Barbecue

"Heh, Your Holiness the Pontiff, you certainly get news quickly. I've only just returned to Spirit Hall, and you've already come here in person to welcome me. How thoughtful."

Faced with Bibi Dong's question, Golden Crocodile sneered and shot back. The Pope's Palace and the Worship Hall had been at odds for ages. Clearly, Bibi Dong had heard about Feng Xinglie and come specially to win him over.

"Second Worship, you've worked hard. You've brought such a genius into the Pope's Palace, so of course I had to come and thank you in person."

"You're joking, Pontiff. When did I ever say this child was joining the Pope's Palace?"

"You're the one joking, Second Worship. With talent this exceptional, the child naturally ought to take the position of Holy Son of Spirit Hall. Are you planning to break the rules and appoint him in the Pontiff's place?"

Just as the tension between them grew thicker, a commanding voice rang out from above:

"Bibi Dong, since when did you get to tell my disciple what to do?"

Everyone looked up. Qian Daoliu spread his six angel wings and slowly descended from the sky. He nodded at Golden Crocodile Douluo, who returned the greeting, then snorted at Bibi Dong and turned to leave.

But Feng Xinglie, who had been sneaking after him, hoping to slip away too, was stopped...

"Where are you going, my dear disciple?"

Qian Daoliu asked kindly.

Anywhere, as long as I don't have to stay with you two...

Of course, Feng Xinglie only dared think that.

"Oh? Since when did the Great Enshrined start taking disciples too?"

Seeing Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong's expression flickered with a hint of solemnity.

"I felt an affinity with this child the first time we met. And with his talent, I simply took him in."

After saying this, Qian Daoliu turned his head to look at Feng Xinglie and asked:

"Isn't that right, child?"

Ha... Haha... Sure, whatever you say...

Seeing Feng Xinglie nodding blankly, Bibi Dong couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing.

"If he's the Great Enshrined's disciple, then surely he's the only choice for the position of Holy Son?"

As she spoke, she took a token from her Storage Soul Tool and held it out to Feng Xinglie:

"This is the Holy Son Token the Pontiff has bestowed upon you. You must work hard at your cultivation and become the face of Spirit Hall."

Looking at the token, Qian Daoliu couldn't help sneering:

"The Pontiff moves quickly. The boy hasn't even reached Spirit City, and the token is already prepared."

This time, though, Bibi Dong paid him no heed. She kept smiling as she held the Holy Son Token out to Feng Xinglie.

"Come on, you two old ancestors! If you've got a grudge, can't you go outside and fight it out? Stop taking it out on me!"

Under their gazes, Feng Xinglie couldn't decide whether to take the token or leave it. Offending either of these two would make his life miserable. Who could have guessed that he'd be forced to pick a side the moment he arrived at Spirit Hall? The two of them, who seemed to disagree about everything, were now working together to roast him over the fire.

One added the kindling, the other sprinkled on the salt...

"Th-thank you, Great Enshrined Soul Grandmaster Master. Thank you, Great Pontiff Soul Grandmaster Big Sister!"

(What does a six-year-old kid like me have to do with the struggles at the top of the world? I don't even know them. I'll just take whatever they give me. Don't ask me, Xiao Lie doesn't know. 0.0~)

Feng Xinglie chose to avoid the issue.

He snatched up the Holy Son Token, then acted just like an ordinary little kid receiving a gift from an elder. Holding the token, he bowed twice to the left and twice to the right. Watching him, the two of them lost any desire to keep arguing.

"It's getting late. I'll take my disciple back to rest."

After emphasizing once more that Feng Xinglie was his disciple, Qian Daoliu took him by the hand and headed for the Worship Hall. Bibi Dong wanted to stop them, but when it came to strength, she was still far behind Qian Daoliu. Even with the entire Pope's Palace backing her, all she could do was glare furiously at his retreating back before turning away.

"Phew... I've survived for now..."

Feng Xinglie wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He really hadn't expected things to get this exciting the moment he arrived at Spirit Hall. Having extraordinary talent should have been a joyful thing, and being taken in as a disciple by a Limit Douluo and named Holy Son by the Pontiff should have been even better. So why did all these happy things coming together feel so miserable...

Feng Xinglie sighed, put those troubles aside for now, and examined the Holy Son Token in his hand:

"It's so exquisite, it's practically a work of art... Heh, Bibi Dong really knows how to win people over. She just tossed me the position of Holy Son outright. How much weight this empty title has, though, is another matter."

The point wasn't that he'd been named Holy Son, but that he'd been named Holy Son by the "Pontiff." She could bestow the title, and she could take it away whenever she pleased. And as long as he was Holy Son, Feng Xinglie would, on the surface, belong to Bibi Dong's side. Though most people on Douluo Continent would show him reverence for the title, in the eyes of those in power he was nothing more than a pawn. He didn't think wearing this title would put him on equal footing with Saintess Hu Liena. That fox spirit really was being raised like a daughter by Bibi Dong. More likely, if he didn't obey in the future, she could pin some crime on him, strip him of the title of Holy Son, and use the opportunity to push Hu Liena into the Pope's Palace.

