Two Bibi Dongs Meet

Fang Mo was slightly taken aback.

Bibi Dong spoke very softly, as though she had weighed every word over and over.

"The soul within your Martial Soul... the future me..."

She did not use the term "Remnant Soul," but the word "soul."

Fang Mo's heartbeat quickened.

Bibi Dong slowly raised her eyes, her violet eyes looking straight at Fang Mo.

"Ever since the day you told me she existed, I have been thinking about this."

Bibi Dong's voice suddenly dropped.

"I want to know... what she went through."

Fang Mo listened quietly.

Bibi Dong's fingers began tapping on the table again, the rhythm even faster than before.

"Not meeting her as the Pope, but as another version of myself."

Fang Mo fell silent for a moment.

He did not answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and sank his spiritual power into the Sea of Consciousness.

Darkness.

Boundless darkness.

Dong'er's phantom floated at the center of the Spirit Sea. She was far more solid than before.

Her features were clear, every strand of hair distinct, while her dark red eyes stared unblinkingly at Fang Mo.

"No need to pass on a message."

Her voice was husky and languid, tinged with impatience.

"I heard every word she just said."

Fang Mo was slightly startled.

"You were awake already?"

"I woke up when she called you to the study."

Dong'er's phantom leaned forward slightly, a complicated glint flashing through her eyes. "That woman's desire for control... is just as strong as mine."

Fang Mo asked inwardly,

"Do you want to meet her?"

Dong'er remained silent for a long time.

So long that Fang Mo thought she would not answer.

Then, she spoke.

"Yes."

There was no hesitation, no probing.

Just one word.

Simple, direct, unquestionable.

Fang Mo met those dark red eyes and read many things within them.

Anticipation, nervousness, fear, and an exceedingly well-hidden... longing.

He nodded.

"Alright."

Fang Mo withdrew from the Spirit Sea and opened his eyes.

Bibi Dong was quietly watching him. She did not urge him or press him for answers. She simply waited.

"Teacher."

Fang Mo said softly, "She agreed."

Bibi Dong's eyelashes trembled faintly.

"But she has one condition."

Fang Mo added.

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly.

"She hopes this disciple will avoid the meeting. She said... this is a matter between the two of you."

Bibi Dong was silent for a moment, the corner of her lips curving slightly. It was an extremely faint smile.

As expected of me. She understood without needing it said aloud.

Fang Mo rose from his chair and bowed to Bibi Dong.

"This disciple will return to his room first."

"Mm."

Fang Mo turned and headed toward the door.

When he reached it, he paused.

"Teacher."

"Mm?"

"No matter what the two of you discussed, this disciple is on your side."

Bibi Dong raised her head, and a flicker of light passed through her violet eyes.

Though she said nothing, Fang Mo noticed that the corner of her lips curved again.

Her smile was slightly wider than before.

Fang Mo left the study.

He did not return directly to his room. Instead, he found a stone bench in the rear garden of the Pope Palace and sat down.

A gentle breeze swept past, carrying a trace of chill.

Fang Mo slowly closed his eyes, keeping his spiritual power in a delicate state.

He did not sink into the Spirit Sea, remaining instead at its edge.

He could feel Dong'er's presence and sense her leaving the Spirit Sea.

It was his respect for Dong'er.

And his respect for Bibi Dong as well.

There were some things only the two of them could say. He did not need to know every word.

Yet one thought continued circling through Fang Mo's mind.

Two Bibi Dongs.

One was the Pope who had yet to experience those hardships, still feeling her way through the darkness.

The other was the Rakshasa Remnant Soul who had already walked the entire path, bearing wounds and unwillingness all over her body.

They were the same person, yet not the same person.

Fang Mo was not sure how much time had passed.

Perhaps one hour, perhaps two.

When he sensed Dong'er's aura again, her emotions were fluctuating violently...

There was anger, there was sorrow, and more than that, a stirred-up emotion that could not be calmed.

Fang Mo did not disturb her.

After a while, the study door opened.

From afar, Fang Mo saw Bibi Dong standing at the study entrance, her back against the doorframe.

Nothing in her expression seemed to have changed, but Fang Mo noticed her fingers tightly gripping the edge of her sleeve.

Clearly, her emotions were not quite right either.

Fang Mo did not approach.

He only watched from a distance as Bibi Dong stood there for a long time before slowly closing the door.

When Bibi Dong appeared in his sight again, half an hour had already passed.

She walked through the corridor, and as she passed the rear garden, her gaze swept toward Fang Mo.

Their eyes met for an instant.

Bibi Dong did not stop or say anything.

But Fang Mo read many things in her eyes.

Shock, relief, heartache, and all sorts of other complicated emotions.

She gave Fang Mo a slight nod, then continued onward.

Fang Mo watched her back until she completely vanished at the end of the corridor.

"Back?"

Fang Mo asked softly in his heart.

Within the Spirit Sea, Dong'er's phantom slowly appeared, her voice carrying a trace of exhaustion.

"I'm back..."

Dong'er's voice was somewhat hoarse, and Fang Mo could not hear her clearly.

Fang Mo did not ask what she had said.

Dong'er did not take the initiative to speak either.

The silence lasted a long time.

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

Fang Mo returned to his room, washed up briefly, then lay directly on the bed and stared blankly into space.

He never learned what the two Bibi Dongs had discussed.

But he could sense it.

Ever since that conversation, both of their attitudes toward him had changed in subtle ways.

Bibi Dong had personally come by at dusk, carrying a bowl of warm medicinal food.

"Drink it. This will help your recovery."

Her tone remained flat, but ordinarily, she would have had an attendant deliver it rather than bringing it herself.

When Fang Mo accepted the bowl, his fingers accidentally brushed Bibi Dong's hand.

They both froze.

Bibi Dong swiftly withdrew her hand, the tips of her ears reddening slightly. She tossed out, "Put the bowl outside the door after you finish," then left without looking back.

As for Dong'er in the Spirit Sea, after Bibi Dong left, she did not say a single word.

She merely let out a faint sigh.

Fang Mo did not know what had happened in that conversation, but he vaguely sensed that Teacher Bibi Dong was quietly changing.

That change seemed to have something to do with him.

Just as Fang Mo's thoughts began to wander, an extremely soft knock pulled him back to reality.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three knocks, each incredibly light, as though the visitor feared being overheard.

Fang Mo sat up in bed, already knowing the answer.

He walked to the door and pulled it open.

And standing outside was Qian Renxue.