Douluo: The Venom System Is Awesome

Bibi Dong finally spoke, her voice still carrying a post-exertion huskiness.

Mu Junyu revealed an innocent smile.

"I have observed how the maids serve me."

He picked up a silk bath towel, dabbed it with rose essential oil, and gently wiped Bibi Dong's arm.

"Teacher, you are usually too exhausted, so I wanted to help."

Bibi Dong wanted to retort, but under his perfectly measured massage, she let out a soft, comfortable hum.

Mu Junyu's fingertips possessed the softness unique to a child, yet at certain moments, they displayed a level of control over pressure that defied his age.

His venom flickered in the water, at times supporting Bibi Dong's arm, at others kneading her aching shoulders and neck.

"Could you turn around? I will help you wash your hair."

Mu Junyu's voice was so gentle it didn't sound like a command, yet it made Bibi Dong comply involuntarily.

When his small hands submerged into her long, silver-purple hair, Bibi Dong felt a shiver run through her.

Mu Junyu's movements were incredibly soft, the pressure of his fingertips massaging her scalp just right.

Warm water flowed through her hair, carrying the scent of rose essential oil, making her almost drown in this comfort.

"Teacher's hair is truly beautiful."

Mu Junyu whispered in admiration, carefully smoothing out the tangled strands.

"Like silk woven from moonlight."

Bibi Dong closed her eyes, offering no response to this near-transgressive praise.

Yet her heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably; there was a sincerity and intensity in this child's words that she could not ignore.

The hair-washing process was long and meticulous. Mu Junyu did not miss a single strand, his patience far exceeding that of his peers.

When the final rinse of clear water passed, he gathered Bibi Dong's long hair and loosely secured it with a jade hairpin.

"All done."

He said with satisfaction, his small hand brushing lightly across Bibi Dong's spine.

"Does Teacher feel more comfortable now?"

Bibi Dong had to admit that she indeed felt much better.

The combination of hot water and essential oil had dispelled the fatigue from her body, and Mu Junyu's service made her feel a warmth of being cared for that she hadn't experienced in a long time.

This realization left her feeling both at ease and uneasy.

"Mm."

She responded briefly, attempting to maintain the dignity of the Pope, unaware that her reddened earlobes and relaxed posture had already betrayed her.

A nearly imperceptible smile curled the corners of Mu Junyu's mouth.

He picked up a fresh bath towel and unfolded it by the edge of the pool: "Let me help you out."

Bibi Dong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately reached out her hand.

When her fingertips touched Mu Junyu's small hand, a strange sense of peace flowed through her entire body.

This realization sent a jolt through her heart; she, the Pope of Martial Soul Hall, was actually seeking forbidden emotions from a seven-year-old child?

Mu Junyu seemed to sense her wavering, but he did not point it out.

He focused on wrapping the bath towel around Bibi Dong's body, his movements as gentle as if he were handling fragile glass.

Under his control, his venom formed a support, allowing Bibi Dong to stand up without any effort.

"Watch the step."

He reminded her, his small hand supporting Bibi Dong's elbow.

Bibi Dong allowed him to guide her, her heart churning with turbulent waves.

She should push him away, she should reprimand his overstepping, but her body betrayed her reason, craving this long-lost care.

Outside the bathroom, a clean robe and hot tea had already been prepared.

Mu Junyu picked up a comb and began to groom Bibi Dong's semi-dry hair.

The mirror reflected the figures of the two: the tall, elegant female Pope and the petite, earnest child, forming a strange scene.

"Teacher has to wake up early to handle official business tomorrow, right?"

Mu Junyu asked while combing her hair, "I have prepared calming tea."

Bibi Dong looked at Mu Junyu behind her through the mirror.

In the swirling steam, his silhouette seemed to blur the boundaries of age, and those focused eyes shimmered with a light she could not decipher.

"You..."

Bibi Dong began, but did not know what to say. Reprimand his boundary-crossing? Thank him for his care? Every choice made her feel a subtle sense of dissonance.

Mu Junyu seemed to see through her hesitation; he put down the comb, walked around to face her, and looked up.

"I only wish for you to be well, Teacher."

His eyes were pure, devoid of even the slightest impurity.

"If Teacher is happy, then I am happy."

Such straightforward words made Bibi Dong's heart tremble.

She reached out instinctively, but stopped just before her fingers could touch Mu Junyu's cheek. A certain intuition told her that if she crossed this line, something would change forever. Yet, Mu Junyu took the initiative to press his face against her palm, rubbing against it like a small beast seeking affection.

"Teacher's hands are so warm."

Bibi Dong felt a softness she had never experienced before spreading through her chest. She sighed gently, her fingers brushing over Mu Junyu's cheek involuntarily. "You... really are a strange child."

Mu Junyu smiled, and that smile appeared exceptionally pure under the lamplight.

[Current Favorability of Bibi Dong: 50%.]

Chapter 14: Yu Xiaogang, the Fame-Seeker

Morning light pierced through the stained glass, casting mottled shadows across the ancient book section of the Martial Soul Hall library.

Mu Junyu stood on his tiptoes, pulling a thick, leather-bound tome from the highest shelf.

The words "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls" were written on the spine.

"Found you!" he whispered to himself, his small hands flipping rapidly through the book authored by a man named Yu.

