Deng Tianxin asked warily, "If I lose, how are you going to punish me?"
Bibi Dong laughed. "If I lose, I'll give you a spanking every day."
The moment Bibi Dong said that, Deng Tianxin's little face crumpled.
"Every day?" His voice rose half an octave. "No, Auntie, that's way too harsh! If you spank me every day, what'll be left of my butt?"
Bibi Dong looked at him with a smile that was clearly up to no good. "What happened to all that courage you had just now? You said, 'Once the words are out, they can't be taken back.' Now you've heard the stakes and you're chickening out?"
Provoked by her, Deng Tianxin immediately puffed out his little chest again. "Who's chickening out? You're on!"
"Good." Bibi Dong stood up, brushed off nonexistent dust, and looked down at him. "Ten years from now, then. I'll remember."
"You'd better remember what you said," Deng Tianxin said earnestly, tipping his head back and holding out his little finger. "Pinky promise."
Bibi Dong looked down at the short, tiny finger, still marked with a little smear of dirt, and the corner of her mouth twitched. "How old are you? Still making pinky promises?"
"That's the only way it counts." Deng Tianxin stubbornly held up his hand, his little finger sticking up high. "A promise without a pinky swear is just a sham. That's what the village chief taught me."
Bibi Dong fell silent for two seconds. In the end, she still bent down and held out her own long, pale little finger, hooking it with his grimy one.
"Pinky promise, cross my heart, hope to die," Deng Tianxin recited, rocking his head as he spoke. Afterward, he gave their hooked fingers two vigorous shakes. "There. It's too late to take it back now."
Bibi Dong withdrew her hand and looked at the smudge of dirt on her little finger. The corner of her mouth twitched again.
But she didn't wipe it off.
"Come on," Bibi Dong said, turning and setting off. "If we dawdle any longer, it'll be dark."
Deng Tianxin hurried after her and grabbed her clothes again.
After they'd walked a few steps, Deng Tianxin suddenly looked up and asked, "Auntie, if I win ten years from now, I can ask for anything I want, right?"
"Right."
"What if I want to marry you?"
Bibi Dong came to an abrupt halt, nearly stumbling again.
She drew a deep breath, lowered her head, and glared at Deng Tianxin as if she wanted to kill him.
Deng Tianxin immediately raised his hands in surrender and smiled apologetically. "I'm joking, I'm joking. Don't be mad, Auntie. I was just testing the limits of what I could ask for."
"The limit is that you can't make any ridiculous requests like that," Bibi Dong said, enunciating every word. "If you dare, I'll hang you from a tree and spank you until your butt blooms."
"Understood." Deng Tianxin nodded hard, his expression exceptionally serious. "Then how about something else? Like me spanking Auntie?"
"..."
"That's not allowed either? Then what about you being my free bodyguard for three years?"
"Deng Tianxin."
"Okay, okay! I'll stop!"
The two figures, one big and one small, walked farther and farther down the dirt road.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
"Wow, it's huge! Is this Spirit City?"
Deng Tianxin couldn't help exclaiming as he looked at Spirit City in the distance.
Bibi Dong stood beside him, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
For the past half month, she'd taken the little rascal over hill and dale. His sharp tongue had nearly driven her mad more than once along the way. But seeing his speechless, awestruck expression now gave her a curious sense of satisfaction.
The two of them entered Spirit City together, and Deng Tianxin looked around curiously.
"I'm taking you to meet my teacher."
"Okay, Auntie."
"Call me big sister."
"No."
A vein twitched at Bibi Dong's temple.
"Why not?"
"Because an auntie is an auntie," Deng Tianxin said earnestly, tipping his head back. "If I call you big sister, it'll mess up the generations."
"What generations?" Bibi Dong looked at him suspiciously.
Deng Tianxin grinned, showing a mouthful of little white teeth. "If I marry you someday, you're my auntie now, and you'll become my wife then. That's moving down a generation, so it's a bargain. But if I call you big sister now, then becoming your wife later would make us the same generation. There wouldn't be that thrilling forbidden feeling."
Bibi Dong closed her eyes.
She stood in the middle of the street for a full three seconds, counted to ten in her head, and only then managed to suppress the urge to beat a child in public.
The main street of Spirit City was bustling with people. Many recognized Bibi Dong and stopped to greet her respectfully.
Bibi Dong nodded in acknowledgment as she gritted her teeth and whispered to Deng Tianxin, "If you say anything like that in public again, I'll throw you in Spirit Hall's dungeon for three days."
"Fine, fine." Deng Tianxin raised his hands in surrender, but his bright, dark eyes clearly said he'd do it again.
They continued on. Looking at the palaces on the mountain, Deng Tianxin asked curiously, "Auntie, what's that biggest palace?"
"That's the Pope Palace," Bibi Dong replied without looking back. "It's the heart of Spirit Hall. The current Pope is there."
"Oh." Deng Tianxin nodded, then asked, "Where do you usually live, Auntie?"
"Saintess Palace, east of the Pope Palace."
"Where will I live from now on?"
"With me."
Deng Tianxin suddenly stopped walking.
Bibi Dong went a few steps farther, then noticed the silence behind her. When she turned around, she saw Deng Tianxin standing there with both hands pressed to his cheeks, his eyes shining like two stars.
"Auntie," Deng Tianxin said, his voice trembling with a deliberately coy sweetness. "Are we going to live together?"
Bibi Dong felt her blood pressure shoot to a whole new level.
At least seven or eight passersby had heard him. They all turned to look with strange expressions.
Bibi Dong strode back in three quick steps, grabbed Deng Tianxin by the back of his collar, and hoisted him up like a chick. Then, without changing her expression, she marched toward Spirit Hall.
"Auntie, you're embarrassing me!" Deng Tianxin protested, kicking his legs in midair.
"You don't get to be embarrassed."
"This is child abuse!"
"Say one more word and I'll hang you upside down from a beam in Saintess Palace."
Deng Tianxin immediately quieted down.
The main entrance to Spirit Hall was even more imposing than he'd imagined.
Two rows of guards in silver armor stood at the entrance. When they saw Bibi Dong approach, they all bowed.
Bibi Dong gave a slight nod and walked straight through the gate.
The moment she crossed the threshold, her expression changed. The casual ease she'd shown on the street vanished, replaced by a cold, dignified air of authority.
Deng Tianxin was still dangling in Bibi Dong's grasp. From that angle, he could easily see her change in demeanor.
When they reached the hall, Deng Tianxin saw a man.
The man had long golden hair and wore magnificent clothes, exuding an aura of overwhelming authority.
He was Qian Xunji.
Before you continue