Mother and Daughter

Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue's lips twitched slightly. She couldn't very well change her story and say that she was Bibi Dong's daughter.

The room fell silent as she remained so, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Seeing this, Su Cheng took the initiative to get up, clean up the broken teacup shards on the table, and then took out a brand new cup to pour tea for her. He calmly asked, "Why are you so angry as soon as we meet? Is it because of what happened back then? Did it cause you a lot of harm?"

As he spoke, he glanced again at the shattered door behind him. "If that's the case, then I apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Qian Renxue scoffed, her expression disdainful.

"It's not very sincere to just say it." Su Cheng placed the freshly poured tea in front of her. "How about this, if you need any help from me in the future, just let me know. I will do my best to help you with anything I can."

Qian Renxue glanced at him and said calmly, "If I ask you to leave Bibi Dong, would you agree?"

"..."

Seeing Su Cheng remain silent, Qian Renxue sneered and waved her hand irritably, "Fine, do whatever you want. Let's just pretend that what happened back then never happened."

From her perspective, it's really not a good time to criticize Su Cheng; saying too much would just seem like being unreasonable.

Should we blame the other person for breaking their promise when they were young and running away after they parted ways?

But as Su Cheng initially said, it is perfectly normal for Soul Master to choose to join a more promising faction.

At that time, he neither signed a contract of servitude nor received any benefits, so why should he be obligated to risk his life for you?

Even among the disciples who joined the various factions, there were many who defected, let alone those who had only reached a verbal agreement.

Or perhaps it's because of the lie in his words?

However, even if he had been Xue Beng out of nothing, his level of sophistication meant that bringing it up repeatedly would only make him a laughingstock.

Moreover, in terms of factions alone, the two are now on the same side.

Based on Su Cheng's demonstrated talent and cultivation, joining the Spirit Hall would only bring benefits and no harm to Qian Renxue.

Where else can you find Titled Douluo around twenty years old, with a buy-one-get-one-free deal?

At this moment, Su Cheng spoke up, "May I ask your name, young lady?"

"Qian Renxue".

"Didn't you say before that you were Bibi Dong's sister?"

"The two of us are a special case." Qian Renxue frowned impatiently, seemingly unwilling to explain further.

Su Cheng nodded slightly and didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he said, "Since you are the Pope's younger sister, you must have a high and special status in the Spirit Hall. Yet you chose to go to the Heaven Dou Empire to impersonate the First Prince Xue Qinghe. You must have a special mission. Could you tell me more about it?"

Qian Renxue glanced at him with a mocking expression and said indifferently, "It seems that Bibi Dong has not told you anything."

"As I said, I have no interest in the power of the Spirit Hall, and my feelings for her are mutual. There is no question of her trying to curry favor with me. It's not that she doesn't want to talk about it, it's that I didn't want to pry into those secrets. I've always relied on my own cultivation to improve my strength."

"So what are you asking about now?"

"You misunderstood. I just noticed you were in a bad mood and guessed it might be because my actions back then ruined some of your plans, so I wanted to find out more and see if I could make amends."

Actually, Su Cheng was just curious.

Although he had guessed earlier that Xiao Xue's plan to usurp the country would most likely end in failure, he couldn't figure out why.

Especially with Xue Qinghe already dead from Xue Beng, he should have been as secure as Mount Tai as the only heir of the royal family.

Even if the truth about the assassination of the other princes is exposed, they will still remain invincible.

However, Qian Renxue was unaware of his true thoughts at this moment, and her feelings became increasingly complicated, with a touch of bitterness.

For some reason, at this moment she actually hoped that Su Cheng was after the power of the Spirit Hall Pope and wouldn't act so "selfless".

"... Forget it, this mission failure isn't really your fault, and you don't need to worry or feel guilty about it. There's no need to make amends. As for telling you about the plan from back then, it won't hurt, since our operations have already been exposed anyway."

She couldn't very well say that it was precisely those rumors between Su Cheng and Bibi Dong that caused her anxiety and unease, which became the root cause of all the changes.

In fact, Qian Renxue didn't care who Bibi Dong liked or who she got together with.

