Duolou: Reborn with reality Pen

Deep within the Sunset Forest, beside the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a burly old man sat by a roaring fire. His gray hair and long beard framed a weathered face, and his green-black robe hung loosely on his frame. In his calloused hands, a wooden stick skewered a slab of meat, slowly roasting over the flames.

"Yanyan… how is my Yanyan doing now?" Dugu Bo muttered softly, his voice carrying the weight of years.

He sighed, turning the stick carefully so the flames would roast the meat evenly. His sharp eyes, filled with a hint of helplessness, reflected the dancing firelight.

'Can that child endure the torment of her martial soul's poison?'

He had tried everything, every herb, every method known to him, but nothing had worked. There was only one path left: to let her endure the venom, as he had, until she reached the rank of Douluo. Only then could the suffering ease.

But even that would not erase the agony awaiting her. She would walk the same bitter path he once walked. The thought twisted like a knife in his chest.

"My poor Yanyan…" Dugu Bo's voice lowered to a hoarse whisper. "My cute and pitiful granddaughter…"

He clenched his jaw, forcing the thoughts aside and focusing on the roasting meat, trying to anchor himself in something simpler.

"I wish…" he muttered after a pause, "I had more spices… or at least some sauce for this meat."

Just then, a hand appeared in front of him, holding out a bottle.

"Here."

The voice was calm, almost casual.

Startled, Dugu Bo blinked and glanced at the offered bottle.

"It's garlic soy sauce," the stranger said lightly. "Pairs well with roasted meat or seafood. I guarantee you'll like it."

Dugu Bo hesitated only a moment before taking it. "...Thank you."

He drizzled the sauce over the golden-brown meat and took a bite. His eyes widened slightly at the flavor.

"Mmm… it's really delicious," he admitted, savoring the taste as the smoky richness mingled with the sharpness of garlic and soy

Dugu Bo chewed slowly, savoring the rich, savory flavor coating the roasted meat. His eyes gleamed with a delight he hadn't felt in decades.

'This… this is the most delicious thing I've eaten in my entire life!'

The garlic, the soy, the smoky tenderness, it was heavenly. For a moment, all the bitterness and poison in his soul faded into the background. He wanted to know where to get this miracle sauce. He opened his mouth to ask when a sudden thought hit him like a hammer.

"???" Dugu Bo froze mid-bite. ' Wait a minute…'

His wrinkled brow furrowed deeply. No one knows about this place. Absolutely no one! The entire area outside this garden is filled with deadly poison mist. Even titled Douluos wouldn't dare step foot here.

His grip on the skewer tightened. His gaze swept toward the mysterious hand that had handed him the sauce. Slowly, his eyes climbed upward.

Before him stood a man clad in a black cloak with grey lotus printed and its edges lined with a crimson outline that formed a faint lotus pattern. A bamboo hat shaded his face, but not enough to hide the crimson eyes glowing faintly beneath it. His expression was utterly blank, colder than the frost behind the Yin spring.

A chill shot down Dugu Bo's spine, making his heart thump like a war drum. He instinctively took two cautious steps back, his muscles coiling in preparation.

"Who are you," Dugu Bo demanded in a low, wary voice, "and how did you get in here?"

The figure didn't respond. Instead, he calmly lifted the skewer of meat to his mouth and took a slow, deliberate bite. Garlic-soaked juices glistened on the edge of his lips as he chewed with infuriating tranquility. Then he swallowed, licked his fingers, and, just to make the old man's blood pressure spike, took another bite right in front of him.

"…."

Dugu Bo stared, his face twitching as an audible gulp escaped his throat. The scent of roasted meat mingled with garlic and soy drifted under his nose again, ruthless and tempting. His empty stomach growled like a beast, betraying him.

His gaze darted from the mysterious man to the half-eaten meat in his own hands.

'Damn it all… my stomach is more important right now.'

"F*ck this!" he muttered under his breath, abandoning all pretense of pride. He plopped back down onto the stone, gripping his skewer with both hands and devouring the meat like a starving wolf. Grease smeared across his beard as his eyes closed in bliss.

The crimson-eyed man said nothing, just kept eating slowly, calmly, like a king watching a clown grovel for scraps.

In the man's left hand, a strange, flat object gleamed faintly in the firelight, a rectangular device unlike anything Dugu Bo had ever seen. Its black surface reflected the flicker of flames, and an eerie red dot glowed at the corner.

'What in the world is that…?'

If Dugu Bo knew what it truly was, he would cough blood on the spot. For at this very moment, the feared Poison Douluo's shameless display of gluttony was being immortalized forever. The man silently adjusted the angle, recording every movement, every greedy bite, every undignified slurp for what Eren fondly called: "Poison Douluo's Dark History."

After capturing enough, Eren calmly set the device aside and took a bite of his own meat.

"Mmm… delicious." His tone was flat, almost cold, yet the words carried a quiet satisfaction.

They ate in silence for several minutes, one savoring with bliss, the other with detached composure. But when the last shred of meat disappeared, Dugu Bo straightened, his expression hardening once more. He stepped back to his original position, widening the gap between them as his aura surged.

"Who are you," Dugu Bo demanded again, voice sharp as a blade, "and how did you even get here?"

The man, still calm, still utterly expressionless beneath the brim of his bamboo hat, did not answer. His crimson eyes glimmered faintly, casting an unnatural glow in the dim light.

Eren, inwardly amused, thought to himself, 'I knew Poison Douluo had quirks… but I didn't expect him to be this shameless.'

Dugu Bo's patience snapped. With a low growl, his soul power erupted like a tidal wave, shaking the herbs around them. Emerald light coiled across his arms as serpentine shadows danced at his feet.

In the blink of an eye, nine rings rose from beneath him, two yellow, two purple, four black, circling his body in a menacing rhythm. The chilling poison aura thickened, making the air heavy and suffocating.

The venomous pressure surged toward Eren like a living storm.

"I will ask you one last time," Dugu Bo roared, eyes flashing cold killing intent, "Who are you, and what are you doing in my garden?"