Standing Asleep

The next day.

Today was the third day since he had provided Bibi Dong with the light sphere. Perhaps believing Chen Xing would remain unconscious, Bibi Dong had made no moves these past few days.

It was not until this morning that Gui Mei brought a healing Soul Master to Chen Xing's residence.

At first, the two of them also assumed Chen Xing was still unconscious and used Soul Power to open the door.

But the instant they pushed the door open, they met the eyes of Chen Xing, who was stuffing bread into his mouth.

For a moment, all three of them were stunned.

Gui Mei stepped forward twice and stopped before Chen Xing.

"What's going on? When did you wake up?"

"His Holiness the Pope said you were severely injured and unconscious, so she told me to bring a healing Soul Master over. Did you wake up by yourself?"

Though his voice was somewhat hoarse, the concern mixed within it was not hard to hear.

The boy's lips curled up. Looking at the ghost-faced mask before him, he swallowed his food and said,

"I don't know."

"I woke up last night, but my whole body was still a little sore."

"Maybe Teacher held back on that last punch."

"That last punch?"

"You got beaten up again?"

"..."

Seeing Chen Xing act so carefree, Gui Mei was truly speechless.

A six-year-old child had been beaten twice in one day by a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo. Even if he said it, no one would dare believe him.

Faced with Gui Mei's shocked expression, Chen Xing smiled awkwardly.

"I didn't want to either!"

"Teacher has some strange habits I still haven't figured out. I keep saying the wrong things..."

"Uh..."

"That's true."

"I haven't figured out His Holiness the Pope's habits either. Sometimes I get beaten up too."

"But not nearly as often as you!"

In the past, Bibi Dong had perfectly demonstrated the meaning of the words moody and unpredictable to everyone.

Gui Mei was considered someone who understood her fairly well. Even Yue Guan had him handle things whenever he accepted missions.

Even so, when dealing with Bibi Dong, he was occasionally affected by that Evil aura, let alone Chen Xing.

Gui Mei wanted to help Chen Xing, but he had no particularly good solution.

All he could do was silently pray that Chen Xing would not be beaten to the point of immediately drawing his last breath. As long as he was still alive, there was hope of saving him.

After Chen Xing finished eating, the healing Soul Master examined him once more. Once it was confirmed that there was nothing seriously wrong with him, Gui Mei sent him to Bibi Dong's bedchamber again.

By then, Bibi Dong had changed into the Pope's robes. The Purple Gold fabric lent her an air of graceful, luxurious maturity.

Yet her youthful, peerlessly beautiful face formed a slight contrast with that temperament.

In short, she had the figure and bearing of a mature woman, but the face of a young girl.

Seeing Chen Xing standing before her so lively and unharmed, she was somewhat surprised as well.

Were Spirit Hall's healing Soul Masters this efficient now?

If so, she could hit a little harder in the future...

With that thought, an imperceptible trace of amusement appeared in her beautiful eyes as she looked at the boy.

"Today, you will stay by my side. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave a five-meter radius around me."

"Do you understand?"

Chen Xing was stunned.

"Five meters?"

"Teacher..."

"Then what about my cultivation?"

"Am I going to suck away all the Soul Power from the air around you or something?"

"Cultivate however you normally cultivate."

"It's decided. And from now on, you have to follow me every day."

"Huh?"

Chen Xing wanted to say something more, but Bibi Dong's glare forced the words back down his throat.

"Come here now!"

Faced with this woman's bizarre behavior, Chen Xing, who had no ability to resist, could only comply.

What he did not know was that during the three days he had supposedly been "unconscious," Bibi Dong had spent every day restless and irritable.

The energy within that light sphere had long been exhausted, and the negative emotions produced by the Rakshasa Divine Power had surfaced once again.

Originally, this was merely part of her daily life. Suppressing the Rakshasa Divine Power and restraining her emotions had long become a part of Bibi Dong's existence.

But after experiencing that soothing sensation, she no longer wanted to endure it alone.

Bibi Dong could clearly feel that even without that golden energy sphere, simply having Chen Xing by her side made her feel much more at ease.

At worst, she could use training Chen Xing as an excuse to vent her emotions...

Besides, this kid could take a beating. She could not break him no matter how much she hit him!

And so, for the entire morning, Chen Xing followed behind Bibi Dong.

While this woman handled official business in Pope Hall, he stood nearby and cultivated.

Eyes on his nose, nose on his heart.

Standing was a little tiring, but as a bamboo, standing was what he did best.

Moreover, Soul Power circulated more smoothly while he was standing.

By noon, even Bibi Dong had begun to view him in a new light.

This little brat had stood beside her all morning without moving at all.

No wonder his talent was so exceptional.

Other children were still playing in the mud at six, while this little brat already possessed such composure at six.

Tsk, tsk~

"Let's go! Time to eat!"

Seeing how obedient Chen Xing was, Bibi Dong smiled faintly and headed toward the hall entrance on her own.

"At least you know how to behave. Keep it up from now on."

"If you find standing too tiring, I'll have a maid find you a chair later."

"Don't worry. You won't suffer for nothing by staying at my side."

The hall was empty by then. Since she was in a fairly good mood, Bibi Dong said a few more words than usual.

But she had already reached the doorway and still had not heard any footsteps behind her.

Feeling puzzled, she glanced back.

There was no sign of Chen Xing.

When she looked up, her purple eyes could not help but turn blank with confusion.

The boy who should have been following behind Bibi Dong was still standing beside the throne.

He still had that eyes-on-his-nose, nose-on-his-heart posture.

His expression was relaxed, and his breathing was even...

This person had actually fallen asleep standing up!

Bibi Dong was speechless...

So everything she had just said had been directed at thin air.

She had even thought this little brat had good composure and was steady enough.

Bullshit!

He had claimed that following her around would delay his cultivation, but someone who could fall asleep while standing still needed her to delay his cultivation?

The more she thought about it, the more stifled she felt.

She flashed directly in front of Chen Xing and slapped the back of his neck.

Chen Xing jolted awake from his deep sleep, but his legs had gone numb from standing for so long.

With his balance broken, his left foot tripped over his right, and he pitched forward into Bibi Dong's embrace.

Strangely enough, a dignified Peerless Douluo did not choose to dodge such an unexpected situation. She simply allowed the boy to wrap his arms around her legs.

Chen Xing's legs were numb, and he knelt on the red carpet.

His upper body relied entirely on his arms wrapped around Bibi Dong's thigh to maintain his balance. He raised his head in despair, intending to see Bibi Dong's expression.

Instead, all he saw were her proud twin peaks...

Unconsciously, he swallowed.