The Pope Palace bedchamber.
Bibi Dong sat motionless in a rosewood chair, like a stone statue nailed in place.
In her mind, the blood-red task description was still going wild.
[Embrace closely.]
[For one hour.]
[Read a bedtime story aloud.]
She stared at those three lines for a full quarter of an hour. Her breathing grew ragged, then settled, then grew ragged again. She went through the cycle seven or eight times.
This system was a real bastard!
[Failure penalty: Ultimate Soul-Devouring Pain, lasting 288 hours.]
Two hundred and eighty-eight hours—not a second more or less. Twelve whole days.
The last "72-hour trial" had left her vomiting blood as she clung to the wall. If she took the "deluxe full version" for twelve days, her soul would be ground to dust!
Bibi Dong closed her eyes and slowly breathed out.
Fine.
She stood and went to the wardrobe, pulling out the moon-white robe she had already worn twice.
Her fingers trembled three times as she changed.
The first time, as she undid the clasp at the collar of her papal robes.
The second, as she tied the sash of the plain robe.
The third, as she pushed open the bedchamber door.
Night was as dark as ink.
Bibi Dong followed the secluded corridor she had already walked down three times, heading for the northeast corner.
Her steps were heavy, as if she were marching to the execution grounds.
The Library Pavilion, third floor.
Su Chen lay in a bamboo chair, eyes closed, his breathing long and even.
Here we go, here we go. Time for Oscar-worthy acting.
He had put out the lamp a quarter of an hour earlier, leaving only moonlight to slip through the cracks in the window lattice and fall just right across his face.
On the Light Screen, the red dot marking Bibi Dong's position was moving steadily closer.
Creak~
The wooden door swung open, making a sound so faint it was almost inaudible.
Bibi Dong had opened it just wide enough for one person to slip through sideways.
She stood beside the bamboo chair, gazing down at Su Chen, who was "fast asleep."
In the moonlight, the young man's face was peaceful, utterly unguarded. His long lashes cast shadows over his cheekbones, concealing the scabbed-over streak of blood.
Bibi Dong's hand clenched the hem of her skirt.
In her mind, the task timer ticked past [08:00].
She stood there for a full three minutes, like a statue gazing longingly at her husband.
Then she moved.
Bibi Dong sat down stiffly on the edge of the bamboo chair, barely perching on a narrow strip, with half her body hanging off.
She reached out with her right hand, supporting the back of Su Chen's head as she lifted it and carefully rested it on her thigh.
A lap pillow.
Her fingers sank into Su Chen's hair, stiff as ten iron rods.
Bibi Dong stared straight ahead, breathing fast.
This should... pass, right?
The next second, the system's cold mechanical voice exploded in her mind.
[Warning! Action criteria not met! Host must strictly follow the "embrace closely" instruction. Do not attempt to exploit loopholes!]
The countdown turned a glaring crimson and began flashing wildly.
Bibi Dong's body wavered.
She glanced down at Su Chen's closed eyes, then at the countdown, which had dropped to [02:00].
Humiliation, fear, fury, and other emotions played across her eyes in turn, only to be crushed to pieces beneath the terrifying shadow of Soul-Devouring Pain.
She nearly ground her pearly teeth to dust.
Bibi Dong turned onto her side and lay down in the cramped bamboo chair.
Her back pressed tight against the cold seat. She slipped both arms behind Su Chen and drew him into her embrace.
Su Chen's cheek fitted snugly against her collarbone, his nose pressed to the skin at her neck.
His warm breath brushed against her neck, again and again.
Every muscle in Bibi Dong's body tensed at once, hard as iron.
Her heart rate shot straight to 180.
But just then...
The World Tree Origin aura inside Su Chen stirred.
That vast, ocean-deep life force silently poured into Bibi Dong's meridians through the places where their skin touched.
Clear and ancient, it seemed capable of washing all things clean.
The Rakshasa God's evil thoughts, which had long plagued Bibi Dong's mind, were swept away by that power. They melted soundlessly, like spring snow beneath the warm sun.
Great swaths of purple-black malice were forcibly purified. The filth that had accumulated in the depths of her soul for three years was peeled away layer by layer.
Her muscles relaxed.
Not because she wanted them to, but because her body reacted on instinct.
Her rigid back softened. The arms she had wrapped around Su Chen's back were no longer iron rods, and her heart rate steadily dropped from 180 to 90.
On the Light Screen, Bibi Dong's resistance value plummeted from 98% to 31%.
Su Chen's face was buried against her collarbone. Eyes closed, he felt her embrace soften from rigid to gentle, and her heartbeat settle from frantic to steady. The corner of his mouth curled into a discreet smile.
The task was one step from completion.
Reading aloud.
Bibi Dong froze for two seconds, then freed one hand and felt around on the nearby bookshelf until she pulled out a book.
She didn't dare move too much, afraid she would wake Su Chen in her arms.
Her fingers opened the cover in the dark. By moonlight, she managed to make out the title.
