The wind on the hillside slowed in the night. Lights still shone in the distant Spirit City, but their glow did not reach this slope.
Once Qian Renxue had settled against him, Xiao Yun did not speak right away. They sat quietly for a long while before he asked softly, "Do you want to know about Pope Bibi Dong's past—your mother's past?"
Qian Renxue lifted her head from his shoulder, her eyes stirring slightly. "I looked into it before, but I couldn't find anything. Every lead stopped at the same point, as though someone had deliberately erased them. Later, Grandpa told me to stop looking, so I did."
Xiao Yun looked at her. "If I told you I knew what happened to her, would you still want to hear it?"
As he spoke, Qian Renxue laid a hand over his. Her fingers pressed down slightly, as though she needed to be sure she truly wanted to know.
She looked at him, her voice softer and steadier than usual. "Whatever her past was like, I want to know. I don't want to go on without understanding why she hates me so much."
Xiao Yun took her hand in his. He did not begin at once. First, he shifted so she could lean against him more comfortably. Then he told her the story.
"Your mother, Bibi Dong, wasn't always the way she is now. She was extraordinarily gifted. She had Twin Martial Souls: the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul Devouring Spider Empress. Even in Spirit Hall's history, that was rare. Back then, the pope was Qian Xunji—your father. Your mother was his personal disciple, the Saintess of Spirit Hall whom everyone recognized. Spirit Hall devoted its resources to raising her. If everything had gone as planned, she would have succeeded your