Mother and Daughter Talk at Night

Qian Renxue looked at her reflection in the mirror and asked calmly.

"Why have you come?"

Bibi Dong stood behind her, her voice laced with anger.

"Why shouldn't I come? If I hadn't looked into the matters regarding the Demon Dragon Douluo and Xuan Qing, how long did you intend to keep me in the dark? Why wasn't such important intelligence reported?"

Qian Renxue turned around and leaned against the vanity.

"I wrote to Grandfather about it long ago. Either he didn't tell you, or you simply didn't listen."

Bibi Dong's eyes sharpened.

"That old thing said nothing. He only told me to go after Tang Hao and his son; he didn't mention anything else."

"If I hadn't visited the branch hall in Heaven Dou City and had Salas report this matter to me, I would still be kept in the dark even now."

Qian Renxue laughed, a mocking sound.

"Then that's correct. Grandfather was right not to tell you. Xuan Qing's Martial Soul has the ability to predict fortune and misfortune. If you harbor malice toward him, he can sense it immediately."

Bibi Dong scoffed.

"There should be a limit to lying. Even gods might not possess such an ability; how could it appear in a Soul Elder? Do you really take me for a three-year-old child?"

Qian Renxue shook her head.

"His exact words were that the Azure Dragon is born with the traits of spiritual connection and warding off evil, and the ability to perceive malice is inherent to his Martial Soul."

Bibi Dong's expression shifted.

"How is that possible?"

Qian Renxue countered.

"Why is it impossible? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wanted to act against him, and he sensed it hours in advance."

"He then set a trap, leading them to hunt a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear King that had exceeded the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast threshold."

"As for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan now, nine times out of ten, they are nothing but an empty shell."

Bibi Dong's pupils constricted.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is finished? A Soul Beast exceeding one hundred thousand years? Does such a thing truly exist?"

Qian Renxue asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't you find it strange that the entire Star Dou Forest only has two known Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts?"

"We only know of two, but perhaps those are just the ones the Star Dou Forest wants us to see. No one knows exactly how many there are or how strong they truly are."

A cold sweat broke out on Bibi Dong's back.

She recalled the time she hunted that rabbit; everything had gone smoothly. Now, it seemed she had simply been lucky to survive.

If the Star Dou Forest truly harbored that many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, they had likely just been too lazy to bother with her back then.

"Although Xuan Qing's tongue is sharp enough to infuriate anyone to death, he doesn't speak without cause. If he says they exist, they certainly do. That Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear King's strength would be at least level ninety-seven."

Bibi Dong felt a lingering fear.

She had previously targeted the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape as her next Soul Beasts to complete her ring set.

If there were truly that many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, going to hunt them would be no different than serving herself up as a side dish.

A terrifying thought crossed her mind: could there be an existence behind the Star Dou Forest similar to Qian Daoliu, or perhaps even stronger?

Bibi Dong pushed the thought aside.

"You mean to say that I cannot touch this Xuan Qing."

Qian Renxue nodded.

"Setting aside his ability to predict fortune and misfortune, do you think that if the Demon Dragon Douluo were his subordinate, he wouldn't be sitting at their base?"

"Would he be out wandering around with him? Even I, as the Young Mistress of Martial Soul Hall, do not receive such treatment."

Bibi Dong fell silent.

Indeed, having a level ninety-seven peak Douluo as a personal bodyguard was an exorbitant luxury; even the Young Mistress of Martial Soul Hall did not enjoy such status.

Qian Renxue flashed a playful smile.

"However, if you wish to try, I will not stop you. But whether you can return alive depends entirely on your own capabilities."

Bibi Dong's eyes turned cold.

"You are trying to use his hand to get rid of me!"

Qian Renxue admitted it quite frankly.

"You know exactly what our relationship is. If you were to die, I could become the Pope ahead of schedule—why wouldn't I want that? Besides, this is you seeking your own death; you cannot blame me."

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, suppressing the killing intent in her heart. She knew she could kill her, but Qian Daoliu would undoubtedly pursue her endlessly afterward.

The trials for the Rakshasa God still had to be conducted in Martial Soul City; if she acted now, she would definitely be the one to suffer.

