Gently stroking Dugu Yan's purple hair, Wang Zhong said with a gentle smile, "Don't rush, one day you'll catch up to me."
"Just keep trying! With your current talent, there aren't many on the entire continent who can match you."
After saying all this, Wang Zhong pursed his lips, turned to look at Dugu Bo, bowed slightly, cupped his hands, and his face showed a hint of anticipation.
"Senior, I wish to ask for something from you, and I hope you will grant my request."
Seeing Wang Zhong's posture and expression, Dugu Bo's green eyes brightened. He knew what Wang Zhong wanted.
"You want some of the herbs from this spring, or rather, what you call immortal herbs!"
With one hand behind his back and the other stroking his beard, Dugu Bo stated this calmly.
Wang Zhong nodded heavily and said solemnly, "Yes!"
Before this, Wang Zhong's memory had always focused on how precious these immortal herbs were, how rare they were, and their medicinal effects. It wasn't until he was strolling by the spring with Dugu Yan that a thought suddenly struck him.
These herbs might be useless to him, but for Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, they represented a rare and immense opportunity.
For a time, he had been captivated by the progress of his Eight Extremes Heaven cultivation, and Wang Zhong had actually forgotten the companions who had grown up with him. This gave him a deep sense of self-reproach.
"Grandpa!"
The sudden shift in the atmosphere between the two surprised Dugu Yan. Seeing Wang Zhong's pleading look towards her grandfather, she felt an indescribable ache in her heart.
Since she had known Wang Zhong, she had never seen him, who was a year younger than her, display such an expression.
Whether facing a powerful opponent in the Soul Dueling Arena or facing her grandfather, the world-renowned Poison Douluo, her companion always maintained a calm and natural demeanor.
Dugu Yan tugged on one of Dugu Bo's arms, playfully pouting.
Dugu Bo shook his head slightly and smiled bitterly, inexplicably thinking of the saying, "A daughter leans outward!"
"Little fellow, straighten up first. If you bow any longer, my granddaughter will surely dismantle this old body of mine."
Wang Zhong straightened up as requested, but his lips were tightly pressed together, his gaze towards Dugu Bo filled with supplication.
"Little fellow, we have both witnessed the changes in Yan Yan after consuming the immortal grass. Her strength, her potential, and even her martial soul have been strengthened to an astonishing degree."
"Under such circumstances, even if I, Dugu Bo, were ignorant of the properties and potency of those herbs, I would still know that they are divine medicines capable of altering fate!"
"With what mindset do you believe I, Dugu Bo, would bestow these things upon you?"
"Is it because Yan Yan is here? You know I can't refuse any of my granddaughter's requests?"
Dugu Bo's gaze towards Wang Zhong was filled with seriousness and gravity.
Someone who schemes using friendship and seeks to profit from it can never be a kind person!
Dugu Bo would not let such a person get too close to his granddaughter.
Wang Zhong shook his head, gave a bitter smile, and confessed, "Senior, if I were to tell you that I only thought of my old friends and impulsively asked this question after seeing the changes in Sister Yan after she consumed the Jade Dragon Tongue Grass, would you believe me?"
No normal person would believe it.
Given the preciousness and power of the immortal grass, coupled with Dugu Bo's strength and fearsome reputation, Wang Zhong could only seek the immortal grass from Dugu Bo. However, Dugu Bo had already witnessed everything that had happened and understood what these so-called immortal grasses were. Only a fool would give such things to others.
But given Dugu Yan's affection for Wang Zhong, and Dugu Bo's doting on Dugu Yan, if Wang Zhong mentioned it in her presence, Dugu Bo would not refuse.
This refusal was not because of Wang Zhong, but because of Dugu Yan!
"I believe you!"
Dugu Yan let go of Dugu Bo's hand, walked to Wang Zhong's side, and tightly grasped his hand, her voice firm and resolute.
As the person involved, the one seemingly being manipulated in the eyes of outsiders, Dugu Yan expressed her deepest trust in Wang Zhong's words.
Although young, like Wang Zhong, who had been alone since childhood, she possessed a certain sensitivity. This sensitivity might not be as keen as Wang Zhong's, but it was enough for her to sense a sincerity that differed from falsehood.
