Su Zui returned to the Saintess Hall under the moonlight.
He remained melancholy throughout the journey.
It seems the teacher's inner conflict is more serious than she imagined.
However, today is already a good start. Maybe in the future, the teacher will tell me the truth.
Perhaps by then, the relationship between Xue'er and her teacher will gradually improve.
Su Zui raised her hand and pushed open the door. Two maids, who had been standing with their heads bowed, quickly stepped forward carrying a gilded tea tray with warm flower tea in jade cups.
The maids dared not say a word. After serving the tea, they bowed and withdrew, their footsteps extremely light, and they closed the door silently.
The hall was eerily quiet, with only the crackling of the candlelight on the table, its flickering orange glow casting long and short shadows on the walls.
Upon hearing that Su Zui had returned, Qian Renxue on the bed trembled slightly at first. The next moment, she turned around and threw herself into Su Zui's arms, her forehead pressed against his firm chest.
At this moment, Qian Renxue's long-suppressed emotions burst forth, and warm tears soaked through Su Zui's robe, a small dark stain slowly spreading.
She didn't wail; instead, she pressed her lips tightly together, her shoulders trembling with sobs. Her muffled cries were muffled by his clothes, her nasal tone so heavy that her words were almost inaudible.
"Su Zui, I don't understand..."
Her voice was broken and choked with sobs. "Just now she was much gentler, I could feel it, when she looked at me she wasn't completely indifferent. I even secretly thought that this time, she was willing to tell me a few honest words. But as soon as I asked about what happened back then, she immediately dodged the question, shutting me off completely, refusing to tell me even a single word of the truth."
She raised her head slightly, her eyes red-rimmed, her long eyelashes wet and stuck together, her eyes filled with an unyielding sense of bewilderment and grievance.
"Did I do something wrong? Why does she prefer to keep such a distance from me, letting me misunderstand her forever, rather than explain what happened back then? It seems no matter how hard I try, I can't get into her heart."
Since she was a child, she had been longing for this kind of mother-daughter affection.
She was the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, possessing unparalleled talent. With her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, devoting all his resources to her cultivation, and with the entire Spirit Hall as her backing, others envied her for being born at a height that others could not reach. But only she knew that there was always an empty space in her heart. That space belonged only to Bibi Dong.
Countless times she secretly hoped for a reconciliation between mother and daughter, hoping they could put aside their differences and have a proper conversation.
But Bibi Dong always maintained that aloof demeanor, and the occasional tenderness she revealed was like a fleeting moment, vanishing without a trace when you reached out to grasp it.
Having faced death on the Hell Road, she thought things would be different upon her return, but reality still dealt her a silent but devastating blow.
Su Zui raised his hand and gently placed his palm over her long hair, his movements extremely light, soothing her hair strand by strand.
He didn't rush to speak, didn't rush to defend Bibi Dong, and certainly didn't follow her lead to criticize Bibi Dong's indifference.
He could sense how heavy the burden Bibi Dong carried was; those deep-seated past events could crush the emotions of a Level 98 Super Douluo and the Pope of the Spirit Hall.
Su Zui held Qian Renxue quietly, letting her release all the emotions she had accumulated over the years. Only when her sobs gradually subsided and her shoulders stopped trembling violently did he slowly lower his head, his deep and gentle voice whispering in her ear.
"Xiao Xue, don't rush to deny it. I can assure you, teacher, she definitely loves you."
Qian Renxue, nestled in his arms, was slightly startled. She raised her head slightly, her eyes, red from crying, staring blankly at him, the corners of her eyes still moist and red.
"But she... she's never been honest with me."
"She has her own unspeakable difficulties."
Su Zui gently interrupted her, his gaze steady and earnest, settling firmly into her eyes. "Calm down and think about it carefully. If she didn't care about you at all, why would she be so worried about your safety?"
"It was the same in the Pope Palace just now. Didn't she show you her gentle side too? It's just that she was carrying too heavy a burden."
Su Zui's fingertips brushed against her back as she continued calmly, "Her choice to remain silent about the past isn't because she doesn't care about you. Quite the opposite, it's because those truths are too heavy and sordid, containing decades of pain and darkness she's carried. Once those things are laid bare, not only will they tear her apart, but you will be dragged into that boundless mire as well."
