But at this very moment, aside from humiliation and anger, Qian Renxue felt more of an inexplicable sense of relief.
Fortunately.
Fortunately, this Lu Ming was an ordinary man greedy for wealth and lustful for women.
As long as he had weaknesses, he could be controlled and put to her use.
"Jixia Academy... Lu Ming... supreme existence..."
Qian Renxue murmured these words under her breath, her gaze gradually turning resolute and cold.
To change that tragic fate, to keep her mother and grandfather from dying miserable deaths, she would stop at nothing—even if she had to sacrifice her beauty, even if it cost her every last cent.
The carriage traveled south, passing through layer upon layer of checkpoints before finally stopping at a secret hideout.
Qian Renxue changed back into her original women's attire, put on a veil, and returned to the city she both loved and hated—Spirit City.
Pope's Palace.
The towering hall was solemn and majestic, with a massive angel statue gazing down upon all living things.
Deep within the hall, seated upon the Pope's throne that symbolized supreme authority, was a breathtakingly beautiful figure.
Bibi Dong.
Holding a scepter, she wore an extravagantly luxurious golden gown. Time seemed to have left no trace on her face; instead, it had settled into a suffocating nobility and majesty.
Simply by sitting there, she made the air around her seem to freeze, the oppressive atmosphere leaving one barely able to breathe.
"What did you come back for?"
Upon seeing Qian Renxue enter the hall, Bibi Dong did not even raise her eyes. Her voice was as cold as ice that had not melted for ten thousand years.
"Instead of properly remaining undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire, you ran back here. If your identity is exposed and years of planning are ruined, can you bear that responsibility?"
Faced with her mother's cold, even somewhat disgusted questioning, Qian Renxue's steps paused slightly.
If this had happened before, her heart would have been torn apart, and she would have retorted with an even colder attitude.
The mother and daughter were like two hedgehogs. Though they longed to draw close, they always ended up piercing each other until they were covered in wounds.
But this time, Qian Renxue did not.
She stood in the center of the hall, quietly looking at the woman atop the platform.
In the scenes shown by the Life Simulator, she had seen this woman block the Sea God's Tang San's fatal strike in order to save her.
She had seen the love and regret hidden deep in the eyes of this mother, who had always treated her coldly, at the final moment of her life.
"Xue'er... I'm sorry..."
Those final words before death were like a heavy hammer, shattering all the resentment and barriers in Qian Renxue's heart.
So she had always loved me.
So we were both wrong.
At this moment, looking at her mother still alive before her, Qian Renxue's eyes instantly reddened.
She took a deep breath and walked up the stairs, one step at a time.
Bibi Dong finally sensed that something was wrong.
She frowned at the unusual Qian Renxue, her fingers tightening slightly around her scepter.
"Qian Renxue, I am talking to you!"
Qian Renxue did not answer. She walked up to Bibi Dong and, under Bibi Dong's astonished gaze, slowly crouched down.
Then she reached out and gently wrapped her arms around Bibi Dong's waist, burying her head against her mother's knees.
"Mom."
That call trembled with sobs, carrying the weight of years and a deep yearning.
Bibi Dong's body instantly went rigid as iron.
Her eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at her daughter, who was leaning against her knees.
This... how was this possible?
Ever since Qian Xunji died, there had been nothing but hatred and indifference between mother and daughter.
When had Qian Renxue ever called her that? When had she ever been this close to her?
"You..."
Instinctively, Bibi Dong wanted to push her away, to rebuke her weakness, to use vicious words to conceal the panic in her heart.
But when her hand touched Qian Renxue's trembling shoulder, she could not bring herself to push her away.
"No matter what happened before."
Qian Renxue's muffled voice emerged, yet it was incomparably firm.
"No matter how you see me, and no matter what grievances the previous generation had."
"You are still my mother."
"And I only have you and Grandfather left as family."
Having experienced separation through life and death in that simulated life, Qian Renxue finally understood that power and godhood were all so pale in the face of family.
She only wanted to cherish the present.
She only wanted to hold tightly to this hard-won warmth before every tragedy came to pass.
Bibi Dong's hand hovered in midair, trembling slightly.
Looking at Qian Renxue's faintly shaking shoulders and that dazzling head of golden hair, the heartstrings long sealed within her seemed to have been struck hard.
That was her daughter.
The flesh she had carried for ten months and borne from her own body.
Even if she was that beast's child, even if she was proof of the humiliation of Bibi Dong's entire life.
The child was innocent.
For all these years, for revenge and for that mad plan, she had treated this child as a tool, as a pawn in her revenge, never giving her even the slightest bit of motherly love.
Perhaps...
Perhaps I truly was wrong?
The ice in Bibi Dong's eyes showed signs of melting. The cold, rigid lines she always wore softened unconsciously at this moment.
But she was Bibi Dong after all.
The ruthless and deeply calculating Pope.
This tender moment lasted only a few seconds.
Bibi Dong closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, every trace of emotion had been withdrawn.
"Get up."
Her voice remained cold, but upon closer listening, one could hear a nearly imperceptible tremor.
"As the Young Master of Spirit Hall, what kind of behavior is this, crying and sniveling?"
Qian Renxue wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and stood.
She knew that ice three feet thick did not form in a single day. Her mother could not possibly accept her all at once.
But at least, this was a good beginning.
Qian Renxue composed herself and resumed the appearance of the shrewd, capable Young Master.
"I came back this time not only because I wanted to see you, but also because there is something else."
She met Bibi Dong's eyes and said in a low voice, "I need seven million Gold Soul Coins."
Bibi Dong raised a brow.
Seven million?
That was no small sum.
"What do you need so much money for?"
"For a plan."
Qian Renxue did not reveal the full truth about the Life Simulator and Lu Ming. Those matters were far too unbelievable and too troublesome to explain.
"I discovered a force called Jixia Academy in Heaven Dou City. Its strength is unfathomable. I intend to win them over and make them an asset for our future uprising."
"These seven million are for building connections and securing an alliance."
Bibi Dong looked deeply at Qian Renxue.
She could sense that the Qian Renxue who had returned this time had changed.
She had become more mature, more composed, and even harder to see through.
"Jixia Academy..."
Bibi Dong silently repeated the name in her heart.
"Fine."
Unexpectedly, Bibi Dong did not ask further questions. She directly took a golden card from the storage Soul Tool on her hand and tossed it to Qian Renxue.
Before you continue