"Yu Xiaogang Is a Man With Serious Germophobia. If You Don't Believe Me, Just Try Making Liu Erlong Dirty Too."

"Level eighty..."

On the other side of Star Dou Forest.

Bibi Dong, sitting cross-legged beneath a large tree, let out a long breath of stale air. Seven Soul Rings circled her body.

Two yellow, two purple, and three black.

"With this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, plus that thirty-thousand-year-old spiritual head Soul Bone I got years ago... this is pretty good!"

Bibi Dong murmured, clenching her fist and feeling the surging Soul Power within her. A smile appeared on her face. "Two days and two nights... I'm not too late!"

"But to enter Slaughter City, I still need to hunt a suitable Eighth Soul Ring..."

"Let's see if there's one that fits!"

The thought crossed her mind, and Bibi Dong rose and headed out.

She hadn't gone far when she suddenly stopped and silently concealed herself among the trees.

Before long, three figures appeared on the dirt path she had just walked along.

When she recognized their faces, she froze. "Xiao Gang!?"

The three were none other than the Golden Iron Triangle: Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Liu Erlong!

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong had just confirmed their relationship. They walked hand in hand, looking exceptionally close.

Bibi Dong didn't know Flender or Liu Erlong, but she certainly knew Yu Xiaogang.

And so...

When she saw this scene, it struck her like a bolt from the blue, leaving her completely stunned!

Chen Fan's words began echoing in her mind.

'Your little lover, Yu Xiaogang, is probably all over Liu Erlong right now.'

'At this rate, it won't be long before they get married.'

'If you get there in time, you might even get a cup of wedding wine—or a seat at the banquet!'

He... had been telling the truth!?

Xiao Gang had really fallen for someone else?!

Otherwise, how could this be...?

Bibi Dong's gaze remained fixed on Yu Xiaogang.

The man she had thought about day and night was now walking hand in hand with Liu Erlong, shoulder to shoulder. They chatted and laughed, even embracing from time to time. The sight of their intimacy made Yu Xiaogang seem especially dazzling to her.

"Xiao Gang..."

Bibi Dong's lips trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened.

She wanted to rush out, throw herself into Yu Xiaogang's arms, and tell him everything she had gone through...

But she didn't dare.

She didn't know whether Qian Xunji had sent people to follow her.

They were in Star Dou Forest.

If Qian Xunji's people saw her meeting Yu Xiaogang, then given his nature, Qian Xunji would surely kill him.

Afterward, they'd toss his body into a Soul Beast's jaws. Even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wouldn't be able to find out anything.

"Endure it... I have to endure it..."

Bibi Dong bit her lip, her nails digging deep into her palm. Blood trickled between her fingers, but she didn't notice.

Just then,

the three people's conversation reached Bibi Dong's ears.

"Boss Fu, how should we decorate the bridal chamber?"

"What do you think? We'll make it beautiful, of course!"

Flender laughed heartily. "It's the big day for you and Xiao Gang. We can't be careless!"

The big day?

Marriage?

Bibi Dong's head gave a loud "buzz," and her mind went completely blank.

Xiao Gang was getting married?

To Liu Erlong?

No... no way!

How could that be?

"Erlong, there's no need to make a fuss. Just keep it simple."

Yu Xiaogang's voice drifted over, as gentle as ever.

"How can we do that?"

Liu Erlong protested. "This is our wedding! It only happens once in a lifetime. How can we keep it simple?"

"All right, all right. We'll do it your way."

Yu Xiaogang smiled indulgently and reached out to rub Liu Erlong's head.

The sight stabbed into Bibi Dong's heart like a knife.

Tears spilled from her eyes, and her whole body trembled.

Xiao Gang... didn't you say you'd wait for me?

Didn't you say you'd love only me for the rest of your life?

Why... why were you marrying someone else?

Bibi Dong wanted to rush out and confront him, to tell him how much she had sacrificed for him, to make him understand that everything she'd done was so she could be with him...

But she couldn't.

She didn't dare.

She could only hide in the tree canopy like a rat that couldn't bear the light, watching helplessly as the man she loved prepared to marry another woman.

And so,

between being 'angry' and being 'spineless,' Bibi Dong chose to 'suffer in spineless anger.'

Looking at the couple, who seemed made for each other, Bibi Dong's eyes gradually grew wet. Yet she couldn't help thinking of what Chen Fan had said earlier...

'Bibi Dong, you don't really think you're still that pure and chaste Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, do you?'

'Go look in the mirror. Tell me, what's the difference between you and the women in a brothel now?'

'...A used-up whore...'

Each word, each sentence, stabbed into Bibi Dong's heart like needles, until she could hardly breathe.

"That's right. I'm already dirty... so dirty I can't even look at myself!"

After a long while,

Bibi Dong finally came back to her senses.

She lifted her head. Her tears had already dried in the open air. Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, she murmured,

"It must be Qian Xunji!"

"That beast must have threatened Xiao Gang!"

"Xiao Gang was forced into it. He must have been forced!"

Xiao Gang loved her so much. How could he betray her?

It had to be that beast, Qian Xunji. He must have threatened Xiao Gang, forcing him to be with another woman in the hope that she'd give up!

The more Bibi Dong thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Her hatred for Qian Xunji deepened.

"Maybe Qian Xunji found Liu Erlong too, just to put on this act!"

"But... I'm already dirty. What right do I have to ask Xiao Gang to..."

"Will Xiao Gang despise me?"

Bibi Dong's gaze turned distant, and two voices surfaced in her heart.

"Xiao Gang won't despise you. He knows you were forced into it. He'll understand!"

"Bullshit, Bibi Dong! You're dirty now. You're not the Bibi Dong you used to be. Why would Xiao Gang want someone as ruined as you?"

"Don't listen. Your love is pure and flawless. Don't doubt Xiao Gang—that's an insult to him!"

"Yu Xiaogang is a man with serious germophobia. If you don't believe me, just try making Liu Erlong dirty too?"

The moment that voice sounded in Bibi Dong's heart, her whole body jolted!

As the saying went,

the speaker might not mean it, but the listener took it to heart.

That voice deep in her heart made a sudden spark of inspiration flash through Bibi Dong's mind.

That's right!

Wasn't the best way to test whether Xiao Gang would mind to make Liu Erlong dirty too?

If Yu Xiaogang still stood by her, wouldn't that indirectly prove that he felt the same way about his first love?

But if Yu Xiaogang cast Liu Erlong aside... wouldn't that mean there was still a chance for his first love, too?

A way to kill two birds with one stone!

At the thought, Bibi Dong's eyes began to burn with excitement, but a moment later they dimmed.

"No... I can't do this..."