"We will discuss this matter later. Regarding the pursuit of Tang San and Tang Hao, you must assist me."

"According to the information sent back by Yue Guang and Gui Mei, they fled in the direction of Heaven Dou City and then vanished without a trace. This is your territory, so help me find them."

Qian Renxue pondered for a moment.

"I can, but I cannot make any guarantees. If Xue Qinghe were to cooperate vigorously with Martial Soul Hall, it would be tantamount to treason."

"If we were to actually do that, our plans would come to an end, so we can only investigate in secret."

Bibi Dong nodded.

"Then investigate in secret. As long as you find them, leave the rest to me. Tang Hao must die, and Tang San must also die; otherwise, there will be endless trouble."

Qian Renxue continued to ask.

"What moves are you making regarding the Clear Sky Sect? After all, Tang Hao is a member of the Clear Sky Sect; you wouldn't just sit by and do nothing, would you?"

"What moves could I possibly make? That old thing Qian Daoliu hasn't issued an order, so how can I, as the Pope, take action?"

"He is the Great Elder of Martial Soul Hall, and I am merely the Pope. If he wants to protect the Clear Sky Sect, do I dare to move against them?"

Qian Renxue rubbed her temples in frustration.

"So you are just mindlessly hunting down Tang Hao and his son without even considering the Clear Sky Sect? Are you pigs? Don't you understand that to kill a snake, you must strike at its seven inches?"

Bibi Dong repeated the same sentiment.

"That thing Qian Daoliu hasn't issued an order; does this Pope dare to act? Why don't you go tell him yourself and see if he listens to you?"

Qian Renxue stopped speaking, turned, and walked to the table to begin writing a letter.

After finishing the letter, she folded it and handed it to Bibi Dong.

"After you return, give this letter to Grandfather and tell him to dispatch troops to the Clear Sky Sect and have them capture Tang Hao."

"The justification is that although Tang Hao was expelled from the Clear Sky Sect, the title of Clear Sky Douluo has not been revoked."

"This proves that the Clear Sky Sect still acknowledges his status. All the debts for the Martial Soul Hall branch halls destroyed by Tang Hao over the years, as well as the Martial Soul Hall spirit masters killed, can all be laid at their feet."

"Either they revoke the title of Clear Sky Douluo and hunt down Tang Hao to hand him over to us for judgment."

"Or they can choose to be starved to death; let them decide for themselves."

Bibi Dong took the letter.

"Do you think Qian Daoliu will let you do this? He lost to Tang Chen back in the day and promised not to set foot in the Clear Sky Sect."

"Then we use the strategy of besieging a point to strike at reinforcements. We surround them without launching a full-scale assault; there is no way they won't starve to death."

"No matter how strong the Clear Sky Sect is, they still need to eat. Besides, they have closed their mountain for many years, so even if they have reserves, it won't be much. If we surround them for a year or half a year, they will collapse without a fight."

Bibi Dong looked at Qian Renxue with a strange expression.

"I thought your Tianshui Hospital was so noble, but I didn't expect you to use such despicable tactics. Besieging a point to strike at reinforcements and starving them to death—this move is ruthless enough."

Qian Renxue smiled self-deprecatingly.

"If you were pointed at and scolded by Xuan Qing, you would also become enlightened. I was scolded by him to the point of wanting to hang myself, and I didn't even have a reason to refute him."

"Besides, I learned this trick from him. That kid was able to use the strategy of borrowing a knife to kill when dealing with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

"Why can't we learn from it?"

Bibi Dong was silent for a moment.

"I will deliver the letter, but I cannot guarantee that Qian Daoliu will agree."

Qian Renxue, however, was very confident.

"He will not disagree. Although Grandfather values his promises, he is not a fool. Tang Hao must die, and the Clear Sky Sect must be suppressed."

"If soft tactics don't work, then we use hard ones. For the future of Martial Soul Hall, he knows how to weigh the importance of things."

Bibi Dong said no more, put away the letter, and turned to leave.

Her relationship with Qian Renxue was poor, and being able to say this much was already her limit.

If she stayed any longer, she feared she would not be able to stop herself from attacking.