A Friendly Overture from Bibi Dong: On the Contrary, I Will Help You!

Listening to Lu Jing's answer, the surprise on Bibi Dong's face gradually turned into a deep and complex admiration. Finally, the corners of her lips curved into a smile of approval, and she gently clapped her hands, saying, "I must say, Lu Jing, you are truly intelligent. You see further and clearer than I imagined."

She lowered her hands, and a sharp glint flashed in her Purple Eyes.

This was an acknowledgment in itself, admitting the accuracy of Lu Jing's deductions.

"Since you see so clearly."

Bibi Dong stood up, gracefully walked around the desk, and instead of heading towards the window or the door, she slowly approached the sofa where Lu Jing was sitting.

The soft fabric of her purple dress brushed against the edge of the sofa, bringing a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance and a powerful aura.

She did not sit on the sofa opposite him but, unexpectedly, sat down in the empty space next to Lu Jing.

This action instantly narrowed the physical and psychological distance between them, also bringing an invisible sense of pressure.

Her gaze fell on Lu Jing's young yet steady face, and her tone became exceptionally gentle and melodious, as if discussing an everyday matter: "Then, regarding what happened during the day, I am also aware of it."

Lu Jing blinked, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow under the lamplight.

His mind raced. The conflict with Yan outside the Scripture Depository during the day flashed in his mind.

Bibi Dong mentioning it now, what was her intention? Was it to hold him accountable? Or...

Thinking of this, Lu Jing's voice carried a perfectly measured hint of confusion as he probed, "Since that's the case, Your Majesty the Pope, how do you plan to proceed? Will you help Yan deal with me, or what?"

He was calculating rapidly in his heart. In the past few years, the relationship between the Pope Palace and the Worship Hall had indeed deteriorated, just as historical records suggested, with constant open and covert struggles.

But strangely, Bibi Dong's attitude towards him personally had always been quite good, even carrying a deliberate gentleness and an attempt to win him over.

This was definitely unusual. Was she trying to poach him from the Worship Hall's faction?

But the question was, why did she think he could be swayed?

And what could she offer that would matter to him? Was it power? Wealth? Or women?

Lu Jing was puzzled, but his expression remained calm. He simply looked at the Pope, who was so close, waiting for her answer.

The candlelight flickered on her beautiful profile, casting alternating shadows and light that made it difficult to fully discern the depth in her eyes.

Bibi Dong gently shook her head, her posture elegant, her tone still as soft and melodious, yet carrying an undeniable power: "Since Yan was the one who initiated the conflict and tried to snatch your belongings first, you were acting in self-defense. He was simply outmatched, and his injury was his own fault. I naturally will not side with him and help him deal with you."

She leaned forward slightly, bringing a cool, faint fragrance, her purple eyes looking directly into Lu Jing's eyes: "On the contrary, I will help you."

"Help me?"

Lu Jing's confusion deepened, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

What was Bibi Dong up to? And what would be the price of her "help"?

"How will you help me?" he asked cautiously.

Yan was part of the Golden Generation, loyal to her. Why would she choose to help him?

Bibi Dong didn't answer directly. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the heavy, carved wooden door of the study. Her voice, though not loud, clearly penetrated the door: "Come in."

Creak--

The door was pushed open silently.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, who had been waiting outside, dressed in the high-ranking attire of the Martial Soul Hall, glided in without a sound.

His movements were gentle, his demeanor respectful.

And behind him, or rather, being dragged by him like a sack of rags, was Yan, covered in blood and utterly pathetic!

Yan now bore no trace of the arrogance he displayed when provoking Lu Jing in the Scripture Depository earlier that day.

The injuries Lu Jing had inflicted on him with lightning-fast methods had clearly not been properly treated. His clothes were tattered, mixed with dried and fresh bloodstains. Multiple joints were unnaturally twisted, his face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was weak and rapid.

The intense pain and blood loss made his eyes unfocused. But when Yue Guan unceremoniously threw him onto the expensive carpet with a thump, the agony made him suppress a groan. His unfocused gaze sharpened as he saw the scene in the study, especially Bibi Dong and Lu Jing seated there. His eyes instantly filled with immense fear and despair.

After dropping Yan, Yue Guan didn't even glance at the person on the ground. He simply bowed respectfully to Bibi Dong and then, as silently as he had arrived, retreated, gently closing the door.