She dared not say, and could not say.
Su Zui had seen Bibi Dong alone deep within the Pope Hall, and witnessed the weariness and pain hidden in the shadows after she shed her Pope majesty.
It was an abyss into which even the Mingdu could not penetrate, where hatred, humiliation, and curses piled up, making it impossible for her to move an inch.
She is the Pope of the Spirit Hall, revered by all, wielding supreme power. Everyone thinks she is ruthless and ambitious.
But Su Zui knew that she was both very fragile and very resilient inside.
She would rather swallow all the secrets alone, rather let Qian Renxue misunderstand her as cold and distant, than drag her daughter into that endless darkness.
Qian Renxue listened blankly, tears still clinging to her cheeks, slowly sliding down her chin. The sharp resentment in her heart hadn't completely dissipated, but her previously firm resolve had begun to waver.
"An unspeakable secret..." she repeated softly, her brows furrowing slightly, her mind in turmoil. "Is that really it? For so many years, I've always felt that there's an invisible wall between her and me, a distance so vast that it seems we can never truly reach each other."
"It's true." Su Zui raised her right hand, gently wiping away the remaining tear stains on her cheek with her fingertips, the warmth of her touch. "You need to see the changes. The rift between you is slowly narrowing; this is a good start. Don't force her to reveal all her bloody secrets in an instant. And don't force yourself to immediately let go of the years of accumulated disappointment and force yourself to let go."
Take your time.
"Her refusal to speak out is a shackle that binds her. But you must remember, the concern hidden beneath her cold exterior is real. It's just that she's in too much pain and too afraid, so she chose the clumsiest and most hurtful way to protect you."
Qian Renxue remained silent for a moment, then relaxed her body, gently leaning back against his chest and closing her eyes. The steady, powerful beat of his heart filled her ears, calm and reassuring.
The candlelight flickered, casting two intertwined shadows on the smooth palace wall, a scene both quiet and warm.
She still didn't know what terrifying past Bibi Dong carried, nor when the barrier separating mother and daughter would finally crumble. She couldn't see the road ahead, nor how much longer she had to wait.
But at least for now, she wasn't alone. Su Zui was by her side, willing to stay with her and help her understand the maternal love hidden beneath her indifference, a love that was difficult to express.
The hall remained silent for a long time before Qian Renxue's voice rang out softly, faint yet resolute.
"Then... I won't rush her to tell the truth anymore. I won't pressure her."
Su Zui responded softly, tightening his arms slightly to hold her firmly in his embrace.
"Yes, let's wait together. Until the day she's willing to take the initiative to speak."
Outside the hall, the night was deep, with Dark Clouds partially obscuring the stars and moon in the sky. The evening breeze swept across the layers of the Spirit Hall, stirring the silver bells on the eaves and sending out delicate chimes.
Behind the window at the highest point of the main hall of the Pope Hall, directly facing the direction of the Saintess Hall, a purplish-black figure was silently hidden in the thick, impenetrable shadow.
Bibi Dong was dressed in a magnificent and dignified Pope robe, but her fingers, hanging at her sides, were clenched so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms.
From a distance, she gazed at the window of the Saintess Hall, which emitted a warm yellow candlelight, her eyes swirling with a sorrow, struggle, and forbearance that no one else could ever understand.
After seeing Qian Renxue off, she didn't immediately return to the inner palace. Instead, she inexplicably ended up here and happened to overhear the conversation coming from inside.
Bibi Dong's lips trembled slightly, a sour feeling welling up in her throat, but she couldn't make a sound.
She would rather Qian Renxue continue to misunderstand her, rather the mother and daughter remain forever separated by a barrier, than let Qian Renxue know the truth of what happened back then.
After a long while, a very soft sigh dissipated in the night wind.
Bibi Dong took one last, deep look at the warm candlelight, all the emotions that had been revealed in her purple-gold eyes vanishing, replaced by the cold, indifferent Pope mask. She slowly took a step back, her figure completely merging into the boundless darkness, disappearing silently behind the window.
Night deepened.
Meanwhile, on the roof of the Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu sat quietly at the highest point, looking down with a complicated expression.
After a long silence, Qian Daoliu Youyou out a soft sigh, "Alas... you unfilial son, you should have died cleanly, leaving me to clean up this mess..."