She knew from the beginning that there was no affection between her parents, and because of this, she was even hated and resented by Bibi Dong from a young age.

However, when she learned that the male protagonist of the story was Su Cheng, she felt extremely annoyed, and for a time it was so severe that she couldn't eat or sleep...

Qian Renxue gently turned the teacup in her hand, looked down at the smooth, clear tea inside, which quietly reflected a pair of captivating phoenix eyes.

She found it hard to understand why this young man, whom she had only met once, could leave such a deep impression on her.

Seven or eight years have passed since that first meeting.

This person's image did not fade with time; instead, it became more vivid and lifelike.

As a descendant of the Angels with an Innate Soul Power level of 20, he is not afraid of any young Soul Master because of his extraordinary talent.

As for looks, that's even more impossible. Su Cheng is indeed good-looking, but compared to those special Martial Soul inheritors who are ridiculously handsome, he still falls short, and he's far inferior to his sister with her terrible personality.

Is it because of temperament?

But is temperament really that captivating? Besides, what kind of temperament can a ten-year-old kid possibly have...?

After a long silence, Qian Renxue said calmly, "It's not that I'm shirking responsibility, but the failure of this mission was largely due to bad luck..."

Then, she briefly recounted what had happened in Heaven Dou City.

After hearing her words, Su Cheng realized that this matter was indeed related to him, but Qian Renxue was unaware of it.

After the Spirit Master Competition ended, Zhu Zhuqing returned to the Star Luo Empire to seize power.

Under the powerful influence of the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul, many noble forces who were dissatisfied with the current power distribution among the Star Luo Empire elites invested in the Netherworld Zhu Family, greatly increasing the influence of the Hell Spirit Cat lineage in the Star Luo Empire.

Ultimately, the Star Luo Empire was nothing more than an alliance of nobles. An emperor of an empire at the level of Titled Douluo couldn't possibly suppress all the nobles single-handedly. Moreover, the White Tiger Dai Family's current prestige was partly due to their Martial Soul Fusion Skill formed with the Hell Spirit Cat.

After five years, Zhu Zhuqing returned to the Heaven Dou Empire to meet with her former teammates and plotted to seize the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's national treasure Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. Thus, she tried every means to investigate the royal family's secrets through various channels.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family was naturally aware of the chaos within the Star Luo Empire's upper echelons and was also considering using Zhu Zhuqing, a key figure, to their advantage, which gave them more opportunities to interact.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family was unaware that Zhu Zhuqing coveted their family heirloom, assuming she had other unknown motives, which made Qian Renxue, the imposter crown prince, wary.

In addition, she was already troubled by the rumors about Su Cheng and Bibi Dong, which led her to neglect one thing and inadvertently reveal many flaws.

Besides Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San, the son of Clear Sky Douluo, also returned to Heaven Dou City.

With the help of Dugu Bo, who has a close personal relationship with Prince Xue Xing, and with the interplay of various forces, a series of old stories resurfaced, ultimately causing Qian Renxue's attempt to usurp the throne to fail.

"... It's truly a pity, so close." After a long silence, Su Cheng sighed softly, remarking, "You two sisters have such similar experiences in some ways..."

"How is it similar!"

Qian Renxue shouted angrily, her face showing displeasure.

She hates it when people compare her to Bibi Dong.

If she could, she wouldn't even want to have anything to do with that woman.

Su Cheng was not interrupted by her sharp rebuke. Instead, he looked directly at her and said in a deep voice, "Although I cannot fully empathize with you, I can imagine some of the scenes just from your description. To Infiltration the treacherous imperial court alone at such a young age and endure twenty years of loneliness is by no means a pleasant experience. You cannot enjoy the love of your family, the companionship of your friends... and even the little power you gain in the process is meaningless to you."

"..." Qian Renxue's eyes flickered, but she remained silent.

From childhood to adulthood, everyone who met her would marvel at her extraordinary talent and believe that she would surely achieve great things in the future, even possessing the potential to become a god.

But no one, including her parents, ever cared about her growth and feelings, or asked her if she really wanted all of this.

