Does It Taste Good?

Luo Dong could only reach out and gently pat Qian Renxue on the shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong, big sister. You're wonderful—pretty and smart. Mom, she..."

"She what?" Qian Renxue lifted her head from her knees, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked at him.

"She..." Luo Dong opened his mouth, but in the end, he only sighed and said in a quiet, mature voice utterly at odds with his age, "You'll understand when you're older. You wouldn't understand even if I told you now."

Qian Renxue's sobs paused.

She didn't really understand what he meant, but somehow she felt that her little brother really did know something.

Then she used her sleeve to scrub at her eyes and asked between sniffles, "Really? I'll understand when I'm older?"

"Mm." Luo Dong nodded, then reached into the little jar by the bed and took out a candied fruit, holding it up to her mouth. "Have a candied fruit. It's sweet. You'll stop crying once you eat it."

Qian Renxue looked at the candied fruit, then at Luo Dong's earnest little face, and opened her mouth to pop it in.

The candied fruit really was sweet. The fragrance of osmanthus blossomed in her mouth, so sweet that her eyes narrowed.

At last, her tears stopped, though her eyes were still red and her nose still twitched with every sniffle.

"Does it taste good?"

"...It's good."

"Then want another?"

"No, it's too sweet. It'll make my teeth rot." Qian Renxue shook her head with great seriousness, then looked at Luo Dong.

Suddenly, she asked, "Do you... still want to drink Mom's milk when you're older? You're already one. I heard that little kids shouldn't drink it once they grow up."

Luo Dong blinked and nodded as if it were obvious. "Of course I do! I'm going to drink it my whole life!"

Qian Renxue froze for a moment. Her mouth opened as if to say, "Aren't you embarrassed to still drink milk when you're already one?" But the words caught in her throat.

Because she suddenly realized that if her little brother drank it for his whole life, then Mom would be this kind to him for his whole life.

And she hadn't gotten to drink it for even one day.

As she thought about it, Qian Renxue's eyes grew red again.

But this time, she held it in and didn't cry.

She sniffed hard, puffed out her little chest, and spoke in a grown-up's tone. "Th-then you have to drink it properly. Don't waste any. Mom's milk... must be very precious."

Seeing her trying so hard to hold it together, Luo Dong couldn't help laughing.

Then he took another candied fruit from the jar and offered it to her. "You're right, big sister. Then how about another?"

"...All right, one last one." Qian Renxue opened her mouth to take the candied fruit and chewed with puffed-out cheeks.

The candied fruit was so sweet that, for a little while, she forgot all the things that had made her unhappy.

And so the two children sat by the bed.

One swung his legs while the other sat cross-legged, and they chatted about this and that.

Qian Renxue asked Luo Dong what he'd seen while he was out with Mom these past few days.

Luo Dong gestured wildly as he told her about the incredibly tall mountains, the vast wilderness, and how Mom had beaten three bad guys in the blink of an eye.

Qian Renxue listened with shining eyes, pressing him to tell her how she'd beaten them.

Luo Dong gestured even more wildly, nearly rolling right off the bed.

Qian Renxue quickly grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back. The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"You're so silly. You can even fall off while gesturing," Qian Renxue scolded him with a stern face.

But she still straightened his crooked collar for him.

She looked every bit the big sister.

"You're the silly one, big sister. You're too scared to eat more candied fruit," Luo Dong shot back.

"I don't want any more! I'm not scared!"

"Then eat some now!"

"...I don't want any more. My teeth really will rot."

The two children bickered.

Elsewhere.

In the Elder Hall.

By the time Bibi Dong stepped through the hall doors, the Venerable Elders were already seated along both sides of the long table.

Qian Daoliu still sat at the head of the table, dressed in white, his white hair framing a face as calm as still water.

Qian Xunji sat on his right. When he saw her enter, the corner of his mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

Qian Daoliu's gaze swept over him ever so slightly, and he had no choice but to look away.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood with his head lowered beside one of the pillars.

When he saw Bibi Dong enter, he kept his eyes fixed on the floor, his expression showing nothing.

Ever since the day she had planted Martial Soul Poison in him in that mountain hollow, he had learned to remain absolutely silent and obedient in Bibi Dong's presence.

Bibi Dong took her seat.

She looked at no one, but she didn't exactly avoid anyone, either.

Once she was seated, Qian Daoliu gave a light cough and began the meeting.

The first topic was indeed Bibi Dong's mission away from Spirit Hall: eliminating the three evil Soul Masters.

After briefly recounting what had happened in official terms, he gave Bibi Dong a slight nod. "The Holy Maiden independently eliminated three evil Soul Masters at the high-tier Soul Douluo level, upholding Spirit Hall's dignity and peace across the continent. Well done."

Several Venerable Elders nodded as well, offering words of approval and praise.

Bibi Dong inclined her head slightly in return.

She was neither modest nor pleased with herself, simply accepting the praise—which she considered insignificant—with calm indifference.

They were only three Soul Douluo. To her now, they were no more than a flick of her hand.

The second topic was Tang Hao.

Qian Daoliu's voice grew heavier.

Tang Hao and that Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast were still nowhere to be found.

The search parties Spirit Hall had dispatched had expanded their efforts to three provinces surrounding Star Dou Forest, but they still had no reliable leads.

The meeting decided to intensify the search further.

At the same time, they would issue reward notices to the major sects, promising a generous reward to anyone who provided information.

Bibi Dong had no interest in the topic whatsoever.

Whether Tang Hao ran or not had nothing to do with her.

She sat in her seat, listening to the Venerable Elders chatter back and forth about their plans to hunt him down, while her thoughts had already drifted back to her own residence.

What was Luo Dong doing right now? Was he behaving himself? Was he sneaking candied fruit again?

The meeting went on for another quarter of an hour.

When the third, inconsequential topic had finally wrapped up, Bibi Dong rose, gave Qian Daoliu a slight nod, and turned toward the doors.

Her stride was unhurried and her back straight. She didn't look at Qian Xunji once from beginning to end.

Only as she stepped through the doors did her gaze casually pass over Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.

Chrysanthemum Douluo lowered his eyes slightly.

Without a word, he understood what that look meant.

If anything happened on the Pope's side, you know what to do.

Bibi Dong disappeared beyond the hall doors.

Before long, she returned to her residence.

Then she heard her precious son chatting happily with Qian Renxue inside the room.

Bibi Dong had originally intended to go in and send Qian Renxue away.

But when she heard how happy her precious son sounded,

the hand she'd raised to open the door paused.

In the end, she still didn't go in.

She leaned against the wall and quietly listened to the two children inside, laughing happily, carefree and joyful.