Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor [56]

Hearing the keyword toxins in Dugu Yan's body, Dugu Bo immediately became cautious. Without further delay, he used the soul power of a Titled Douluo to reach into the poisonous mist and directly pull Chen Ming out.

Originally, Dugu Bo had planned to knock Chen Ming unconscious and carry him over his shoulder. However, on second thought, considering the ambiguous relationship between this boy and his granddaughter—plus the fact that he had once saved her—Dugu Bo decided he couldn't be too rough, even if he needed to take him away.

Thus, Dugu Bo chose a more refined approach. He grabbed Chen Ming's arm and enveloped him with Titled Douluo-level soul power, guiding him down the mountain in a relatively gentle manner.

"Senior Dugu, what are you doing?" Chen Ming understood the situation perfectly well but still pretended to resist, struggling to break free from Dugu Bo's grasp.

"Calm down. You saved my granddaughter, so I won't treat you unfairly. However, some matters aren't suitable to discuss in public. Come with me to my residence first."

"…"

Chen Ming glanced at his courtyard, then slowly opened his mouth. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, associate this courtyard with the term public.

Dugu Bo knew his excuse wasn't convincing, so he didn't bother elaborating further. Without saying another word, he dragged the now-quiet Chen Ming and prepared to leave. Shortly after they started moving, three academy elders rushed over from the distance.

"Poison Douluo, please show mercy!"

"Poison Douluo, calm down. This isn't what you think!"

"Poison Douluo, there's been a misunderstanding!"

The three called out anxiously, fearing that Dugu Bo, with his eccentric temperament, might harm Chen Ming.

Yet, in response to their pleas, Dugu Bo did not slow down in the slightest. Instead, he sped past them, leaving behind only a faint explanation.

"I, Poison Douluo, guarantee with my title that this boy's life is not in danger. I simply need to take him to my residence to clarify some matters."

Hearing Dugu Bo offer such a guarantee with his title, the three elders, who had been so worried moments before, gradually came to a stop, their expressions easing.

If Dugu Bo truly intended to harm Chen Ming, he wouldn't have offered any explanation, let alone used the authority of his title as a guarantee.

On this continent, very few people could make Dugu Bo pledge anything using the name Poison Douluo. The weight of that title was perhaps even greater than that of his name.

With a Titled Douluo offering his word, there was no doubt that Chen Ming wouldn't be harmed.

With no further interference, Dugu Bo grabbed Chen Ming and sped toward his mansion in Heaven Dou City. Given the physical capabilities of a Titled Douluo, it didn't take long for them to reach the city gates.

When the gate guards saw Dugu Bo approaching at high speed, they quickly dispersed the crowd at the entrance, clearing the way for him. Everyone they passed—whether pedestrians or carriages—voluntarily stepped aside. Even the city defense forces, upon seeing Dugu Bo racing through with his soul power activated, didn't stop him. Instead, they saluted him respectfully, whether or not he acknowledged them.

Finally arriving at the gates of his residence, Dugu Bo slowed down for the first time. The guards standing at the entrance immediately opened the gates and loudly announced his return to the household.

Yet, even after entering his own home, Dugu Bo showed no intention of letting Chen Ming go. Still holding his arm firmly, he dragged him straight into his private meditation chamber.

At this moment, the head steward of Dugu Bo's mansion approached. As soon as he saw Dugu Bo return, he began to cry and complain. However, when he looked up and noticed Chen Ming standing awkwardly beside Dugu Bo, grinning nervously, his emotions became even more agitated. He appeared eager to report the recent happenings to his master.

Looking at his brother-in-law, who had been by his side for decades, Dugu Bo couldn't help but think of his late wife and child, and a hint of sorrow flickered in his eyes.

However, precisely because of these memories, Dugu Bo chose not to listen to the steward's complaints. Instead, he stopped him and instructed him to keep an eye on Dugu Yan and ensure she didn't find out about his return for the time being.

Dugu Bo's cultivation room wasn't very large. It was more of a study than a place for training.

Just like something out of a TV drama, Dugu Bo pushed a vase on the shelf, and a series of muffled sounds came from the floor. A hidden passage, leading to who-knows-where, suddenly appeared before the two of them.

Dugu Bo led Chen Ming into the passage and pressed a hidden mechanism, sealing the path back to the surface with a deep rumble. From his storage soul tool, Dugu Bo retrieved a large luminous pearl and infused it with soul power, illuminating the once-dim chamber.

Beneath the quiet room lay a hidden chamber filled with shelves of herbs and soul beast specimens. Materials from various soul beasts, preserved through unknown means, were neatly displayed on the shelves.

In the corner, a bookshelf held ancient tomes with yellowed edges, passed down for countless generations. On the walls hung numerous charts of the human meridians, with tiny rows of text annotated in the corners of the diagrams.

However…

While Chen Ming hadn't studied human meridians extensively before his transmigration, as a former author of novels, he had some familiarity with the subject.

After reincarnating, his enhanced mental power allowed him to recall meridian charts he'd previously seen and even consider creating his system of internal energy techniques.

From just one glance at the diagrams on Dugu Bo's wall, Chen Ming could tell they had serious problems. Some meridians were marked incorrectly, while others that should have been there were completely missing.

One meridian might have only one or two scattered acupoints labeled, with no indication of their purpose. The twelve primary meridians barely outlined a vague structure, with no details at all. As for the eight extraordinary meridians, they weren't even hinted at.

Missing details were one thing, but why were there extra, asymmetrical meridians in some places? Surely Douluo Continent humans didn't have such a biological configuration. Or was this a set of special meridians formed by martial soul possession?

Chen Ming felt that using these diagrams as a basis for developing internal energy techniques would likely be less effective than starting from scratch—they were just too misleading.

As Chen Ming stared intently at the prized meridian charts on the wall, lost in thought, Dugu Bo didn't interrupt him. Instead, he sighed emotionally.

"You can understand these treasures on my wall? That's truly rare."

"These are priceless artifacts I've acquired by traveling across the continent, purchasing and trading for research on human meridians. They're the real deal, treasures you won't find just anywhere. That you even get to see them is a stroke of fortune for you."

"It's said that these meridian diagrams can be integrated into meditation techniques, further improving their efficiency. Yet, even after years of study, I still haven't figured them out. You, as a mere Soul Grandmaster, definitely won't be able to comprehend them either."