Gifts—A Little Coaxing Makes It All Better

"Crackle!"

The bonfire stood out vividly against the night. The Blazing Rock Snakes had already been skewered over the flames, sizzling as fat dripped from them and releasing a rich aroma.

Controlling the heat of the fire, Ye Lingyuan smiled. "Blazing Rock Snakes are venomous, but their flesh has some detoxifying properties and is highly nourishing. You can eat more."

"Whoosh—"

Ji Wushuang took down a Blazing Rock Snake, pulled out the dagger Bibi Dong had once given him, and lightly sliced it. Neatly cut pieces of snake meat were arranged on a plate.

"You're quite meticulous..." Ye Lingyuan could not help but laugh.

After sprinkling on some seasoning, Ji Wushuang sampled a piece of snake meat. The delicious flavor made him narrow his eyes. "It really is good."

"These Blazing Rock Snakes only come out to hunt at night, and they travel in great numbers. They're tyrants in a place like this. Running into us this time was truly their misfortune..." Ye Lingyuan began eating as well, though her manner was far more poised and elegant than Ji Wushuang's.

Seeing that Ji Wushuang was eating several times faster than she was, and that the meat on the grill was visibly dwindling away, Ye Lingyuan could only smile helplessly and continue grilling meat for him.

"Wushuang, mind your image."

"Especially in front of women. If you eat so carelessly, you'll leave a bad impression if you meet unfamiliar women in the future."

Ji Wushuang smiled, unconcerned.

After a long while, he had eaten half of the hundred-odd Blazing Rock Snakes by himself. He had eaten to his heart's content, though he was starting to grow tired of the taste. "Aunt Ye, I'm full. Enjoy your meal."

Ye Lingyuan could not help rolling her eyes. "You may be full, but I haven't even eaten a few!"

Ji Wushuang smiled awkwardly. "I'll grill for you now..."

"Now that's more like it." Ye Lingyuan smiled contentedly.

Amid the pitch-black night, a shadow sped forward at an astonishing pace. Its eyes glowed with an eerie green light, chilling to behold.

Upon spotting the bonfire in the night, it accelerated even further and arrived in an instant. Its surging aura made the flames sway unceasingly.

"Elder Ghost?!" Seeing who it was, Ye Lingyuan froze for a moment before asking, "Why are you here?"

"Greetings, Elder Ghost." Ji Wushuang bowed.

"No need for such courtesy, His Highness Wushuang!" Ghost Douluo turned aside to avoid Ji Wushuang's bow, unable to suppress the delight on his face.

After days of traveling without rest, he had finally found Ji Wushuang!

Now, he could finally return and report back!

"Elder Ghost, would you like to sit down, have something to eat, and rest? Your complexion... doesn't look very good..." Ji Wushuang handed him a skewer of grilled snake meat.

Hearing this, Ghostly Charm swept his gaze over the snake bones scattered across the ground, as well as the unprocessed Blazing Rock Snake corpses nearby, and instantly understood everything.

Taking the grilled snake meat Ji Wushuang offered him, he said, "Thank you," then asked, "Ye Lingyuan, did the journey go smoothly?"

Ye Lingyuan glanced at Ji Wushuang and smiled. "Elder Ghost, everything went smoothly. Wushuang performed exceptionally well."

Ji Wushuang smiled bashfully as well.

Ghostly Charm held the grilled snake meat and quickly finished it before continuing, "Wushuang, Your Excellency the Pope was worried about your safety. You hadn't returned for so long that she became extremely anxious, so I made this trip specifically to bring you back."

"..." Ji Wushuang was momentarily speechless.

He had not expected Ghostly Charm to have come for that reason, but a warm current still welled up within his heart.

Ye Lingyuan said, "Elder Ghost, we have actually been traveling as fast as we could."

"I know, but Your Excellency the Pope can no longer wait to see Wushuang."

"In that case... Ye Lingyuan, I'll take Wushuang ahead first. Catch up quickly."

Ye Lingyuan was speechless at Bibi Dong.

She knew Bibi Dong valued Ji Wushuang, but she had not expected it to reach this extent. And this was no longer something that could be described merely as valuing him.

"Then... Aunt Ye, Elder Ghost and I will be going ahead." Ji Wushuang smiled.

Ye Lingyuan smiled and nodded.

