Douluo: The Venom System Is Awesome

She instinctively wanted to curl up, hiding the weak point that was being attacked.

However, her body felt as if all its strength had been drained, or as if her acupoints had been sealed.

It was stiff to an absurd degree.

A strange, scorching heat that made her feel terrified spread rapidly, burning her earlobes a deep red and even stifling her breath.

The sensation was too intense, too sudden, leaving her mind blank for a fleeting moment.

Her fingers, which had been pinching Mu Junyu's arm, subconsciously lost their grip. Sensing her momentary softening and trembling, the look of triumph in Mu Junyu's eyes deepened. His offensive tactics became increasingly bold, even carrying a hint of grinding and pressing, much like a soy milk machine attempting to extract milk from beans.

It was just like a soy milk machine making breakfast, trying to squeeze out the soy milk.

Qian Renxue snapped back to reality, meeting his playful yet burning gaze, and shame and indignation instantly overwhelmed that damned, bizarre sensation!

"Good... very good!"

She was so angry she almost laughed, her cheeks flushed like sunset clouds, yet cold flames burned within her golden eyes.

She gathered her strength once more, her five fingers tensing as she pinched his arm muscles hard, attempting to force him to let go through pain.

However, Mu Junyu merely let out a muffled grunt; far from retreating, he intensified his efforts.

He maliciously and precisely pressed and attacked her core, which was gradually tightening.

An even stronger electric shock surged through her like a tidal wave!

Qian Renxue bit her lower lip hard, just to suppress the faint whimper that was about to escape her throat.

Author's Note

Thank you to all my supporters!

Thank you all for your support during this time; there are new friends and old friends alike.

Your attention has given me the opportunity to persist until now.

I won't go into polite formalities; I hope you will all be here when the story concludes!

Love you all!

Chapter 39: The Unequal Treaty

She discovered with shock and rage that her hand, which was pinching him, was actually starting to lose its strength!

It wasn't because his power was so great, but because his fingertips seemed to carry some kind of eerie magic. Every touch felt like it was draining her bones and dismantling her will. The sensation was no longer just simple itching or pain, but a deeper, stranger feeling that made her whole body go limp and her heart rate skyrocket, crazily assaulting her reason.

She tried to circulate her soul power to forcibly shake him off, but the rules of the bet and that ridiculous, lingering thought of "fearing to hurt him" acted like shackles, leaving her hesitant to act.

She could only uselessly pinch him with her increasingly weak hands, feeling the flames from his fingertips ignite clusters of soul-shattering sparks upon her.

"Mu... Junyu... you... let go..."

Her voice began to carry an uncontrollable, trembling tail, sounding less like a command and more like a weak plea.

Mu Junyu clearly felt the drastic changes in the person beneath his palm.

The target, which had been taut and resilient, was now trembling slightly due to his attacks, beyond her control.

He could even perceive an astonishing heat rapidly diffusing outward!

Qian Renxue's tightly bitten lower lip had already turned pale, yet she still couldn't suppress her increasingly rapid and chaotic heartbeat.

She felt as if her body no longer belonged to her, like ice thrown into a raging fire, melting and collapsing at a desperate speed.

A strange, surging tide of moisture was uncontrollably gathering, churning, and crashing against the crumbling dikes of her reason.

She tried to press her two jade-like legs together, but his knee inadvertently blocked the gap; this subtle movement became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

"Ah..." A faint, tearful whimper finally broke through her clenched teeth.

Immediately afterward, her whole body stiffened violently, and then she began to tremble intensely as if all her strength had been drained away.

The fingers gripping his arm completely lost their strength and loosened, hanging down limply.

A scorching, uncontrollable surge of water-attribute soul power suddenly erupted!

It didn't just soak her battle robe; it even stained the dark fabric beneath her, leaving a small patch of water-attribute soul power.

The room was filled only with her broken and chaotic sounds, laced with extreme confusion and unbelievable bewilderment.

Mu Junyu ceased his sparring tactics.

He slowly withdrew his hand, looking at Qian Renxue, who was completely dazed, her cheeks flushed, her golden eyes shimmering with a layer of fragile dew.

She looked as if she had just been fished out of the moonlight, radiating a heart-stopping beauty and the alluring charm of someone who had been thoroughly teased.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice sounded unusually hoarse from suppressed excitement and triumph, carrying the declaration of a victor.

"Sister Xue... you, lost."

Before her consciousness had fully returned, her body had already sensed the anomaly first.

A warm and solid sense of confinement came from behind, pressing tightly against the curves of her spine.

An arm lay across her waist, carrying an undeniable weight and a sense of possessiveness.

His palm even rested unconsciously on her stomach, his warm body heat radiating continuously through her thin nightclothes.

Qian Renxue snapped her eyes open; the chaotic, shameful, and out-of-control memories of last night flooded her mind like a tide, causing her golden pupils to constrict sharply.

She had actually... lost.

Not only had she lost, but in that state of delirium and blurred consciousness, she had been forced to agree to that absurd, humiliating, and unequal treaty!

