Dugu Bo clasped his hands behind his back and tried hard to assume the bearing of an expert. "With the Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma bestowed by the Holy Son this time, not only have I made up for my deficiencies, but I've also successfully cultivated the Poison Scripture. I've now reached rank ninety-three."
As he spoke, Dugu Bo could not help feeling a little proud. A Title Douluo's every rank was a world apart. Previously, he had been plagued by poison and unable to advance even a step. Now that the poison no longer troubled him, he had even risen two ranks at once. Of course, this was the combined result of his prior accumulation and the effects of the Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma.
Unfortunately, the others showed little reaction. Their eyes were all on Shang An, so Dugu Bo's attempt to show off had clearly failed.
Shang An and the others had completed everything they had come to Sunset Forest for. After resting there another night, they packed up early the next morning and returned to Heaven Dou City.
Ah Yin, meanwhile, returned to the Small World. The Blue Silver Emperor liked it there very much.
Inside Pope Palace,
Bibi Dong sat gloomily at her desk, with a huge pile of documents awaiting review before her.
As Shang An's Spirit Hall reform plan was implemented, more and more matters needed handling. Moreover, many of Spirit Hall's parasites had exposed themselves under the supervision system. After a batch of people was removed, others had to be promptly assigned to take over their work.
For a time, the massive Spirit Master organization that was Spirit Hall sprang into motion, and everyone from top to bottom became busy.
Many outsiders were still watching Spirit Hall make a spectacle of itself. In their eyes, Spirit Hall was practically crippling itself. Most of those who had been purged were the backbone of Spirit Hall's fighting strength. Removing so many people over minor issues—was that not simply cutting off its own arm?
Only those with stronger political instincts or quicker minds vaguely sensed that Spirit Hall's cohesion had risen to another level, and its reputation among the common people was beginning to improve. Unfortunately, even if they wanted to stop Spirit Hall's transformation, there was simply nothing they could do.
In truth, Spirit Hall had not directly purged all those people. Otherwise, its operations really would have run into problems. The supervision system had clear standards: parasites above the critical line were removed outright, while those below it were first warned and retained under observation.
Even so, it still had a certain impact on Spirit Hall's operations. Thus, even the elders who had once been quite idle were now overwhelmed with work, let alone Bibi Dong, the Pope.
But the mountain of documents was not what troubled Bibi Dong most. What troubled her was that someone was missing from her side—someone who occupied her entire heart.
"Ah... I wonder how Xiao An is doing now. Has he been 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 depressed. She even had trouble sleeping every night, looking every bit like a young girl in love.
Still, it did not affect Spirit Hall's decisions. Bibi Dong remained quite rational. Sometimes, she simply stayed in Pope Palace all night handling documents, using the work to ease the loneliness in her heart.
"Mm, Teacher is thinking about me?"
Ever since the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Primordial Spirit had transformed into the Heavenly Dao, his path of the mind had become increasingly powerful and strange. Even though Bibi Dong was thousands of miles away, Shang An could still sense her longing.
"I'll make one final visit to the East Palace to see that 'Xue Qinghe,' then head back."
Shang An had to admit that after being away for several months, he missed that Pope-brand body pillow as well. Xiao Wu was still too immature; she was not as comfortable to use.
After giving Xiao Wu some instructions, he brought Ni Huang with him to the imperial palace once more. With the experience from the first time, the second naturally went much more smoothly. Moreover, he had learned the location of the Crown Prince's East Palace from Xue Beng's memories.
Under the concealment of the Taiyi Dharma Domain, the two avoided the guards and quickly arrived at the Crown Prince's East Palace. The Crown Prince's residence was clearly more luxurious than Xue Beng's palace, and the patrolling guards were also much stricter. But to Shang An, it made no difference. He slipped in with ease.
Through the Golden Eyes of Truth, Shang An could see that a Title Douluo was hidden within the palace. The man was tall and lean, his gaze sharp as a blade. Judging by his appearance, he was Snake Lance Douluo She Long, one of the two Title Douluo protecting Qian Renxue.
However, Shang An had no intention of speaking with him. Instead, he directly slipped into Qian Renxue's bedchamber, his highly concealed Psychic Power scanning the entire room.
"Looks like Qian Renxue hasn't returned yet."
