Deng Tianxin, Who Played Two Women in the Palm of His Hand

To think that the disciple taken in by such a figure would be a child who looks only seven or eight years old.

However, upon closer reflection, only a child like this could be worthy of Bibi Dong's discerning eye.

After all, one would likely struggle to find a second person on the entire continent capable of taming a seven-thousand-year-old Violent Bear at such an age.

"I see," Tang Xiao nodded, lost in thought.

Ning Fengzhi smiled and gestured to the side. "Since we have had the fortune to meet today, why not watch a few soul fighting matches together in a private box? Since young friend Deng has come from afar, allow me, as the host, to fulfill my duties."

The private box was indeed as Ning Fengzhi had described, offering an excellent view.

A full-length, curved window faced the soul fighting arena directly, allowing everything on the stage to be seen with perfect clarity.

Ning Fengzhi sat in the main seat and signaled for everyone to make themselves comfortable.

Attendants quickly arranged the tea and refreshments, filling the entire coffee table with exquisite porcelain plates.

Almond cookies, osmanthus cakes, candied kumquats, and crystal shrimp dumplings—each item was delicate and refined, reflecting the prestige of the premier Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City.

Ning Fengzhi and Tang Xiao sat by the window, conversing in low voices about the situation on the continent and the recent developments within their sects.

Tang Hao, meanwhile, leaned back in a chair in the corner with a broad, imposing posture, his gaze shifting between the fighting arena and Deng Tianxin. It was clear he was still brooding over the fact that the Violent Bear had not been brought out for a sparring match today.

At the other end of the coffee table, however, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

Tang Yuehua held a plate of almond cookies and gracefully sat down to Deng Tianxin's left.

She used a silver pick to spear a piece of pastry, her left hand held underneath to catch any crumbs, while her right hand steadily brought the treat to Deng Tianxin's lips.

"Tianxin, try this. The almond cookies at the Great Soul Arena are made with sweet almonds from the northern suburbs of Heaven Dou City. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside—you won't find them anywhere else."

Before Deng Tianxin could even open his mouth, another hand holding a crystal shrimp dumpling reached out from his right.

Liu Erlong had leaned in at some point, her silver pick nearly poking Tang Yuehua's sleeve.

She was far less particular, simply spearing the dumpling and thrusting it toward Deng Tianxin's mouth with a blunt, straightforward motion.

"What's so good about pastries? They don't fill you up. Here, have a shrimp dumpling; you can tell just by looking that the shrimp is fresh."

Deng Tianxin sat in the middle, an almond cookie on his left and a crystal shrimp dumpling on his right. The two women's hands hovered on either side of his mouth like two closing city gates, pinning him firmly in place.

"Uh..." Deng Tianxin's short arms hung helplessly in mid-air.

He looked first at Tang Yuehua's gentle, smiling face on his left, then at Liu Erlong's matter-of-fact expression on his right. He felt as if his head were being pulled in two directions by invisible strings.

Eating from either side first would be wrong.

If he ate Tang Yuehua's first, Liu Erlong would surely feel slighted.

If he ate Liu Erlong's first, Tang Yuehua might not say anything on the surface, but there was no guarantee that a thorn wouldn't sprout within her gentle smile.

But he was, after all, Deng Tianxin—the little rascal raised by the Saintess of Spirit Hall—and his mind worked faster than anyone else's.

Without changing his expression, he opened his mouth wide and, with lightning speed, bit into both treats at once. His cheeks puffed out instantly like two little steamed buns.

Deng Tianxin mumbled indistinctly, "Thank you, big sisters."

Watching his bulging cheeks and his efforts to chew, Tang Yuehua was stunned for a moment before covering her mouth and giggling. The way the child ate was exactly like the hamster she had kept when she was young—stuffing his face even when there was no room left, making one want to poke his cheeks.

As she thought this, her hand had already reached out.

Her fair, slender index finger poked gently at Deng Tianxin's puffed-up right cheek. The sensation was soft and supple, more resilient than the finest glutinous rice cake. Tang Yuehua's eyes curved into crescents; she poked again, then pinched it, and finally gave it a little rub. She didn't say a word, but the light in her eyes betrayed everything.

"Mmph?" Deng Tianxin's mouth was stuffed with pastry, so he could only express his protest with a muffled nasal sound. But with his face being pinched, he couldn't even turn his head; he could only glare with his round eyes, using his gaze to accuse Tang Yuehua of her sneak attack.

However, before he could break free from Tang Yuehua's clutches, his left cheek tightened as well.

Liu Erlong's fingers had pinched onto him too, her pressure slightly firmer than Tang Yuehua's and her technique more practiced.

After all, she had pinched him countless times over the past few days and knew the elasticity and texture of Deng Tianxin's cheeks like the back of her hand.

"This side is puffed up higher, it's asymmetrical," Liu Erlong said with a straight face, her fingers pulling outward as she spoke. "Let me help you adjust it."

"Mmph, mmph!" Deng Tianxin's short arms flailed in the air, trying to swat away the two pairs of mischievous hands.

But he couldn't even shake off Liu Erlong's strength, let alone now that Tang Yuehua had joined in.

Deng Tianxin swallowed the pastry in his mouth with great difficulty and finally managed to clear his throat: "No pinching—pfft—"

The moment he opened his mouth, Tang Yuehua's finger poked in at the perfect moment, squeezing his cheeks into a goldfish pout once more and cutting his protest short.

At this very moment, a thought crossed Deng Tianxin's mind.

Poor Tom, played with in the palms of others.

He himself was in much the same situation as Tom.

The commotion between the three was neither loud nor quiet, but it was enough to make Ning Fengzhi, on the other side of the box, stop his conversation.

Ning Fengzhi held his teacup, tilting his head to watch the scene on the opposite sofa, his expression shifting from initial surprise to a meaningful smile.

"How interesting," Ning Fengzhi took a light sip of tea, his gaze sweeping between Tang Yuehua and Liu Erlong before finally landing on Deng Tianxin, who was being sandwiched and teased by the two.

He set down his teacup and shook his head with a smile. The young sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect prided himself on having seen all kinds of people, but the scene before him still exceeded his expectations.

That two great beauties would be so attentive to a seven-year-old child—few would believe it if they were told.

Ning Fengzhi thought to himself that if he had a daughter, he would certainly make her win over Deng Tianxin.

He knew through certain channels that Deng Tianxin possessed extraordinary potential. Even the Pope of Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji, held Deng Tianxin in high regard, and it was highly likely that Deng Tianxin would become the Pope two generations down the line.

Even if Deng Tianxin failed to become Pope in the future, his network of connections at that time would be immensely useful to him.

The face-pinching incident in the private box finally came to an end.

It wasn't that Tang Yuehua and Liu Erlong had suddenly developed a conscience, but rather that the opening gong for the first soul duel of the night had sounded on the arena floor.

The heavy bronze gong was struck, its deep, resonant sound waves vibrating beneath the dome of the entire arena, instantly drowning out the clamor of tens of thousands of spectators.

Tang Yuehua reluctantly withdrew her hand, the soft warmth of Deng Tianxin's cheek still lingering on her fingertips.

Liu Erlong also took the opportunity to let go, sitting up straight to look toward the arena stage outside the floor-to-ceiling window, though the corner of her eye still drifted toward Deng Tianxin from time to time.