Bibi Dong Gives a Gift

"Ah?"

Ling Yuan jerked her head up, nearly wrenching her neck.

What had she just seen?

A gentle smile actually rested on Qian Xunji's lips, and there was not the slightest hint of reproach in his eyes.

Ling Yuan cried out inwardly, The Saintess was telling the truth! His Holiness the Pope... he really can smile.

And he smiles so... terrifyingly!

Qian Xunji ignored the petrified Ling Yuan and turned his gaze toward the shimmering Yelin River beyond the inn window.

Night had just fallen, and scattered lights from pleasure boats already dotted the river. The faint sounds of strings and flutes drifted over on the evening breeze, creating a rather charming atmosphere.

"The Yelin River looks lovely at night. How about we take a boat out on the river?"

Bibi Dong snapped out of her unease, her eyes lighting up at once. "All right, Teacher!"

Ling Yuan was still rebooting from the shock. "...A-a river cruise?"

Wasn't this activity an entire galaxy away from His Holiness the Pope's usual style?

Renting a boat was simpler than expected, though also... slightly awkward.

Qian Xunji had intended to display the Pope's extravagance by reserving the finest painted pleasure boat.

The boatman looked at this distinguished-looking "big spender," rubbed his hands together, and smiled apologetically. "Sir, what unfortunate timing. The best boat has been reserved by the City Lord's Mansion."

"The second-best one just left. How about the Lotus Rhyme?"

"It's a little smaller, but it's clean and elegant, with everything it ought to have."

Qian Xunji looked at the boat, which was much smaller than he had expected and decorated with ordinary colored silk, and fell silent for half a second.

System, isn't my dignity as the Pope taking a bit of a hit here?

[System: It is recommended that the host adapt to local customs.]

"Then we'll take it."

The little boat rocked as it left the shore, river water lapping against its sides.

Bibi Dong sat beside Qian Xunji at the bow. After hesitating for quite some time, she finally took the brocade box containing the Angel Wing Bracelet from her sleeve and offered it to him with both hands. "Teacher, this... is for you. Thank you."

Qian Xunji accepted it and opened the box.

He put it directly on his left wrist. It fit perfectly.

"It's beautiful. Dong'er, you put a lot of thought into this."

Then, as naturally as could be, he reached out and rubbed Bibi Dong's head.

"!!!"

Bibi Dong's entire body instantly stiffened, as though someone had struck her acupoints.

This was the first time her teacher had ever treated her with such intimacy!

Bibi Dong screamed inwardly, T-T-Teacher touched my head?!

Ling Yuan, who had witnessed everything, had her mouth hanging wide open in an "O."

She shuffled over to Bibi Dong, who was practically smoking, nudged her with an elbow, and lowered her voice. "Saintess... tell me honestly. Do you... like His Holiness the Pope?"

The next second, the temperature of Bibi Dong's cheeks broke through the critical point, and steam nearly materialized above her head.

"N-no, no, no! Ling Yuan, don't spout nonsense."

"Teacher is Teacher. What I feel is respect, admiration! It's..."

She ran out of words, leaving only a face red to the ears and flustered eyes.

"What are you two whispering about?"

Qian Xunji stood at the bow and looked over curiously.

"N-nothing."

They answered in unison. Bibi Dong lowered her head so far that she practically wanted to jump into the Yelin River to cool down.

Qian Xunji found it a little amusing and turned back to admire the illuminated pavilions lining both shores.

Just then—

[Ding! Main quest phase completion notification.]

[You have successfully prevented the 'Yelin City Encounter' from generating crucial affection in Bibi Dong, significantly altering the course of her emotional development.]

[Progress in preventing Bibi Dong's descent into darkness: 50%!]

[Congratulations, host. You have received a phase reward: eligibility for the God of Light's divine trial.]

Qian Xunji froze, his inner shock channel going wild. Holy shit! System, isn't this reward a little too good? You're directly giving me eligibility for a divine trial?

