At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, Bibi Dong awoke from her meditation. As an instructor, she had something important to take care of.
She climbed out the window and landed on the ground, then left Spirit Hall and headed toward the market street in Notting City.
It was still early, and only a few people were outside.
Bibi Dong went straight to the end of the market street, where Notting City's largest auction house, the Notting Auction House, stood. Its owner was the Glazed Chamber of Commerce.
The guard recognized Bibi Dong. He rang the doorbell, then dropped to one knee. "Greetings, Your Highness, Saintess."
"Rise." Bibi Dong waved a hand casually.
Soon, a woman in a red cheongsam with a stunning figure came out of the auction house and bowed. "Su Mei greets Your Highness, Saintess."
"At ease. Have today's items all arrived?" Bibi Dong asked.
Su Mei gave her signature smile and turned to usher Bibi Dong inside. "They've all arrived. We were just waiting for you."
Bibi Dong walked in, casually placing a Gold Soul Coin in the guard's hand.
"Your Highness, we found the item you asked for." Su Mei led the way half a step ahead, guiding Bibi Dong to the auction house's inner courtyard. "Please wait a moment. It'll be brought out shortly."
Before long, another woman in a light green cheongsam came over carrying a tray.
Su Mei lifted the burgundy cloth. "Your Highness, this is the portable house you wanted."
Bibi Dong looked closely. The item on the tray was tiny, about the size of a thumb. It was silver all over, with a yellow band around it and the black number "1" printed on the band.
"Your Highness, this is called a Universal Capsule. It was found in a secret realm. Seven were discovered in total. Since they contain all sorts of things, they were named Universal Capsules." As she explained, Su Mei picked up Capsule No. 1, held its top, and tossed it outward.
A crisp "pop" rang out, and a cloud of smoke billowed up.
When the smoke cleared, a small, dome-shaped house stood in the courtyard.
Bibi Dong's eyebrows lifted, and the corners of her mouth curled up despite herself. With this, she wouldn't need to return to Spirit Hall every day.
"Your Highness, it has a fully equipped kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, hot water, and everything else you might need."
After looking it over, Bibi Dong nodded with satisfaction. "I'll take it. Charge me."
"Your Highness, this item isn't for sale." Su Mei smiled. "Our President Ning would like to ask you for a favor."
"Let's keep business and favors separate. I'll pay for the item." Bibi Dong folded her arms. "As for President Ning's request, I'll do what I can to help."
"But..." Su Mei looked troubled. This was beyond her authority, after all.
Bibi Dong glanced to the side and suddenly said, "What do you think, Bone Douluo?"
"My, my. As expected of the Saintess of Spirit Hall. You even spotted me like this."
A purple-black spatial rift suddenly appeared in the air, and a middle-aged man slowly stepped out.
He wore a finely tailored sapphire-blue suit, his hair swept back except for a few white strands falling loosely over his forehead. He wore a monocle and pulled two documents from a brown briefcase. "Your Highness, this is a letter of introduction for our Glazed Chamber of Commerce's little princess, Ning Rongrong. Please have a look."
Bibi Dong regarded Bone Douluo suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"Your Highness, I'm sure." Bone Douluo's tone was firm and resolute.
"Are you sure even though she might die?" Bibi Dong folded her arms and leaned back against the sofa.
"Well..." Bone Douluo was at a loss for words.
He had indeed heard some rumors, but considering the little princess's insistence, he nodded. "I'm sure."
"I don't take disciples. She really might die." As soon as Bibi Dong finished speaking, she saw Bone Douluo's face darken and smiled. "If she just wants to come play with me, she's welcome anytime."
Bone Douluo hesitated for a moment. "That would be fine, too."
Bibi Dong bought Capsule No. 1 for the low price of five thousand Gold Soul Coins, then happily returned to Spirit Hall.
If little Ning Rongrong came, she could fill the spot for a support Soul Master.
When she got back to Spirit Hall, the children had already begun training on the field. Usually, she only saw Su Yan there, but now the whole group had turned up.
It seemed that Su Yan reaching level 17 had given them quite a shock.
"Fall in! Get ready to leave!"
Just as the sun peeked over the mountains, Bibi Dong drove the carriage out of Notting City.
In the alley beside Notting City's Spirit Hall, the little girl from the night before was leaning against the wall, fast asleep.
"Ah." She yawned deeply. "Huh? How did I get so far away?"
When she woke up, she saw the Red Ribbon stretching into the distance, all the way beyond the city gates.
The little girl hurried to her feet, ready to follow it out, but the bustling crowd in the street made her hesitate. "I'd better wait until there are fewer people."
An hour passed, and the street was still crowded.
Another hour went by, and the road remained just as busy.
The little girl watched the Red Ribbon's trail grow farther and farther away, growing more and more anxious. "Why did she go so far?"
There were lots of people on the main roads and fewer on the side streets. The little girl ran deeper into the alleys, hoping she could find a way out.
She kept to the empty roads, but after turning this way and that, she inevitably got lost.
Once again, she stumbled into a dead end and waved her hand in frustration. "What kind of place is this? Why are there so many dead ends?"
She hurried back the way she had come, only to find two middle-aged men suddenly blocking the alley entrance, trapping her between them.
The little girl shuddered and quietly backed into a corner.
"Well, would you look at that. A child," Square Face Man said.
"Children are great. They're worth a lot." Round Face Man grinned. Seeing the little girl's adorable face, he bared his teeth in a smile. "And this one's a real looker, so she's worth even more. In ten years, she might even..." He chuckled.
"Little girl, come with us quietly, and you'll suffer less," Square Face Man said, slowly approaching.
The little girl suddenly turned serious. Looking at the two men's malicious expressions, she asked, "Are you two uncles here to capture me?"
"Capture you? What are you talking about? We just want to take you for some candy," Round Face Man said.
The little girl thought for a moment. "I see."
The fear vanished from her eyes. "In that case, you uncles are bad guys. And bad guys aren't people."
A fiery red gleam appeared in her eyes, and a crimson giant axe materialized in her tender little hands.
The Crimson Giant Axe was about three feet long, and its blade alone was as big as the little girl. She rested it on her shoulder.
A yellow Soul Ring floated above the axe's crimson haft.
"Y-you're a Soul Master?" The two men's pupils shrank. They immediately dropped to their knees and bowed. "Lord Soul Master, spare us! We didn't recognize your status and offended you. Please forgive us, Lord Soul Master!"
"Since you aren't people, you don't have human rights." A bloodthirsty smile curled the little girl's lips. Flames surged up, and the Crimson Giant Axe glimmered with a blood-red light.
She leaped high into the air and brought the giant axe down.
Bang!
The sound echoed through the dead-end alley.
The axe struck the ground between the two men, and the shockwave swallowed them.
The blow gouged a deep crater in the ground, sending countless clouds of dust into the air.
Both men fainted on the spot, each leaving a puddle of filth behind.
"Ah, I've gone even farther away!" The little girl didn't have time to worry about them. She hurried after the Red Ribbon.
"Achoo! Who's thinking about me?" Su Yan rubbed his nose and focused all his attention on the waterfall before him.
After yesterday's training, Su Yan felt that his body had grown much sturdier and lighter, as though the waterfall had washed away the pile of magazines that had accumulated inside him.
He stood at the starting point and took a deep breath.
Today's goal: ten steps!
Before you continue