It's common knowledge that when a person experiences extreme pain or intense stimulation, their body might instinctively lose control, resulting in incontinence.
Considering the immense pain and stimulation Dugu Yan just endured, the question was: what state was she in now?
Although Chen Ming had neutralized the paralyzing toxin, its effects hadn't fully worn off yet. Combined with the residual pain coursing through her body, Dugu Yan couldn't feel her current physical state.
As a soul master who had no understanding of physics, Dugu Yan suddenly found herself grappling with the concept of quantum superposition—simultaneously dreading and suspecting the worst but unable to confirm it.
She wanted to ask Chen Ming but was too embarrassed to speak. She tried to ignore the thought but couldn't muster enough indifference.
After a few minutes of silence, Chen Ming stood up, stretched out his arms, and prepared to carry Dugu Yan to the academy's medical staff.
Just as he was about to pick her up, Dugu Yan finally shut her eyes, her face flushed with embarrassment, and spoke softly.
"Um… can you wait a moment… just for a bit?"
"Huh? Wait for what?" Chen Ming asked, crouching back down and looking at her with confusion.
Feeling the warmth of his breath and the proximity of a boy her age, Dugu Yan felt her face burning even more. But to avoid becoming the center of gossip at the academy, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak.
"I think… my personal hygiene… might need a bit of attention…"
"Are you seriously worrying about your appearance at a time like this? Do you not care about your life?" Chen Ming replied, assuming Dugu Yan was concerned about her messy, tear-streaked face and disheveled hair. His tone carried a hint of frustration.
Hearing this, Dugu Yan gave up resisting, her voice trembling as she was on the verge of tears.
"I think… I might have… soiled myself…"
"…"
"…"
Chen Ming stiffened, lowering his gaze to Dugu Yan's skirt, which now showed a damp spot. His eyes then shifted to his pants, noticing a faintly wet patch. For a moment, he was completely speechless.
After a long pause, Chen Ming let out a sigh, giving up on trying to make sense of the situation. He pulled out a blanket from his storage soul tool—a blanket originally meant for outdoor emergencies—and prepared to wrap Dugu Yan up.
However, just as he was about to move, Dugu Yan hurriedly spoke again.
"Can you… help me clean up? I have spare clothes… and fresh water in my storage soul tool…" By the time she finished speaking, her voice was so faint that if Chen Ming's senses weren't sharp, he might not have heard her at all.
"Are you serious?"
Looking at Dugu Yan's resigned expression, Chen Ming glanced at the blanket in his hands, his movements stiff and hesitant.
"Yes…"
"In front of you, I've already… been exposed. If anyone else or one of the teachers sees me like this, I really… I won't survive it…"
"…"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure…"
"Will you promise not to give me trouble in the future?"
"… I won't."
"What if I just wrap you in more layers of blankets? No one will notice. Or I could go find Teacher Niu and have them bring a healing teacher over instead?"
"No… just… help me."
At that, Dugu Yan shut her eyes, refusing to say another word, though her face was now so red it looked like it might burst into flames.
With no other choice, Chen Ming carefully carried Dugu Yan to a corner, took out clean clothes and fresh water from her storage soul tool, and awkwardly cleaned her up.
As it turns out, even beautiful girls use the bathroom, and what they leave behind… well, it's just as unpleasant as anyone else's.
Chen Ming never imagined that in his life, he'd end up in a situation where he had to clean someone like this.
If it were a child of his or an elderly family member, he could accept it. But this… what exactly was this supposed to be?
After dressing the completely limp and compliant Dugu Yan like a life-sized doll, Chen Ming glanced down at his now-damp clothes. After a moment of silence, he stepped aside and quickly changed into a fresh outfit.
Carrying the feigning dead Dugu Yan in his arms, Chen Ming headed toward the cave entrance.
Outside, the rain had cleared, leaving a rainbow stretching across the edge of the sky. Niu Dali was sitting on a bench, basking in the sunlight, enjoying the post-rain scenery while munching on some watermelon.
When he saw Chen Ming emerge from the cave, carrying a red-faced, motionless Dugu Yan, Niu Dali was so shocked that he accidentally ate the watermelon rind he was about to toss aside. His hand, reaching for a piece of fried chicken, instead grabbed a chicken bone, which he mechanically shoved into his nose in his daze.
"What… what's going on here?"
"Teacher Niu, don't ask. Just pretend nothing happened today, okay?"
"But I… this…" Niu Dali started to rise, intending to check on the situation, but Dugu Yan, whose face had been buried against Chen Ming's chest, suddenly turned her head and shot him a death glare.
At that, Niu Dali froze in place. He slowly sat back down, picked up the watermelon rind he had just eaten, and began gnawing on it again like a machine.
"I didn't see anything… I didn't hear anything…"
Chen Ming sighed, shaking his head. Ignoring Niu Dali's bizarre behavior, he carried Dugu Yan and hurried off in the direction of the medical office.
Once Chen Ming's figure disappeared from view, Niu Dali finally removed the chicken bone lodged in his nostril. Lowering his head, he stared at the grass beneath his feet, utterly stunned.
"They… they changed clothes, didn't they? A man and a woman, alone in that cave… changing clothes. And now the girl can't even stand and has to be carried…"
"Oh my God! Am I going to be silenced by a titled Douluo for this?!"
The thought sent shivers down Niu Dali's spine. He immediately leaped to his feet, knocking over his fried chicken and watermelon without a second thought.
To ensure his survival, his mind began spinning like a helicopter blade. Before long, he came up with a desperate plan.
"The more people who know about this, the safer I'll be. I need to spread this around subtly and make it seem reasonable…"
"If I report this directly to the three board members, they might silence me. I'd better find someone whose soul power level is about the same as mine, someone who can't take me out too easily even if they try…"
With this thought, Qin Ming's face immediately came to mind.
Without wasting another moment, Niu Dali abandoned his post at the mimicry training field and sprinted off at full speed. Despite being a power-type soul master, the burst of speed he unleashed far surpassed that of most agility-type soul kings.