Under the Moon, Combing Hair

The Library Pavilion was cold, filled with the chill of the night wind.

Qian Renxue's gaze was nailed to the slightly messy hair atop Su Chen's head.

In her mind, the death countdown of "[03:59:59]" ticked silently.

With every beat, her Sea of Divine Consciousness throbbed with a pain like needles pricking her soul.

She ground her teeth, her chest heaving violently once.

For twenty years, she had been the high and mighty Young Mistress of the Martial Soul Hall, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire who held the strings of power.

To have her comb the hair of a lowly servant with no soul power?

But she had to live.

Moreover, she had to defeat that woman.

This twisted desire for victory, ignited by Bibi Dong, now crushed all of her dignity.

With extreme humiliation, she reached into the hidden pocket of her tight-fitting night suit.

A delicate wooden comb, carrying the faint scent of tulips, landed in her palm.

On the bamboo chair, Su Chen dug his nails into the thin blanket, his shoulders hunched like a frightened turtle.

His eyes were filled with extreme terror, and his body trembled violently.

Deep within his Sea of Divine Consciousness, the light screen of the Eye of Omniscience glowed faintly.

The emotional panel of Qian Renxue—filled with grievance, rage, and unwillingness—was imprinted into Su Chen's eyes without a single detail missed.

Tsk, as expected of the young lady of Martial Soul Hall, this twisted jealousy is truly something else, Su Chen chuckled inwardly.

Qian Renxue's knuckles turned white as she gripped the comb.

She took a deep breath, her tone icy and commanding, brooking no refusal as she spat out three words: "Turn around."

Su Chen pretended to be frightened out of his wits by the voice.

His body gave a violent jolt as if electrocuted, and he scrambled on the bamboo chair using his hands and feet.

He turned around, trembling.

An undefended back and a head of messy black hair were completely exposed to Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue looked at this humble back.

For the first time in her life, she was combing a man's hair.

Extreme absurdity and humiliation surged in her heart; she roared internally, her fingertips trembling slightly.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed her eyes, and Qian Renxue exerted force with her wrist.

The teeth of the comb seemed to have eyes of their own, plunging directly into Su Chen's hair and pulling downward with extreme brutality.

"Hiss~" Su Chen gasped, his shoulders hunching as he played his part perfectly.

Just as the comb teeth grazed his scalp, the moment the two made indirect contact.

Deep within Su Chen's Sea of Divine Consciousness, the World Tree martial soul swayed gently.

A trace of extremely hidden, pure, and ultimate life essence flowed silently against the hair and through the comb teeth.

That trace of energy drilled into Qian Renxue's palm.

Instantly, the Six-Winged Angel soul power within her, which had been boiling wildly due to humiliation and resistance, ceased its agitation.

All restlessness and repulsion vanished in an instant.

An unprecedented, strange tranquility that reached the depths of her soul took control of her consciousness.

Qian Renxue's hand froze in mid-air, her phoenix eyes widening in disbelief.

She stared fixedly at the wooden comb in her hand, her heart shaking violently, What... what kind of power is this?!

The spiritual power of a high-level soul master was naturally extremely sensitive; the energy climbing up her palm possessed no aggression, yet it carried a vastness that crushed all ranks.

Before this power, her Six-Winged Angel martial soul did not resist; instead, it emitted a greedy resonance.

Her rational defenses completely collapsed.

Qian Renxue involuntarily lowered the comb again; this time, the brutality fueled by resentment had vanished without a trace.

The comb teeth slid slowly through Su Chen's hair, her movements becoming increasingly gentle and meticulous.

Her tense spine relaxed inch by inch, and her once sharp gaze gradually clouded with a sheen of moisture. Her breathing rhythm, without her realizing it, began to synchronize with the steady heartbeat of Su Chen.

She was completely intoxicated by this moment of peace.

On the light screen of the Eye of Omniscience, the favorability number for Qian Renxue quietly jumped from the glaring [0].

[1], [3], [5]... the numbers climbed steadily.

At the same time, several miles away, in the underground secret chamber of the Pope Palace.

Bibi Dong, who was sitting cross-legged while suppressing the evil thoughts of the Rakshasa, suddenly opened her eyes.

She keenly captured the anomaly from the direction of the Library Pavilion; that fleeting ripple of Angel soul power filled her with extreme disgust. "The scent of that old dog Qian Daoliu's lineage—it's truly disgusting!"

Yet, the strange sense of harmony woven within it stung her nerves all the more.

"Qian Renxue? She hasn't left yet?!" Bloodshot red veins instantly flooded Bibi Dong's phoenix eyes.