The entire process was swift and decisive, without a single superfluous movement, showcasing his absolute obedience and efficiency as a confidant of the Pope.

Silence returned to the study, with only Yan's rapid, pained breaths faintly rising and falling on the carpet.

Bibi Dong's expression was so calm it was as if the person lying on the ground wasn't a living being, but useless trash.

She looked down at Yan, who was trembling with fear, her gaze as cold as ice.

She then turned to Lu Jing, her voice calm and steady, yet carrying a chilling sense of judgment:

"Lu Jing, if you agree, I can kill him right now."

She paused, each word striking Yan's heart and Lu Jing's nerves clearly. She said softly, "The Martial Soul Hall's grand future has no need for this kind of brainless trash who only causes trouble and disrupts internal unity."

Gasp--

Yan's pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks. Overwhelming fear instantly drowned out the pain in his body.

He wanted to struggle, to roar for mercy, but his severely injured body and the residual soul power suppression from Yue Guan left him unable to move even a finger. He could only let out choked gasps, his face streaked with tears of despair.

Lu Jing's brow furrowed instantly.

He looked at Yan on the ground, like a lamb awaiting slaughter, and then at Bibi Dong beside him, whose expression was calm, even carrying a hint of coldness. He had never expected Bibi Dong's so-called "help" to be this!

Kill Yan?

The option flashed through Lu Jing's mind like a cold bolt of lightning.

He truly disliked Yan. The other was arrogant, foolish, and had provoked him repeatedly.

Truthfully, Lu Jing didn't care about Yan's life or death. But... was it really that simple?

Bibi Dong's intentions were far from a simple act of helping him vent his anger.

Was she simply trying to win him over, or was she using this opportunity to divert attention from the Worship Hall, thereby creating suspicion and distance between himself and the Worship Hall?

However, he was certain that if he nodded now, Yan would die immediately. But the ensuing trouble and vortex were definitely not what he wanted.

What he needed now was not to take sides, nor to get entangled in the deeper power struggles between the Pope Palace and the Worship Hall, but to accumulate strength and become the strongest.

In a flash of lightning, Lu Jing made his decision.

He met Bibi Dong's gaze, which seemed gentle yet oppressive, slowly shook his head, and his voice returned to its usual calm:

"Your Majesty the Pope, there is no need for that."

He glanced at Yan on the ground, whose eyes suddenly flickered with a faint spark of survival upon hearing his words, and added in a flat tone: "Although this person is foolish and arrogant, and has provoked me repeatedly, he is, after all, a core member of the Golden Generation cultivated by the Martial Soul Hall, a future Title Douluo prospect. Moreover, his relationship with Hu Liena is quite close."

He deliberately emphasized Hu Liena's name and said, "Since I have already taught him a lesson today, if he is sensible, this matter will end here. After all, he is a genius regardless of how you look at it. However, if there is a next time, killing him then will not be too late."

Lu Jing's answer was clear and unambiguous. He refused to kill Yan, stated the reason for not killing him—for the benefit of the Martial Soul Hall—and also gave face to Hu Liena.

Bibi Dong looked deeply at Lu Jing upon hearing his reply. Her gaze seemed to pierce through his very soul.

Lu Jing's flawless answer surprised her, yet it also seemed to be within her expectations.

This little fellow was more slippery and more composed than she had imagined.

The sharpness and coldness in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a gentle veil. She nodded lightly:

"Good. Since you say so, I respect your decision."

She did not insist further, as if she hadn't been the one who suggested killing him just now.

"Yue Guan."

As her voice fell, the study door was pushed open again.

Yue Guan flashed in like a ghost, maintaining his usual respectful and silent demeanor.

He didn't even ask any questions. He simply walked to Yan's side again and, like picking up a piece of cargo, lifted this outstanding figure of the Martial Soul Hall's younger generation.

Yan seemed to have lost even the strength to be afraid. All that remained was the immense exhaustion and bewilderment of surviving a near-death experience, allowing Yue Guan to drag him away from the study where his fate had been decided.

The door closed again, cutting off Yan's last faint presence.

At this moment, only Lu Jing and Bibi Dong were left in the study.

The air seemed even more stagnant than before.

Lu Jing's doubts had not only failed to dissipate but had instead piled up deeper.

Bibi Dong's series of actions, while seemingly supporting him, were filled with strangeness and probing.

Summoning him from the Worship Hall to the depths of the Pope Palace for a high-level discussion about unifying the continent, then suddenly throwing out the life-or-death issue of Yan... all of it seemed too deliberate and too abrupt.