Shang An was not in a hurry. There was still some time before midnight. As the Crown Prince, it was perfectly normal for her to be busy with affairs.
He wandered around the bedchamber. It was orderly and clean, with everything arranged neatly. Inside stood a large, snow-white, soft bed enclosed by curtains, and it looked very comfortable.
There was also a desk in the room, covered with books. Most concerned statecraft, along with some reflections on governing. There were no private journals or anything of that sort.
The wardrobe held only men's clothing. It seemed Qian Renxue had truly concealed herself well. Even in her most private bedchamber, she continued playing the role of Xue Qinghe.
The bedchamber was not large, and Shang An quickly finished looking around. Bored, he simply lay down on the large bed. It really was quite comfortable, and more importantly, a faint fragrance lingered in the air.
The scent was somewhat similar to Bibi Dong's, yet different. It was probably Qian Renxue's natural fragrance. After all, she was a woman. No matter how carefully she hid herself, traces of her own scent would inevitably remain in the place where she lived every day.
"Why hasn't Qian Renxue come back yet?"
After waiting for quite a while longer, Shang An looked at the completely dark sky outside. It was already the early hours of the morning. Feeling somewhat sleepy, he wanted to take a nap, so he fell asleep. Ni Huang was keeping watch, so he was perfectly safe. He would speak with Qian Renxue when she returned.
Another half hour passed before Qian Renxue finally returned to the palace. During the day, Xue Ye had compiled Spirit Hall's recent changes into a dossier and given it to her to analyze, claiming that it was a test.
What the Heaven Dou Empire had compiled was only surface-level information. Qian Renxue knew Spirit Hall's actual plan, but in order to deal with Xue Ye, she still put on a show of thinking it over and analyzing it.
At the same time, she grew curious about Shang An, whom she had only seen mentioned in her grandfather's letters and had never met. Anyone capable of devising such a plan had to possess extraordinary wisdom.
When she reached the bedchamber, Qian Renxue greeted Snake Lance Douluo, who was concealed in the darkness, before entering. She first went to the bathhouse for a soak, easing the weariness in both body and mind. This habit was very similar to that of her mother, Bibi Dong.
After removing her clothes and shedding her disguise, Qian Renxue looked at her breathtaking reflection in the mirror and felt strangely unfamiliar with herself. Living year after year with someone else's face, having to imitate another person in every gesture, constantly remaining cautious—such an experience was not something ordinary people could endure.
Living in the cold Heaven Dou Empire, exchanging empty pleasantries with Xue Ye, dealing with all kinds of nobles, and handling government affairs every day—this was not the life she wanted.
But whenever she thought of that woman who had never shown her any motherly love, she found the motivation to persist. She wanted to prove that she was the finest. She wanted to make her regret never properly looking at her own daughter.
As if possessed, she transformed into Bibi Dong. Purple hair framed an exquisitely beautiful face carrying a faint air of authority. Her figure was curvaceous, and her skin was even more tender and fair than a young girl's. On closer inspection, she even resembled herself in some ways.
Aside from being unable to change her sex, Qian Renxue's disguise Spirit Bone Skill could alter things such as body shape and bearing, provided she knew the person's appearance and physique completely.
And besides the real Xue Qinghe, whose grave grass was already three zhang high, the person Qian Renxue knew best was Bibi Dong, this "older sister" of hers.
Therefore, the Bibi Dong Qian Renxue transformed into had no flaws in either aura or appearance. As long as she did not make a move, the two could stand together and pass for one another.
"Mom~"
Facing the reflection in the mirror, she called out the name she had always wanted to use. Yet every time they had met before, Bibi Dong had treated her like an enemy, her eyes filled with disgust. How could Qian Renxue possibly have said that name aloud?
After a long while, "Bibi Dong" emerged from the bathhouse after finishing her soak. Qian Renxue did not transform into Xue Qinghe or return to her own appearance. Today, she wanted to be selfish just once. Having never experienced motherly love, she felt that perhaps taking on this appearance meant she could sleep beside her mother.
After changing into a nightgown, Qian Renxue stepped out of the bathhouse. Her beautiful face was as fresh as a lotus emerging from clear water. After using Soul Power to evaporate the moisture from her hair, she walked toward the familiar soft bed, lifted the bed curtains, and stepped inside.
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