45: Chapter 45 Forgetfulness and the First Diagnosis

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the rising mist of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and spilled into the tent. Liu Erlong slowly opened her eyes at this time.

She lifted the thin blanket covering her, walked out of the tent, and saw Bai Qi sitting on a rock by the spring with an exquisite furnace tripod placed before him.

The surroundings were covered with various herbs. He was staring intently at the furnace fire, with fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, clearly having been busy for a long time.

"Awake? Did you sleep well yesterday? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Bai Qi asked without lifting his head, his hands never stopping their movements.

Liu Erlong didn't answer; instead, she walked to his side, looked at the herbs, and asked.

"What are you doing? Busy so early in the morning."

Bai Qi finally raised his head, glanced at her, and took a small grass with translucent leaves from the pile of medicine beside him to hand to her.

The leaves of that small grass were as thin as a cicada's wing, shimmering with a faint silver light in the morning sun, though it was missing its roots.

"Teacher Erlong, eat this."

Liu Erlong took the small grass and looked at it doubtfully, her brow furrowing slightly.

"What is this? A medicinal herb? Eat it directly?"

Bai Qi nodded and looked at her with a calm gaze, his tone brook no argument.

"Yes, swallow it directly; it's good for your body. This is an Immortal Herbs I found here. It can improve Soul Power, and perhaps it can help Teacher Erlong reach the Spirit Douluo level even faster."

Hearing this, Liu Erlong didn't ask further.

After all, Bai Qi had already saved her once; there was no need for him to lie to her.

Immediately, she swallowed the forget-dust mindless grass in one gulp and chewed twice. The taste was somewhat bitter, but it soon turned into a cool stream that slid into her stomach.

She sat cross-legged and began to refine it. Suddenly, Liu Erlong felt a surge of clarity in her mind, as if the dust covering her heart had been blown away by a strong wind, and her Soul Power also improved.

What she couldn't sense was that the emotions that had caused her pain for twenty years were being gently wiped away by a tender hand, leaving no trace.

The only things remaining were the memories of the few of them standing side by side as the Golden Triangle.

Liu Erlong absorbed it very quickly. When she finished, she closed her eyes to feel for a moment, and when she opened them again, there was only clarity in her eyes.

She felt... like she had forgotten something.

Liu Erlong frowned, but it soon smoothed out, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

She stretched, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her, and her whole being became relaxed as she said,

"Well, it's not important anymore."

Bai Qi was stunned for a moment, then smiled. Knowing that the Immortal Herbs had taken effect, he didn't answer, just quietly continued to tinker with his furnace tripod.

But in his heart, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The efficacy of the forget-dust mindless grass was even better than he had imagined; Liu Erlong had completely forgotten her obsession.

Seeing that Bai Qi didn't have much of a reaction, Liu Erlong curled her lip in boredom and sat beside him, beginning to stabilize the Soul Power she had just increased by absorbing the herb. At this moment, her Soul Power level had already reached level eighty.

At noon, a sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the valley. Bai Qi raised his head and looked toward the path. Two figures walked into the valley one after the other.

Dugu Bo walked in front, followed by a girl of sixteen or seventeen. The girl was tall with deep purple ear-length short hair and a pretty face, but there was a hint of gloom between her brows. Her lips were darker than usual, and a faint green bloodshot pattern was vaguely visible in the whites of her eyes.

"Grandpa, is it this kid?"

Dugu Yan, who had followed Dugu Bo to the front, sized up Bai Qi. She crossed her arms over her chest, her chin slightly raised, and spoke with an air of complete distrust.

Dugu Bo glared at her and said in a deep voice,

"Yan Yan, do not be rude. Young Master Bai is an honored guest invited by this old man."

At this moment, his attention was entirely on Liu Erlong, who was sitting beside Bai Qi and cultivating.

Dugu Yan curled her lip and gave an unwilling greeting.

"Young Master Bai."

The voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum, but her eyes still sized Bai Qi up and down, as if evaluating whether he was worth her grandfather being so polite.

Bai Qi gave a light chuckle, not minding her attitude.

Because he knew Dugu Yan had been pampered by Dugu Bo since childhood; it was normal for her to have an arrogant and willful personality.

After he stood up, he walked in front of Dugu Yan, took her hand, placed two fingers on her wrist, and pretended to concentrate for a moment with his eyes closed.

Dugu Yan subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back, but then she remembered Dugu Bo's words before they came.

She had no choice but to stand there reluctantly, letting Bai Qi take her pulse.

Bai Qi applied slight pressure with his fingers, and a strand of Soul Power entered Dugu Yan's meridians, traveling up her arm for her to feel. A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly and then quickly smoothed out, after which he spoke the lines he had prepared.

"On the night of the full moon, you have a splitting headache. When Soul Power circulates to your left arm, there is a feeling of numbness. When your emotions are intense, your pupils glow green. Usually, you feel inexplicably tired, your appetite is poor, and sometimes you have a fever for no reason. Am I right?"

Dugu Yan's expression changed. She subconsciously looked at Dugu Bo, a flash of panic in her eyes.

She had never told these symptoms to any outsider; even her grandfather only knew part of them. This youth, who was even younger than her, had actually hit the mark on everything just by taking her pulse.

Dugu Bo, having regained his composure, nodded to her, signaling her to listen to Bai Qi. A flash of approval passed through his eyes; Bai Qi's diagnosis was even more precise than he had expected.