From this day forward, every night...

She would be at the mercy of the scoundrel behind her, engaging in what he called "Water Soul Power stimulation sparring."

The rules were even more outrageous—whoever lost control first would lose the night's contest, and the winner...

Seemed to have the right to do whatever they pleased? What was even more terrifying was that she only had ten chances! What would happen after ten times? Entering the next stage...

What was the next stage? What would it entail?

...She didn't dare to think...

At this moment, the culprit was holding her tightly from behind, his breathing steady and calm.

His chin was even resting on the crown of her head, and he was sleeping with immense sweetness and satisfaction.

A surge of extreme shame and anger rushed to her head, making her earlobes burn hot.

She wanted nothing more than to gather her soul power and blast this lecher away!

But the bet had been made, and she, Qian Renxue, was not someone who would go back on her word.

She lay stiffly, not daring to move an inch, fearing that she might wake the person behind her and lead to an even more awkward situation.

Yet, the more she suppressed it, the clearer her senses became.

The weight of his arm, the heartbeat coming from his chest, the breath with its unique scent brushing against the back of her neck...

Everything served as a reminder of how she had been utterly defeated in his hands last night, and how she had lost control...

Thinking of the changed bedsheets and the... sounds she had made.

Qian Renxue wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

She bit her lip hard, her heart filled with unwillingness and struggle.

This was even more mentally exhausting than any real battle.

Just then, the person behind her seemed to stir, and the arm across her waist tightened.

He even unconsciously rubbed his nose against the back of her neck, letting out a vague murmur:

"Sister Xue... so soft..."

"BOOM!"

All the blood in Qian Renxue's body seemed to rush to her face!

This bastard! Even in his sleep, he was taking liberties with her!

She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to kick him off the bed.

No, she couldn't lose her temper; if she lost her temper, she would lose!

This was only the first time; there were nine more chances... She would definitely win it back! She had to win it back!

But at the thought of having to endure similar or even more excessive "sparring" for the next nine nights.

A deep sense of powerlessness, mixed with fear and a secret tremor, gripped her.

The long, humiliating, and turbulent first day had only just begun. [Qian Renxue current progress: 65%]

The days that followed seemed to be split into two completely different worlds.

By day, she was the gentle, elegant, and studious crown prince, Xue Qinghe.

Dressed in luxurious imperial robes, she meticulously studied complex court etiquette.

She pored over obscure royal texts and discussed statecraft with the grand tutor.

Occasionally, she had to attend trivial court gatherings, where every word and action had to conform to the status of the heir to the Heaven Dou Empire.

She immersed herself in the role.

The curve of every smile and the angle of every nod were precisely calculated, perfect and impeccable.

Only she knew what kind of anxious and unwilling soul was hidden beneath this dignified facade.

The presence of Mu Junyu became erratic. Sometimes, he would follow behind "Xue Qinghe" as a page, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Those eyes, always carrying a hint of mockery and hidden meaning, would occasionally sweep over her, as if silently reminding her of the nightly bet.

It made the fingers holding her teacup pause slightly, and her spine straighten instinctively.

At other times, he would disappear without a trace.

Chapter 40: Yapping Like a Dog

When Mu Junyu disappeared, it usually meant he had changed into a set of inconspicuous coarse cloth garments.

He wore a cheap metal mask that covered the upper half of his face.

He would mingle among the motley crowd in the bustling streets of Tiantou City.

He lingered in noisy, rowdy taverns.

Sitting in the furthest corner, he would order a jug of the cheapest ale.

Yet, his ears would be pricked high, catching the grandiloquent chatter of the mercenaries, merchants, and peddlers around him.

He would squat on street corners, watching spirit masters bicker and brawl over trivial matters.

He listened to them boast about their battle records and the sects they belonged to.

He would even visit well-informed black markets or underground intelligence hubs, using a few Gold Soul Coins to pry open those greedy mouths.

He paid particular attention to any discussion related to the Martial Soul Hall.

"Hey, have you heard? The Martial Soul Hall is once again providing free martial soul awakenings for poor children over in Nuoding City. What a grand gesture!"

"Pfft, just buying people's hearts! Who knows what their true intentions are?"

"You can't say that. They really did something practical. It's still better than those noble lords who only know how to exploit us!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you have a death wish? The Martial Soul Hall has sharp ears!" "Sharp ears? I think they're just getting more and more arrogant! I heard that in the Bala Kingdom, the bishop of their branch hall doesn't even hold the king in high regard anymore."

"Sigh, anyway, for us common folk, we just follow whoever puts food on the table. But the spirit master subsidies from the Martial Soul Hall are indeed paid out promptly..."

Various voices, ranging from praise to criticism, drifted into Mu Junyu's ears in a chaotic jumble.

He listened silently, analyzing and piecing together those fragmented bits of information.

The reputation of the Martial Soul Hall was indeed high among the lower classes and low-level spirit masters due to the tangible benefits they provided.

However, among the nobles and neutral spirit master groups, fear and dissatisfaction were also quietly brewing.