In the room, the bowl of porridge was soon empty.
Nan Feng licked the corners of her mouth, still wanting more. Then she looked up at Qian Renxue with her beautiful violet eyes and asked the most deadly question:
"Xue'er, since I'm your mother... who's your father?"
"Where did he go? Why can't I remember him at all?"
At the question, Qian Renxue's hand froze in midair as she reached for a handkerchief.
Father...
The person Grandpa had warned her again and again never to mention.
Qian Renxue's little face instantly turned deathly pale. She lowered her head in a panic, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers as she stammered, unable to get a word out.
"Uh... well... Dad, he..."
Just as Qian Renxue was at a loss, Qian Daoliu's voice rang directly in her mind—
'Xue'er, don't be afraid. Just look a little sad and tell her... your father is dead.'
Qian Renxue was a little bewildered. She didn't understand why she had to curse her father dead, but she trusted her grandfather completely. She sniffled, lifted her head, and put on a tearful expression.
"Mo... Mom..."
Qian Renxue choked out, "Dad, he... he passed away."
In the Sea of Consciousness.
Hearing that, Nan Feng nearly burst out laughing.
'Good heavens, what a display of filial piety!'
'Little girl, you're the one who cursed your father dead. When I really send him packing someday, don't blame me. I'll only be making your golden words come true!'
In the real world, "Bibi Dong" froze for a moment at her words, then her face filled with sympathy and remorse.
She reached out and drew Qian Renxue into her arms. Her movements were awkward but gentle as she patted the girl's back.
"I'm sorry... Don't cry, Xue'er. It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked."
Watching from outside the door, Qian Daoliu finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
Just as he'd thought.
Bibi Dong's hatred for Xue'er all stemmed from Qian Xunji.
As long as that name didn't come up, as long as those memories stayed buried, she could still be a mother with a maternal instinct.
This was exactly what he wanted!
But just as Qian Daoliu thought everything was under control, the mood in the room suddenly shifted.
"Nan Feng! Have you had enough?!"
In the Sea of Consciousness, the real Bibi Dong watched herself holding that "spawn of evil." She was so revolted she could barely sit still, and felt as if she might throw up. "Get her out of here! Now! Immediately!"
"Don't rush me. The main event has only just begun." Nan Feng kept patting Qian Renxue's back as he replied in his mind. "We need to put on the whole show for Qian Daoliu and make him believe you're really insane, not pretending."
As she spoke, "Bibi Dong" seemed to remember something and casually asked:
"By the way, Xue'er, how did your father and I meet?"
Qian Renxue stiffened in her arms.
How did they meet?
This... This was way beyond her! Grandpa had never taught her this!
Outside the door, Qian Daoliu frowned too.
This was bad!
Bibi Dong's condition was extremely unstable. Her memories were shattered and piecing themselves back together.
If she accidentally touched on certain sensitive words, it could trigger her memories to return!
She couldn't ask any more questions!
But before Qian Daoliu could think of a way to stop her, "Bibi Dong" continued, her voice edged with anxiety and confusion:
"And what was your father's name? Why is my mind completely blank when I try to remember?"
"And... what's my name? Xue'er... then what's my name?"
The questions came at Qian Renxue like a barrage of cannonballs.
Flustered, she instinctively answered the easiest one:
"Your name is Bibi Dong... and I'm Qian Renxue."
"Bibi Dong... Qian Renxue..."
"Bibi Dong" murmured to herself. Her gaze gradually turned vacant, and then her body began to tremble violently, as if an electric current had struck her.
"Qian... Qian..."
"Qian Xunji?!"
'Take over! Your turn!'
In the Sea of Consciousness, Nan Feng gave the order and instantly relinquished control of the body, retreating into a corner like a hands-off boss.
The real Bibi Dong was forced to take control.
She cursed Nan Feng a thousand times in her heart, but it was too late to back out. For the sake of that damned plan, she had to play along!
Boom—!!!
The temperature in the once-cozy bedchamber plummeted.
Bibi Dong shoved Qian Renxue out of her arms. The confused gentleness in her violet eyes was instantly replaced by a bloody crimson glare!
A murderous intent so intense it seemed almost tangible burst forth without restraint, accompanied by the bone-chilling Divine Slaughter's Domain!
"Qian Xunji!!!"
