Pope Bibi Dong

Qin Yuan was like a wolf among sheep, displaying the full, domineering force of Divine Slaughter's Domain.

Soul Kings, hailed across the Soul Master World as its backbone, couldn't last three exchanges against him before he cut off their heads.

He collected each head as proof to present to Ning Fengzhi.

As soon as the battle broke out, the bandits on the mountain stronghold began scattering in all directions. Some who fled down the mountain ran into powerful Spirit Hall warriors, and fierce battles erupted between them.

Qin Yuan knew that Spirit Hall's people could surround him at any moment. He grabbed one of the bandit leaders and forced him to reveal where the treasury was.

Once he had the exact location, he stormed in at once.

The treasury was piled high with gem raw materials and other treasures.

He didn't take all the gems, leaving behind three-tenths. After all, Spirit Hall's powerful warriors had pursued him all the way here; he couldn't let them come away empty-handed, or he'd become their target.

His Soul Tool had limited capacity. He took a few of the more valuable treasures, showed no interest in the rest, then blended into the bandits and headed down the mountain with them.

Spirit Hall's warriors were focused solely on going up the mountain. They didn't hunt down the fleeing bandits, allowing Qin Yuan to escape smoothly.

Of course, he wasn't safe yet. He kept running through the night without stopping.

Before long, he reached the riverbank. Just as he was about to cross, two figures, a man and a woman, blocked his path.

The Gloomy Man stepped forward and scrutinized him, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Impressive. You stormed a large mountain stronghold alone and still came away unscathed. You even toyed with a whole group of Spirit Emperors from Spirit Hall. Even I couldn't have pulled it off so cleanly back in my day."

As he spoke, he applauded.

Those who possessed Divine Slaughter's Domain could sense one another. Qin Yuan noticed the woman beside him and thought, This is bad.

Among the women on the continent, the only one who currently possessed Divine Slaughter's Domain was Pope Bibi Dong. That meant the Gloomy Man must be...

He cupped his hands and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope. Greetings, Your Excellency Ghost Douluo."

Ghost Douluo smiled faintly. "You've got a good eye. It's rare for someone of your standing to recognize me and His Holiness the Pope."

Seeing Ghost Douluo admire the man while rambling on, Bibi Dong couldn't help but give a cold snort. "Gui Mei, step aside."

Bibi Dong walked forward and removed her Phoenix Hat, revealing a peerlessly beautiful face.

Her expression was aloof, making her thoughts impossible to read.

"Tell me. Who sent you?"

Qin Yuan cupped his hands, calm and composed, without a hint of fear. "Your Holiness the Pope, I take people's money and solve their problems. Forgive me, but I can't reveal my employer's identity."

A glint appeared in Bibi Dong's eyes, and a pleased smile tugged at her lips. "There's no need to guess. It was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I have no interest in them. On the contrary, I'm very interested in you."

"If I wanted to hire you, would you respond the same way?"

Qin Yuan answered earnestly, "My reputation and principles are my code. No matter who hires me, once I accept a job, I'll see it through to the end, without charging anything extra along the way."

Bibi Dong gave a derisive laugh, but her regard for Qin Yuan grew. "How interesting. You've wandered half your life, lived by the blade, and made a name for yourself in Slaughter City. You have some ability. Join Spirit Hall, and I'll grant you the treatment of a Spirit Saint. If you break through to Spirit Douluo, I'll provide the resources you need to become a Titled Douluo."

Qin Yuan had his own thoughts about the future.

The unification of the continent was the inevitable trend. The rapid development of Soul Tool technology on Sun Moon Continent was inseparable from its stable internal environment.

Six thousand years later, when the two continents collided, Douluo Continent was still locked in internal strife, while Sun Moon Continent stood united against outside threats.

Qin Yuan wouldn't judge who was right or wrong, but at the very least, he harbored no ill will toward Spirit Hall.

Without the system, he might have accepted Bibi Dong's offer. But now, he didn't want to become beholden to any faction.

"Sorry, Your Holiness the Pope. I'm used to working alone. Of course, I'm not cutting all ties with Spirit Hall. If you wish, you can send me a job anytime. As long as the price is right, I won't refuse."

Qin Yuan was already past thirty. At his age, Bibi Dong had been on the verge of becoming a Titled Douluo.

Qin Yuan's talent wasn't top-tier. He'd likely gotten Divine Slaughter's Domain partly through luck.

Of course, Bibi Dong wasn't about to let Qin Yuan go so easily, nor would she be fobbed off by his words.

She gave Ghost Douluo a look, and he understood at once, setting off to investigate Qin Yuan's background.

After a pause, Bibi Dong said, "Since you're willing to take my jobs, you can stay by my side for a while as my guard. I'm short a bodyguard, and I'll pay you Ten Thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Bibi Dong's offer hadn't triggered a system quest.

After all, with Bibi Dong's strength, hardly anyone on the continent could harm her. She didn't need Qin Yuan's protection.

Qin Yuan cupped his hands and replied earnestly, "Thank you for your esteem, Your Holiness the Pope. But I still have to report back to my client. Could you wait a little?"

Bibi Dong gave a cold laugh and folded her arms across her chest. "Heh. You're an honest one! Go report back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Ning Fengzhi styles himself a modest gentleman, but he's nothing but a sanctimonious coward."

Qin Yuan agreed with that.

If not for the system's reward, he would have quit long ago.

Withholding crucial details about the job was clearly an attempt to send him to his death.

For the time being, he would cut ties with Ning Fengzhi and stop dealing with him.

With Bibi Dong vouching for him, Qin Yuan didn't need to flee through the night. He could return to Lin Chuan City openly.

He handed over the recovered gems, along with the heads of Xiao Yue and the others, to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples.

Bibi Dong could be stingy in some matters, but once she gave her word, she never went back on it.

After telling the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples to leave, Qin Yuan went to report to Bibi Dong.

[Completed Four Star commission: obtain justice for the deceased disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Reward: Method of Detoxification; reward: max-level Movement Technique, Treading Snow Without Trace]

Memories flooded into his mind.

The Method of Detoxification wasn't a book; it existed in Qin Yuan's mind as memories. He could write it down at any time if he wanted.

As for Treading Snow Without Trace, the muscle memory formed automatically, making his body as light as willow fluff in the wind, leaving no trace as he came and went.

[Recovered a total of four-tenths of the gems for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Quest rating: Three Star. Reward: Immortal Herb Compendium.]

Memories flooded into his mind once more.

In fact, Qin Yuan had done his homework in advance so he could get in touch with Dugu Bo.

In the past, he'd either bought information on the market or obtained it through special channels, learning quite a bit about Immortal Herbs.

But compared with the system's reward, what he'd learned before was woefully inadequate.

Still, this was good. It saved him the trouble of doing more research later.

Once he was free of Bibi Dong, he'd have plenty of opportunities to get in touch with Dugu Bo.