<Douluo Continent Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook: Deep Sea Volume>.
Bibi Dong's temple throbbed.
There was no choice.
If she switched books now, her posture would change. If the system decided she had "interrupted the close embrace," it might start another countdown. She wouldn't make it through the night.
Bibi Dong swallowed, turned to the first page, and began.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale."
Her voice was as cold as a death sentence being read aloud.
"Classification: ten-thousand-year deep-sea overlord. Habitat depth: below three thousand meters. Main food source: poisonous jellyfish."
She paused for two seconds.
"An adult of this Soul Beast can grow to a length of one hundred zhang. Its head is covered with hard, iron-grade armor. Physical attacks are nearly ineffective. Soul Power attacks must exceed level eighty to inflict significant damage."
She spoke each word clearly and evenly, as if reciting a death sentence to a condemned man.
Su Chen's face was buried against her collarbone. A faint, woody fragrance filled his nose, while the ears beneath it were treated to this murderous "lullaby."
Hold it in, Su Chen. You're a professional!
Laughter surged up his throat three times, and each time he forced it back down.
Don't laugh. Absolutely do not laugh!
Bibi Dong turned a page and continued reading in a flat monotone.
"Great White Shark Emperor. Lifespan: eighty thousand to one hundred and twenty thousand years. Attack method: high-speed charge. Its bite can shatter Class Six Soul Guidance Alloy."
She turned another page.
"Nether Jellyfish Swarm. Characteristics: translucent gelatinous bodies. Tentacles can reach up to thirty zhang. Venomous. Its neurotoxin can paralyze the entire body of a Soul King-level expert within three seconds..."
By the time she reached the thirty-seventh Soul Beast, her voice had begun to change slightly.
It hadn't grown gentler.
It had grown slower.
The World Tree's life force kept flowing into her. The scorched earth deep in her soul, occupied by the Rakshasa's evil thoughts for three years, was being healed by clarity inch by inch.
She hadn't felt this kind of peace in so, so long.
So long, in fact, that she had almost forgotten it existed.
"...Blue Silver Whale King... distribution area..."
Her voice grew lower and slower.
Her breathing grew more even.
The Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook in her hand slid down two inches, barely caught by her fingers.
She kept reading, but the pauses between words grew longer and longer.
The young man in her arms was warm and steady, his breathing long and even. That woody scent lingered around them, filling her with a deep sense of security.
One hour later.
A mechanical voice exploded in both their minds at the same time.
[You completed the bedtime reading task! Rewards being issued: 5% of the Rakshasa God's evil thoughts removed; difficulty of the eighth Rakshasa God Trial reduced by 50%.]
Bibi Dong's consciousness snapped back.
She looked down and realized that at some point, her chin had come to rest on top of Su Chen's head. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, holding him securely against her.
A faint "plop" came from the floor as the Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook fell.
Bibi Dong's ears instantly burned red.
She cautiously loosened her arms, then turned and rose from the bamboo chair, as lightly as a cat.
As she straightened her skirt, her peripheral vision caught Su Chen's collar, pulled slightly open by their position.
Her gaze stopped.
Three inches beneath his collarbone, a verdant green mark was faintly visible.
It was a leaf pattern, exquisitely detailed, its veins sharply defined. It radiated a life force so ancient it seemed to come from the very edge of the world.
Bibi Dong's pupils contracted to pinpricks.
She stared fixedly at the mark for five full seconds, etching every vein into her memory.
Then she turned and walked out of the Library Pavilion without looking back.
In Su Chen's mind, golden light exploded.
[Hundredfold Critical Return triggered! Origin Soul Power surging! World Tree Sea of Divine Consciousness fully expanded!]
Boom!
A wave of heat burst from his dantian, and his meridians roared like thunder!
The World Tree in his Sea of Divine Consciousness grew a full ring larger. Its roots plunged deep into the strata of his soul, and its verdant divine leaves nearly covered the entire dome of his Sea of Consciousness.
Soul Power Level: 40 → 45!
Su Chen remained lying in the bamboo chair, eyes closed, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Getting carried to victory—now that was the life.
The Pope Palace bedchamber.
Bibi Dong sat alone in the empty hall.
She lowered her eyes to her palm, slowly curling her fingers into a fist, then slowly opening them again.
There was nothing in her palm.
Yet her fingertips seemed to still feel the softness of his hair, the warmth of his shoulder blades, and that woody fragrance that just wouldn't fade.
Bibi Dong slowly closed her eyes.
As if recalling something, the corners of her mouth lifted into the faintest of smiles.
Just then, the system screen popped up again.
A dazzling golden panel burst open:
[Daily Intimacy Task Pool unlocked!]
[Upcoming tasks:]
[Hold hands while walking (30 minutes)]
[Kiss on the forehead (at least 3 seconds)]
[Bathe together (water temperature no lower than 40°C)]
[...]
The faint smile that had just appeared on Bibi Dong's face froze solid.
Before you continue