Moreover, Dugu Yan was an intelligent girl. She wasn't a naive fool who would blindly trust anyone who offered friendship.
Would you accept food from a poison master who could plant deadly toxins at any moment? Perhaps unknowingly, you might. But if you already knew, would you still?
If you were a normal person, you would hesitate. Fear of death is an emotion that all living beings dread.
But Wang Zhong never hesitated!
Dugu Yan had also considered that perhaps Wang Zhong had a special method of identification to determine that the food she gave him was not harmful.
So, on one occasion, she added a certain amount of碧磷蛇毒 (Bi Lin Snake Venom) to the food she offered Wang Zhong. It was not fatal, but it would cause unbearable abdominal pain.
Dugu Yan thought he wouldn't accept or eat it. But in reality, Wang Zhong accepted and ate it without any suspicion or hesitation.
Even though his abdomen hurt for several days afterward, Wang Zhong merely thought he had eaten something else by mistake and never suspected that Dugu Yan would poison him.
This unadulterated sincerity, even bordering on naivety, was why Dugu Yan was so affectionate towards Wang Zhong.
If Wang Zhong wanted to obtain immortal grass for his friends, he could have first asked her grandfather and obtained his goal before letting her consume the Jade Dragon Tongue Grass.
If Wang Zhong had wanted to be more discreet, he could have entirely avoided giving her the Jade Dragon Tongue Grass, as neither she nor her grandfather knew its efficacy and would not dare to consume it lightly.
Wang Zhong giving it to her first before seeking medicine for his other friends was enough proof of his sincerity.
Although she was a bit annoyed that he had other friends besides herself, when she was his only friend, Dugu Yan believed that her friendship with Wang Zhong was the deepest.
"I believe you too!"
Dugu Bo replied with a smile, with his hands behind his back.
"Because you didn't ask me for it first and then let Yan Yan consume the Jade Dragon Tongue Grass, that is the greatest sincerity!"
"Furthermore, little fellow, you didn't use the human relationship and three requests that I mentioned earlier to force me. This also proves that you truly treat Yan Yan as your elder sister."
"It is only this kind of pure affection that would make you disregard those so-called human relationships and three requests, because you sincerely believe that doing those things for Yan Yan requires no reward."
"The reason I asked that question was because I wanted you to sincerely guide Yan Yan. She is very intelligent, and I was not sure if she would overthink things. After all, she had finally found a friend like you."
"But it seems I was worrying unnecessarily."
Dugu Yan glared at Dugu Bo with displeasure, indicating she was very angry.
Ever since that poisoning incident, she had never doubted Wang Zhong's words.
"If you need any of the herbs here, you can take them all. I don't understand their medicinal properties, and keeping them here would be a waste."
"But, little fellow, let me ask you, are there any immortal herbs here that I can consume?"
Dugu Bo asked with a chuckle. If he could further improve his own strength, he would not refuse.
Looking at Dugu Bo's smiling face, and feeling the warmth from Dugu Yan's palm, Wang Zhong pondered for a moment and said, "Yes! The effect is not very significant."
"The only effective item, if Senior consumes it, you might die!"
"Oh, what immortal grass is that?"
"Snow Swan's Kiss. It can magnify the power of your poison a thousand to ten thousand times!"
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted, but he finally sighed with resignation.
"Indeed, a thousand to ten thousand times increase. The effect on me would be unprecedented!"
"But even the poison of the Bi Lin Snake Emperor, I cannot control perfectly. How could I control something amplified thousands to ten thousand times? The moment I consume it, it would be the moment of my death!"
"Hahaha!"
"Little fellow, everything here belongs to you!"
Dugu Bo turned and left, laughing heartily with his hands behind his back, but his expression was filled with deep regret.
Dugu Yan, Wang Zhong, and the Spirit Hall – these three factors had caused him to lose the ability to regain control of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Dugu Yan represented kinship, Wang Zhong represented potential and the future, and the Spirit Hall represented power. These three forces combined made it impossible for him to resist any single element. Rather than be forced to give it up later, he decided to make a favorable gesture now, hoping for unexpected gains in the future.
This was Dugu Bo's most honest thought at the moment!