Bibi Dong Wanted a Confession

She clearly had not noticed Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong approaching.

"Ling Yuan!"

Ling Yuan's body trembled, and she abruptly raised her head, looking toward the voice.

When her gaze fell on Bibi Dong's face, she froze for a moment.

Feeling a little uneasy under her stare, Bibi Dong walked up to her and waved a hand before her eyes. "Ling Yuan? What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?"

"Did you run into the square by yourself to watch the fireworks?"

"N-No, it was nothing. I just... wandered around a bit. I saw fireworks being set off in the square, so I squeezed in to watch for a while."

"Did you... have fun?" Ling Yuan asked tentatively, secretly glancing at Qian Xunji beside her.

Bibi Dong's face heated at the question. Thinking of what had happened on the bridge, her eyes flickered, and she lowered her head. "I-It was fine..."

Qian Xunji spoke at just the right moment. "It's getting late. We still need to set out for Spirit Hall tomorrow, so you should both return to the Hot Spring Inn early and rest tonight."

"Yes, Teacher, Your Holiness."

The three said nothing more and turned toward the inn.

Bibi Dong had already changed into a silk nightgown, her purple hair spilling loosely down her back.

Yet she had buried herself in her pillow like an ostrich.

Two fair, slender legs stretched out from beneath her skirt, swaying in the air. Her toes curled and relaxed with the rise and fall of her emotions.

Ling Yuan sat cross-legged on the cushioned couch beside her, a stick of Licorice candy from the night market dangling from her mouth. After listening to Bibi Dong's halting account, her eyes suddenly widened.

"What?"

She sprang upright. "His Holiness the Pope wanted to kiss you? On the bridge... and you dodged him?"

"Mhm..."

"Huh? Why?"

"What a perfect atmosphere, what an amazing setting—fireworks, a bridge, the night view, and you had just released lanterns."

"And His Holiness the Pope took the initiative, yet you actually dodged?"

"Saintess, did cultivation turn your brain into reinforced steel too?"

"This is the kind of scene countless lovestruck girls wouldn't even dare dream about."

"I-I wasn't ready yet..."

"Ready? What was there to prepare for?"

Ling Yuan looked utterly baffled. "Isn't kissing just two people getting close, closing their eyes, pressing their lips together with a mwah? Or... sticking out their tongues a little?"

"!!!"

As though struck by lightning, Bibi Dong jerked her face out of the pillow, as if the door to a whole new world had been opened.

"Huh? K-Kissing also involves... sticking out your tongue?"

That detail clearly went beyond her limited understanding, which came only from vague phrases in novels and biographies like "whispering in each other's ears" and "lips and teeth entwined."

Ling Yuan was amused by her innocent reaction, though she coughed awkwardly twice and scratched her cheek. "Uh... I only happened to see it once."

"Where did you see it?"

"By the river. Those inseparable little couples were hugging tightly, their heads moving back and forth. I got curious and took a few extra looks. It seemed like they were sticking out their tongues to communicate."

"C-Communicate..."

Bibi Dong murmured the word, unable to stop images from forming in her mind.

Against a backdrop of fireworks, Teacher's handsome face drew near, and then... his tongue?

She abruptly bounced upright from the bed, then, overwhelmed by embarrassment, let out an "Aah!" and flopped back down. Hugging her pillow, she rolled around on the bed, both feet kicking wildly in the air.

Ling Yuan continued, "I also wonder what kissing tastes like. What if you accidentally taste the other person's food scraps?"

"Ling Yuan, stop talking. That's too... too disgusting."

Watching her roll all over the bed in mortified fury, Ling Yuan could not help bursting into laughter. Afterward, though, she felt a little envious.

Perhaps only someone as pure-hearted as Bibi Dong could become so excited over the possibility of a kiss.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore."

"But seriously, when you said you weren't ready, what exactly weren't you ready for? Mentally? Or did you feel it was happening too fast?"

Bibi Dong took a few breaths before answering in a muffled voice. "B-Both, I guess. Think about it, Ling Yuan."

"Teacher... you know what he used to be like."

"Although he's changed recently, become especially kind and gentle, and takes us shopping, all of this happened too quickly."

She sat up, hugged her knees, and rested her chin on them. "And besides... kissing isn't ordinary intimacy."

"If Teacher really kissed me, then we... what exactly would our relationship be? Would we still be teacher and disciple?"

"Teacher... hasn't confessed to me, either."

As Ling Yuan listened, the teasing look on her face gradually faded. She nodded thoughtfully.

"When you put it that way, that's true."

"You've been teacher and disciple for over a decade. Changing your relationship all at once really does require time and a clear signal."

"Tsk, men. Even someone as powerful as the Pope can get confused about this sort of thing, or perhaps he thinks actions matter more than words?"

The room fell silent for a moment...

Ling Yuan thought of the Bibi Xi she had encountered that evening, and doubts welled up in her heart.

After hesitating for a moment, she shifted over and sat beside Bibi Dong.

"Saintess, c-can I ask about your past?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"How did you... become an orphan?"

"Of course, it's completely fine if you don't want to talk about it. I was just... suddenly a little curious."