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for Advance Chapter
Time passed, and it was unclear for how long.
Perhaps minutes, perhaps hours.
When Zhu Zhuqing collapsed from exhaustion, the dark green lines in Dugu Yan's body had mostly receded. Her breathing stabilized, and her eyes returned to normal; although she was still very weak, at least... she was alive. A faint, sticky sheen of mixed sweat and arousal coated both girls' skin where they had been pressed together.
Mo Bai supported Zhu Zhuqing and placed her in a nearby chair.
"Well done," he said.
Zhu Zhuqing couldn't speak. All the soul power in her body had been drained, her meridians were like a dried-up riverbed, and every inch of muscle was in pain. Between her legs, her own pussy throbbed with unfulfilled need from the intense soul power merging.
On the bed, Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes.
She stared at the ceiling for a long time. Then, she raised her hand and touched her face.
Those snake scale lines... had faded.
They were almost invisible.
She turned her head, looking at Mo Bai, and then at Zhu Zhuqing slumped in the chair.
"...Who are you?" Her voice was as raspy as a broken bellows.
"The person who saved you," Mo Bai said.
Dugu Yan fell silent. She could feel it—the toxins that had tortured her for over a decade had, for the first time... settled down. They were still there, but they were no longer darting around, no longer gnawing at her organs. They were bound within the embryonic poison core, like a beast finally locked in a cage. A strange, lingering warmth pulsed deep in her lower abdomen, almost like she had been thoroughly filled and claimed.
"How did you do it?" she asked.
Mo Bai didn't answer. He walked to the table, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Dugu Yan.
"Your spirit has an innate defect," he said. "You carried mixed toxins since you were in the womb. Every time you possess your spirit or obtain a new poison soul ring, it exacerbates the toxic erosion, but if you don't cultivate, you won't be able to withstand the poison either."
Dugu Yan took the water, her hands shaking.
"What I just did was mend the leak a little bit," Mo Bai continued. "But it's only temporary. Your poison core structure is unstable; next time the poison erupts, it will leak again."
"Then... can it be completely mended?"
"It can." Mo Bai looked at her. "But you need to pay a price."
"What price?"
Mo Bai didn't answer immediately. He walked to the window, watching the sky outside gradually darken.
"Your poison is a curse, but it is also power," he said. "But your current method is wrong. You are 'suppressing' it, 'enduring' it. If you continue like this, you will only be consumed to death by it."
He turned around, his gaze falling on Dugu Yan's face.
"What I want to teach you is... to 'harness' it. Make your poison obey you."
Dugu Yan gripped the water glass tightly. Her knuckles turned white.
"How do I harness it?"
Mo Bai walked to the bedside, leaned down, and lifted her chin with his finger.
"Like taming a wild beast." His voice was low, carrying a certain alluring quality. "First let it go hungry, let it grow weak, let it know who the master is. Then... feed it, nurture it, let it become a part of your body."
His fingertip brushed over the residual lines on the side of Dugu Yan's neck.
"This process will be very painful. More painful than the eruption of the poison. And..." he paused, "You need a 'primer.' Someone who can withstand your poison, guide your poison, and make your poison 'recognize its master.'"
Dugu Yan's pupils contracted.
"Are you saying..."
"I am saying," Mo Bai straightened up, "I can teach you. But you must think clearly—once you start, there is no turning back. Your poison, your body, your soul power... everything will be fundamentally changed."
The room fell quiet.
Only the sound of Zhu Zhuqing's weak breathing remained.
After a long time, Dugu Yan spoke:
"Teach me."
Two words. Raspy, but firm.
Mo Bai smiled. A very faint smile.
"Good," he said. "Starting tomorrow. Now, rest."
He helped Zhu Zhuqing up, preparing to leave.
"Wait." Dugu Yan called out to him. "What is your name?"
"Mo Bai."
"Mo Bai..." Dugu Yan repeated once. "I'll remember it."
Mo Bai nodded and led Zhu Zhuqing out of the room.
The door closed.
Dugu Yan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
She raised her hand and looked at her palm. There, a dark gold line was faintly visible, like a small snake coiled at the beginning of her lifeline.
That was Mo Bai's blood.
And also her... new beginning.