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"Then why did you keep tricking me into calling you An Gege?" Whenever she remembered that she was a full five years older than Shang An yet had kept calling him An Gege, she felt a little disgruntled.

Shang An grinned. "Then call me An Gege one more time."

Meeting Shang An's blazing gaze and recalling the intimate scene in the courtyard that day, Dugu Yan unconsciously called out once more.

"An Gege."

"All right, we should get going."

In front of Dugu Manor, Dugu Yan quietly watched the departing carriage until it vanished around the corner of the street. Only then did she come back to her senses.

Dugu Bo patted his granddaughter on the shoulder. "Work hard."

A nine-year-old Spirit King! With such talent, even that legendary realm was probably within reach. Submitting to him was indeed the best choice. With such a child in the Spirit Hall, how could it fail to prosper?

As for his granddaughter Dugu Yan's affairs, he had suddenly come to terms with them. Someone so outstanding naturally wouldn't lack beautiful women at his side. Moreover, from the way he had shared the Immortal Herbs, it was clear that he probably wasn't a cold and heartless person. Perhaps Yan Yan following him wasn't such a bad choice after all.

Late at night, a carriage slowly entered Spirit City.

This time, Shang An hadn't notified Bibi Dong in advance about his return to the Spirit Hall. He wanted to give her a surprise.

After having Ni Huang take Xiao Wu away first, Shang An returned alone to the palace beside the Pope Palace.

There were still maids keeping watch in the palace. After Shang An asked about the situation, he learned that Bibi Dong had already gone to bed.

After sending the maid away, Shang An went alone into the sleeping quarters.

Shang An's presence didn't alert Bibi Dong. Perhaps she was too familiar with it, or perhaps she trusted him too much.

When he reached the bed and looked at the beautiful woman sleeping like a fairytale princess, Shang An felt his emotions stir with excitement.

He lightly stepped onto the bed, even using Soul Power in his efforts not to wake Bibi Dong. Sensing the familiar aura, Bibi Dong unconsciously snuggled closer in her sleep, and Shang An unceremoniously pulled her into his arms.

Holding that delicate body and looking at Bibi Dong's tranquil sleeping face, Shang An still suppressed that trace of impulse. He closed his eyes and obediently went to sleep. The Pope-branded pillow was simply too comfortable to hold.

When the morning sun rose and shone into the room, Bibi Dong woke from her sleep. Ever since Xiao An had left, she seemed not to have slept this comfortably in a long time.

She wanted to sit up, but suddenly felt as if someone had her in his arms. Bibi Dong's expression changed in an instant. She opened her cold eyes, but the moment she saw the person's face clearly, the coldness in her eyes transformed into boundless tenderness.

Bibi Dong's movement also woke Shang An from his sleep. He spoke groggily, "Teacher, you're awake."

Bibi Dong hugged Shang An tightly in return. She was afraid this was only a dream, and that Xiao An would disappear from before her eyes the moment she let go. "Xiao An, you're back. I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Shang An gently stroked Bibi Dong's back to comfort her. He knew that this woman only lost her composure like this when it came to him.

"Teacher, I'm back."

The two embraced on the bed for quite a while before Bibi Dong reluctantly let go of Shang An and got up to change clothes. She didn't avoid Shang An at all, completely unconcerned about the spring scenery she revealed.

That milky-white beauty was dazzling beyond measure. If Shang An's self-control hadn't been strong enough, he probably would have already transformed into a werewolf and pounced on her, though Bibi Dong wouldn't have resisted either.

"Xiao An, will you be leaving again after coming back this time?"

"No. I've basically finished what I needed to do outside this time, so I won't be leaving again for the short term." The opportunities outside either required strength he didn't yet possess or were extremely troublesome. He might as well stay in Spirit City and cultivate properly for three years.

"That's good, that's good." Joy appeared on Bibi Dong's face, and even the sunlight filling the room seemed to grow gentler and warmer.

"By the way, Teacher, I have a gift for you."

As Shang An spoke, he took a jade box from his Storage Device.

Bibi Dong accepted the jade box from Shang An with a beaming smile. No matter what Shang An gave her, she would be happy.

When she opened the jade box, she found a blood-red peony growing atop a piece of pitch-black stone.

"This is... Lovesick Heartbreak Red!"

Bibi Dong looked at the jade box in surprise. Although her knowledge of herbs was inferior to Chrysanthemum Douluo's, she still knew of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, the king of Immortal Herbs. It was precisely because she knew about it that she was surprised. What did Xiao An mean by this? Could it be that... At that thought, her face flushed slightly.

