Shouldn't He Be Thanking Me?

"Praise?"

Bibi Dong suddenly raised an eyebrow, then curled her lips into a sneer. "It seems some people have such empty heads that they can't even recognize sarcasm anymore."

Outside, Naruto, who was sprawled on the stone slab like a pile of mud, suddenly lifted his head, his eyes widening.

"So... I'm going to kick the bucket?"

Ignoring the anxiety on Naruto's face, Bibi Dong, leaning against her seat, slowly furrowed her brows. Her expression turned subtle, and she did not answer immediately.

Following the tips of her slender fingers, invisible spiritual power flowed under her control, spreading past the seal to carefully inspect the meridians within Naruto's body. These meridians, teetering on the edge of collapse like a shattered porcelain jar, fell clearly into Bibi Dong's perception.

If it were anyone else, Bibi Dong would have reached a desperate conclusion: this person was undoubtedly crippled, and it would be a stroke of luck if he could even become an ordinary person in the future.

But...

Bibi Dong found it truly difficult to accept.

Without any treatment, Naruto's current state was actually much better than it had been a few days ago; his body was slowly recovering.

That alone might be fine, as this brat had undergone high-intensity training since he was small and abused his body recklessly, yet he always ended up perfectly fine, chirping and jumping around all day long. Bibi Dong had long expected his physical recovery ability to be far stronger than that of other Spirit Masters of the same rank.

However, things were not that simple. For some reason, a faint trace of purple spirit power was clinging to those web-like cracks, meticulously filling the gaps and repairing the wounds.

This was the "culprit" behind why Naruto was recovering instead of remaining crippled.

And this "culprit" was someone Bibi Dong was extremely familiar with—was this not the effect of her own Death Spider Emperor spirit?

The Death Spider Emperor was known throughout the world for its corrosive poison, but its powerful, almost immortal vitality was often overlooked by the continent's Spirit Masters. One had to know that the ninth, hundred-thousand-year spirit skill of Bibi Dong's Death Spider Emperor was, after all, the Undying Body.

As the spirit's characteristics fed back into the Spirit Master, those possessing the Death Spider Emperor spirit naturally had a physical recovery rate far superior to their peers.

In the past, when Bibi Dong had been severely injured several times in Slaughter City, she had relied on the powerful recovery ability of the Death Spider Emperor to grit her teeth and persevere.

Now, the same thing was happening to Naruto.

But...

Where did this brat get a Death Spider Emperor spirit? Wasn't this spirit the property of This Seat?

Bibi Dong's expression at this moment was indescribably subtle and uncomfortable, as if she were wearing a deep frown from being cheated on, yet she could do nothing about her "man." She could only angrily slap the armrest beside her, glaring at the "mistress" before her.

What was even more infuriating was that this "mistress" just wore a blank expression and blinked at her!

The good die young, but the wicked live for a thousand years!

She could bear it no longer!

Bibi Dong's slender fingers suddenly pulled back, and her invisible spiritual power condensed into shape.

"Eh?"

Naruto's eyes gradually widened as he realized with a start that his limp body was suddenly out of his control. His right hand jerked up before his eyes, fingers curling to aim at his own forehead!

Slap!

"Ouch, damn it!"

Naruto shouted. He first regained control of his traitorous right hand, then clutched his forehead and complained to Bibi Dong in his consciousness space.

"What are you doing?"

"Little thief!"

Bibi Dong threw a tantrum for no apparent reason.

Having no idea what was going on, Naruto could only wear a confused expression. Once she finished speaking, Dong Trumpet quickly retracted her spiritual power, slowly crossed her arms, and turned her head away in a huff, sulking by herself.

Fortunately, before completely shielding herself from Naruto, Dong Trumpet left him a reassuring message.

"You won't die, but if you don't want to waste months of time recuperating, you'd best find a Spirit Emperor-level healing-type Spirit Master."

What was that about?

Was she triggered again, throwing a random tantrum?

Naruto tilted his head, trying to make sense of the logic behind Bibi Dong's outburst. But since Bibi Dong didn't want to see this annoying brat right now, Naruto was left to his own devices, and the result of letting Naruto's imagination run wild was...

Jealousy!

