At last, they were getting to the point.
Su Yun chuckled inwardly.
He knew it. Bibi Dong had summoned him back for more than just missing him. She was after that Hundred Thousand Year Rogue Rabbit, too.
After all, it was a walking Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
"Teacher."
Su Yun raised his head, his gaze clear and guileless (or so he pretended).
"That rabbit is the dowry I prepared for you."
"Pfft—"
Bibi Dong had just picked up her teacup to take a sip and calm her nerves. At those two words, she sprayed Su Yun right in the face.
"Cough, cough, cough! What did you say?!"
"Dowry?!"
Her eyes widened as she stared at Su Yun as if he were some kind of monster.
What on earth was going on inside this kid's head?
Su Yun wiped the tea from his face. He wasn't angry; if anything, his smile grew brighter.
"That's right."
"Think about it, Teacher. You're so beautiful and so outstanding. You'll definitely get married someday."
"But what ordinary betrothal gifts could possibly be worthy of you?"
"So I thought, if anyone wants to marry you one day, they should have to bring out a full set of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones."
"This rabbit is the first piece of your dowry that I've saved up for you."
"How's that? Am I a good, filial disciple or what?"
Bibi Dong froze.
Looking at Su Yun's grinning face, she found that all the scolding and questions she'd prepared were stuck in her throat.
Dowry!
That word felt impossibly far away from her.
Ever since that incident, she had never thought about marriage again. Her heart held only hatred and destruction.
But now, this bargain-bin disciple had brought the word back before her in a way so absurd it was almost surreal.
Even if he was talking nonsense.
Even if he was just cracking jokes.
For some reason, a long-forgotten ache and warmth welled up inside Bibi Dong.
"You silly boy..."
She muttered the insult, her eyes reddening slightly.
"Who said I was getting married?"
"I'll never marry in this lifetime."
"That's not necessarily true."
Su Yun silently added in his heart.
Not only will you get married, you'll marry me.
Of course, he didn't dare say that out loud. He was afraid she'd beat him to death for real.
He pulled out that little notebook that made Bibi Dong's heart skip a beat.
This was perfect material. He had to write it down!
[Year X, Month X, Day X, evening, candlelit dinner (crossed out) candlelit interrogation.]
[Dong'er's outfit tonight... It's incredible!]
[Black skintight dress, high slit, lace choker... What kind of Pope is this? She's clearly the Dark Night Queen!]
[Especially that whip. The way it'd feel against my skin... Ahem, she didn't actually hit me, but just looking at it gets my blood pumping.]
[Still, this woman's heart is way too soft.]
[Tease her just a little and she blushes. Say a couple of nice things and she's touched.]
[Tsk, the classic cold outside, warm inside. What a tsundere.]
[What was that about never getting married in this lifetime?]
[You just haven't met me yet.]
[Once I deal with Tang San, that cheat, and knock down those old geezers in the Divine Realm, I'll bring all of Douluo Continent as your betrothal gift and marry you.]
[Then let's see if you still have the nerve to deny it.]
[But for now...]
[I still have to get through the hurdle right in front of me.]
[Dong'er, stop pretending. I know you're watching.]
[This candle's almost burned out. Shouldn't we... get down to business?]
[For instance, discuss how to allocate the rabbit's Soul Ring? Or... talk about how to while away this long, lonely night?]
On the throne.
Bibi Dong read the line about bringing all of Douluo Continent as a betrothal gift, and her breath caught.
Her heart pounded wildly, beyond her control.
Not even Yu Xiaogang, back then, or Qian Xunji, high and mighty as he was, had ever said anything like that.
Arrogant.
Audacious.
And yet there was a domineering force to it that she couldn't ignore.
"Betrothal gift..."
Bibi Dong murmured to herself, her gaze growing hazy.
She looked at Su Yun kneeling below her and suddenly felt that this brat, whom she had originally intended to use as a pawn, had actually...
Grown up.
"Phew..."
Bibi Dong blew out one of the candles beside her, dimming the light in the great hall even further.
"Get up."
Her voice had grown rather languid, as though she had let down all her guard.
"Since it's for the dowry, I'll let you off the hook this time."
"But..."
"You may be spared the death penalty, but you won't escape punishment."
Bibi Dong rose to her feet and walked toward Su Yun, one step at a time. She lightly tapped his chest with the whip in her hand.
"Tonight, you'll stay here."
"Stand guard for me."
"If you dare fall asleep!"
"Hmph! You're dead!"
This night was destined to be sleepless.
The candle flames wavered, and the wicks crackled softly.
"Crackle."
The sound rang out with unusual clarity in the vast, silent hall, sending a shiver down the spine.
Bibi Dong reclined against the broad Pope's throne, her eyes half-closed and her breathing slow and steady, as if she had already fallen asleep. The whip that struck fear into everyone's hearts had been tossed carelessly at her feet, like a tamed venomous snake.
Su Yun sat cross-legged on the cushion below, resting his chin in his hand, bored out of his mind. But his gaze swept over Bibi Dong as if he had radar.
Was she asleep?
Really asleep, or pretending?
That was a question worth pondering.
If she was really asleep, this was a once-in-a-thousand-years chance to "betray his teacher and defy his ancestors." If she was pretending, then it was high-level "fishing enforcement."
"Tsk, this woman..."
Su Yun sighed to himself.
Even asleep, she radiated an oppressive aura that made it impossible to take liberties. Her black skintight dress traced her perfect curves, and in the dim candlelight, she exuded a lethal allure.
Like a black rose blooming on the edge of the Abyss.
Beautiful, and poisonous.
"Stand guard? Who does that? No self-respecting person stands guard."
Su Yun rubbed his sore neck, his little schemes spinning into overdrive.
The night was long, and sleep was nowhere to be found.
Since he couldn't sleep, and he couldn't actually do anything (he was afraid of getting beaten to death), all he could do was...
Feed his mind.
He deftly pulled out his diary, even thoughtfully taking out a Night-Shining Pearl to light his way.
When it came to keeping a diary, he was serious.
[Year X, Month X, Day X, late night, inside the Pope Palace.]
[At this very moment, I'm alone in a room with the most powerful and beautiful woman on Douluo Continent.]
[We're less than five meters apart.]
[The air is filled with her fragrance, a scent of Rakshasa Divine Power mixed with the finest Dragon Saliva Incense. One whiff is enough to make your head spin.]
[She's asleep.]
[Or maybe she's pretending to be asleep.]
[Looking at that defenseless sleeping face, I'll be honest: I'm a little tempted.]
[Should I sneak over and steal a kiss, or should I behave like Liu Xiahui?]
[It's a philosophical question of life or death.]
[Seriously, Dong'er's guard is something else. She told me to stand watch, but didn't even give me a blanket. Is she trying to freeze her own disciple to death?]
[Still, I'll forgive her, since she's looking so sexy tonight.]
[I've always felt that the reason Bibi Dong is so tired is that she's carrying too much.]
[The burden of Spirit Hall, the corruption of the Rakshasa God, and the painful past she can't bear to look back on...]
[She's like a hedgehog wrapped in her own spines, pricking anyone who comes close.]
[But only a woman like that, once conquered, will show her softest, most moving side.]
[Like right now.]
[Her brow is faintly furrowed. Is she having a nightmare?]
[Did she dream of that Secret Chamber? Or that heartless man?]
[Don't be afraid. I'm here.]
[In this life, I'll keep every nightmare at bay.]
[As for that old geezer Qian Daoliu... Hmph. Once I've mastered my divine arts, the first thing I'll do is pluck every last one of his angel feathers and make Dong'er a feather duster!]
Before you continue