Pope Bibi Dong, Arrangements for Ah Yin

Spirit City, Pope's Palace.

Within the resplendent grand hall, candles burned eternally, and a solemn, dignified aura permeated the entire chamber.

Upon the throne in the great hall sat a woman of peerless beauty.

She wore a Purple Gold Splendid Robe and a Nine-Curve Purple Gold Crown. Her violet eyes were as deep as the sea, making others afraid to meet her gaze.

Every gesture she made exuded supreme majesty and nobility.

A scepter inlaid with gemstones of every color rested against the side of her seat, as though it were merely an ordinary ornament in her hand.

She was none other than Bibi Dong, master of Martial Soul Hall and the Pope whose might shook the continent.

At that moment, she was holding a brush and reviewing memorials, her expression focused.

As the Martial Soul Hall Pope, unlike the former Pope Qian Xunji, she had no family backing to rely upon. Everything required her personal attention.

Yet it was precisely because of this diligence that Martial Soul Hall had grown ever stronger under her leadership.

All four lower sects had submitted, while the two great empires and the upper three sects dared not contend with Martial Soul Hall.

Suddenly, her fingertips paused.

As though sensing something, she slowly set down the memorial and raised her right hand.

A streak of violet light emerged from her palm, swiftly condensing into a spider flickering with dim light.

"Shadow Spider Number One?" Her cold voice echoed through the hall.

A trace of surprise flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes before turning sharp. "I thought you had long since perished. Why have you not returned after all these years?"

These Shadow Spiders were informants she had raised with her own blood essence and stationed in the shadows to gather intelligence from all sides.

Shadow Spider Number One's mission had been to search for Tang Hao.

The faintly glowing spider did not answer her. Instead, it transformed into a violet streak and burrowed into Bibi Dong's brow.

Several memories surfaced in her mind.

"Hello there, big spider. If I dry you out and grind you into powder, the medicinal effects should be pretty strong, right?" A Little Boy raised a stick and struck down.

Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised. "Who is this Little Boy? He isn't afraid of my Shadow Spider at all."

Just as Bibi Dong wanted to continue examining the memories, space within Pope's Palace rippled faintly, and a heavily made-up man clad in golden armor appeared soundlessly.

"Your Holiness the Pope, Tang Hao has appeared." A soft, feminine voice rang out, filled with urgency.

Boom—

Bibi Dong abruptly rose from her throne. An overwhelming pressure exploded outward, instantly filling the entirety of Pope's Palace!

Two months later.

The holiday ended. Yao Yan packed his luggage and boarded a carriage at the village entrance that afternoon, heading for Nuoding City.

After two months of cultivation, his Soul Power had successfully reached level twenty. He did not choose to hunt Spirit Beasts, instead continuing to temper his physique.

With his current physical strength, absorbing a Soul Ring below Five Thousand Year would not be a problem, but he wanted to lay a foundation for his upcoming third Soul Ring.

He wanted to see whether he could directly absorb one at the ten-thousand-year level.

With Tang Hao watching from the shadows, he did not dare reveal too much. Even if he wanted to leave, he had no idea where he could go for the time being.

Why would those academies in Heaven Dou City accept a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master?

Besides, he was only six years old. Traveling the continent at this age was hardly realistic.

At the very least, he needed to be around ten years old. By then, he should have the strength of a Soul Elder.

For now, he needed to keep a low profile and quietly hone himself.

Two hours later, the carriage arrived in Nuoding City.

Yao Yan made his way into Jieyou Pharmacy with practiced ease, climbed to the second floor, and lightly knocked on the door. "Sister Caiyi!"

"I'm coming!" A delighted response came from inside the office.

The door opened, revealing Li Caiyi.

A tight red cheongsam perfectly outlined her voluptuous yet graceful figure. Her exquisite face was utterly charming and alluring.

She crouched down and hooked a slender finger beneath Yao Yan's nose, chiding, "You haven't come to see me in so long? Do you even still have me as your sister?"

Yao Yan smiled awkwardly. "Sister Caiyi, there were too many matters at home. I really couldn't get away..."

