What If You Didn't Want Me Anymore?

"Your mouth is even more formidable than your Martial Soul."

Bibi Dong snorted coldly. The dangerous glint in her eyes not only failed to fade, but grew even more concentrated. "Since you think you're so justified, then you..."

However, before she could say the words "go to the Punishment Hall and accept your punishment."

Xuan Hao, who had been closely watching Bibi Dong's microexpressions, felt the alarm in his heart go off again.

He knew this woman could not be swayed by either soft or hard tactics. He had reasoned with her, but she had not gotten over her anger yet. If he did not give her a way to step down, he would not be able to escape this punishment.

In that case...

Thud!

Xuan Hao promptly and neatly dropped to his knees again, his posture perfectly proper.

This time, he was no longer kneeling as casually as before. His back was straight, his hands hung at his sides, and his head was bowed deeply, wearing the solemn expression of someone ready to be killed or carved up as she pleased.

His small body was ramrod straight, yet his face bore a heartrending mixture of resolve and grievance.

The harsh words that had reached Bibi Dong's lips became stuck there.

She stared blankly at Xuan Hao, who had abruptly changed his expression. "You... what are you up to now?"

"Elder Sister still hasn't calmed down." Xuan Hao lowered his head, his voice muffled. "Since Elder Sister doesn't want to punish me but also refuses to calm down, that means I haven't done well enough. My attitude in admitting my mistake hasn't been sincere enough."

"So I'll punish myself."

"When Elder Sister calms down, she can tell me to get up, and then I'll get up. If Elder Sister never calms down, then I'll stay kneeling. It doesn't matter even if I kneel here until I die."

"As long as it makes Elder Sister a little happier."

Bibi Dong: "..."

Looking at Xuan Hao kneeling so properly, she felt her temples throbbing.

This move of retreating to advance had completely blocked off every route available to her.

Punish him?

He had already put on an attitude of accepting any beating or scolding without fighting back. He had even begun punishing himself by kneeling for a long time. If she still struck him or imposed a severe punishment, would she not look like a teacher who was petty and utterly intolerant?

Not punish him?

Looking at that stinky boy kneeling there, clearly being punished, why did she feel as if she were the one being led around by the nose? Why did it feel like this boy was forcing her hand?

An suffocating silence fell over the hall.

Xuan Hao remained utterly motionless, like a statue. Bibi Dong sat on the couch, watching him as her facial expression shifted unpredictably.

One second, two seconds... one minute...

Xuan Hao was still in the same posture. Even his breathing was controlled with exceptional steadiness, as if he truly intended to kneel until the end of time.

Finally, after a full three minutes of silence.

"Haah..."

A long sigh filled with helplessness and defeat drifted through the bedchamber.

Bibi Dong rubbed her brow. The sharp, commanding aura she possessed as Pope finally dissipated completely, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.

She had to admit defeat.

Soft and hard tactics, acting cute and playing the victim, twisting logic—this boy had used every trick available to him. He was like a piece of gristle, impossible to get a bite into.

Getting angry with someone like him would only end with her angering herself to death.

"Enough. Stop putting on this self-torture act."

Bibi Dong shot him an irritated glare and waved a hand. "Get up."

Xuan Hao did not move. He merely raised his head slightly and blinked his large eyes as he tested the waters. "Elder Sister isn't angry anymore?"

"I said get up!" Bibi Dong raised her voice a few degrees.

"Right away!"

Xuan Hao instantly broke character. His expression of facing death without fear vanished, and he scrambled briskly to his feet. He even casually dusted off nonexistent dirt from his knees, his ingratiating smile returning to his face.

Seeing how quickly he changed expressions, faster than turning the pages of a book, Bibi Dong found him both irritating and amusing.

"Sit."

Bibi Dong pointed at the chair beside him and shook her head helplessly.

"The matter at the academy may have caused quite a stir, but in the end, it was merely children playing around. I don't care about it. But I'm very curious..."

