Douluo Chat Group: They're All Addicted to Gossiping

Ye Mansion.

Ye Lingling sat on her bed, swinging her fair, slender jade legs that shimmered with a soft luster under the moonlight.

Upon seeing that Li Yuan had truly replied to her private message and even offered her a sincere blessing, she immediately beamed, her eyes curving into crescents as she couldn't stop smiling.

"Heeheehee~ Group Leader Brother actually blessed me. It seems my luck has really turned around lately!"

For those who are naturally introverted, socially awkward, or suffer from a bit of social anxiety, the psychological satisfaction and encouragement brought by a sincere, earnest blessing from another person is incredibly profound.

At this moment, Ye Lingling felt a warmth in her heart, brimming with motivation and filled with anticipation for trying out her "Poison Milk" spirit bone skill tomorrow.

Just then, a gentle voice sounded from outside the door: "Lingling, what are you laughing at? Mother thought she heard you laughing out loud in your room."

"Ah?"

Ye Lingling was startled. She quickly covered her mouth, buried her flushed cheeks into the quilt, and replied with a muffled voice: "Mom, I wasn't laughing at anything... Um, if there's nothing else, I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight!"

Outside the door.

Ye Lingling's mother, Ye Xinlan, stood at the entrance of her daughter's bedroom wearing a simple, elegant nightgown, her face etched with unconcealable worry.

Her daughter had been introverted since childhood, rarely speaking and lacking friends; this had always been a source of heartache for her.

Over the past two days, she had heard her daughter laughing to herself in her room for no reason several times, which only deepened her concern.

She had heard that some spirit masters who often stayed alone and lacked friends were prone to psychological illnesses and could even develop suicidal thoughts...

Could it be... that Lingling was also?

Ye Xinlan dared not continue that line of thought. The more she imagined it, the more terrified she became. Gritting her teeth, she made a silent resolution.

It seemed she needed to keep a closer eye on her daughter, show more concern, and talk to her more often. She absolutely could not let this girl do anything foolish!

"Sigh..."

Ye Xinlan sighed softly, stood at her daughter's door for a moment, and then turned to leave.

Inside the room, Ye Lingling heard her mother's retreating footsteps, only then did she quietly poke her head out from under the quilt and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew... that was close, almost got caught by Mom."

Ye Lingling patted her chest to calm her nerves, then picked up the Brick again. Looking at Li Yuan's blessing on the screen—"Wishing you a bright future, living up to your youth"—the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl into a sweet smile once more.

"Group Leader Brother is so gentle... I really want to know what kind of person he is in reality. He must be very handsome, right?"

She whispered to herself, drifting into a deep sleep filled with anticipation for the next day.

The next day.

Crown Prince's Mansion.

She Long knelt on one knee, his expression heavy as he reported the results of his overnight investigation to Qian Renxue: "Young Master, I didn't know until I checked, but once I did... it was truly shocking! These people are simply lawless and utterly insane!"

"Just a minor Red Cardinal in the vicinity of Heaven Dou City, having held the post for only three years, has embezzled an amount that, on the surface alone, reaches... a full two million Gold Soul Coins!"

She Long's voice trembled; this was only what was visible on the surface, and there was no telling how much more had been siphoned off in private.

For a mere Red Cardinal to embezzle such a massive sum was simply scandalous!

Qian Renxue sat upright in the main seat, her expression terrifyingly calm.

She waved her hand, her voice icy: "I understand. You may withdraw first."

She Long, thinking Qian Renxue did not grasp the severity of the situation, wanted to offer a final reminder: "Young Master, this matter is of great consequence."

"I said, withdraw!"

Qian Renxue cut him off sharply, her voice suddenly rising.

"...Yes!"

She Long felt a chill in his heart. Daring not to speak further, he bowed and retreated.

After She Long left, Qian Renxue could no longer suppress the fury in her heart and slammed her palm onto the desk in front of her.

"Boom!"

The desk shattered instantly, wood splinters flying everywhere.

"Bastard! Salas! Is this the 'zero corruption' you swore to me?"

She grabbed the financial report Salas had sent over this morning and tore it to shreds in a few swift motions.

A mere Red Cardinal could embezzle two million Gold Soul Coins.

That was enough to arm an elite army of several thousand men!

If a branch as significant as the Heaven Dou Holy Temple had rotted to this extent, then the lower-level main halls, sub-halls, and even the middle and lower ranks of the entire Martial Soul Hall... were they not rotten to the core?!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, her eyes boiling with killing intent.

[Child Without Parents: @Yandere Mad Beauty of Martial Soul Hall, is this what you meant when you said there was no corruption in Martial Soul Hall?]

[Child Without Parents: A tiny Red Cardinal can embezzle a full two million Gold Soul Coins; that's enough to arm an elite army of several thousand men!]