Bai Qi released her hand, took a step back, and looked at her calmly, saying,

"Your poison is lighter than your grandfather's, but for your age, it is already very heavy. The poison in your grandfather's body has accumulated slowly over decades, while your poison has been eroding your body since you were in the womb, so the symptoms are more obvious. If left untreated, you will not live past forty."

In fact, Bai Qi didn't know exactly how long she could live; in any case, it was enough to let her know it would be in the near future.

Hearing this, Dugu Yan's body trembled slightly, and her lips moved, but she couldn't say a single word.

The contempt in her eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a hint of shock and fear.

She knew her health hadn't been good since she was small, but she hadn't expected it to be so serious.

Bai Qi took two bottles of prepared pills from his storage ring, handed them to Dugu Bo, and said,

"Old freak, this is the medicine for you and your granddaughter. Take it once every morning and evening, two pills each time, for seven consecutive days. After seven days, her symptoms will be greatly reduced, while yours will take longer. But medicine alone is not enough. Current medicine can only clear the toxins currently accumulated in the body, but once Spirit Abilities are used in the future, more toxins will be produced."

Bai Qi paused and continued,

"I suggest you find a Spirit Bone for her and let her guide the toxins into it to store the produced toxins, just like your Spirit Bone."

Hearing Bai Qi's words, Dugu Bo took the medicine bottles, carefully tucked them into his robe, and nodded, smiling as he said,

"Good, Little freak, as for the Spirit Bone, this old man will find a way."

Bai Qi nodded and said no more. He believed that with Dugu Bo's strength and connections, finding a Spirit Bone suitable for Dugu Yan would not be difficult.

Dugu Yan looked at Bai Qi's back, bit her lip, and finally spoke. Her voice was much softer than before, carrying a hint of sincerity.

"Young Master Bai, thank you."

Bai Qi waved his hand and said nothing more, turning back to continue tinkering with his pill furnace, as if he had just done a trivial little thing.

To him, it really was nothing.

After achieving his goal, saving a life was just something done in passing.

What was currently in the tripod was what Bai Qi cared about now: the Yama Invitation.

Meanwhile, Dugu Bo brought Dugu Yan to the valley entrance. After handing the medicine to Dugu Yan and giving her a few more instructions about taking the medicine on time and resting well, he had her leave.

Before leaving, Dugu Yan looked back at Bai Qi, a complex look flashing in her eyes—gratitude, appreciation, and a hint of curiosity.

After sending Dugu Yan away, Dugu Bo returned, scanned his medicine garden, and sat on the other side of Bai Qi.

Looking at the busy Bai Qi, he said,

"Little freak, there are medicinal herbs here that even I don't know about, yet you actually dared to give one to her."

Hearing Dugu Bo's slightly concerned words, Bai Qi said with a smile,

"It's fine, Old freak. Just because you don't know doesn't mean I don't. The herb Teacher Erlong absorbed only has the effect of improving Soul Power and clearing the mind; it's perfect for her."

After saying that, Bai Qi pointed to the right, toward that Immortal Herbs on the shore of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and said,

"That herb, you can actually absorb it. That herb is a variant of the Jade Phosphor Seven Absolutes Flower, or you could say it's an evolved version. Combined with your Jade Phosphor Serpent, it can be considered to have the same origin. Its poison won't affect you. Of course, if you want your granddaughter to absorb it, that's fine too; it might even enhance her Spirit."

Dugu Bo, who was originally eager to try because of Bai Qi's words, suddenly wilted upon hearing the latter part. He sighed and said,

"Forget it, better to leave it for Yan Yan."

After another while, Dugu Bo stood up and said,

"Alright, I'm leaving. You stay here."

With that, Dugu Bo first went to look at the herb Bai Qi had pointed out to him, and after confirming it, he left.

After a while longer, Liu Erlong finished stabilizing her cultivation and opened her eyes.

A sharp light flashed in her eyes, and she looked much more energetic than before.

Level eighty Soul Power flowed slowly through her body; she was only one spirit ring away from becoming a Spirit Douluo.

"How do you feel?"

Bai Qi asked from behind.

Liu Erlong clenched her fist, feeling the surging Soul Power within her body, and a hint of a smile appeared on her lips.

"Not bad, that herb you gave me is indeed very effective. Xiao Qi, thanks."

Bai Qi waved his hand.

"Teacher Erlong is too polite; it was just something done in passing."

Liu Erlong stood up, stretched her muscles and bones, and smelling the scent rising from the pot, she wrinkled her nose and asked,

"What is this now? It smells quite frightening."

Bai Qi smiled and didn't explain, just put the last poisonous herb inside.

It's done.

Bai Qi thought silently as he saw the last herb being absorbed by the Yama Invitation.

Seeing that he wouldn't say, Liu Erlong didn't press him. She just stretched and looked at the sky.

The setting sun had already reached the edge of the valley, dyeing the entire sky orange-red.

"It's getting dark; let's call it a day."

Liu Erlong yawned and said,

"I'm going to rest now; don't stay up too late yourself."

Hearing this, Bai Qi nodded.

"Rest early, Teacher Erlong."

Liu Erlong turned and walked back to the tent, lifted the flap, and went inside.

Meanwhile, Bai Qi sat alone by the spring, looking at the Yama Invitation he had taken from the furnace tripod, and carefully placed it into a container.

Feeling his level sixty Soul Power, Bai Qi was in no hurry.

Looking at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well before him, Bai Qi knew there were more important things to do.