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze scrutinizing Xuan Hao. "You're a child who lacks neither food nor clothing in the Papal Palace. You have resources when you want resources, status when you want status. Why did you suddenly want to collect Protection Fees? Why did you go to such lengths to create the Peace and Mutual Aid Society?"

"You even offended the entire academy just for a few thousand Gold Soul Coins?"

To Bibi Dong, this was utterly incomprehensible. Even commoner Soul Masters, once they had talent and entered Spirit Hall, generally thought only of cultivating and growing stronger. Who would burrow into money like he did?

He was practically like those old hands who had spent years in Spirit Hall! If there was money to be made, they would make it!

Xuan Hao froze for a moment, then lowered his head and picked at his fingers. "I... was scared of being poor."

"Scared of being poor?"

"Yeah." Xuan Hao raised his head. "Elder Sister, you don't know how expensive daily necessities are if you've never run a household. When I was outside, you have no idea how outrageous prices were!"

"That day in the town, I went into that lousy restaurant for a meal, and that blackhearted boss actually charged me three Gold Soul Coins! Three!"

"At the time, all I had was thirteen Gold Soul Coins. One meal took away a quarter of everything I owned. Elder Sister, you can't understand the terror of being about to have nothing left."

"Now that I have the chance, of course I have to take advantage of it to rake in... cough, earn as much as I can and save it up."

Bibi Dong was somewhat speechless. "You're my Personal Disciple now. Your food, clothing, and everything you use are the best. Spirit Hall reimburses you whenever you go out. What are you saving all that money for?"

"That's not certain." Xuan Hao curled his lip, his voice dropping a little. "There may be reimbursements now, but what if one day in the future... Elder Sister doesn't want me anymore?"

Bibi Dong frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"How is that nonsense?" Xuan Hao solemnly began counting on his fingers. "Elder Sister likes me now and thinks I have good talent, so you treat me well. But what if one day I become disobedient, or Elder Sister gets a better disciple, or you simply don't like the sight of me anymore and decide to throw me out?"

"What would I do then?"

"If I were kicked out of Spirit Hall with no money at all, I'd have to watch people's facial expressions just to eat a meal outside. I might even have to beg for food. Wouldn't I starve to death?"

"Saving money now is preparing for a rainy day. As long as I have money in hand, even if I'm thrown out someday, at least I won't starve to death in the streets."

Bibi Dong felt her temples throbbing.

Looking at the disciple before her, whose little head seemed to be filled with some sort of mush, she found it utterly absurd.

"What exactly goes through your head all day?" Bibi Dong was almost at a loss for words. "Since I accepted you and made you a promise, how could I possibly throw you out over some trivial matter?"

"Promises are just things people say. You can't take them seriously." Xuan Hao lowered his head, his voice soft and hollow, but it pierced Bibi Dong's heart like a thorn. "Even my biological parents could abandon me. They thought I was a burden and left me in the village without caring whether I lived or died. In this world, who else can I expect to be reliable?"

"If even blood relatives can't be trusted, who in this world can I rely on?"

"I don't dare rely on anyone."

Bang!

Bibi Dong slapped the armrest. A trace of anger flashed in her eyes, and her voice suddenly turned cold. "Xuan Hao! Are you questioning me? Saying something like that to my face, are you comparing me to those people who abandoned you?"

Yet faced with Bibi Dong's anger, Xuan Hao did not immediately kneel and apologize as he had before.

He sat in the chair, his feet dangling and swinging in the air, but his gaze remained stubbornly fixed on Bibi Dong's without avoiding it.

"Elder Sister, this isn't questioning you. Since I was very young, I've understood one truth very clearly: in this world, the only person I can ever rely on is myself."

"Mountains can collapse when you lean on them; people can run when you rely on them."

"If I place all my hopes on other people, depending on their kindness and moods to get by, then what if... even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, they don't want me anymore?"

"What if one day you really don't want me, or something happens to you and you can't protect me anymore... am I supposed to stop living?"

"I don't want to be the kind of Trash who can't live without someone else. I want to leave myself a way out. Is that wrong?"