team.
Flender's aim was to get most people to bet on the Lanba Team—so that he could rake in the winnings if Shrek won.
Since the Blue Tyrant Academy students were poor, he went to the Elemental Teams for investment.
Liu Erlong eventually caught wind of this and, in true fiery fashion, stormed over.
BANG!
She kicked the door open.
Inside, the Shrek group was counting their wager coins—over a thousand gold soul coins. A huge sum!
Liu Erlong's face darkened at the sight of the golden pile on the table.
"Flender! You bastard! What are you doing in Blue Tyrant Academy?!"
She clenched her teeth.
She saw right through Flender's scheme—wasn't this just an insult to them?
Flender laughed nervously and bowed a little, trying to avoid her wrath. "Erlong, this is just a way to generate legitimate income! And it's not that we look down on your Blue Tyrant Team—we just have a lot of confidence in our own."
Yu Xiaogang added, "It's perfectly reasonable."
"..." Liu Erlong ground her teeth and glared at them.
"You're just making excuses! A bunch of scoundrels!"
"Flender, aren't you afraid of losing everything?!"
She fumed.
The group looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
"Erlong, you're hilarious!"
Watching them laugh like that, Liu Erlong let out a bitter laugh herself. She nodded repeatedly, "Fine, fine—just wait! Don't come crying later!"
She slammed the door on her way out.
Once she was gone, Flender turned to Yu Xiaogang and asked, "Xiaogang, do you think Erlong's hiding a trump card?"
"What trump card could she have? Her team's won a few matches, but I looked into the details. Nothing special."
"As for their fusion technique, I can do it too—and better!"
Yu Xiaogang lifted his chin arrogantly.
"Truly worthy of the title 'Grandmaster'! We've got this in the bag! We should get more people to bet—make a killing!"
"Blue Tyrant students might be poor, but their teachers have money! Flender, you and Erlong are close. Use that connection as collateral, and we'll rake in even more!"
...
That afternoon.
Shui Yue'er came to the library and leaned over beside Dan Heng, whispering, "Dan Heng, you're the one who saved Poison Douluo, right?"
Dan Heng paused, glancing at the eager-eyed girl beside him.
Was she just guessing? Or did she really figure it out?
"It wasn't me. You're mistaken," Dan Heng said, shaking his head in denial.
Shui Yue'er's eyes curved into crescents. She looked around and whispered again, "If it wasn't you, you wouldn't have said anything—you'd have just shaken your head. But since you explained, it was you. I knew it!"
"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret!"
She traced her lips with a finger in a sealing gesture.
Dan Heng couldn't help but shake his head.
He hadn't expected Shui Yue'er to figure it out.
But after spending time with her, he realized she was a trustworthy girl who kept her word.
At that moment, a voice came from ahead.
"Hey, brother—and oh, little miss from the Heavenly Water Team—interested in a bet?"
Flender had arrived, smiling broadly.
"What kind of bet?" Shui Yue'er asked curiously.
Flender explained his gamble and tried to coax them. "Want to place a bet? We'll know the result soon."
Shui Yue'er tilted her head, smiling slyly. "Uncle, you really believe in Shrek Team, huh? You think they'll definitely win?"
"Then I want to bet one hundred gold soul coins—on Shrek Team to win."
She stared at Flender.
Flender flinched—she was stabbing him right where it hurt.
"Hehe… You can bet however you want! I just think Shrek has a slightly better chance…"
He forced a smile.
Shui Yue'er turned to Dan Heng. "Dan Heng, are you betting? On who?"
Dan Heng thought for a moment. Free money? Why not?
"One hundred gold soul coins—on Blue Tyrant Team."
Shui Yue'er followed suit immediately. "Five hundred gold soul coins—also on Blue Tyrant Team."
"Alright, alright. Here are your receipts…"
Flender smiled through gritted teeth. That was 600 gold soul coins taken in...
...
Meanwhile, having mostly recovered, Poison Douluo didn't sit still—he headed for Sunset Forest.
He still remembered the promise he made to Dan Heng.
He had to get that herb!
In the woods, he looked up at the mountain that held the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The toxic mists were gone now.
From the outside, the mountain didn't seem special.
But after a while, two flying dragons flew to the summit and disappeared inside.
"Those dragon-type soul beasts are too much. They're still occupying the place—they know it's a treasure."
"There's a hundred-thousand-year soul beast among them, and they're incredibly strong. I didn't even dare resist last time. If I approach them with good intentions, will they agree?"
"If not… will they become hostile?"
Poison Douluo pondered.
Logically, powerful beings like them, capable of communication, would show him some respect.
But they were still fierce beasts—he couldn't be sure.
"Maybe… I'll try cautiously. Don't reveal my true intention just yet."
He nodded slightly, having made up his mind.
Releasing his aura, he called out toward the mountain:
"Mr. Black Dragon! May I have a word?! I am Poison Douluo of the Heaven Dou Empire!"
(End of Chapter)