[Richest Little Heiress of Heaven Dou: Wow-ka-ka, gossip to eat first thing in the morning?]

[Viper-Hearted Big Sister: Interesting, tearing apart one's own mother like this?]

[Loves Eating Carrots: Hehehe, I wonder who was swearing yesterday that corruption was absolutely impossible? Who could it be? So hard to guess, right?]

[Single Academy-Running Housewife: Tsk, I take back what I said yesterday. Bibi Dong, you really are pathetic. If it exists, it exists; if it doesn't, it doesn't. Why lie?]

[Yandere Mad Beauty of Martial Soul Hall: You're full of crap. Would This Seat ever lie?]

[Little Fox Who Loves Teacher Most: Um, Sister Xue'er, could you have made a mistake? The financial reports we receive from every region every year show an upward trend.]

[Yandere Mad Beauty of Martial Soul Hall: Xue'er, have you been deceived? Our Martial Soul Hall is currently flourishing and thriving.]

"Death is at your doorstep, and you still won't admit it!"

Qian Renxue gritted her teeth in anger. Too lazy to waste more breath on them, she snapped a photo of the "irrefutable evidence" she had uncovered and sent it to the group.

[Child Without Parents: A bill of corruption information. (Image)]

[Child Without Parents: A mere Red Cardinal has a personal bank account with a full 2,000,000 Gold Soul Coins. And this is just what's on the surface—who knows how much is hidden privately!]

In the image, that long string of digits—2,000,000 Gold Soul Coins—slapped across Bibi Dong's face like a resounding, stinging blow.

[Little Fox Who Loves Teacher Most: This...]

[Child Without Parents: Nothing to say now?]

[Yandere Mad Beauty of Martial Soul Hall: That's impossible. The annual salary I pay these Red Cardinals starts at at least ten thousand Gold Soul Coins; even if they indulged in luxury all day, it should be enough. (Incredulous)]

[Li Yuan: Naive! You've been Pope for so many years, how are you still this stupid? Do you understand that greed is human nature? Forget ten thousand Gold Soul Coins—even if you gave them a hundred thousand or a million, they would only complain it's not enough.]

[Yandere Mad Beauty of Martial Soul Hall: Fine! Fine! Fine! Xue'er, rest assured, I will give you an explanation! (Gritting teeth)]

[Child Without Parents: I hope so. (Rolling eyes)]

Pope Palace.

"Good... very good indeed!"

Bibi Dong stared at the glaring image in the group, her face turning ashen. The killing intent in her beautiful eyes nearly materialized.

To hell with the "big picture"!

She stood up abruptly from the papal throne, a terrifying pressure instantly permeating the entire hall. Nine soul rings crashed down, flickering with eerie light.

Yue Guan pushed open the doors and said respectfully, "Your Holiness, did you summon me?"

"Send people to investigate thoroughly. From top to bottom, check everything! Dig it all up—I want to see exactly who else is corrupt!"

Today, Bibi Dong's face had been slapped soundly.

Yesterday, she had sworn to her daughter, Qian Renxue, that corruption was impossible.

As a result, she was hit with a king-sized bomb today.

Most importantly, she had lost face in front of the daughter with whom she had finally managed to improve relations.

Chapter 45: Teaching Qian Renxue the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Yue Guan looked troubled and hesitated, "Your Holiness... this matter likely involves a wide range of people, possibly even the families of several elders..."

Bibi Dong's gaze darkened. "Hm? Yue Guan, don't tell me you are also...?"

"No, of course not."

Terrified, Yue Guan broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly explained, "This subordinate means that if we investigate to the end, it might cause significant turmoil..."

Bibi Dong sneered, her killing intent fully exposed. "No elder is worth a damn. Whoever dares to occupy a position without doing the work, whoever dares to resist this self-inspection, This Seat will have them killed!"

Qian Daoliu hadn't granted her full authority before, so if those people dared to act in defiance, she wouldn't hold them accountable.

But now that Qian Daoliu had fully relinquished power, they still dared to play these games with her?

Had that old thing given up his power for nothing?

"Yes! This subordinate obeys!"

Yue Guan swallowed hard, not daring to raise any further objections. He finally realized just how furious Bibi Dong was and secretly felt relieved.

It was fortunate that he had maintained a firm stance earlier and hadn't been dragged into the mud by those people.

Otherwise, he would be in for a world of hurt today.

Crown Prince's Mansion.

Reading Li Yuan's words, Qian Renxue felt complete agreement.

She became even more determined to learn from Li Yuan.

Thus, she sent another message to him.

[Child Without Parents: Li Yuan, I understand everything you told me yesterday. You're trying to tell me that if I want to defeat Tang San, I must first sweep all the cockroaches out of the house, right?]

On the other side.

Notting Academy dormitory.