The more he ate, the more he wanted, until his tongue started to go slightly numb. Only then did Chu Men stop and quietly cast Powerful Inversion on himself...
Then he continued eating!
He seemed less like a gourmet savoring fine food and more like a fearless warrior charging into battle!
Conquering pufferfish!
After just a couple of bites, Xiao Wu was too numb to take any more. She stuck out her little tongue and was forced to retreat from the battle.
Ye Lingling, too, only dared to sample a little. There was no need to use her Martial Soul just for a bite of food.
As for Dugu Yan, she redirected her competitive spirit toward Chu Men after losing to Xiao Wu.
Seeing Chu Men eating with such relish, Dugu Yan didn't stop either!
Instead, she picked up the pace and polished off the entire plate of pufferfish in one go!
Just as she put down her knife and fork, ready to lift her proud little chin, her face suddenly turned pale.
At first, she felt only a mild cramping in her lower abdomen. She thought she had simply eaten too much and didn't pay it much mind.
But then a piercing pain shot through her abdomen, as if countless little snakes were gnawing at her organs. It quickly spread through her blood vessels and throughout her body!
The color drained from her lips before their eyes, leaving them a ghastly blue-green. Cold sweat instantly beaded across her forehead, and her vision began to blur.
Her body swayed, then she could no longer hold herself up and slumped toward Chu Men.
"Dugu Yan!"
Chu Men reacted quickly, catching her limp body in his arms. She felt icy cold to the touch.
Leaning against Chu Men, Dugu Yan's muscles convulsed uncontrollably. Her teeth chattered as she struggled to force a few words from her throat:
"My... stomach hurts..."
Even in this state, she stubbornly refused to admit she had been poisoned—
There was no other reason. It was just too embarrassing!
[Pufferfish are poisonous! I told you not to eat random things!]
[The Jade Phosphor Snake can get poisoned? Who'd believe that if you told them!]
[Chasing girls costs money; chasing boys costs your life. I'd only heard that before, but now I've seen it for real.]
Isn't this just suffering to save face? You're only a little Soul Grandmaster, not your grandfather. Do you really think you're invincible?
Chu Men grumbled inwardly, but his hands moved quickly.
He fed Dugu Yan the Antidote Tea the restaurant had prepared, but that only made things worse.
Seeing the blue-green hue on Dugu Yan's face growing darker, Ye Lingling immediately activated her Martial Soul. Healing light enveloped Dugu Yan, but this time it did little good.
"No!"
Ye Lingling's eyes reddened with panic.
"It's not pufferfish toxin—it's Jade Phosphor Snake venom! Her own poison has gone berserk! This isn't ordinary poisoning. I... I don't have enough Soul Power. I can only slow it down; I can't neutralize it!"
[Holy crap, this pufferfish is definitely something else!]
[The Dugu Clan's hereditary poison—did it just set it off early? Even Poison Douluo can't handle it!]
[Quick, go get the great ancestor Tang San!]
Chu Men thought for a moment, then summoned the Inversion Pen again.
"Hope this works!"
As Soul Power flowed into it, a faint purple glow shimmered along the pen.
Chu Men gently touched the Inversion Pen to Dugu Yan's abdomen.
"State Inversion!"
As an eerie purple light spread across Dugu Yan's body, she began to tremble violently.
Before long, the agony that had torn through her faded like a receding tide.
In its place came an indescribable, bone-deep tingling pleasure that burst from her abdomen and coursed through every cell in her body like an electric current.
A bewitching blush bloomed across her cheeks, spreading down her fair neck to her delicate collarbones.
Her unfocused eyes turned watery and dazed, and her long lashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
Her lips parted slightly, releasing an uncontrollable, soft moan, sweet enough to melt the bones.
She rested limply in Chu Men's arms, her muscles contracting unnaturally as she clutched the front of his clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Her body still trembled faintly, as if she were immersed in some ultimate bliss and unable to pull herself free!
The air froze!
Xiao Wu's eyes widened, her little mouth forming an O. The shaved ice in her hand nearly fell to the ground.
