The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Past

"If..." Zhao Linchuan's voice sank, "what if the master of that 'Cage' found out? What would he think? What would he do?"

Bibi Dong froze mid-stretch.

The languidness on her face swiftly faded, replaced by a pallor and a deep sense of helplessness.

She slowly lowered her arms and murmured bitterly, "Yes... My talent gave me everything beyond the reach of ordinary people, yet it was also like the heaviest of shackles, binding every path I truly wanted to take, everything I truly wanted to do..."

Qian Xunji's sinister, possessive gaze sent a chill through her.

"Don't worry." Zhao Linchuan squeezed her hand, lending her strength. "I'm here. I'll go back to Spirit Hall with you."

He rose to his feet. With a flick of his mind, the Azure Light Demon-Slaying Sword appeared once more, hovering by the cliff's edge.

He lightly leaped onto the blade and extended a hand toward Bibi Dong, a familiar teasing curve on his lips. "So, for our return trip... will our esteemed Saintess be standing in front or behind this time?"

Bibi Dong looked at the broad blade, then recalled yesterday's numb "cushion." She decisively pursed her lips. "In front!"

With a light jump, she landed steadily in front of Zhao Linchuan.

Yet the moment she settled in, she felt something like a concealed weapon pressing against her from behind. Her entire body stiffened. "Hm?!"

She turned and glared at Zhao Linchuan in disbelief. "Seriously?! You just woke up... and you've already brought out your Spirit Skill?!"

Zhao Linchuan looked utterly innocent, even somewhat wronged. "I just woke up too... Besides, after sleeping all night while holding such a breathtaking beauty, I'm full of youthful vigor. If I didn't have a Spirit Skill to defend myself and show proper respect, that would be the abnormal thing, wouldn't it?"

"Hmph! Pervert!" Bibi Dong spat, her cheeks faintly flushed. Yet she was no longer as ashamed and angry as before; instead, there was a slightly reproachful smile in her eyes. "Let's go. We're heading back."

"Then stand firm." The instant Zhao Linchuan finished speaking, the Flying Sword abruptly accelerated!

But this time, Bibi Dong had learned her lesson.

Not only did she refrain from clutching at her collar in panic, but at the instant of acceleration, she actively leaned backward.

Like a swallow returning to its nest, she nestled obediently and dependently into Zhao Linchuan's embrace.

She even adjusted her position to make herself more comfortable.

She seemed to have... accepted this embrace.

As for letting him take a little advantage?

So be it!

They traveled back even faster than they had come.

Just as a hazy gray-white light began to emerge at the horizon, the two had already quietly returned outside the window of the hotel where Bibi Dong was staying.

Bibi Dong nimbly jumped off the Flying Sword and stood on the windowsill. Looking at Zhao Linchuan, who was about to leave, an intense reluctance welled up within her. She invited him without thinking, "Lin Chuan, how about... breakfast together?"

"I have things to take care of." Zhao Linchuan shook his head and gave her a deep look. "I'll come find you later."

Before his words had even faded, Azure Light flashed beneath his feet. His figure transformed into a streak of light and vanished instantly into the faint morning glow.

"Hmph! Leaving in such a hurry again!" Bibi Dong stared at the empty space beyond the window and stamped her foot in dissatisfaction. Then, unable to resist, she touched the bathrobe that seemed to still retain his warmth.

She glanced at the sky. "Forget it. I should hurry up and wash up, then get changed..."

Across from the hotel, behind an inconspicuous window.

Yue Guan and Ghost Charm, like two shadows, silently witnessed the entire process of Zhao Linchuan bringing Bibi Dong back.

A mischievous smile hung on Yue Guan's face as he nudged the silent Ghost Charm beside him with his elbow. "Old Ghost, look. The relationship between Her Saintess and that young friend Zhao is becoming more and more... intimate, isn't it?"

He deliberately drew out the word "intimate."

Ghost Charm's face was hidden in the shadows, his expression impossible to make out. Only his low, hoarse voice sounded, carrying an unquestionable warning. "Yue Guan. Pretend you saw nothing."

"And do not report this to anyone, including... His Holiness the Pope." Before his words were finished, he dissolved soundlessly where he stood, like ink blending into shadow.

"Huh? Old Ghost! You're doing this again! You didn't even say goodbye!" Yue Guan complained helplessly at the spot where Ghost Charm had vanished, then swiftly gave chase.

Daylight shone brightly, sunlight streaming into the room through the exquisite window lattice.

Bibi Dong had just finished washing up. Her skin still glistened with the moist sheen of Water Vapor, while her light wine-red hair hung loosely over her shoulders, lending her an even more languid charm.

Bai Susu entered softly with a tray holding a bowl of steaming, fragrant Meat Porridge.

"Miss, have a bowl of Meat Porridge to warm your stomach."

Bibi Dong subconsciously rubbed her flat Lower Abdomen. She did not feel hungry in the slightest; if anything, she felt a little full.

She waved her hand and left behind a single sentence. "You eat it for me. I'm not hungry yet." With that, she headed lightly toward the door.

Bai Susu watched her Saintess's back, clearly more buoyant and cheerful than usual, and blinked blankly as she muttered under her breath.

"This early in the morning... who made Miss so full of anger again? No, that can't be right... She looks like she's in a pretty good mood?" Shaking her head in confusion, she decided not to dwell on the Saintess's peculiar state.

Bibi Dong arrived at the dining hall downstairs and immediately spotted Zhao Linchuan and Yue Guan seated at an elegant table by the window, having breakfast while conversing quietly.

In high spirits, she walked over and greeted them. "Lin Chuan, Mister Ju, good morning."

The two looked up at the sound and nodded in acknowledgment.

Yue Guan set down his silver knife and fork, elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and seemed to recall something. "By the way, Miss, we've roughly identified the people who attacked yesterday."

"Oh? Who was it?" Bibi Dong immediately sat in the empty seat beside Zhao Linchuan and pressed for an answer.

"We can almost certainly conclude that it was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, though we have no concrete evidence." Yue Guan's voice was calm, but it carried a trace of chill.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Bibi Dong's delicate brows immediately furrowed. She thought to herself, Just as Lin Chuan said. They dared to lay a hand on my people. I must find a chance to make them pay in the future...

"That's right." Yue Guan explained in a quiet voice, yet one clear enough for the two beside the table to hear. "He likely did this because he wanted young friend Lin Chuan to join their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"And this sort of framing and shifting blame is not the first time they've done it."

Yue Guan seemed to have opened the floodgates.

"Ever since that old fellow Ning Fengzhi returned forcefully to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect a year ago with Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, he completely changed the sect's former mild strategy of keeping a low profile and maintaining good relations on all sides."

"After swiftly purging internal opposition and completely taking control of the sect, he began aggressively recruiting independent Soul Masters, wandering warriors, and unaffiliated cultivators from across the continent."

"He ambitiously proposed the so-called plan of 'the Upper Three Sects standing united, resisting foreign enemies together.'"

"Who this 'foreign enemy' refers to goes without saying."

"Oh? Why is that?" Zhao Linchuan revealed a suitably timed look of confusion and cooperatively asked, "Could Mister Ju explain the reason behind this for us?"

"That's right, Mister Ju. Could you tell us in detail about what's really going on?" Bibi Dong echoed him. She was equally curious about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sudden turn toward such a hardline stance.