"Haha."
Just as Xiao Wu was about to explain herself, Ye Qiu suddenly burst out laughing. He slowly walked up to her and ruffled her hair.
"I was joking. How could you take it seriously?"
"You—you meanie! Why are you always picking on me?"
Xiao Wu clenched her fists, her mouth drooping. Her big red eyes blinked, and tears threatened to spill again.
"Weren't you always saying you wanted to beat me up, too?"
Ye Qiu said with a grin.
"But you were the one who kicked my butt first! And you're always calling me a rabbit..."
Xiao Wu's voice grew less and less certain toward the end. Tears were already gathering at the corners of her eyes again.
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes helplessly. Why had he kicked her?
Wasn't it because she'd provoked him first?
If she hadn't provoked him, would they have fought?
Even so, Ye Qiu tried to comfort her.
"Come on, don't cry. I'll give you a carrot-flavored lollipop, okay?"
"No!"
Xiao Wu shook her head and sniffed. To Ye Qiu's surprise, she held up two fingers.
"I want two!"
After making her demand, Xiao Wu suddenly paused, then pursed her red lips again and glared at Ye Qiu.
"Wait, that's not right. You're tricking me! You said before that you were out of carrot-flavored ones!"
"All right, all right. Two it is! As long as you're willing to cooperate with me."
Ye Qiu shrugged. He didn't haggle, but took Xiao Wu's soft hand in his.
"Th-then I want three."
Xiao Wu swallowed and tentatively raised the price.
"No way! Dream on."
Ye Qiu shook his head firmly. When she seemed about to say more, he gave her a choice between two options, a teasing smile tugging at his lips.
"Do you want two carrot-flavored ones, or three barbecue-flavored ones?"
"B-barbecue-flavored?"
Xiao Wu stared at Ye Qiu, baffled.
Ye Qiu nodded teasingly. "That's right. Roast rabbit flavor!"
"You!"
Xiao Wu flushed with anger.
She raised her other hand to smack Ye Qiu a couple of times, but when she saw the dangerous smile on his face, she obediently lowered it again.
She dropped her head in defeat and muttered under her breath.
"Hmph! Two it is, then."
"Since that's settled, let's get started!"
Ye Qiu glanced at the sky and stopped wasting time.
"What do I have to do?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
"Just hold my hand and don't resist me!"
Ye Qiu raised the hand he was holding.
Their little hands were interlaced. Ye Qiu looked calm, but Xiao Wu felt a faint blush creep over her.
"Understand?"
Ye Qiu asked again.
"Mm."
Xiao Wu nodded softly.
For the sake of the sweet lollipops, she took several deep breaths and relaxed her body.
"Here we go."
Seeing that she was ready, Ye Qiu immediately circulated what little Soul Power he had.
He was looking forward to seeing how much stronger he would become after enveloping Xiao Wu!
Ye Qiu had barely finished speaking.
Under Xiao Wu's curious gaze, he once again donned that black, muscle-enhancing suit. Then his whole body began to twist and flow like liquid.
Smack!
Something suddenly splattered across Xiao Wu's face.
It was icy cold.
"Ah!"
Xiao Wu cried out in surprise.
Ye Qiu, now a liquid-like mass, suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace.
"Ah, y-you, what are you doing?!"
Xiao Wu felt countless hands roaming over her body, as if trying to draw her into somewhere.
"Nothing will happen to you!"
Ye Qiu's voice sounded beside her ear.
Xiao Wu gradually calmed down and slowly sank into Ye Qiu's much stronger body.
Her limbs and body merged with Ye Qiu's.
Only her face remained outside.
"So amazing! Sister Xiao Wu feels so strong!"
Then—
Two rows of sharp teeth emerged, one from the top of Xiao Wu's head and the other from her chin, and joined together.
It looked as though she had been swallowed whole.
Ye Qiu had 'eaten' Xiao Wu entirely, tightly wrapping around her body and forming a suit that fit her petite frame.
As it covered her from head to toe, Xiao Wu also felt Soul Power pouring into her body, an amount nearly equal to her own.
Hum, hum~
An unusual energy rippled from Xiao Wu.
It felt as if a warm presence enveloped her, as though someone were holding her in their arms.
In the little alley,
Ye Qiu's figure had vanished. In his place stood Xiao Wu, tightly encased in the symbiote.
The suit fit her perfectly, as if it had been made just for her. Compared to when Ye Qiu wore it, Xiao Wu's muscles looked softer and less exaggerated.
As their Soul Power continued to mingle and fuse, the white patterns on the surface of the Venom suit turned pink.
The white patches around the eyes contracted twice.
They looked rather lively.
Xiao Wu's symbiote form was complete!
Ye Qiu realized that his vision seemed to be synchronized with Xiao Wu's. He could clearly sense her temperature, her heartbeat, and even her faint fragrance.
It was at that moment—
In an instant, before Ye Qiu could react, a sudden pang of dread seized him.
It was as if his consciousness had been pulled out and kneaded together with another consciousness. The feeling was like being forced into an unwanted union.
His mind went blank for a moment.
Unfamiliar scenes flashed through his mind one after another.
At the same time, Xiao Wu, who had been marveling at how strong her little body felt, suddenly shuddered.
She had read Ye Qiu's memories, too.
This was bad!
Ye Qiu suddenly realized what was happening.
He immediately tried to control his Martial Soul and stop his memories from flowing into Xiao Wu.
If that didn't work,
he would have to end the symbiotic state. His knowledge of the plot was his greatest advantage!
But Ye Qiu realized it was already too late.
Before long,
Ye Qiu couldn't help feeling relieved. Although he couldn't control the process, his Martial Soul seemed to have decided that his memories began when he awakened it.
In other words, Xiao Wu was only seeing his memories from after his Martial Soul awakening.
With that, Ye Qiu finally relaxed.
All kinds of Soul Beasts began appearing before his eyes.
In the misty, shimmering waters of the Lake of Life,
stood a Titan Ape as huge as a mountain.
And a Sky Azure Bull Python, its body several times thicker than a water vat and crowned with an enormous bull's head!
If he could absorb all this knowledge, Ye Qiu dared say that when it came to Soul Beasts, even the well-read Yu Xiaogang would have less firsthand knowledge than he did!
But Ye Qiu had only seen the memories once; he couldn't remember much.
However,
before Ye Qiu could finish browsing Xiao Wu's memories, a feeling of terror suddenly welled up inside him.
Ye Qiu froze.
He quickly realized where the feeling came from. It wasn't his own—it was Xiao Wu's!
[Besides inheriting the previous host's abilities, Venom can also inherit the host's memories. (In the movie, Venom had once bonded with Spider-Man before later transferring to Brock, Parker's colleague. That was how Brock learned that his archenemy was actually Spider-Man.)]
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