Qian Renxue Loves Taking Baths

Dugu Bo put his hands behind his back, striving to project the air of a master. "Thanks to the Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma bestowed upon me by the Holy Son, I have not only replenished my internal depletion but also successfully mastered the Poison Scripture. I have now reached level ninety-three."

As he spoke, Dugu Bo felt a faint sense of pride. One had to understand that every level for a Title Douluo was like a new heaven; he had previously been plagued by toxins and unable to make any progress. Now that he was no longer troubled by the poison, he had jumped two levels directly, though this was also the result of his previous accumulation combined with the efficacy of the Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma.

Unfortunately, the others showed little reaction. Their eyes were all on Shang An, and Dugu Bo's attempt to show off had clearly failed.

Shang An and his group had finished their business in the Sunset Forest. After resting there for one more night, they packed up and returned to Heaven Dou City early the next morning.

As for A Yin, she had returned to the Small World; the Blue Silver Emperor loved it there.

Inside the Pope Palace, Bibi Dong was sitting gloomily at her desk, facing a massive pile of documents waiting to be approved.

With the implementation of Shang An's reform plan for Spirit Hall, the volume of affairs needing attention had grown significantly. Furthermore, many corrupt elements within Spirit Hall had been exposed under the new inspection system. After purging a batch of people, she had to immediately arrange for others to take over their duties.

For a time, the massive soul master organization that was Spirit Hall had been set in motion, and everyone from top to bottom was busy.

Many in the outside world were still watching the spectacle, believing that Spirit Hall was essentially crippling itself. They reasoned that the group purged consisted mostly of the core combat strength of Spirit Hall, and to clear out so many people over minor issues was nothing short of self-sabotage.

Only those with higher political acumen or more flexible minds vaguely sensed that the cohesion of Spirit Hall had reached a new level, and its reputation among the common people was beginning to improve. Unfortunately, even if they wanted to hinder the changes in Spirit Hall, they were completely unable to do so.

In reality, Spirit Hall had not purged everyone indiscriminately, or the organization's operations would have truly collapsed. The inspection had a standard: those above the danger line were purged immediately, while those below were given warnings and kept under observation.

Even so, it still caused a certain shock to the operations of Spirit Hall, leaving the usually idle elders busy and overwhelmed, to say nothing of Bibi Dong, the Pope herself.

But what bothered Bibi Dong was not these mountains of documents; it was the absence of a person by her side—the one who occupied her entire heart.

"Sigh, I wonder how Xiao An is doing now, and if he is taking good care of himself."

When Shang An was around, no matter how tired she was, she felt happy every moment and looked forward to every day.

But after Shang An left, she became somewhat melancholy. She couldn't sleep well at night, looking very much like a young girl in the throes of first love.

However, this did not affect the decision-making of Spirit Hall. Bibi Dong remained quite rational. Sometimes, she would simply stay in the Pope Palace all night to process these documents, using the work to alleviate the loneliness in her heart.

"Hmm, is Teacher thinking of me?"

Ever since his Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Primordial Spirit had transformed into the Heavenly Dao, his path of the heart had become increasingly powerful and mysterious. Even though Bibi Dong was ten thousand miles away, her longing was still sensed by Shang An.

"Let's take one last look at that 'Xue Qinghe' in the Eastern Palace, and then head back."

Shang An had to admit that after being away for a few months, he missed his "Pope-brand" body pillow. Xiao Wu was still not mature enough and didn't feel as good to use.

After giving instructions to Xiao Wu, he took Ni Huang and headed toward the imperial palace once more. With the experience from the first time, the second was naturally more proficient, and from Xue Beng's memories, he had learned the location of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

Under the cover of the Taiyi Dharma Domain, the two bypassed the guards and soon arrived at the Eastern Palace. The palace where the Crown Prince resided was clearly more luxurious than Xue Beng's, and the patrolling guards were more rigorous, but for Shang An, it was all the same; he infiltrated it with ease.

Through his Golden Eyes of Truth, Shang An could see a Title Douluo hidden within the palace. The figure was tall and thin, with sharp, piercing eyes. Judging by the physique, it was none other than She Long, the Snake Spear Douluo, one of the two Title Douluo guarding Qian Renxue.

