Xue Qinghe was growing anxious as well.
She was genuinely afraid that Bibi Dong's mouth would spout more suicidal nonsense.
Didn't she see that Snow Empress had already raised her hand?
Were you tired of living, or did you think my life as an undercover agent was too easy?
Xue Qinghe leaned close to Bibi Dong's ear and spoke urgently in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"If you don't want to die, shut up!"
"This isn't the Pope's Palace. No one here is going to indulge you!"
"That Lu Ming is from Jixia Academy, and he is the only person who can contact that mysterious force."
"If you don't apologize, not only will you die, but I won't be able to protect you either. Even Spirit Hall's grand plan could be ruined!"
Bibi Dong froze.
She looked at the "Xue Qinghe" standing so close to her, confusion flashing through her eyes.
What did that mean?
What did she mean by Spirit Hall's grand plan being ruined?
But the unprecedented gravity and warning in Xue Qinghe's eyes made her instinctively stop struggling.
She had never seen that expression in this "daughter's" eyes before.
"Apologize."
Xue Qinghe released her hand, turned her back to Lu Ming, and mouthed two words.
Bibi Dong's body stiffened.
She looked up at the calm-faced Lu Ming in the distance, then at Snow Empress, who radiated a chilling aura.
Finally, her gaze fell on the anxious-looking Xue Qinghe.
Though humiliation filled her heart, though she wanted nothing more than to grind her teeth to pieces.
Reason told her that the situation was stronger than she was.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the roiling blood in her chest.
She slowly lowered her head. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, as though squeezed through clenched teeth:
"It... was I who acted rashly."
"Please... forgive me."
After saying those words, Bibi Dong felt as if every ounce of strength had been drained from her body.
This was probably the first time in her life that she had lowered her head to an outsider.
And before so many people, at that.
Lu Ming did not make things difficult for her. He merely waved a hand casually.
"Fine. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's all disperse."
"We still need to go shopping. Don't ruin the mood."
"..."
After saying that, he did not even spare Bibi Dong a glance. He turned and led the three women and Xue Qinghe deeper into Vermilion Bird Street.
That disregard hurt Bibi Dong even more than the humiliation from before.
It was as though the dignity she regarded as her very life was, in his eyes, less important than shopping.
As Lu Ming and the others left, the onlooking citizens gradually dispersed as well.
Yet the impact of this battle spread through all of Heaven Dou City as swiftly as if it had grown wings.
The disturbance on Vermilion Bird Street completely tore away Yu Xiaogang's hypocritical mask.
"Have you heard? That so-called theoretical Master is actually a piece of trash!"
"You need to hear about it? I was there! He couldn't even answer Dean Lu's questions!"
"He claims there are no useless Martial Souls, yet he spent his whole life stuck at rank twenty-nine. If that isn't deception, what is?"
"The funniest part was that when danger came, he ran faster than anyone. He even abandoned his own disciple!"
"I was originally planning to send my son to Shrek Academy, but now... forget it. I don't want them misleading my child."
In taverns, at tea stalls, and throughout the streets and alleys, everyone was talking about it.
The once highly revered "Master" became a rat everyone wanted to beat overnight.
Even the other members of Shrek Academy were pointed at and criticized whenever they walked the streets, too ashamed to lift their heads.
Meanwhile.
The preliminary rounds of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament were about to begin.
Having their reputation destroyed at such a critical juncture was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Shrek team.
Outside Heaven Dou City, in a secluded forest.
Bibi Dong sat cross-legged atop a bluish stone, circulating her power to heal her injuries.
Her face remained pale, but the Soul Power within her had settled somewhat.
Xue Qinghe stood beside her with her hands behind her back, quietly gazing at the distant city walls.
After a long while, Bibi Dong slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at Xue Qinghe's back, her gaze complicated.
"Why?"
Bibi Dong's voice was cold.
"Why didn't you let me speak back then?"
"Even if that Lu Ming is powerful, if Spirit Hall mobilizes all its forces, we may not fear him."
Xue Qinghe turned around. Looking at this woman, who remained stubbornly obsessed even after being injured, she felt a wave of helplessness rise within her.
She glanced around. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did she slowly speak.
"Do you still not understand?"
"That Yu Xiaogang simply isn't worth this much from you."
Bibi Dong frowned, anger flashing through her eyes.
"My affairs are none of your concern."
"Xiaogang's accomplishments in theory..."
"Accomplishments, my ass!"
In an exceedingly rare lapse, Xue Qinghe cursed and directly interrupted Bibi Dong.
She stepped forward two paces and stared fixedly into Bibi Dong's eyes.
"How much longer are you going to keep lying to yourself?"
"If he truly had talent, why has he accomplished nothing all these years?"
"If he truly loved you, why did he abandon you and run away just now?"
"He is using you!"
"He only wants to use you to prove his ridiculous theories and satisfy his pathetic vanity!"
"And besides..."
Xue Qinghe paused, a cruel glint flashing in her eyes.
"Do you think you're the only one in his heart?"
"In Heaven Dou City, he has been getting quite intimate with Liu Erlong. He even wants to reconcile with her."
"To him, you are nothing more than a tool he can summon and dismiss at will!"
Those words were like sharp blades, stabbing viciously into Bibi Dong's heart.
Bibi Dong's face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively tried to refute her.
"No... impossible..."
"Xiaogang isn't that kind of person..."
But Yu Xiaogang's retreating figure as he fled, along with his cowardly behavior at the tea stall just now, surfaced in her mind. Her voice grew softer and softer until it vanished.
In truth, she understood it all.
She simply refused to admit it.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, and the confusion in her eyes was gradually replaced by a ruthless glint.
Since Yu Xiaogang could not be relied upon, she would rely on herself.
She would definitely repay today's humiliation!
"Even if Yu Xiaogang is trash."
"Lu Ming humiliated me to this extent. This debt cannot simply be forgotten!"
"Once my injuries heal, I will gather the experts of Elder Hall and tear Lu Ming to pieces!"
"No!"
Xue Qinghe's voice suddenly rose, carrying even a trace of sternness.
She looked at Bibi Dong, her expression more grave than ever before.
"Absolutely not!"
"Whatever you do, whatever you do, don't harbor any ill intentions toward Lu Ming!"
"Otherwise, everything will be over!"
Bibi Dong was stunned by Xue Qinghe's excessive reaction.
She was the Pope. Since when did she need to be so wary just to kill someone?
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