Clutching the heavy volume, Mu Junyu nimbly leaped onto a primitive wooden ladder and made his way to a secluded corner in the deepest part of the library.

The shelves here were thick with dust, clearly rarely visited.

His fingertips skimmed over rows of ancient texts before stopping at several equally heavy tomes.

"History of Martial Soul Evolution: Heaven Dou Empire Volume", "Developmental History of Star Luo Martial Souls", "Research on Ancient Martial Soul Diagrams"... one by one, the books forgotten by time were pulled down and stacked on the wide oak table.

A cold sneer, entirely unbefitting a seven-year-old child, curled the corners of Mu Junyu's mouth as he began to compare them word for word.

"First core theory: Martial Soul Quality Determinism..."

He recited the contents of Yu Xiaogang's book softly while opening page 372 of "Developmental History of Star Luo Martial Souls".

"Heh, he didn't even change the punctuation."

As the comparison deepened, the mockery in Mu Junyu's eyes became increasingly apparent.

The so-called Ten Core Competencies that Yu Xiaogang boasted of all had prototypes that could be found within these ancient books.

Some were directly plagiarized, while others were pieced together from different sources, slightly polished, and then claimed as his own.

"The chapter on the laws of Martial Soul mutation..."

Mu Junyu's small hands pressed down on two different tomes simultaneously.

"A combination of Chapter 6 of 'Research on Ancient Martial Soul Diagrams' and Appendix 3 of 'History of Martial Soul Evolution'; even the case studies are exactly the same."

He suddenly let out a soft chuckle, which sounded exceptionally crisp in the silent library.

The man whom Bibi Dong could never forget was nothing more than a complete academic fraud; those theories held up by the world as golden rules were merely the products of picking up others' wisdom.

"Teacher Bibi Dong..." Mu Junyu's fingers gently stroked the title page of Yu Xiaogang's work, where a dedication to Bibi Dong still remained.

"Is this the kind of fame-seeking charlatan you have given your heart to?"

He spread the ancient books out on the table, specifically turning to the chapters that were identical to Yu Xiaogang's work.

Sunlight spilled through the high windows onto the pages, and those similar paragraphs seemed to echo one another, forming ironclad evidence of academic plagiarism.

Mu Junyu pulled an exquisite notebook from his robes and began to methodically record every point of correspondence.

His handwriting was too neat for a child, and the sharp glint in his eyes when he paused to think far surpassed the demeanor expected of his age.

As his investigation deepened, Mu Junyu not only discovered the lack of originality in Yu Xiaogang's theories but also found several academic blunders caused by fundamental misunderstandings.

The parts that Yu Xiaogang had simplified or misinterpreted had much more sophisticated explanations in the original works.

"He can't even get the basic concepts right..."

Mu Junyu shook his head and drew a striking 'X' in his notebook.

"How dare he write books with this level of competence?"

His gaze swept toward the library entrance, his ears twitching slightly as familiar footsteps approached from afar.

Mu Junyu quickly adjusted his expression, putting on an innocent and naive look while ensuring the open ancient books formed a clear, damning comparison.

When Bibi Dong's figure appeared in the library corridor, this was what she saw: her seven-year-old disciple surrounded by a pile of heavy ancient books, frowning in confusion as he compared them.

"Xiao Yu?" A hint of surprise flashed in Bibi Dong's purple eyes.

"Why are you here?"

Mu Junyu looked startled, scrambling in a panic to close the books.

"T-Teacher! I... I was just..."

Bibi Dong walked closer, her gaze falling naturally onto the open pages. Her pupils contracted sharply; those familiar paragraphs, those theories she had once studied together with Yu Xiaogang, were now presented before her in their original form.

"This is..." Her voice trembled slightly.

Mu Junyu put on an innocent and naive expression at just the right moment.

"Teacher, I've been studying Master Yu's theories, but I've discovered that many parts are exactly the same as what's written in these old books!"

He tilted his head, feigning confusion.

"Does every soul master already know these things?"

Bibi Dong's fingertips lightly brushed against those yellowed pages, and memories long buried by dust came flooding back like a tide.

The confidence in Yu Xiaogang's eyes when he first explained these theories to her, the brilliant talent she had been so captivated by... looking back now, it was nothing more than a charlatan seeking fame and reputation...

"Teacher? You don't look very well..."

Mu Junyu tugged at her sleeve with concern, secretly observing every subtle change in Bibi Dong's expression.

Bibi Dong forced herself to remain calm and squeezed out a smile.

"It's nothing, just... remembering some things from the past."

She reached out and closed the ancient books.

"These are still too profound for you; go and play."

Mu Junyu nodded obediently, yet as he turned to leave, he deliberately left one of the books open to a key page of comparison.

He knew the seeds had already been sown; he only needed to wait for the right moment for them to take root and sprout.

Walking out of the library, a look of depth, completely unbefitting his age, appeared on Mu Junyu's small face.

He looked toward the direction of the Pope Palace and whispered to himself.

"Teacher, you will soon realize that the person truly worthy of your devotion has always been by your side."

Sure enough, in the days that followed, Bibi Dong seemed somewhat melancholy, and the expression on her face grew even colder.

Only when she was with Mu Junyu would her expression soften in a different way. However, even so, Bibi Dong did not announce to the world that Yu Xiaogang was an academic fraud, still clinging to their old ties.

This made Mu Junyu very displeased.