So even though they were already together, he didn't even dare to be intimate with her, for fear of showing her the slightest disrespect.
They had been together for two whole years. Those were, without a doubt, the happiest two years of his life.
During those two years, he told her every fanciful idea he had about Martial Souls. She never brushed him off; instead, she listened very seriously and eagerly discussed all those ideas with him.
Back then, he felt that every day with her was carefree and happy.
He even came to believe that she was an angel sent by Heaven to make up for the flaw in his Martial Soul—an angel who belonged to him alone.
It was because of her that he emerged from the shadows in his heart, settled on the path he would take in the future, and devoted himself to the in-depth study of Martial Souls.
But their happiness didn't last. Just when he thought their wonderful time together would go on forever, one day the goddess in his heart came to him and coldly told him that she had only been with him to glean everything he knew about Martial Souls. It was over between them.
Though he could find plenty of holes in what she said, he didn't dare expose a single one.
Because she had truly left him!
Because her identity was an extraordinary one: Bibi Dong, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall and heir to the position of its next Pope.
He had already sensed that she might be someone of high and special standing, but he had never imagined that she would be so exalted.
And knowing Bibi Dong's identity meant that Yu Xiaogang had no choice but to believe what she had told him.
After all, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall would never stoop to deceiving him.
More importantly, if he insisted on being with the future heir of Spirit Hall, then even his father—the sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—wouldn't be able to protect him. His family might even be dragged into it.
After all, Spirit Hall would never allow its future heir to marry into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. To Spirit Hall, the Seven Great Sects were all enemies standing in the way of its growth.
And at the time, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's strength was nowhere near enough to stand against Spirit Hall!
So that night, he got drunk for the first time in his life. He drank until he was dead drunk and knew nothing, and he never wanted to wake up again.
Later, he met Liu Erlong.
That woman used her lively, forthright warmth to soothe his wounded heart, finally helping him step out of the shadows of his past.
But, as the saying went, one's first love was always the most beautiful—and impossible to forget.
That was why, when he saw Bibi Dong again, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but stare in a daze. Before he knew it, he had started walking toward her.
At that moment, he had completely forgotten that someone else was standing beside him.
But just because he had forgotten her didn't mean she wasn't there.
Liu Erlong noticed that something was wrong with his expression, and that he clearly wasn't looking at her. She had been holding an accessory and was about to ask Yu Xiaogang what he thought of it, but now she followed his gaze.
The moment she saw Bibi Dong—and saw the barely concealed excitement in Yu Xiaogang's eyes as he looked at her—she understood everything.
She hadn't forgotten that Yu Xiaogang had once had a first love. It was because of that first love that he had refused to accept her for so long, keeping her hanging on.
And if she wasn't mistaken, the woman Yu Xiaogang was looking at now was his first love—the Bibi Dong he had never been able to forget.
At that thought, Liu Erlong's expression turned cold.
She was angry that Bibi Dong, a woman who had no business showing up, had come to disturb her and Yu Xiaogang. The woman had already left—why come back now? And why, despite having another man, come back to meddle in their lives? (Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji were holding hands, and neither looked old, so Liu Erlong couldn't tell their ages from their appearances and assumed they were a couple.)
She was also disappointed in Yu Xiaogang. She had pursued him for years, yet she still couldn't compare to a woman who had left him long ago and walked out of his life.
The woman had only just arrived. She hadn't even said a word—she had merely looked at him, and he had already forgotten Liu Erlong completely. His eyes held only Bibi Dong!
Yu Xiaogang's behavior left her heartbroken and bitterly disappointed!
PS: Why did the previous chapter disappear again???
"Long time no see. How have you been?" Fighting to contain the excitement in his heart, Yu Xiaogang spoke his first words to her.
As he spoke, something seemed to surface in his weary eyes: regret, memories, excitement—but above all, a deep sense of loss.
At his greeting, Bibi Dong's gaze turned complicated in an instant. Fond memories, pain, bitterness, resentment—all kinds of feelings mingled within her.
In the end, they came together in a calm reply.
"What could possibly be wrong? I'm second only to one person and above tens of thousands. As the future heir of Spirit Hall, even the emperors of the two great empires have to show me respect. Do you think there's anything wrong with my life?"
Her gentle, pleasant voice easily made people feel as if a spring breeze were washing over them.
But Yu Xiaogang's expression grew strained. It wasn't just because he sensed the resentment beneath Bibi Dong's calm words. He had also noticed the man beside her.
And that man was holding her hand.
Staring fixedly at their joined hands, Yu Xiaogang asked bitterly, "Who is he?"
(Yu Xiaogang had never met Qian Xunji. After all, Qian Xunji was the dignified Pope of Spirit Hall. How could a good-for-nothing from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan like him ever hope to meet Qian Xunji?)
He was afraid he would hear the answer he least wanted to hear.
Before you continue