As Feng Xinglie was still imagining his miserable future, a clearly displeased voice suddenly came from ahead:

"You seem to like that Holy Son Token quite a lot."

He snapped back to his senses and quickly looked up. Qian Daoliu was staring at him with an unfriendly expression.

"Master, the Pontiff gave me a really pretty token. I like it a lot!"

Pretty?

Seeing that Feng Xinglie had only been drawn to the Holy Son Token's appearance, Qian Daoliu's expression softened a little. Then he took out a pendant and held it out:

"This is a Storage Soul Tool. You can activate it with Soul Power and put away anything you don't need."

Feng Xinglie thanked him, then quickly stuffed the "unneeded" Holy Son Token inside. He hugged the even prettier pendant and polished it over and over, as if it were a treasure. Qian Daoliu seemed very pleased by this. He nodded and said:

"From today onward, you are my disciple. As long as you stay true to yourself, you never need to watch anyone's expression, including the Pontiff's."

Feng Xinglie quickly agreed. Qian Daoliu then summoned a Red-robed Cardinal and had him show Feng Xinglie around Spirit Hall. Afterward, the cardinal took him to the lodgings that had already been prepared for him.

"Alas, the road ahead is rough... Since things have come to this, I'll sleep first."

He collapsed onto the bed with a thump. The long journey over the past few days had left his child's body utterly exhausted. No matter how heavy his thoughts were, Feng Xinglie soon fell asleep:

"No matter how miserable things get from now on, they can't be worse than today, right?"

Heh.

Oh, buddy, they can.

The next day, before dawn had even broken, a series of urgent knocks sounded from outside.

"Who is it? This early in the morning!?"

After finally getting a decent night's sleep in all these days, Feng Xinglie climbed out of bed with a deeply annoyed expression:

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Stop knocking! Are you in such a hurry to die!?"

He hurriedly threw on his clothes and opened the door, grumbling as he went. He was just about to explode, but when he saw who was standing there, all his complaints caught in his throat. His visitor was an exceptionally adorable little girl, with golden hair framing a pair of amethyst eyes. In Feng Xinglie's memory, only one person in Spirit Hall had looks like hers: the Angel God Heir, Qian Renxue.

"You're Feng Xinglie?"

"Ha... Haha... I am Feng Xinglie. What can I do for you, Miss?"

It was like being the eldest grandson visiting home, with the highest immunity from punishment. Even if he offended Bibi Dong, the worst he'd get was a severe scolding. But if he offended this little ancestor in front of him, Qian Daoliu could lead those Worshippers, every one of them at least level 96, and chop him into eight pieces. Seeing little Qian Renxue's eyes grow misty, as if she were about to burst into tears, Feng Xinglie's heart jumped into his throat. His voice was even more cautious than yesterday.

"You! You're the bad guy who stole Mother from me!"

As she spoke, Qian Renxue actually raised her sword and swung it at Feng Xinglie.

"Huh? I didn't! I only got to Spirit Hall yesterday. How could I have stolen your mother?"

As he hurriedly dodged, Feng Xinglie immediately understood. Bibi Dong giving him the title of "Holy Son" must have caused a misunderstanding. Orphaned at a young age and desperate for affection, Qian Renxue had longed for her mother's approval. But because of the Secret Chamber Douluo incident, Bibi Dong could never treat her kindly. Now she'd suddenly heard that her mother had brought home a "son"—a Holy Son—and her anxiety had reached its peak.

"So what am I supposed to do...? I definitely don't have the guts to hit her back, but I can't keep taking a beating forever. Where can I run?"

As he pondered this, he dodged several more attacks, then noticed that Qian Renxue wasn't slashing with her sword. Instead, she was using its flat side to smack at him like a flyswatter. He couldn't help feeling both amused and helpless. Looking again, he saw her big, watery eyes glaring at him. She had already been on the verge of tears, and now she was biting her lip and smacking at him over and over with the sword.

"Maybe... I should let her hit me a couple of times to vent? Once she calms down and I explain things, I'll not only avoid getting scolded by Qian Daoliu, but I'll also have Qian Renxue owing me a favor..."

Once he'd made up his mind, Feng Xinglie pretended he hadn't dodged in time. He stumbled and pitched forward toward the floor. But then a shout from beside him made his hair stand on end:

"First Soul Skill: Angel Assault!"

"Holy crap! Are you messing with me, big sis!?"

It turned out Qian Renxue had gotten so frustrated when she couldn't hit him that she'd lashed out. Since she figured he'd dodge anyway, she might as well activate her First Soul Skill. But as the yellow Soul Ring at her feet lit up, she saw Feng Xinglie lose his balance and start to fall. He couldn't dodge at all.

"Look out! Get down!"

Hearing Qian Renxue's shout, Feng Xinglie could only smile bitterly to himself:

"Get down? Young miss, do you even know how wide the area of effect is on this Soul Skill...?"

Golden Soul Power had already gathered into a shield. Feng Xinglie twisted his body by driving the motion from his waist, facing Angel Assault head-on as a yellow Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet:

"First Soul Skill: Collapsing Ape Giant Arm!"