The reason she'd managed to get the fragment from Bibi Dong so quickly was that the timing had been just right.
At the time, Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang had been madly in love. Everyone knew what couples were like during the honeymoon phase.
Then she'd happened to run into Yu Xiaogang and call Bibi Dong "Mom." Yu Xiaogang had thought Bibi Dong was looking for someone to take his place, so he'd run off.
Bibi Dong had wanted to explain, but Yu Xiaogang hadn't wanted to listen. That was what had triggered the God of Love Fragment.
Meanwhile, in Slaughter City.
"Saintess, here's the report on Deng Tianxin's activities over this period."
A man in black handed Bibi Dong a book.
Bibi Dong took it and began reading, one page at a time.
Before she left, she'd made a point of assigning people to protect Deng Tianxin and keep an eye on him.
When Bibi Dong opened the first page, her expression remained fairly calm.
It said that on the second day after she'd left the Spirit Hall, Deng Tianxin had gone out on his own. His carriage had headed south, to a small village she'd never even heard of.
Her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't think much of it.
That little rascal had never been one to sit still. He'd probably snuck out to have fun for a few days while she was away. With Soul Power at level twenty-seven and a head full of schemes, he could take care of himself just fine, as long as he didn't provoke anyone too powerful.
On the second page, her gaze began to turn cold.
Deng Tianxin had run into bandits. That should have been cause for concern, but the report went on to say:
In his hour of need, a young woman named Liu Erlong had come to his rescue, and the two had traveled together afterward.
She'd never heard the name Liu Erlong before, but the words "traveled together" made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
On the third page, Bibi Dong's fingers tightened slightly around the paper.
That very night, Liu Erlong had carried Deng Tianxin into a room at an inn. They'd shared a room and hadn't come out until the next morning.
Bibi Dong's breathing grew heavier. As she turned the page, a hint of force crept into the movement.
On the sixth page, her lips pressed into a hard, thin line.
The report detailed Deng Tianxin and Liu Erlong's interactions on the road. Liu Erlong had kissed Deng Tianxin on the cheek.
Not once, but several times.
The two had ridden the same Violent Bear, acting intimately and paying no heed to anyone around them.
It felt as if something had lodged in Bibi Dong's chest, leaving her stifled and restless. This feeling was even more aggravating than staying in Slaughter City.
On the sixth page, Bibi Dong's whole face darkened.
Because there, she read that the two had met the three Tang siblings from the Clear Sky Sect and Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in Heaven Dou City.
A woman named Tang Yuehua had begun seeking out Deng Tianxin frequently, even getting handsy with him.
Bibi Dong's fingers slowly tightened around the page, her nails leaving a faint white mark in the paper.
Tang Yuehua.
She'd heard the name before: the Clear Sky Sect's eldest daughter, who couldn't cultivate. They said she was naturally elegant and exceptionally refined.
But according to the report, this woman had fed Deng Tianxin pastries, pinched his cheek, and even fought to sleep beside him at night. That was a far cry from the dignified, elegant Tang Yuehua people talked about.
What irritated her most was that Liu Erlong and Tang Yuehua had both crowded around Deng Tianxin at the same time. One fed him shrimp dumplings, the other almond cookies, and when he'd finished eating, they'd each pinched one of his cheeks.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, then turned to the last page of the report.
It said that Deng Tianxin had said this to Liu Erlong and Tang Yuehua: "Joy is here; I'm so happy I've forgotten Bibi."
"Forgotten Bibi?" Bibi Dong repeated the four words slowly, her voice frighteningly soft.
She'd fought in Slaughter City for over a month, gained several more scars, and nearly died at the hands of Fallen Soul Masters more than once—all to finish her trial as quickly as possible and return to supervise the little rascal's cultivation.
And yet, there he was in Heaven Dou City, surrounded by two women taking turns waiting on him, having such a good time that he'd forgotten even his own teacher?
Fine. Very good, Deng Tianxin.
"Good. Very good." Bibi Dong closed the report, the corners of her mouth slowly curving upward.
Bibi Dong handed the book to the man in black. Her voice was perfectly calm, without a hint of emotion. "Keep watching him. Report any new developments to me at once."
The man in black took the book, feeling a chill run down his back.
The Saintess's tone was perfectly calm, yet for some reason, he felt there was a volcano about to erupt beneath that calm.
He didn't dare linger. After bowing, he hurriedly withdrew.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, picked up the knife nearby, and walked out of the room.
The sky over Slaughter City was always murky; it was impossible to tell day from night.
The air reeked of rusty blood and the scorched stench of sulfur from underground. Dark-red patches, which might have been rust or blood, were embedded in the walls lining the streets. Even the stone road felt sticky beneath her soles.
This was paradise for the fallen, a haven for outlaws. Every second, someone died in some shadowy corner, and passersby wouldn't even lift an eyelid.
To them, the dead were more common than the living.
A white-clad figure moved slowly along the main street. Her pace was unhurried, yet the pressure she exuded made everyone around her instinctively hold their breath.
It was a woman, dressed in bloodstained white. Her face was stunningly beautiful, but her eyes were as cold as ice that had never melted in ten thousand years.
She held a long knife in her right hand, still dripping with blood. Its tip scraped against the stone road, leaving a thin trail of blood behind.
"Bibi Dong?" A burly, scar-faced man crouching at the mouth of an alley recognized her. He nudged his companion with an elbow and snickered under his breath. "Isn't this woman usually so aloof? Why's she bristling with bloodlust today? Don't tell me someone dumped her..."
Before he could finish, a flash of steel streaked past.
The scar-faced man's smile froze. A thin red line appeared across his neck, fine as a strand of hair. Then his head slid off his shoulders and rolled twice along the ground before coming to a stop.
His companion didn't even get the chance to cry out. Another flash of steel, and his body split diagonally from shoulder to waist, his upper half slowly sliding off. The cut was so smooth it looked as if it had been measured with a ruler.
Bibi Dong flicked the blood from her blade and walked between the two corpses without expression. She didn't even break her stride.
Those words burned into her mind like a branding iron: "Joy is here; I'm so happy I've forgotten Bibi."
Forgotten Bibi? That little rascal was only seven, barely old enough to have a single hair on his chin, and he'd already learned to forget Bibi?
Bibi Dong slashed backward, cleaving two Fallen Soul Masters who were making a deal in the nearby alley in half, along with the wall behind them.
Rubble and flesh flew everywhere. She didn't so much as glance at them, continuing on without slowing down.
The two Fallen Soul Masters died without ever understanding what they'd done to incur the wrath of this female devil.
"Joy is here," Bibi Dong murmured, repeating the words.
Her voice was as calm as if she were chanting a sutra, but the long knife in her hand suddenly swept sideways, sending a Thin Tall Man watching from a second-floor window flying along with the window frame.
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