"Your Majesty the Pope."

Thinking of this, Lu Jing suppressed the turmoil in his heart and spoke again, his tone carrying a subtle hint of inquiry, "Besides these, is there anything else you summoned me here for so late at night?"

Bibi Dong picked up the already cooled teacup on the table and took a gentle sip, her posture as elegant as ever.

She looked up at Lu Jing, her Purple Eyes as deep as an abyss, and a faint, inscrutable curve seemed to grace her lips.

"No."

She put down the teacup and said softly, "I just wanted to see you, and to let you see... my sincerity and attitude in handling this matter."

This answer left Lu Jing completely bewildered.

See him? See her attitude? Sincerity?

What kind of reason was that? If Qian Daoliu or Qian Renxue had done something like this, he could understand—after all, they were on the same side. Qian Renxue even had a clear fondness for him, and Qian Daoliu placed great expectations on him. Therefore, their proactive attempts to win him over, show favor, or issue warnings would all be within reason.

But Bibi Dong... this female Pope, whose relationship with the Worship Hall was tense and whose mind was as deep as the sea, Lu Jing found himself completely unable to grasp her logic.

Could it really be just because of what she said earlier about valuing his potential and his extraordinary vision?

But just to show sincerity and win over a potential asset whose allegiance was not yet clear, she would even go so far as to use the life of Yan, a core member of the Martial Soul Hall, as a prop?

The cost and risk were far too great, completely inconsistent with Bibi Dong's cautious image in the historical records.

Or... did she have another agenda?

Was it to sow discord between him and the Worship Hall?

Or did she want to use Yan's situation to convey some information to Qian Daoliu?

Lu Jing felt his thoughts becoming chaotic.

Bibi Dong's thoughts were like the flickering candlelight in the depths of the Pope Palace, seemingly bright, yet hazy and difficult to discern the truth.

"Thank you for Your Majesty the Pope's... favor and sincerity."

Lu Jing suppressed the myriad questions in his heart, stood up, and bowed respectfully. "If there are no other instructions, this junior will take his leave."

He chose to leave for now. Faced with this unfathomable game of chess, maintaining distance and responding to change with constancy was perhaps the best course of action.

Bibi Dong nodded slightly, making no move to stop him. "Go. As I said, you can visit the Scripture Depository anytime. If you need anything, you can also come to me."

Her expression was calm and serene, her voice as gentle as ever.

She now finally understood why the Rakshasa God had had that thought six years ago. Based solely on the talent and caution Lu Jing had displayed, if she were the God of Destruction, she too would have chosen him as the inheritor, even though the Divine Seat Inheritance had not yet descended.

"Yes, this junior will remember." Lu Jing bowed again, then turned and walked towards the heavy carved wooden door.

As he opened the door and stepped out of the study, which was filled with a faint fragrance, candlelight, and an invisible pressure, he clearly felt Bibi Dong's gaze on his back, as if it were tangible. It carried scrutiny, inquiry, and perhaps a trace of... indescribable anticipation and calculation.

He gently closed the door behind him, shutting out that gaze and the suffocating atmosphere within the study.

Outside the door lay the vast and deep corridor of the Pope Palace, moonlight casting a cool glow through the tall windows.

Lu Jing took a deep breath of the cool air, yet felt no dissipation of the fog in his heart.

"This woman's attitude... is truly unfathomable."

Lu Jing muttered to himself, his brow furrowed, murmuring, "First she inquired about the future direction of the Martial Soul Hall, then she dealt with Yan's matter... Is she really trying to show me goodwill? But this way of showing goodwill is rather..."

He shook his head, no longer dwelling on it, and began to walk towards the Worship Hall.

Regardless of anything else, improving his own strength and reaching level fifty as soon as possible was the most important matter at hand.

Only with sufficient strength could he possess the right to choose and the confidence to protect himself in this treacherous era.

As for Bibi Dong's true intentions... perhaps only time would provide the answer.

Under the moonlight, the boy's tall figure moved through the magnificent columns of the Pope Palace corridor, gradually receding, and finally disappearing at the end of the long hall.

Meanwhile, within the study, candlelight flickered, illuminating the seated figure in the purple dress. She picked up the cup of tea that had long since gone cold, her gaze fixed on the deep night sky outside the window. Within her purple eyes, no one knew what undercurrents were surging.