Bibi Dong glanced quickly at Zhao Linchuan, who was still busy at the front desk, then leaned closer to Yan Lingji and whispered:
"Big Sister Ling Ji, you... you weren't joking, were you? How could he be that kind of person?"
Seeing Bibi Dong's earnest, nervous expression, Yan Lingji burst out laughing. With a smile, she said:
"Of course I was joking. Who knew you'd actually take me seriously?"
Bibi Dong froze for a moment, then let out a long breath. Her whole body relaxed as she leaned back in her chair and patted her rather impressive chest, muttering:
"That's good, that's good... I knew Linchuan wasn't that kind of person."
"He's a righteous and chivalrous hero. How could he..."
"...You said he was a hero?"
A short while later, Zhao Linchuan came over with two room cards.
He slid one of them in front of Bibi Dong and tucked the other into his Soul Tool. "You'll stay in 521. Ling Ji and I will stay in 520."
Bibi Dong took the room card and spun it around her fingers. Then she suddenly remembered something and asked:
"By the way, we've been out for so long. Shouldn't we go to Sunset Forest tomorrow and hunt a Soul Ring for Big Sister Ling Ji?"
"Of course." Zhao Linchuan sat down across from her, a mysterious smile appearing on his face. "But before we hunt for a Soul Ring, I have a gift for you both."
"What gift?" Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. She guessed, "Pretty jewelry?"
"You'll find out when the time comes." Zhao Linchuan chuckled, keeping her in suspense. "I guarantee it'll be a huge surprise."
"Hmph, you just love keeping people guessing."
Bibi Dong pouted in dissatisfaction, but there was nothing she could do about him.
She lifted her teacup and took a sip. When she set it down, her expression had returned to seriousness.
"Let's talk about something important." Her voice dropped slightly. "You said before that we should win over some sects and take down others. Have you worked out a plan? Who are we winning over? Who are we taking down?"
Zhao Linchuan leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice.
"I'm working on it." Zhao Linchuan spoke slowly. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is known as the greatest auxiliary tool Martial Soul sect in the world. That's the one I want to win over."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect is known as the greatest Beast Martial Soul sect in the world. I'm planning to take it down."
"Hiss..." Bibi Dong drew in a sharp breath. Then, as if she'd thought of something, a look of understanding flashed in her eyes. "Are you planning to use that Yu Xiaogang to make a move against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect?"
"Exactly." Zhao Linchuan nodded, a trace of coldness in his smile. "This can be made as big or as small as we like. If we keep it small, we can simply expel him from Spirit City."
"If we make it big, he stole the secret teachings of my Spirit Hall. Destroying the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect would be entirely justified."
Bibi Dong looked at him, admiration flashing in her eyes.
"You really are wicked." She said it softly, then pressed him further. "What about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? How will you approach them? How will you win them over?"
"I just told you," Zhao Linchuan said, lifting his teacup for an unhurried sip. "I'm already working on it."
"What have you done?" Bibi Dong asked, baffled. "These past few days, we've either been killing people or on our way to kill people. We haven't done anything else!"
"Let me put it this way."
Zhao Linchuan began slowly, and Bibi Dong and Yan Lingji both leaned forward without realizing it.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a Titled Douluo with the title 'Bone.' You know who I mean, right?"
"I do." Bibi Dong nodded. "What about him?"
"He's a self-taught Soul Master with no proper background." Zhao Linchuan explained calmly. "For some reason, he developed a very peculiar obsession."
"Whenever a genius Soul Master appears in the outside world, it triggers that obsession. He'll do whatever it takes to assassinate that genius."
Bibi Dong's eyes widened little by little.
"You mean...?"
"I mean," Zhao Linchuan's tone grew heavier, "we lure Gu Rong into attacking us, then set an ambush and kill him."
"After that, we'll have a perfectly legitimate reason to take military action against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
He took a sip of tea, giving Bibi Dong time to digest his words before continuing:
"Ning Fengzhi cares a great deal about profit. He'll go whichever way the wind blows."
"Once the time comes, we'll have my teacher step in. Then we won't have to worry about him refusing to surrender."
After listening, Bibi Dong nodded thoughtfully. She lowered her head and pondered for a moment before saying:
"We'd better cripple Chen Xin, too. That way, even if Ning Fengzhi refuses to surrender, it won't matter."
"We can always replace the sect master."
Zhao Linchuan looked at her, surprise flashing in his eyes. Then that surprise turned to admiration.
"Clever." He reached out and naturally ruffled her hair. "No wonder you're Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden."
"Do you think I'm a child?" Bibi Dong pouted and slapped his hand away, though the tips of her ears quietly turned red.
She turned her head away, lifted her teacup, and pretended to drink. Her eyelashes fluttered faintly.
Half an hour later.
The three of them had dinner on the first floor of the tavern.
After the meal, the three chatted for a while in the main hall.
As night deepened, they each returned to their rooms.
Room 520.
Water pattered in the bathroom. Mist drifted out through the crack in the door, carrying a faint scent of soap.
Zhao Linchuan sat on the sofa by the window and took several things from his Storage Soul Tool.
Two God-Bestowed Soul Rings, a Hundred Thousand Year adaptive torso Soul Bone that gave off a faint golden glow, and a Hundred Thousand Year Four-Winged Holy Feather Beast right leg Soul Bone.
The torso Soul Bone and one of the God-Bestowed Soul Rings had been rewards from the system after he rescued a woman named Ah Yin.
The right leg Soul Bone and the other God-Bestowed Soul Ring were things he'd accumulated over the past few days.
He stared at them for a moment, then settled on a plan.
He intended to give the torso Soul Bone to Yan Lingji, so that when she obtained her Seventh Soul Ring, she could absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring without any pressure.
She was his woman. He couldn't let anything happen to her.
Just then, someone pushed open the bathroom door, and a cloud of warm mist billowed out.
Yan Lingji came out wearing a peach-colored nightgown.
She walked over barefoot and sat down beside Zhao Linchuan.
"What are you thinking about? You look so lost in thought."
"I was thinking about what gift to give you."
Zhao Linchuan came back to himself, picked up the torso Soul Bone and one of the God-Bestowed Soul Rings from the coffee table, and placed them in her hands.
"This is a Hundred Thousand Year torso Soul Bone, along with a God-Bestowed Soul Ring."
"Absorb the Soul Bone tonight and save the Soul Ring until you reach your seventh ring."
"This..." Yan Lingji looked down at the things in her palm, her fingers curling slightly around them.
Over the past few days, Zhao Linchuan had explained how precious Soul Bones were. She'd also confirmed with Bibi Dong how scarce high-year Soul Bones were, far beyond anything she'd imagined.
Forget a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. Even a Soul Bone with only thirty thousand years could throw a kingdom into turmoil in no time.
And now, he had casually placed something like that in her hands.
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