In her mind, the piercing, mocking words Qian Renxue had spoken not long ago flashed by: "Could it be that you've taken a fancy to him?"

That sentence had originally been a probing thorn, but at this moment, it became a raging fire that ignited a powder keg.

An uncontrollable instinct to guard her territory erupted, a primal urge mixed with a violent jealousy she hadn't even realized she possessed.

Bang!

The indestructible steel door of the secret chamber was smashed into a spray of debris by a direct impact of purple-black soul power.

Bibi Dong didn't even bother to drape her papal robes over her shoulders.

She transformed into a streak of Rakshasa light, laced with monstrous killing intent, tearing through the night sky as she raced toward the Library Pavilion like a madwoman.

Patrolling knights along the way were knocked aside by the terrifying pressure, and the clouds in the night sky were forcibly ripped open by her purple-black aura, carving out a path.

Inside the Library Pavilion, the moonlight was pale and cold.

Qian Renxue was immersed in that strange tranquility, the teeth of the comb gliding with extreme gentleness through the ends of Su Chen's hair; the distance between the two had closed to less than a foot.

There was no killing intent, no calculation of power—only the faint sound of the wooden comb brushing against strands of hair.

They could even smell each other's breath.

Eerily silent.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, the already dilapidated wooden door of the Library Pavilion was completely pulverized into dust by a surge of purple-black divine power, violent to the extreme.

Splinters flew everywhere.

Bibi Dong's figure descended abruptly at the entrance, her terrifying killing intent freezing the air in an instant.

Amidst the swirling wood shavings, the moonlight illuminated the scene inside without reservation.

The high and mighty Young Master of Martial Soul Hall was bowing her head, looking completely intoxicated as she combed the hair of that servant who possessed no soul power at all.

The air solidified completely in that second.

Bibi Dong stood at the doorway, staring fixedly at the wooden comb in Qian Renxue's hand, her fingernails instantly piercing her palms until blood dripped down.

Inside Su Chen's Sea of Divine Consciousness, three system panels emitted piercing, shrill alarms simultaneously.

On the left, on Bibi Dong's emotion panel, the [Jealousy Value] surged past the critical point at a speed visible to the naked eye. The red light was blinding.

On the right, Qian Renxue's panel flashed with golden light, her favorability instantly jumping to [15].

In the center, a golden notification echoed frantically:

[Ding! Extreme emotional clash detected! Host has triggered a hundredfold critical hit!]

[Reward obtained: Angel Feather × 10!]

(Note: Angel Feather, a god-level consumable, ignores all defenses and barriers, can forcibly block one fatal attack from a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, and can also be used to reshape god-level bones.)

As the massive reward flooded into his storage space, Su Chen maintained his trembling posture, though a flash of profound mastery flickered in the depths of his eyes.

This haul is a massive profit!

Facing those phoenix eyes of Bibi Dong that looked as if they were about to bleed, Qian Renxue snapped out of her intoxication.

She withdrew the comb as if electrocuted, and the moment her reason returned, a strange sense of loss welled up in her heart.

The tranquility she had craved so deeply vanished completely the moment their physical contact was severed.

She forcibly suppressed this feeling of loss and swept her gaze over Bibi Dong's furious face.

Qian Renxue sneered.

"Just a routine inspection."

Dropping this highly provocative remark, she transformed into a dazzling streak of golden light and hurried into the night.

Only Bibi Dong and Su Chen remained in the Library Pavilion.

Bibi Dong stared fixedly at Su Chen's back, the violence and a certain sense of grievance in her eyes intertwining madly; without a word, she turned abruptly and vanished from the spot.

That night.

A loud crash of shattering porcelain echoed from the bedchamber of the Pope Palace.

Driven mad by jealousy, Bibi Dong smashed three full-length bronze mirrors in a row.

Amidst the shards on the floor, her bloodshot eyes, filled with unwillingness, were reflected back at her.

"Hmph, little beast!" she cursed under her breath.

Inside the Young Master Palace.

Qian Renxue clutched the wooden comb, sitting down before her vanity for the first time in her life.

She stared intently at herself in the mirror, her usual pride replaced by a brand-new emotion; what lingered in her mind was the heart-fluttering sensation of combing Su Chen's hair, and the murderous look on Bibi Dong's face.

A trace of twisted competitiveness crept into the depths of her eyes.

"Where exactly am I inferior to her?"

Meanwhile.

Inside the Library Pavilion, Su Chen slowly leaned back into his bamboo chair.

At the periphery of the Eye of Omniscience, in the distant direction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

The pre-awakening signal representing [No. 003 · Liu Erlong] flared with a scorching red light without any warning.