First Meeting

After Qian Renxue left.

Bibi Dong turned to look at Qian Renxue's fleeing figure, and her heart softened once more.

For a moment, her mind was in turmoil.

Just as she was about to sit back down on the throne.

Her gaze inadvertently fell upon the pink-purple gift box on the ground.

Bibi Dong's graceful figure drifted down from the platform. She bent down to pick up the gift box, stared blankly for a moment, then casually opened it.

A delicate Red Sandalwood Jade Comb came into view, along with the names and portraits carved upon it—hers and Qian Renxue's.

The complicated look in Bibi Dong's eyes deepened.

She lightly bit her red lips, sighed, and carefully put it away.

When she looked again in the direction Qian Renxue had run, she discovered that Qian Renxue had not returned directly to the Worship Hall, but had instead headed toward the West District.

After thinking for a moment, her figure flashed, and she followed in secret.

Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu knelt beneath the Angel God statue, praying.

However, his mind was not entirely focused on it at the moment.

His immense Spiritual Power was locked onto his granddaughter, Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue's every move was under his watch.

Or rather, he had been paying close attention ever since Qian Renxue left the Worship Hall to seek out Bibi Dong.

He knew all about Qian Renxue's unusual behavior during this period.

He supported his granddaughter's attempts to repair her relationship with Bibi Dong.

He had not interfered with any of his granddaughter's actions.

Thus, he had not chosen to follow her.

Instead, he had somewhat let her have her way, allowing Qian Renxue to act according to her own wishes.

In his heart, his granddaughter would always have to grow up.

There were some things that, one day, she would inevitably come to understand.

Still, he would continue to keep watch.

For safety's sake, he had no intention of withdrawing his Spiritual Power.

After all, Bibi Dong had a history of such things. He feared that if she went mad again, she might try to kill his granddaughter.

He had to be prepared to rescue her.

Fortunately, Bibi Dong had not lost control and revealed killing intent this time.

When his Spiritual Power relayed that his granddaughter's attempt had failed once more and that she had run away crying, Qian Daoliu silently sighed. "Can you really be so heartless, Bibi Dong?"

Suddenly, Qian Daoliu's expression changed.

He sensed Bibi Dong chasing after Qian Renxue.

He could no longer sit still.

His figure flashed, vanishing directly from the Cushion beneath the Angel God statue.

He hurried after them.

Beside Blue Lake, next to the Orphanage.

Today was the day of Bibi Dong's coronation.

Li Qing, the Dean of the Orphanage, along with most of the teachers, had gone to Central Mountain in Spirit City to witness that historic moment.

Only two elderly Gatekeepers remained at the Orphanage, watching over the children.

Ye Qifeng was still young, so naturally, he could not stray too far from the Orphanage.

He had come to Blue Lake as usual and lay on a stone in the shade by the shore.

Leisurely, he flipped through the books Hu Liena had brought him yesterday.

This time, Hu Liena had brought quite a few books—several dozen in all.

Since Hu Liena's Martial Soul cultivation had gradually gotten on track, after attending her teacher Bibi Dong's Pope coronation ceremony today, she, Xie Yue, and Yan would be sent to a special place for training.

For at least the next month, she would be unable to return and see Ye Qifeng.

Therefore, Hu Liena had borrowed several dozen books from the Spirit Hall Archives all at once.

If she had not been worried that the Old Scholar managing the Archives would object.

She would have taken over a hundred, since several dozen books simply were not enough for Ye Qifeng. He read far too quickly.

Still, she ultimately gave up on the idea.

Hu Liena was also afraid that borrowing too many would anger the administrator. If the matter reached her teacher, that would be troublesome.

She could not bring shame upon her teacher.

The few books beside Ye Qifeng were ones he had specially picked out from among those Hu Liena had brought.

They were all books with a strong sense of age to them, enough to be called ancient texts.

Of course, that did not include the one in his hands.