It seemed as if this was a mission she was naturally obligated to shoulder.

She was already tired of hearing praise, and she didn't need anyone's compliments.

Because those people simply cannot understand how much effort and sweat she put in, and what kind of pain and suffering she endured in order to obtain these powers.

So far, this man is the only one who has discovered the blood, sweat, and hardship hidden beneath his glamorous exterior.

But unfortunately, he was Bibi Dong's man...

"... Bibi Dong is just like you. What she wants may not be the Pope; she is also enduring the torment of loneliness."

"Alright."

Qian Renxue's expression turned cold; she didn't want to listen anymore.

She stood up abruptly and said calmly, "Since you care about her so much, then stay by her side and take care of her mental illness so she won't be so crazy anymore."

After saying that, she seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end she pursed her lips and left the room.

The moment she stepped out of the broken door, she felt as if a piece of her heart had been emptied, and a strong sense of bitterness spread throughout her body.

Her eyes reddened, and she almost burst into tears.

But she quickly suppressed these inexplicable emotions, looked straight ahead, and walked towards the Elder Hall...

Watching Qian Renxue's departing figure, Su Cheng sighed.

As expected, words alone could not resolve the deep-seated conflict between the mother and daughter that had accumulated over the years.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

The sudden voice made Bibi Dong tremble. She looked towards the hall door in a panic and saw Su Cheng standing there staring at her.

"It's nothing." Bibi Dong looked away, avoiding Su Cheng's gaze, and said softly, "Qian Renxue came to see you?"

"Yes, they just left my place."

"She told you everything?"

"What did you say? That you have a younger sister who lives far away?"

"Sister?" Bibi Dong was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Yes, Qian Renxue said she's your sister," Su Cheng said casually. "I did read in a book recording the history of the Spirit Hall that the Pope the Spirit Hall was passed down from the Qian Clan Lineage, and all of them possessed the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. I used to wonder why your situation was different. Was it Martial Soul Mutation? But it doesn't seem like the two of you are related by blood."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "No, we are related by blood."

After that, there was another silence.

Then, with great difficulty, he uttered the next sentence. "She is actually my daughter."

"I see. I knew you two didn't look like sisters." Su Cheng nodded thoughtfully and made a casual comment.

"..."

Bibi Dong looked up in surprise at Su Cheng, who seemed completely unconcerned.

This surprise even overshadowed the fear and unease surging within him, and he asked blankly, "You don't have anything to say?"

"What did I say?" Su Cheng blinked, then suddenly realized, "Oh, your genes are good, your daughter is beautiful and talented, but it seems she has a lot of opinions about you."

"... That's not what I meant... You... don't you care that I lied to you?"

"What did you lie to me about? You haven't told me much about the past." He rested his chin on his hand and pondered, "Qian Renxue... then she must be your daughter with the Former Pope, right? But there's nothing I can do, I was born too late, otherwise he wouldn't have had a chance."

"Yes, thirty years ago, Qian Xunji ..." Bibi Dong's voice suddenly lowered when she mentioned this name, and a look of pain and hatred flashed in her eyes.

"Alright, Dong'er. Qian Xunji has been dead for decades. Now that you're with me, I thought you'd forgotten him long ago." Su Cheng suddenly spoke, calmly interrupting her and changing the subject. "But speaking of which, your daughter does resemble you quite a bit."

"Very similar?" Bibi Dong was taken aback upon hearing this.

Compared to herself, Bibi Dong always felt that Qian Renxue was more like her father.

Cold-blooded, arrogant, ruthless, and willing to do anything to achieve their goals...

It was precisely because Bibi Dong could often see the shadow of her father in this daughter that she grew increasingly disgusted with her, and even hoped that they would never see each other again.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about her appearance, I was talking about her experiences and her state of mind."

Su Cheng's voice remained as calm as ever, as if all the truths he had learned today were trivial matters that were not worth mentioning.

His calm demeanor subtly influenced Bibi Dong, gradually calming her down.

The old wounds and pains stirred up by Qian Renxue's return are being gently soothed little by little.