"I don't care. You have to compensate me." Li Caiyi pouted her rosy lips, a sly glint flashing through her eyes.

Yao Yan sighed inwardly. "All right, how do you want me to compensate you?"

He truly had no way to deal with this stunning beauty.

"Then move in and live with me." Li Caiyi pretended to ponder before speaking slowly.

"Ah!?" Yao Yan froze instantly, then shook his head like a rattle drum.

If he really moved in, with Li Caiyi's personality, she would not eat him clean to the bone?

"You don't agree?" Li Caiyi frowned.

Yao Yan was just about to nod when he saw her expression suddenly turn cold, her voice cooling by several degrees as well. "I still haven't settled the score with a certain someone who secretly rented a place outside behind my back!"

As she spoke, she lightly lifted Yao Yan's chin with her fingertips and asked with a sweet smile, "Little Yao Yan, tell me... how do you think we should settle this score?"

Looking at her radiant smile, Yao Yan only felt a chill run down his back.

He hurriedly grasped Li Caiyi's hand and gave a dry laugh. "Sister Caiyi, let's keep discussing the move..."

"That's more like it." Li Caiyi shot him a glance and, satisfied, pulled him into the office.

Inside the office, the two sat down on a soft sofa.

Yao Yan took the Blue Silver Grass from his pack and handed it to Li Caiyi. "Sister Caiyi, please have someone deliver this pot of grass to the pharmacy in Qingshan Town, and tell them to take good care of it."

Over the past three months, Jieyou Pharmacy had opened a branch in Qingshan Town to make purchasing more convenient.

Yao Yan had chosen to place the Blue Silver Grass there mainly because Tang San would not be heading to the Star Dou Great Forest until five years later, and Tang Hao would naturally be the same.

Keeping it in Qingshan Town made it relatively less likely to be noticed.

Besides, Qingshan Town was already close to the great forest. It was perfectly normal for each household to keep some plant-type Spirit Beasts for medicine or decoration.

A pot of Blue Silver Grass mixed among them would be utterly unremarkable.

Li Caiyi examined the Blue Silver Grass and asked in surprise, "Why is it blue-gold? Is this a new variety you cultivated?"

"Uh..." Yao Yan was left speechless. He obviously could not tell her the truth, so he could only nod in admission.

Li Caiyi took the flowerpot, liking it more the longer she looked at it. "Couldn't we just keep it here as a display? It would make a nice lucky mascot by the entrance."

"No!" Without a second thought, Yao Yan refused decisively.

If Tang Hao discovered it, it would not just be Yao Yan—everyone in the entire pharmacy would suffer.

Seeing how firmly Yao Yan had refused, Li Caiyi had no choice but to drop the matter. "Fine. I'll arrange for someone to deliver it."

She rose to put away the Blue Silver Grass, then took Yao Yan's hand, her smile blooming like a flower. "Come on, big sister will help you move."

Yao Yan felt somewhat helpless, but let her lead him out of the shop.

When he saw the burly men and carriage driver she had already prepared at the entrance, Yao Yan instantly understood. She had dug a pit and waited for him to jump right in, hadn't she?

But on second thought, moving over had its benefits. At the very least, he could enjoy a Medicinal Bath directly after training.

Five or six people arrived at the rented house and spent two hours packing everything up.

By the time everything was sorted out, it was already dusk.

Li Caiyi stuffed a pile of food into Yao Yan's arms and said gently, "Go say goodbye to your roommates. You've spent a semester together, so you should at least let them know."

Yao Yan thought that made sense as well, so he carried the food toward the dormitory.

He had only made it halfway when he caught a rich aroma of roasted meat wafting from the pile of snacks. The smell was very familiar to him, so he casually found a place to sit and opened it up.

Inside were several rabbits, roasted until crisp, fragrant, and glistening with fat!

Yao Yan's heart skipped a beat. "If that rabbit sees these, she'll raise absolute hell!"

Just as he was wondering how to deal with them, a familiar voice came from not far away. "Yao Yan! What are you doing here acting all sneaky? Why has your bed been completely moved out?"

Yao Yan looked up and saw Wang Sheng and the others, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

But then he saw a rabbit squeezing out from between them!