Qian Xunji: Deng Tianxin, you lucky star!

The next day, at the Pope Palace.

"Teacher, did you call for me?" Bibi Dong asked, looking at Qian Xunji with curiosity.

Early this morning, her teacher had summoned her.

Qian Xunji looked at the curious Bibi Dong, words caught in his throat; he did not know how to begin.

The main issue was that he understood Bibi Dong's personality well. It was highly unlikely that she would break up with Yu Xiaogang, but he wanted to try.

There was a serious problem at hand, and he did not know how to handle it best.

"Teacher?" Bibi Dong prompted tentatively.

"Dong'er," Qian Xunji finally spoke, his voice carrying a rare hesitation. "I called you here because I wanted to ask you something."

"Please, Teacher, speak."

"Are you and that... Yu Xiaogang... still together?"

Bibi Dong's expression stiffened slightly.

She had not expected that the reason her teacher summoned her so early was to ask about this.

Bibi Dong already understood her teacher's intentions; he wanted to persuade her.

"Why does Teacher ask about this so suddenly?" Bibi Dong's voice sounded unnatural.

"Answer me first," Qian Xunji said, his tone brooking no refusal.

Without a second thought, Bibi Dong replied, "We broke up."

Qian Xunji continued on his own, "Dong'er, I know you have always liked Yu Xiaogang, but he is a piece of trash... wait, what did you just say?"

"This disciple said that I have already separated from him." Bibi Dong's tone was as calm as the surface of a lake, without a single ripple.

Qian Xunji fell silent for a full three seconds.

He had spent the entire night tossing and turning, preparing for this conversation. He had simulated dozens of possible reactions in his mind—she might cry, she might throw a tantrum, she might argue her case, or she might storm out. He had even prepared a strategy for every scenario: if she cried, he would appeal to their master-disciple bond; if she threw a tantrum, he would use the authority of the Pope to reason with her; if she brought up that "strength is not the only standard" argument, he would list Yu Xiaogang's ten great crimes and refute them one by one until she was speechless.

He had even planned an exit strategy—if he truly couldn't persuade her, he would transfer her to the Star Luo Empire for a six-month mission to let distance fade everything. If six months weren't enough, then a year; if a year wasn't enough, then three. He was the Pope; he had plenty of time and means.

Yet, after brewing his persuasive speech all night, he had barely started—he hadn't even gotten to the "crimes" of Yu Xiaogang—when Bibi Dong slapped the conclusion right in his face.

Broke up.

Just two words.

The long-winded speech Qian Xunji had prepared, the appeals to reason and emotion, the mix of grace and severity—all of it was abruptly blocked by those two words.

"Breaking up is good, it is good," Qian Xunji repeated twice.

His voice carried a sense of relief, and a rare smile even appeared on his majestic face.

Qian Xunji picked up the teacup on the table, wanting to take a sip to calm his nerves, only to find the tea had gone completely cold.

But he didn't care; he drank the cold tea with great satisfaction.

Nothing was more refreshing than a disciple suddenly seeing the light. What was cold tea? He would have been happy drinking cold water.

However, after he set the teacup down, his brows furrowed slightly.

He understood Bibi Dong's nature; this disciple was perfect in every way, except for being too stubborn.

Once she set her mind on something, not even ten soul beasts could pull her back.

In the past, to be with Yu Xiaogang, she had even dared to defy his instructions as her teacher.

Now, to suddenly say they had broken up—it was so clean and decisive that it didn't feel like her style, which made him feel something was amiss.

"Dong'er," Qian Xunji retracted his smile, replacing it with a gentle and concerned expression. "Why did you suddenly come to this realization? Did that boy do something to wrong you?"

His tone was flat as he said this, but a trace of coldness flickered deep in his eyes.

If Yu Xiaogang had truly done something to harm his disciple, he had ten thousand ways to make that person disappear from this world without a sound.

Trash was not scary, but trash that dared to bully the Saintess of Spirit Hall was courting death.

Bibi Dong shook her head, and the image of Deng Tianxin's punchable little face involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

He had pointed a wooden stick at her, shouting that he owned the road, then Deng Tianxin had said in all seriousness that she was a pedophile, called Yu Xiaogang a bowl of plain noodles, and shouted "Mom" at her right in front of Yu Xiaogang...

Thinking of this, Bibi Dong's fists involuntarily tightened.

"No," Bibi Dong said, "a little brat scolded me into waking up."

"A little brat?" Qian Xunji paused.

"It was Deng Tianxin," Bibi Dong said, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "That day on the road, he said a lot of harsh things. He said I only liked Yu Xiaogang because of the novelty, because no one had ever treated me like an ordinary person since I was a child. So, when I suddenly met Yu Xiaogang, who didn't know my status, I thought he was special and mistook it for love."

After hearing Bibi Dong's words, Qian Xunji sat with the cup of cold tea, silent for a long while.

On the surface, he remained calm, but inside, his heart was churning with massive waves.

It wasn't because of the breakup itself—though he was indeed happy about it—but because of the person who had brought it about.

He had originally thought the child was just a gifted monster worth Spirit Hall's focused cultivation.

But now, it seemed that the surprises Deng Tianxin brought him went far beyond that.

The mental burden that had plagued him for so long, for which he had prepared countless solutions to no avail, had been resolved by a six-year-old child in just a few short sentences.

Qian Xunji lifted his teacup, sighing inwardly.

This child was truly a lucky star.

To be able to scold Dong'er into waking up—that was not something an ordinary person could achieve.

He knew Dong'er's temper better than anyone; when she was stubborn, she would even dare to defy him, her teacher.

The number of people who could make her lower her head in reflection could be counted on one hand across the entire continent.

Yet this little one had managed it in less than a day.

However, as he pondered this, Qian Xunji's thoughts drifted in another direction.

His gaze fell upon Bibi Dong, carrying a hint of contemplation.

Dong'er had broken up with Yu Xiaogang, which was naturally a tremendous blessing and had removed a great weight from his heart.

But based on his understanding of her, she was not someone who fell in love easily, and once she did, she was not one to let go so readily.

Her first love was Yu Xiaogang.

Although they had broken up now, this experience had already become a part of her life, impossible to erase or wipe away.

What if that Yu Xiaogang came to pester her again in the future, or if Dong'er herself grew soft-hearted and turned back? Wouldn't all his previous efforts be in vain?

Thinking of this, Qian Xunji suddenly felt that the importance of Deng Tianxin had risen to another level.

That child had a connection to the God of Love and was naturally gifted at handling matters of the heart.

With him by Dong'er's side, if she ever started acting foolishly again, that boy would surely be the first to notice and could scold her back to her senses with a few more words.