At that moment, she was no longer a gentle mother. She was a Rakshasa Demon risen from hell!
Qian Renxue had never seen anything like this. The terrifying killing intent scared her stiff, and she collapsed to the floor, her face pale as a sheet. She was too frightened even to cry.
"Stop!!"
A golden streak of light burst through the door!
Qian Daoliu appeared in front of Qian Renxue as if he'd teleported. His six-winged Angel Martial Soul shone with holy radiance, forcibly driving back the sea of bloody killing intent.
"Bibi Dong!"
Qian Daoliu roared. The sound, carrying a mental assault, pierced straight into Bibi Dong's mind.
Under its impact, the red light in Bibi Dong's eyes slowly faded. Her body swayed, and she leaned weakly against the headboard. Her gaze remained cold, though now it held a hint of wariness and respect for the powerful.
"Greetings... Grand Pontiff."
Qian Daoliu looked deeply at her, and the suspicion in his heart was finally confirmed.
Just as he'd thought!
Her gentleness just now, her memory loss—it had all been no more than a brief bout of confusion after a cultivation deviation.
As soon as that name was mentioned, as soon as she was provoked, the Bibi Dong consumed by hatred would return!
"What... did you do just now?" Qian Daoliu asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Just now?" Bibi Dong furrowed her brows, seeming to struggle to remember. Then she pressed a hand to her temple, her face contorting with pain. "I... I don't remember. I only remember that my head hurt, and then... I saw her."
She pointed at Qian Renxue, who was hiding behind Qian Daoliu. A flicker of instinctive disgust crossed her eyes, and she said coldly:
"Grand Pontiff, I'm tired and need to rest. Sorry for the trouble, but please take her away. I don't want to see her."
Far from getting angry, Qian Daoliu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
This was right!
This was the normal Bibi Dong, twisted by hatred!
If she'd stayed in that loving mother-daughter state, he would have suspected she was putting on an act.
But this "intermittent split personality"—gentle and forgetful one moment, furious and hateful the next—was exactly what one would expect from someone whose cultivation had gone awry and whose spirit had been damaged!
"Xue'er, let's go."
Qian Daoliu turned, picked up Qian Renxue, who was still in shock, and gently comforted her. "Your mother just woke up. Her condition is still unstable, and she needs rest. When you're older... when she's better, you can come see her again."
Qian Renxue lay across Qian Daoliu's shoulder and looked back through tearful eyes at the cold figure with her back turned. Her little hands gripped her grandfather's collar tightly.
Had that gentle mother just now... really been an illusion?
"Let's go."
As Qian Daoliu left with Qian Renxue, the doors of Saintess Hall closed once more.
The room sank back into a deathly silence.
Bibi Dong remained in the same position, lying on her side, until she was sure the holy aura of the Angel had completely disappeared.
"Phew..."
She let out a long breath in her mind, the sound of her taut nerves finally relaxing.
"Not bad."
Nan Feng's irritating voice chimed in at just the right moment. "That little look of disgust was especially perfect. I'd say Qian Daoliu is completely convinced you're mentally ill now."
"Is that what you wanted?" Bibi Dong asked coldly in the Sea of Consciousness. "For him to think I'm a madwoman liable to explode at any moment?"
"Of course." Nan Feng drawled. "Only a madman can kill without a reason or bear the consequences. A madman is uncontrollable."
"And besides, you saw how Qian Daoliu reacted just now."
"He didn't blame you. He didn't even suspect you. Because deep down, as long as you're really sick, any hint of maternal love you show is a glimmer of hope he can use."
"He'll think: as long as your illness is cured, or as long as no one provokes you, you can become a good mother to Xue'er."
"So, as long as you keep up this Schrödinger's-cat state—sometimes clearheaded and hating his whole family, sometimes muddled and overflowing with motherly love—you'll be completely safe in Spirit Hall."
Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment.
She had to admit that while this Old Spider was underhanded and always liked dragging that spawn of evil, Qian Renxue, into things, his grasp of human nature... was terrifyingly precise.
"What next?" Bibi Dong asked.
"What next?"
Nan Feng laughed. "Next, you eat when you're hungry and drink when you're thirsty. Take good care of yourself. And then..."
"Wait for a good chance to catch Qian Daoliu away from home."
"That half-dead man lying in bed should be on his way, too."