"I don't want to go."
Qian Renxue raised her eyes slightly, meeting Qian Daoliu's gentle gaze as she softly uttered those words.
"All right, then you won't."
Qian Daoliu gently stroked Qian Renxue's hair, then looked down at Bibi Dong. "This plan is scrapped."
His calm, unruffled voice rang through the hall.
And with those words, the plan Bibi Dong had proposed was declared dead.
Hearing Qian Daoliu's words, Bibi Dong glanced at the papers scattered across the floor, then at Qian Renxue beside him. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but nothing else.
She had already prepared herself for the possibility that the Worship Hall would reject her plan, so she was hardly surprised.
The only thing that puzzled her was Qian Renxue's unhesitating refusal. After all, judging by her attitude during their conversation the night before, Qian Renxue had seemed inclined to agree.
"Very well."
Bibi Dong nodded lightly, then closed her eyes as though resting.
Standing behind Guangling, Bai Wanwan picked up the papers from the floor and quickly skimmed them. The plan was indeed extremely detailed, with almost no flaws.
The plan had only two central objectives: first, to gain control of the Heaven Dou Empire's million-strong army; second, to ensure that Spirit Hall would have no threats at its back when it went to war.
Strictly speaking, fulfilling the first objective alone would be enough.
Spirit Hall could assemble a force of roughly a hundred thousand Soul Masters. Although that sounded like a great many, it would not actually be enough if war truly broke out.
Spirit City lay on the border between the two great empires. If Bibi Dong's scheme succeeded, there would naturally be no problem. If it failed, however, the two great empires would inevitably join forces, just as they had in the original story.
Once the two great empires allied and forced them to fight on two fronts, a hundred thousand Soul Masters would naturally no longer be enough.
But if they gained control of the Heaven Dou Empire's army and used it to offset the Star Luo Empire's military advantage, Spirit Hall's elite fighters and the Soul Master army it could muster would turn the situation around.
And gaining control of an empire's army did not necessarily require infiltrating the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Another approach could work just as well.
Her azure eyes fluttered a few times. Bai Wanwan lowered the papers in her hands, leaned close to Guangling's ear, and began whispering to him.
"Grandpa, I think it would be a shame to abandon this plan entirely. Why don't we make a few changes, keeping its original objectives but carrying it out a different way?"
"Going undercover isn't a good approach, but it isn't the only way to put the plan into action. For example..."
As he listened to Bai Wanwan, Guangling's eyes brightened almost imperceptibly. After giving her an approving look, he began considering whether her method was feasible.
Although Bai Wanwan's proposal was only a rough outline, its clearest advantage was that the Young Master would not have to go undercover, nor would whoever carried it out have to sacrifice their youth. Success would achieve the original plan's goals, while failure would still bring some benefits. They could also deny any involvement, leaving nothing that could be traced back to Spirit Hall.
In short, it was worth a try.
Its drawback was that it was not sufficiently developed. The rough framework was in place, and some elements of the original plan could be incorporated, but certain parts still needed to be revised according to the actual circumstances. They would have to identify and fill the gaps, ultimately ensuring that every step linked seamlessly with the next without any flaws.
After turning it over carefully in his mind.
Guangling reached out to stroke Bai Wanwan's hair, then looked toward Qian Daoliu in the seat of honor and relayed the method she had just proposed.
Of course, what Guangling presented was his refined version 2.0, not the version 1.0 Bai Wanwan had suggested.
Once Guangling finished explaining, the hall gradually fell silent.
The worshippers looked thoughtful as they considered the method's feasibility.
Bibi Dong opened her eyes then and looked at Guangling and Bai Wanwan beside him, but remained silent throughout.
After a while.
Azure Luan slowly raised his head. "Eldest Brother, there's nothing wrong with this approach, but the specifics will need to be refined and supplemented according to the actual circumstances."
"The Holy Maiden and I would be the best suited to handle that process."
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly at those words, then turned an inquiring gaze toward Bibi Dong.
"Agreed."
"But this certainly won't be something we can finish in a short time."
Bibi Dong considered it only briefly before nodding her agreement.
"Then let's leave it at that for now."
"Azure Luan and the Holy Maiden will refine this plan first."
With that, Qian Daoliu rose from his seat, took Qian Renxue's hand, and headed out of the hall.
His departure brought the matter to a close for the time being.
The worshippers rose from their seats one after another and headed outside.
When Bai Wanwan followed Guangling out of the hall, she found that the sky had already grown very dark.
"Wanwan, go back and get some rest."
"You still have training with Golden Crocodile tomorrow."
Guangling held one hand behind his back while twirling a small arrow in the other.
"Grandpa, I'll head back and rest, then."
With that, Bai Wanwan set off for her room.
The next day.
Bai Wanwan spent the morning doing her usual training with Golden Crocodile.
In the afternoon, however, she followed Guangling out of the Papal Hall and onto Spirit City's bustling streets.
"Grandpa, where are we going?"
Bai Wanwan looked at Guangling walking ahead of her as she rubbed her aching arms.
Her morning training had still been quite intense. As Golden Crocodile put it, the more sweat she shed in training, the fewer injuries she would suffer and the less blood she would spill in future battles.
So after finishing her morning training, Bai Wanwan had originally planned to rest for a while, chat with her older sister, or read some books about Martial Souls.
"I'm taking you to buy a few more formal outfits."
"The Pope's inauguration ceremony is tomorrow. You'll need to dress a little more formally, not too casually."
Guangling spoke very casually.
At his words, Bai Wanwan suddenly perked up. Her back no longer ached, her legs no longer hurt, and even running another five kilometers in one go seemed perfectly manageable.
She hurried a few steps to Guangling's side, her azure eyes constantly scanning both sides of the street as though searching for a suitable shop.
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