Douluo: The Venom System is Awesome

The next morning, Qian Renxue was in her study reviewing intelligence files on the Heaven Dou Empire when she was suddenly interrupted by a maid's report.

"Young Mistress, His Holiness the Pope has decreed that Holy Son Mu Junyu will accompany you to the Heaven Dou Empire." The quill in Qian Renxue's hand paused, causing a small blot of ink to spread across the paper.

She looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing her golden eyes: "Junyu? He is only seven years old."

The maid respectfully handed over the Pope's decree. Qian Renxue unfolded it to read closely, her brows gradually knitting together.

"This..." She set the decree down, her fingertips tapping lightly against the desk.

Her initial surprise was quickly replaced by doubt. She recalled her conversation with Mu Junyu yesterday; that cunning boy had clearly been unaware of this.

And yet, now, suddenly...

Why would Mother do this?

Qian Renxue stood up and walked to the window. In the morning light, she saw Mu Junyu instructing Hu Liena in the training grounds, his smiling face under the sun pure and flawless.

"To send someone so young on an infiltration mission..." she murmured to herself, her fingernails digging unconsciously into her palms.

Although Mu Junyu was exceptionally gifted and possessed a mind far beyond his peers, he was, after all, still a child.

The Heaven Dou Empire was fraught with peril, and if something were to...

A long silence passed...

"No, I must go ask Mother for clarification."

Qian Renxue turned to leave, only to find Mu Junyu already standing at the study door, holding two cups of freshly brewed flower tea.

"Sister Xue, I heard you were looking for me?" He walked in with a grin and placed one of the cups in front of her.

Freshly brewed, with honey added.

Qian Renxue stared at him for a long moment before suddenly reaching out to pinch his cheek.

"Did you know about this all along?"

Mu Junyu grimaced and begged for mercy: "Ouch, ouch, ouch... I only found out last night..."

Qian Renxue let go, her expression complex: "You are only seven."

"I'll be eight soon," Mu Junyu corrected while rubbing his face, a glint of craftiness flashing in his eyes.

"And doesn't Sister Xue think I'm much more mature than my actual age?"

"This is not a game," Qian Renxue said, uncharacteristically stern.

"Infiltration missions are filled with danger; one slight mistake and..."

"That's exactly why you need my help."

Mu Junyu interrupted her, his gaze suddenly turning serious.

"I wouldn't be at ease if Sister Xue went alone."

Qian Renxue was stunned, a warm current surging through her heart.

But she immediately put on a stern face again: "Nonsense! I am going there to disguise myself as the Crown Prince, but you? In what capacity?"

Mu Junyu smiled mysteriously and pulled a document from his robes.

"A page boy..."

Qian Renxue took it and looked, suddenly not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Who would hire such a young child as a page boy..."

"That's why it's safe," Mu Junyu winked. "Who would suspect a child wandering about in plain sight?"

Watching the boy's confident demeanor, Qian Renxue suddenly realized that her mother's decision might not have been a whim.

She sighed softly and ruffled Mu Junyu's hair: "You little rascal..."

Mu Junyu leaned into her palm: "Just rest easy, Sister Xue. I will protect you."

Qian Renxue's heart softened, but then, as if remembering something, she narrowed her eyes.

"Wait, did you go to see Mother last night?"

Mu Junyu immediately played dumb: "Huh? Did I? I went to sleep very early last night..."

"Little liar," Qian Renxue pinched his nose.

Qian Renxue shook her head helplessly, though she felt an inexplicable sense of relief in her heart.

With this clever little spirit by her side, perhaps... things really would be much easier.

However... it still felt inappropriate. She would go and plead with her mother...

The afternoon sun slanted into the Pope Palace. Qian Renxue straightened her robes and knocked lightly on the heavy doors.

"Come in," Bibi Dong's voice drifted from within.

Qian Renxue pushed the door open and saw her mother hunched over her desk, reviewing documents.

Sunlight filtered through the stained glass, casting mottled shadows upon her.

"Mother." Qian Renxue bowed respectfully, but paused slightly when she looked up.

Bibi Dong's cheeks were flushed with an unnatural crimson, and even the tips of her ears were stained a faint red.

The quill in her hand seemed to be gripped tighter than usual, the nib leaving several irregular ink blots on the paper.

"Is there something?" Bibi Dong asked without looking up, her voice slightly lower and huskier than usual.

Qian Renxue hesitated for a moment.