That one was the "work" of a certain Trash Grandmaster, tossed into a corner to gather dust, despised and never read.

Ye Qifeng would occasionally flip through the book in his hands, then compare it with the ancient texts beside him.

He seemed to have discovered something.

The corner of his lips curled into an involuntary sneer.

Just then, a beautiful golden figure ran swiftly past in the distance.

It was Qian Renxue, who had just run out of the Pope Palace in tears.

She immediately drew Ye Qifeng's attention.

He looked over curiously.

The reason he had been drawn in was that the girl before him was crying rather miserably.

She ran while sobbing loudly.

Finally, she reached the lake's edge and collapsed onto the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she gasped between sobs, constantly wiping at her eyes, yet unable to stop the tears.

"I'll never forgive you again! I hate you!"

The girl shouted loudly, grabbed stones from beside her, and hurled them wildly into the lake, sending ripples across its surface as she vented the anger, pain, and sorrow in her heart.

The moment those words were spoken, a lovely figure hidden nearby trembled slightly. It was Bibi Dong, who had just arrived.

Hearing the hatred in Qian Renxue's words, Bibi Dong felt bitterness in her heart and secretly regretted it.

But she had no other choice. She could not let go of the knot in her heart.

And there was also the faintly destructive evil thought she harbored toward Qian Renxue. She feared that she would lose control again as she had years ago and try to kill her.

She could only keep Qian Renxue away and prevent her from getting close.

That was all she could do.

Perhaps letting her hate me is the right choice. Bibi Dong thought.

On the other side, Qian Daoliu, who had followed Bibi Dong here, also sighed. However, he did not reveal himself to comfort his granddaughter.

After suffering such a blow, his granddaughter needed to be alone. It was not the right time for him to appear.

Letting her vent was good too. Keeping everything bottled up was harmful to both body and mind.

Qian Daoliu remained hidden while keeping guard against Bibi Dong.

He knew Bibi Dong knew he was there.

A long time passed.

The girl was still crying, but she seemed exhausted. She no longer shouted, merely sobbing quietly as she wiped away her tears.

Seeing that the girl had cried herself out, Ye Qifeng, who had been watching from the side, could not help asking, "Big sister, why are you crying so sadly?"

His voice was childish, but his tone carried a somewhat mature air, making him sound like a little adult.

Ye Qifeng's voice immediately caught Qian Renxue's attention, while also drawing the gazes of Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu, hidden in the shadows.

"Who is that?" The sudden voice startled Qian Renxue.

She stopped crying and quickly scrambled up from the ground, pulling a golden Long Sword from her Soul Tool.

As a level thirty-seven Soul Elder, she possessed basic vigilance.

That was right. More than three months had passed, and Qian Renxue's Soul Power had risen by another two levels.

Following the sound, Qian Renxue found its source atop a flat boulder in the shade.

A little brat around four years old, delicate and adorable.

His cheeks were plump and round.

She had been so busy crying that she had not even noticed someone was there.

That meant he had seen her entire embarrassing display.

Qian Renxue felt both awkward and annoyed.

Her eyes, already red from crying, reddened further in that instant, and embarrassment turned into anger.

"Why are you here?"

Qian Renxue asked, unconsciously adding a trace of imperiousness to her tone because of her irritation.

"Huh? Why can't I be here?"

Ye Qifeng looked at Qian Renxue, his face full of question marks.

He saw the girl's face clearly.

Not bad.

She was indeed beautiful, with picturesque brows and eyes and skin fairer than snow.

Her long golden hair and slightly budding chest revealed a body that had begun to develop. She looked about the same age as the twelve- or thirteen-year-old girls from his previous life.

At such a young age, she had already grown into such a stunning beauty. Her looks were breathtaking, enough to rival Bibi Dong's...

Wait, that magnificent golden hair, skin fairer than snow, straight nose, slightly narrow phoenix eyes, and peerless face carrying a hint of regal authority...

She...

Could she be Qian Renxue?