She must be jealous of my youthful prime! She's plotting to harm me!?

A moment later, Naruto looked solemn, rubbing his chin and nodding slightly, feeling quite certain.

Supporting himself against the rock wall, Naruto slowly moved toward the cave entrance. He had no idea how many days had passed.

However, the sky was clear and bright at this moment. Naruto looked up and, across a stretch of woodland, could see a small town located at the foot of the mountain in the distance.

Ignoring his stinging body and chaotic brain for the moment, the most important thing to do was...

Fill his stomach first!

Above the small town, Occasional streaks of light emitting powerful auras flashed across the horizon, causing the residents to stop and look up in succession.

However, the crowd dared not speak loudly, opting instead to whisper, for at this very moment, several squads wearing Spirit Hall uniforms were taking a brief rest in the town.

The presence of so many Spirit Masters made the atmosphere of the entire town feel grim and oppressive.

Yet, beyond that grimness, the town was also unusually lively. With Spirit Master lords passing through, every inn and restaurant was pulling out all the stops to solicit customers, and even the clinics were seeing a surge in business.

In the largest clinic in town, Several hospital beds were set up in the main hall, where a few injured Spirit Masters lay.

A certain one-armed Spirit Master, his other arm dangling limply, looked incredibly excited. He waved his remaining hand, bragging to the fellow patients around him about the major event that had recently occurred in Fasinuo Province.

"Seeing that evil demon Tang Hao, blinded by lust and still unsatisfied, actually trying to lay hands on a young boy, several Title Douluo from Spirit Hall could no longer hold back! They struck together, swearing to suppress and kill this scoundrel!"

"Heh! That fight was something else! It was truly earth-shattering!"

Seeing that he had piqued everyone's interest, The one-armed Spirit Master couldn't help but lift his chin in triumph, but he stopped speaking, lowered his hand, and paused just like a professional storyteller.

This guy was actually baiting them with a cliffhanger!

The people around him cursed inwardly, but their curiosity was so unbearable that they had no choice but to press him for more.

"What happened after that?"

"Was that evil Spirit Master Tang Hao killed?"

"How many Title Douluo did Spirit Hall send? What were their spirits? Did anyone sacrifice themselves?"

It was unclear who lacked the social awareness to ask such detailed questions.

Of course, these were good questions. To these Spirit Masters who would remain at the bottom of the hierarchy for their entire lives, who didn't yearn for those Title Douluo? These renowned powerhouses of the continent were naturally the subjects of endless daily conversation.

The curious gazes of the crowd focused on the one-armed Spirit Master. The man stiffened on the spot, but he tried his best to keep a straight face and gave a dry cough.

"Uh... well... at the time... the distance was a bit far... I didn't see clearly..."

The crowd's eyes turned suspicious once again.

Uncomfortable under their stares, the one-armed Spirit Master could no longer keep up the act and raised his hands in surrender.

"I heard it from the lords of Spirit Hall..."

"Boo~~"

A chorus of jeers erupted.

The one-armed Spirit Master was thick-skinned; since he had been exposed, he couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore. He immediately switched from bragging to relaying information, chatting with the crowd about the little stories he had heard from Spirit Hall, which drew gasps of amazement from everyone.

It seemed that Spirit Hall also had quite a bit of insight into the war of public opinion.

Having just finished his meal and waiting for the physician's treatment, Naruto nodded slightly, secretly marveling.

As expected!

The essence of humanity is gossip!

No one can resist this kind of sensationalist trash! Especially sensationalist trash about celebrities!

With Haotian Douluo's illustrious reputation, the impact of this news on the ordinary residents of the continent was no less than that of Trump and Clinton.

Seeing Naruto's eyes light up as he listened to the gossip, and hearing the increasingly filthy and exaggerated stories fabricated by Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong could no longer hold back and rolled her eyes at him.

"Hmph, if Tang Hao knew, he would probably hate you to death!"

"Ah? Why would he hate me?"

Naruto looked up in confusion.

Before Bibi Dong could respond with a laugh, Naruto immediately spread his hands, speaking with righteous indignation.

"I raised his reputation from the basement of the contempt chain—bestiality—up to homosexuality! That floor tile! At least now he likes humans! Shouldn't he be thanking me?"