However, Shang An had no intention of engaging him in conversation. Instead, he slipped directly into Qian Renxue's bedchamber, his highly concealed power of the heart scanning the entire room.

"It seems Qian Renxue hasn't returned yet."

Shang An was not in a hurry. There was still some time before midnight, and it was normal for the Crown Prince to be busy with official duties.

He wandered around the bedchamber. The room was orderly and clean, with everything arranged neatly. Inside was a large, soft, snow-white bed draped in curtains, which looked very comfortable.

There was also a desk in the room with some books, mostly related to statecraft, along with some personal insights on governance, but no diaries that would expose her privacy.

The clothes in the wardrobe were all men's attire. It seemed Qian Renxue was indeed hiding her identity well; even in her most private quarters, she maintained the image of Xue Qinghe.

The room was not large, and Shang An finished looking around quickly. Bored, he lay down on the large bed. It had to be said, the bed was truly comfortable, and more importantly, there was a faint, lingering fragrance.

This fragrance was somewhat similar to the one on Bibi Dong, yet different. It must be Qian Renxue's natural scent. After all, she was a woman; no matter how well she hid, she would inevitably leave some trace of herself in the place where she lived daily.

"Why hasn't Qian Renxue returned yet?"

After waiting for a long time, looking at the pitch-black sky outside, it was already past midnight. Shang An felt a hint of fatigue and wanted to take a nap, so he drifted off to sleep. He was safe enough with Ni Huang on guard, and he could talk to Qian Renxue when she returned.

Half an hour later, Qian Renxue finally returned to the palace. During the day, Emperor Xue Ye had compiled the recent changes in Spirit Hall into a document and given it to her to analyze, claiming he wanted to test her.

The Heaven Dou Empire had only compiled the surface-level changes. Qian Renxue knew the specific plans of Spirit Hall, but to appease Xue Ye, she had pretended to ponder and analyze them.

At the same time, she felt curious about Shang An, a man who had only appeared in her grandfather's letters and whom she had never met. Anyone capable of formulating such a plan must possess heaven-defying wisdom.

Walking to the bedchamber, she greeted the Snake Spear Douluo hidden in the shadows before stepping inside. She first went to the bathroom to take a bath to relieve the fatigue in her body and mind—a habit very similar to her mother, Bibi Dong.

Removing her clothes and shedding her disguise, Qian Renxue looked at her beautiful self in the mirror, feeling a sense of strangeness. Living with someone else's face for years, imitating others in every move, and being cautious at every moment—this was an experience few could endure.

Staying in this cold Heaven Dou Empire, playing games with Xue Ye, dealing with all sorts of nobles, and handling state affairs every day—this was not the life she wanted.

But whenever she thought of the woman who had never given her maternal love, she found the motivation to keep going. She wanted to prove to her that she was the most outstanding, and she wanted to make her regret never looking at her daughter with genuine eyes.

As if possessed, she transformed into the image of Bibi Dong: purple hair, a stunning face, a faint air of majesty on her features, a graceful figure, and skin even more delicate and fair than a young girl's. If one looked closely, there was even a slight resemblance to herself.

Her disguise soul bone skill could not change her gender, but she could alter her physique and temperament, provided she knew the person's appearance and build perfectly.

And apart from the real Xue Qinghe, whose grave grass was already three feet high, the person Qian Renxue understood best was her 'sister', Bibi Dong.

Therefore, the Bibi Dong that Qian Renxue transformed into was flawless in both aura and physique. As long as they didn't fight, the two could stand together and pass for the real thing.

"Mother~"

Facing the face in the mirror, she called out the title she had always wanted to use. But whenever she met her in the past, she treated her like an enemy, her eyes full of disgust. How could she ever say that name aloud?

After a long while, the 'Bibi Dong' who had finished her bath emerged. Qian Renxue did not change back into Xue Qinghe or her own appearance. Today, she wanted to be willful. Having never felt maternal love, she felt as if transforming into this image allowed her to sleep with her mother.

After putting on a nightgown, Qian Renxue stepped out of the bathroom. Her beautiful face was like a lotus rising from clear water. Using soul power to evaporate the moisture from her hair, she walked toward the familiar, soft bed, lifted the curtains, and climbed in.