"Regarding the matter of Mu Junyu accompanying me..."

Before she could finish, she keenly noticed her mother's fingers tremble almost imperceptibly.

"It has already been decided."

Bibi Dong interrupted her and finally looked up. A flash of complex emotion that Qian Renxue could not decipher flickered in her purple eyes.

"His martial soul is unique and will be helpful for the mission. Furthermore, he needs the experience; as the Holy Son of Martial Soul Hall, how could he be allowed to slack off... mmm~"

When Bibi Dong reached the final syllable, she suddenly let out a suppressed hum from her throat, which Qian Renxue caught.

"Ah... Mother?"

Qian Renxue carefully observed her mother's expression.

That flush not only failed to fade, but became even more pronounced under her gaze.

Bibi Dong even tugged at her collar unnaturally, as if trying to hide something.

"But he is still too young after all..."

Qian Renxue shook her head to clear away those strange thoughts and tentatively said, "Are you not worried, Mother?"

Bibi Dong suddenly looked up: "It is precisely because he is young that he will not arouse suspicion." Sunlight outlined her slender figure, yet Qian Renxue noticed that her mother's shoulders were slightly stiffer than usual, and they seemed to be...

Trembling slightly?

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'." Bibi Dong turned around, her face having recovered its usual majesty, though that flush had yet to fully subside.

"This matter is settled. Go back and prepare."

Qian Renxue opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only bow her head in agreement.

Chapter 22: Staying Overnight

At this moment, inside the Pope Palace, a secret "cultivation" was underway.

Bibi Dong sat upright before the desk, ostensibly reviewing documents with a serious expression, while in reality, her entire body was taut.

Beneath her magnificent papal robes, Mu Junyu's Heart-Eroding Venom had already quietly covered her entire body.

"Mother?"

Qian Renxue looked at Bibi Dong's suddenly reddened cheeks with suspicion.

"Mmm... it's nothing~"

Bibi Dong answered with forced composure, while the fingers hidden in her sleeves dug deeply into her palms.

She could clearly feel those purple-black toxins slowly quivering across her body, at times turning into tiny tentacles, and at others, coalescing into the shape of the boy's palms.

What was even more fatal was that the little rascal Mu Junyu seemed to be deliberately striking at her most sensitive weak points just as Qian Renxue was speaking.

"Ah~"

Bibi Dong was interrupted mid-sentence by a wave of numbness within her body, nearly letting out a shameful sound.

She quickly bit her lower lip, a hint of moisture welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Qian Renxue looked at her mother's unnatural reaction with suspicion.

"Mother, are you alright?"

"I... I am fine."

Bibi Dong struggled to maintain her majestic tone, unaware that the tips of her ears were already red enough to bleed.

"You should... you should leave first."

The moment Qian Renxue turned around, Bibi Dong felt those toxins suddenly become even more brazen.

They slid down her waistline, tracing patterns along the inner side of her thighs.

She stiffened her body abruptly, nearly knocking over the ink bottle at her side.

"Mother?" Qian Renxue turned back.

"Get out!"

Bibi Dong commanded through gritted teeth, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

Once the palace doors finally closed, Bibi Dong immediately collapsed into her seat.

Mu Junyu's voice slowly emerged from her collar.

"Teacher~"

He leaned in close to her ear: "Is the massage your student is giving you comfortable?"

Bibi Dong, flushed with shame and anger, tried to push him away, only to find her arms too weak to muster any strength: "You brat..."

Mu Junyu took the opportunity to steal a kiss on her lips: "Teacher was so impressive just now, actually managing to hold back from crying out~"

"Shut up!"

Bibi Dong raised her hand to strike, but he easily caught her wrist.

"Don't be angry, Teacher~"

Mu Junyu nuzzled into the crook of her neck like a spoiled child.

"Your student just couldn't bear to leave you; I wanted to make more memories~"

Bibi Dong's heart softened from his nuzzling, but she still kept a stern face: "Qian Renxue almost found out!"

"Don't worry~"

Mu Junyu blinked triumphantly.

"Sister Xue will never find out~"

As he spoke, his venom began to circulate restlessly once more.

Bibi Dong let out a soft hum, closing her eyes in resignation, allowing this audacious little scoundrel to do as he pleased.

Outside the hall, Qian Renxue couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She glanced back at the tightly shut hall doors, shook her head, and walked away.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking it..." she muttered to herself.

"You brat... didn't you say three times a week! How many times has it been now!"