"Gulp..."
The sound of someone swallowing was crystal clear.
Yan was the first to give in. He grabbed a chicken leg and started gobbling it down.
Xie Yue hesitated for only a second before joining him.
At last, only Hu Liena remained, staring blankly at him with her beautiful, wide eyes.
He was so handsome, with gentle features and a warmth that put everyone around him at ease.
Like a ray of light that had suddenly shone into the darkness where she had been curled up for so long.
He was so gentle that she couldn't look away.
Seeing her dazed expression, Poseinan asked softly, "What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an untimely "growl" came from Hu Liena's stomach.
It was clear and mortifying.
Hu Liena felt terribly embarrassed. She lowered her head shyly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
After all, before their parents died, the siblings had both been high-ranking Soul Masters, and they'd received a good upbringing.
This was the first time they'd ever been so ill-mannered.
The next second, a warm hand settled on her head.
Poseinan gently ruffled her hair and smiled. "Go on, eat. Don't just sit there. Your instructor will be here any moment."
Only then did Hu Liena grab a chicken leg and start eating in huge bites, without the slightest concern for appearances.
When she had finished, she lifted her head again.
But he had already disappeared, without even leaving her his silhouette.
It had been such a warm afternoon.
Yet Hu Liena inexplicably felt a faint sadness. "Brother, do you think we'll ever get to see him again?"
Xie Yue comforted her. "We definitely will."
"Exactly! He gave me a chicken leg today. Someday, I, Yan, will pay him back tenfold—no, a hundredfold! Wait, that's not enough. I'll pay him back a thousandfold!"
Perhaps even Poseinan himself had no idea.
That one thoughtless act of his.
Had planted a seed in the hearts of the three little ones, one that would shape the next ten years, twenty years, or even their entire lives.
Just after Poseinan left the Devil Training Camp, a figure in a black robe suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Kid, come with me!"
"Sure. Where are we going?"
Gui Mei's outstretched hand froze in midair.
You agreed just like that?
You weren't even going to try to resist?
You're making this really difficult for me.
Poseinan looked at him as if he were an idiot. "What a handsome older uncle. What a pity—you're so young, yet you've already got dementia."
Gui Mei blushed at the first half. In all his years, it was the first time anyone had complimented his looks.
But at the second half, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Fine, fine. So that's how you want to play it?
If the Pope hadn't summoned him urgently, he would have shown this kid exactly why flowers were so red.
He could only glare fiercely at Poseinan. "Come with me!"
Poseinan followed Gui Mei all the way to the Pope Palace.
At the entrance, Gui Mei stopped. A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Kid, good luck."
In his eyes, Poseinan was already a dead man.
He had dared to deceive the young mistress. If he didn't die, who would?
Besides, Gui Mei, as one of the Pope's guards, knew better than anyone just how ruthless Bibi Dong could be.
She certainly wouldn't go easy on Poseinan just because he was a child.
Poseinan remained composed and strode into the Pope Palace.
The vast Pope Palace was almost completely empty.
Only on the throne at the far end sat a peerlessly beautiful woman, looking relaxed.
Her skin was fair as snow, and her beauty could topple kingdoms. Her slightly curled, wine-red hair was loosely gathered beneath an ornate crown, with a few strands falling beside her neck, lending her an alluring air.
Her eyes were closed. She might have been dozing or simply resting. Her long, slender legs were crossed casually, her posture relaxed yet still radiating a sacred, untouchable authority.
Poseinan studied her without letting anything show.
Just as his gaze shifted, a sharp shout suddenly rang through the hall, making the air tremble:
"Impudent!"
"You stand before the Pope. Why don't you bow?"
Bibi Dong rose abruptly and fixed Poseinan with a cold stare.
Poseinan remained neither servile nor overbearing. "I'm not a member of the Spirit Hall. Why should I bow to you?"
A mocking yet amused smile curled Bibi Dong's lips. "Oh? So you're the little stray that old thing brought back from outside?"
Poseinan immediately took offense and shot back on the spot. "Hey, hey! What do you mean, 'little stray'? You big-breasted, empty-headed, nasty woman, watch your mouth! I have a name. I'm Poseinan!"
The moment he said that, the atmosphere in the Pope Palace plunged to freezing.
Bibi Dong's face turned ashen, and the air around her grew oppressive.
Her?
Big-breasted and empty-headed?
In all her years, no one had ever dared insult her so brazenly.
"Fine, fine, fine! You sharp-tongued little brat!"
"I won't waste my breath on you. Tell me, why did you teach Xue'er those things?"
Bibi Dong had cut to the chase. She couldn't be bothered to keep probing Poseinan.
Poseinan looked unconcerned. "I felt like teaching her. Why does there have to be a reason?"
"Bang!"
Bibi Dong flew into a rage and slammed her palm down on the table beside her. "Nonsense! You know that's not what I meant!"
Poseinan rolled his eyes in irritation. "She's just a child who's been deprived of love for years, desperate to know whether her mother cares about her at all. It's such a simple wish. Why would I refuse her?"
The brief remark was like a needle.
It gently pierced Bibi Dong's hardened heart.
Her heart stirred. The icy aura around her quietly softened, and her expression gradually eased, touched by complicated emotions.
She had thought Poseinan was encouraging Qian Renxue with some ulterior motive, hoping to use her to gain something. She hadn't expected his reason to be so simple.
Bibi Dong's voice tightened slightly as she pressed him. "That's all?"
Poseinan looked at her in exasperation, clearly bewildered. "What else? Do you think a six-year-old child like me could teach her something wicked enough to bring disaster upon the world?"
Bibi Dong bit her lower lip tightly. An image of that young, lonely figure involuntarily flashed through her mind. The pain, resentment, confusion, and helplessness of the past surged into her thoughts, and it felt as if something were wrenching at her heart.
It hurt!
It hurt so much!
If Xue'er weren't Qian Xunji's daughter, if she were the child of Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang, how wonderful that would be...
A single tear slid from the corner of her eye.
She turned her face away, her voice rough with exhaustion. "You may leave. In the future... don't let her come to me again."
Poseinan sighed. "You care about her so much, yet you insist on acting so cold and heartless. What's the point?"
"Silence! What do you know?"
Those words completely enraged Bibi Dong.
Her voice resounded throughout the Pope Palace.
The terrifying aura of a Soul Master erupted from her without restraint. Her overwhelming pressure surged like a raging tide, instantly filling every corner of the hall.
The air itself seemed to freeze.
The maids standing at the entrance began to tremble.
Poseinan felt a crushing weight bear down on him. His legs buckled, forcing him into a crouch, and his face paled slightly.
Outside, Gui Mei sensed the terrifying aura within the hall and couldn't help shuddering. He clicked his tongue in private. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. That little brat's in for it now!"
Yet just as everyone thought Poseinan would drop to his knees and beg for mercy,
he gritted his teeth, braced both hands against the ground, and forced himself to stand again, inch by inch, beneath that world-shattering pressure.