[This system is designed to assist the host in efficiently and thoroughly overturning the tragic plot and achieving an HE (Happy Ending).]

[Rewards will be issued according to the host's actual needs.]

[It has been detected that the host has a potential need to increase his own strength. Furthermore, eligibility for the God of Light's divine trial has a high degree of compatibility and advancement potential with the host's current Angel Martial Soul attributes. Therefore, this reward has been issued.]

Qian Xunji was overjoyed, but he quickly noticed a problem. "Wait, System. Why is the progress in preventing my disciple's descent into darkness only halfway done? Yu Xiaogang didn't even get a chance to speak to her."

[The root cause of 'Bibi Dong's' potential descent into darkness is not a single event, but the accumulation of multiple factors.]

[Yu Xiaogang, as the source of her emotional attachment in the original work and an important trigger for her later obsession, is still alive.]

[Furthermore, because his theories still have a market among some low-level soul masters, there remains a fifty-percent possibility that he and Bibi Dong may cross paths in the future, thereby triggering the original emotional storyline once more.]

[Therefore, 50% of the risk of her descent into darkness remains.]

At that, Qian Xunji's chewing gaze turned sharp, and all his earlier ease and delight vanished.

"Looks like... I'll have to find an opportunity to cut the weeds out by the roots."

The change in his aura was far too obvious. Even Bibi Dong beside him sensed it.

Seeing Qian Xunji suddenly grinning foolishly one moment and turning cold the next, she asked timidly, "Teacher... what's wrong? You were fine just now..."

"Hm?"

Qian Xunji came back to himself and immediately switched back to his gentle demeanor. He gave an embarrassed cough. "Ahem, it's nothing. I was thinking about something... pleasant."

Bibi Dong nodded as though she understood, though she did not entirely.

Just then, a loud "Grrr~~~~" from someone's stomach broke the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Ling Yuan's whole face flushed crimson. She wished she could dig a hole with a soul skill and jump straight into the river.

"I... I... I'm hungry."

She was utterly mortified.

Qian Xunji could not help laughing, while Bibi Dong secretly covered her smile with her lips.

"Go on. See what delicious food there is along the shore, and buy plenty to bring back."

"Dong'er and I will wait for you on the boat."

"Yes, thank you, Your Holiness." Ling Yuan looked as though she had been granted a reprieve. With a light tap of her toes against the deck, she leaped gracefully ashore and vanished into the lamp-lit crowd.

All of a sudden, only Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong remained on the boat.

Bibi Dong secretly raised her eyes and looked at her teacher, who was gazing out over the river.

Her heartbeat unknowingly sped up again.

At the same time, Qian Xunji turned his head and met Bibi Dong's gaze before she could pull it away.

Their eyes met.

Bibi Dong: "!!!"

She quickly lowered her head and pretended to study the tea leaves in her cup.

A smile flickered in Qian Xunji's eyes. He picked up the teapot, poured a cup of warm clear tea, and pushed it before Bibi Dong.

"Have some tea."

"Thank you, Teacher."

"You're welcome."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Xunji's gaze happened to fall on the leaf in her hair.

"Don't move."

He leaned forward and reached toward the top of her head, intending to remove the leaf for her.

However, from Bibi Dong's highly sensitive, heart-racing perspective at that moment—

Teacher had suddenly moved so close!

That excessively handsome face enlarged before her eyes.

Bibi Dong's brain CPU instantly overloaded.

Is Teacher going to kiss me?!

"!!!"

Overwhelmed by embarrassment, she recoiled sharply like a startled husky.

"Ah!"

She forgot that she was sitting on a little stool by the side of the boat.

As she pulled back, her center of gravity shifted at once, and the stool rocked with the boat.

"Careful!"

Qian Xunji reacted swiftly. The hand he had extended instantly changed direction, catching Bibi Dong's wildly flailing arm and pulling her back with force.

"Mmph!"

Bibi Dong was pulled forward by that force and, without missing by so much as an inch, plunged straight into Qian Xunji's embrace.