The next moment, Ghostly Charm released a cloud of black mist, carrying Ji Wushuang into the air as they fled back along the path they had come.

As expected of an Agility Attack System Titled Douluo, even Ye Lingyuan—a Soul Douluo who specialized in flight—was significantly inferior in flying speed.

Watching the two vanish into the distance, Ye Lingyuan lost all appetite. A pair of Fiery Wings spread from her back, and she took flight.

Beneath the moonlight, a cloud of black mist and a flaming meteor streaked through the sky one after the other, speeding toward Spirit City.

Along the way, Ji Wushuang even spotted Sax and his group, swiftly overtaking them.

Two nights later.

Looking at Spirit City, now close at hand, Ghostly Charm let out a long breath of relief. A relaxed smile finally appeared on his face. "Wushuang, go see Your Excellency the Pope yourself. Bringing you back means my task is complete, so I won't go."

In truth, the higher someone's status, the less they wished to see Bibi Dong. The saying that serving a ruler was like living beside a tiger was no joke—especially when that tiger was a tigress.

"Alright... then I'll be off first." Ji Wushuang flew through the air toward the Pope's Palace. When he saw that Bibi Dong was not there, he headed to her residence once more.

Ji Wushuang's arrival was instantly detected by the unfathomable Bibi Dong. Looking at her devastatingly beautiful face in the mirror, she could not help but smile and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Teacher, your disciple has returned." Ji Wushuang's voice sounded, reaching Bibi Dong's ears.

"Come in."

An ethereal voice echoed by Ji Wushuang's ear.

Ji Wushuang pushed open the door and entered. After several turns, he arrived outside the screen in Bibi Dong's bedroom.

The moment Ji Wushuang arrived, he saw Bibi Dong step out from behind the screen on her long, jade-like legs. What met his eyes next was her stunningly beautiful face, cold and utterly expressionless.

"..."

A bad feeling instinctively rose in Ji Wushuang's heart.

However, when Bibi Dong approached him, she silently stroked his face, and a trace of gentleness appeared on her cold, beautiful features.

Seeing this, the corners of Ji Wushuang's lips had just begun to rise.

Bibi Dong's jade-like hand suddenly tightened, grabbing Ji Wushuang by the ear as she said coldly, "A mere group of wolf bandits and a few Fallen Spirit Masters took you eighteen days to deal with. You have truly disappointed me, disciple!"

"..." Hearing this, Ji Wushuang instinctively explained, "Teacher, that's not how it should be counted. This disciple spent almost the entire time traveling. Dealing with those wolf bandits and Fallen Spirit Masters took less than two hours."

Bibi Dong said sternly, "What you should be doing is reflecting on why you failed to meet your teacher's expectations, not explaining to me how you spent your time!"

"I don't want to hear it!"

Ji Wushuang was completely speechless, falling straight into a daze.

Couldn't they at least be reasonable?

Bibi Dong gave a soft snort and looked Ji Wushuang up and down. Seeing that his clothes were neat, his complexion rosy, and his Soul Power fluctuations steady, with no signs of anything unusual, she finally put her mind at ease.

"Teacher, this disciple brought you a gift!" Ji Wushuang suddenly remembered that Twenty Thousand Year spirit bone. He decided to take this opportunity to try using it to coax Bibi Dong, who needed to be handled gently.

She was practically just like Sun Wukong—opposing her would only backfire. It was better to go along with her.

"A gift?" A strange gleam flashed through Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes, and an indescribable expression appeared on her lovely face. She had never received a gift in her life, so the word felt somewhat unfamiliar to her.

Light flashed from the Soul Tool at Ji Wushuang's waist, and a dark green Left Leg Spirit Bone appeared. He then took Bibi Dong's jade-like hand and placed the spirit bone in it, saying with a smile, "Teacher, this Twenty Thousand Year spirit bone was obtained when this disciple personally killed the Wolf Bandit Leader."

Bibi Dong's delicate body trembled. Feeling the warmth from the back of her hand, her cold expression softened considerably. She then took the spirit bone and played with it in her hand.

"This spirit bone is useless to me. Keep it for yourself. But don't absorb it either—I will arrange better spirit bones for you. You can give this one to someone else."

Ji Wushuang smiled. "This is a gift from this disciple to Teacher. How could I give it to someone else?"

The smile in Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes deepened. "You are quite filial. Then your teacher will accept it."