"Born because of me?"
These four words left Dugu Bo in a state of bewildered confusion.
"Yes, this antidote was accidentally generated precisely because of Senior's existence."
Wang Zhong gathered all the small red fruits from the ground and placed them in his palm. There were only seven in total, plus the two he had used earlier, making a grand total of nine.
Nine is the ultimate number!
"These small fruits appear unremarkable, but in reality, their medicinal effect is also very insignificant, even to the point of being non-existent!"
"Wait a moment, these small red fruits can cure the hundred percent potent soul poison of this old man, yet you claim they have no medicinal effect!"
Dugu Bo found Wang Zhong's statement utterly incomprehensible. He was the supreme master of poisons; a fruit that could cure his poison would have to be an extremely rare, world-class medicinal herb, or perhaps even an immortal grade one.
If a simple flower, grass, or fruit could cure him, then the title "poison king of the world" would be a mere joke!
"Indeed, yes! This small fruit possesses no medicinal efficacy!"
"Its sole effect is to cure Senior's snake poison. It has absolutely no other effects whatsoever. Even if this small fruit were used to cure Sister Yan's Jade Phosphor Serpent poison, it would be ineffective!"
Wang Zhong gently shook his head, filled with amazement at the few small fruits in his hand. Only a masterpiece of nature could give rise to such a fruit.
"It can cure my poison, but it cannot cure Yan Yan's poison!"
"A fruit born because of me! This small red fruit, it feels as if it was grown solely to counteract me!"
Taking the seven small red fruits from Wang Zhong's palm, Dugu Bo felt a sense of disbelief wash over him.
"It's as it should be, really. Opposites repel and complement each other."
"Take the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes here, for example. Isn't it the most obvious manifestation? Because of the fire eyes, the ice eyes were not allowed to rage and become an ice spring; because of the ice eyes, the fire eyes were not allowed to spread and become lava. The two, in their mutual opposition and support, formed the unique Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, achieving the most crucial element in nature: balance!"
Wang Zhong stood with his hands behind his back, like a young teacher, offering the most reasonable explanation he could.
"Balance!"
He savored the word, and combined with Wang Zhong's earlier words about the small red fruit's efficacy, Dugu Bo became lost in thought.
"What is the name of this small red fruit?"
"Dragon's Spit Pearl, or Serpent Berry!"
"Because it can cure snake poison, and it resembles a strawberry, it got such a name."
"And Dragon's Spit Pearl, Dragon's Spit Pearl..."
Dugu Bo let out a heavy sigh.
"Young fellow, can you explain to me why this Serpent Berry, in your words, was born for me?"
Wang Zhong nodded and continued, "Senior, have you ever heard a saying?"
"'Medicine and poison arise together! Poison and medicine counteract each other!'"
"'Medicine and poison arise together, poison and medicine counteract each other.' I have not heard this exact phrase, but having dealt with poisons for countless years, I understand its meaning intimately." Dugu Bo's expression was somewhat peculiar. While he had discovered these phenomena himself, he had never considered that such a simple phrase could explain their principles so directly.
Medicine is poison, and poison is medicine; there is no fundamental difference between the two! Medicine can kill, yet some poisons can save lives.
"Because this saying exists, a theory has circulated among the common folk."
"'Where there is a poisonous substance, there must be a counteracting antidote within a hundred paces!'"
"Senior's snake poison has reached an extremely high level, arguably unparalleled in the world, and seemingly incurable. However, it is precisely this terrifying toxicity that has invoked the opposing force of mutual complementarity: the Serpent Berry!"
"Its existence is nature's correction to Senior's unresolvable potent poison."
Wang Zhong's eyes gleamed. Although these theories came from his lips, he felt a surge of excitement akin to discovering new knowledge.
Nature, complementarity, balance, correction – these four words swirled in Wang Zhong's mind.
Finally, faintly, only one word remained: Nature.
The Serpent Berry was a sacred antidote born from the symbiotic interaction between snakes and nature, effective only for a specific type of snake.
Dugu Bo was merely a Soul Master, but his Blue Jade Serpent spirit had been cultivated to the level of a Blue Jade Serpent Emperor, practically hailed as the ancestor of all snakes.
Through the interaction between the Blue Jade Serpent Emperor spirit and nature, its unique antidote had silently emerged. However, this emergence was so obscure that if not for Wang Zhong's arrival, it would likely never have been discovered by anyone.
"Correction."
"Heh heh, so my poison is not truly incurable after all."
Storing the fruits in his Soul Guider, Dugu Bo gazed at the small vines beside Wang Zhong. He had initially considered destroying this thing that completely counteracted him, but in the end, he could only let out a helpless sigh.
The medicinal herbs planted in this garden were all rare treasures he had painstakingly selected. While the Serpent Berry might lack other medicinal effects, its ability to cure Dugu Bo's poison made it an absolutely precious spiritual medicine.
It deserved to live in this garden!
Furthermore, the existence of the Serpent Berry greatly enhanced Dugu Bo's control over his own snake poison. However, this medicinal herb must never fall into the wrong hands or be known by others.
Otherwise, Dugu Bo himself would be in danger!
"Yan Yan, young fellow, you two must absolutely not reveal the matter of the Serpent Berry to anyone. Otherwise, I might very well die a gruesome death!"
Dugu Bo's stern words, conveying such dire consequences, caused Du Gu Yan's small face to pale. She quickly nodded in agreement.
"Grandfather, I will definitely not speak carelessly!"
Wang Zhong, however, merely shrugged, unconcerned. "You don't need to be so tense."
"Although the Serpent Berry can completely resolve your snake poison, its birth is extremely difficult! While I am unclear about the specific method, if my guess is correct, there might only be these nine fruits, and once they are used, they will be gone!"
"As long as you don't give the few Serpent Berries in your hand to anyone else, nothing will happen."
These words caused Dugu Bo to stare intently at Wang Zhong, his gaze filled with seriousness. He asked, "Young fellow, how do you know of these strange and peculiar matters?"
"I have roamed the continent for countless years, and in terms of poisons and medicines, I am considered unsurpassed. Yet, I have never heard of such a miraculous medicinal herb as the Serpent Berry."
Could it be that within the Spirit Hall Academy, there is someone more knowledgeable about poisons than I?
With such a doubt, Dugu Bo's gaze towards Wang Zhong was filled with intense scrutiny.
"Ah! You haven't heard of it either?"
Wang Zhong was somewhat perplexed. Shouldn't everyone know about such things?
Dugu Bo and Du Gu Yan both shook their heads. They had never heard of such a matter, nor had they ever seen it.
The air grew still for a moment. The three of them stared at each other, their eyes locked. Finally, Wang Zhong, outnumbered two to one, couldn't maintain his gaze and shifted his eyes, conceding defeat.
"You ask me why I know! I am not sure myself."
"It's just that for some things, I know them, but I cannot explain why I know them."
Wang Zhong scratched his head, answering rather casually.
Although Wang Zhong had discovered this matter a long time ago, he had never considered it something special.
This answer also left Dugu Bo momentarily stunned. It seemed as if the other party had said everything, yet also nothing at all.
Wang Zhong's expression showed no signs of concealment or deception.
It was truly peculiar!