Shang An, however, didn't notice any of that.

"Teacher, hurry and try to pluck it."

That was right. Shang An had decided to give this Lovesick Heartbreak Red to Bibi Dong when he left it behind back then. Given Bibi Dong's cultivation, the other Immortal Herbs would merely have been icing on the cake and wouldn't have been of much use to her.

But this Lovesick Heartbreak Red was different. Its medicinal power far surpassed that of the other Immortal Herbs, making it worthy of its title as the king of flowers and the king of Immortal Grade herbs.

If Bibi Dong absorbed this Lovesick Heartbreak Red, she might be able to break through her bottleneck and become a Limit Douluo.

Urged on by Shang An, Bibi Dong reached out and grasped the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. What she recalled was Shang An, who had been branded deep within her soul.

It wasn't that she had never entertained such thoughts about Shang An. On the contrary, her feelings were stronger than anyone else's. With her strength, she could have even become a Secret Room Douluo once.

But she was afraid that Shang An would therefore see her as a perverted teacher and come to resent her. At the same time, she felt that, as someone who already had a daughter, she wasn't worthy of Shang An.

When someone fell in love, their heart would forever sink lower and lower, all the way into the dirt, where a flower would bloom. It was so humble, yet so joyful.

However, before she could drip her blood, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red fell from the Black Absolute Stone and seemed to eagerly throw itself into Bibi Dong's hand, which surprised Shang An quite a bit.

It seemed that the Lovesick Heartbreak Red didn't absolutely require one to spit blood after all. Of course, a love like Bibi Dong's, branded into her true spirit and impossible to erase, was nearly impossible to find. For ordinary people, spitting blood was still the correct method.

"Teacher, hurry and absorb and refine it. I'll help you handle the government affairs these days."

Bibi Dong looked at Shang An. The countless emotions in her eyes ultimately converged into a single word: "All right." She didn't know what Shang An had always been worried about, but she knew that only by becoming stronger could she help him better.

With her temperament, she wouldn't hide the flower away like Xiao Wu had. She needed strength—the strength to shield him from wind and rain.

After sending Bibi Dong into the secret chamber, Shang An went straight to the Pope Palace. With his prestige in the Spirit Hall, handling the Pope's government affairs in her place naturally wasn't a major matter.

After announcing that Bibi Dong had entered secluded cultivation, Shang An sat down in Bibi Dong's chair. Her scent still lingered on it, putting Shang An in an excellent mood.

However, looking at the mountain of documents piled up before him, Shang An couldn't help frowning. After thinking for a while, he waved his hand and sent all the documents into the Small World.

His Primordial Spirit had transformed into the Small World's Heavenly Dao. With the Heavenly Dao's ability to coordinate all things under heaven, handling these documents was naturally effortless. In barely any time at all, Shang An had finished processing all the government affairs that had accumulated during this period, leaving himself with nothing to do.

When he had nothing to do, his thoughts easily ran wild. That snow-white beauty... Ah, forget it. I wonder how the little fox is doing.

Just as he thought of her, the little fox arrived at the Pope Palace.

"Shang An, you're back."

Hu Liena ran into the hall with an excited heart. The moment she saw Shang An, she pounced straight at him. She had originally made up her mind to get back at Shang An for leaving without taking her along. Once he returned, she would refuse to speak to him for three days and make him come looking for her.

But when she actually heard the news that he had returned, she still couldn't suppress the heat in her heart and hurried to the Pope Palace without stopping.

"Boo-hoo, Shang An, I missed you so much. You never have time to spend with me."

"All right, all right, I'm back now, aren't I? I brought you a gift this time." Shang An stroked Hu Liena's soft, smooth black hair, soothing her emotions. Ah, being too charming really is a problem. So many girls need my comfort.

"A gift? What gift?" The moment she heard the word "gift," the little fox's eyes lit up.

Shang An slapped the little fox on the butt. "Get up first. How am I supposed to give you the gift if you don't get up?"

The little fox covered her butt and stood up. "Hmph, you actually hit me. If the gift doesn't satisfy me, I'm going to ignore you."

Looking at the little fox's haughty appearance, Shang An felt a warm tenderness in his heart. She would probably say she was satisfied even if he casually gave her a hairpin bought from a roadside stall.

It was another jade box. This time, Shang An was giving her an Immortal Herb as well. As for his women, he naturally hoped they would have powerful talent and be able to walk with him toward eternity.

"Wow, what's this?"

Inside the jade box was a strange blue-and-purple flower. Its petals intertwined into the shape of a fox, making it look like a tiny little fox.