Ye Lingling was also stunned. She didn't even notice that the light of the Nine-Heart Begonia in her hand had faded, staring blankly at the bizarre scene.
[Holy crap, what kind of steamy scene is this?!]
[The Inversion Pen turns pain into pleasure! Good grief! Streamer, you're too good at this!]
[Everyone, look at Dugu Yan's eyes! She's already fallen hard. That's a huge leap in their relationship progress. She's done for!]
[Dugu Yan: I think I've just opened the door to a whole new world...]
[Streamer: I was only trying to save someone. I don't know anything!]
[I give this move full marks. Screenshot for the record—what a legendary scene! Everyone should watch this over and over. I could watch this part a hundred times!]
[To be honest, I have a bold idea...]
The poison's assault on Dugu Yan's body turned into nourishment, and her resistance to poison rose rapidly.
Soon, the rampaging poison gradually settled. Her resistance surpassed the poison's potency, and her body grew calm.
Only her lower abdomen still twitched faintly from time to time.
And as a blessing in disguise, she successfully advanced, reaching level twenty-seven in Soul Power!
The exhilaration of breaking through brought Dugu Yan sharply back to her senses.
She realized what she had just looked like, and her little face flushed red all over again.
She hurriedly pulled herself out of Chu Men's arms, lowering her head and daring not to look anyone in the eye. She was so red that steam seemed ready to rise from the top of her head.
She had never experienced that kind of sensation in her life!
And it had happened in Chu Men's arms, after he used such a miraculous Martial Soul on her...
Dugu Yan stole a glance at Chu Men, her heart racing.
Teacher Chu was only a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy, yet he was exceptionally talented and so interesting. He had just saved her, and he was so com...
The more Dugu Yan thought, the redder her face grew.
Her countless thoughts flowed like a clear spring, endlessly nourishing the affection in her heart that had taken root and begun to sprout long ago.
"Th... thank you, Chu... Chu..."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was fainter than a mosquito's buzz.
Ye Lingling finally came to her senses too. Looking at Chu Men, whose forehead was beaded with sweat, she said a little sheepishly:
"Teacher Chu, I couldn't do much to help just now. Let me heal you too and restore some of your Soul Power!"
"The Nine-Heart Begonia can restore Soul Power?"
Chu Men asked in confusion as he accepted Ye Lingling's help. Dugu Yan's poison had been so fierce that he had indeed used up quite a bit of strength. "I think I forgot..."
A pale pink healing light struck Chu Men.
"Pfft—"
Chu Men suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps.
Damn!
He'd forgotten that the effects of Powerful Inversion were still on him!
The Nine-Heart Begonia's healing power, pure to the extreme, became absolute damage when it reached him!
And it was comprehensive, unadulterated damage!
Without a single impurity!
Clutching his chest, Chu Men wore an utterly defeated expression.
Ye Lingling was so shocked that she cried out, "What happened? I... I didn't mean to!"
Xiao Wu was terrified. She hurried over to support Chu Men, tears almost spilling from her eyes.
"Creepy Uncle, what's wrong? Were you poisoned too?"
Dugu Yan had no time to feel embarrassed. She hurried forward to check on Chu Men, her face full of worry.
"I-I'm fine. Really, I'm fine." Chu Men waved a hand and gave a bitter smile.
The livestream audience was laughing themselves silly:
[Hahahaha, the streamer nearly got healed to death by the Nine-Heart Begonia!]
[The Inversion Pen's natural enemy—its nemesis, the Healing Goddess Ye Lingling!]
[Ye Lingling: I just wanted to refill his mana. I didn't expect... The patient's body was too weak; he couldn't handle the boost!]
[The most pitiful protagonist in history! He'd just saved someone, then his teammate stabbed him in the back!]
[Ye Lingling should stay away from the streamer from now on. Otherwise, she'll accidentally heal him to death one day, hahaha!]
Lin Xiaoyu was laughing like a hundred-pound child in the livestream chat.
"Hahaha, this is too funny! Who would've thought our Great Emperor Chu Men's weakness would be this!"
Before you continue