Lu Chen controlled his Devour power, swallowing the evil thoughts that seeped out bit by bit without rashly delving deeper.
A moment later, the sudden surge of malice was finally suppressed.
Lu Chen stopped Devouring, and his hands gradually returned to normal.
The tension between Bibi Dong's brows eased.
She opened her eyes and looked down at Lu Chen in her arms.
Lu Chen was looking at her, too, concern plain in his eyes.
"Teacher, are you all right now?"
Bibi Dong studied his expression. After a moment of silence, she raised a hand and rubbed his head.
"I'm fine now."
Her voice was much gentler than before.
Only then did Lu Chen relax.
Bibi Dong didn't let Salas come in to continue his report.
What had just happened made it clear that she wasn't in a state to hear more about the Heaven Dou Crown Prince.
Or rather, the name itself could stir the Rakshasa Evil Thought deep in her mind.
She glanced at Yue Guan and Gui Mei. "We've been traveling for days, and we're tired. Let's rest today and go to Sunset Forest tomorrow."
Yue Guan nodded. "Yes."
Gui Mei answered as well.
Lu Chen naturally had no objections.
He hadn't been in a hurry to begin with.
Sunset Forest wasn't going anywhere, and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well wouldn't disappear just because they waited another day.
More important than setting out at once was Bibi Dong's current condition.
That day, the four of them stayed at the Spirit Saint Hall in Heaven Dou City to rest.
Salas didn't dare ask another question. He simply arranged the quietest, most suitable lodgings as quickly as possible.
After what had happened in the office, he had become exceptionally cautious, afraid he might accidentally hear something he shouldn't.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei didn't bring up what had happened, either.
Lu Chen continued practicing his Soul Skill control in his room.
The day's events only convinced him further that developing his Devour ability was important.
If he could Devour the Rakshasa Evil Thought in a more stable state in the future, Bibi Dong wouldn't have to suffer these sudden outbursts again.
Night soon fell.
Bibi Dong still had Lu Chen rest with her.
After several days, it had become a habit. At first, Lu Chen hadn't been used to it. Being held by Bibi Dong had made him feel awkward.
But after it happened more often, his embarrassment gradually faded.
Besides, he now knew that staying by Bibi Dong's side really did help her suppress the Rakshasa Evil Thought.
The room was very quiet.
Bibi Dong leaned against the bed, looking much more relaxed than she had during the day.
Lu Chen was nestled in her arms like a human-shaped pillow.
At the beginning, he would probably have gone stiff all over, but now he was much more at ease.
Bibi Dong looked down at him, a faint smile still at the corners of her mouth.
These past few days, she had indeed felt much better.
The Rakshasa Evil Thought hadn't disappeared completely, but Lu Chen's Devour ability had given her hope of truly resolving it.
The malice that had tormented her deep in her mind for so long had been like a shadow she could never escape. But now, that shadow was finally being swallowed away, little by little.
It was hard for this change not to lift her spirits.
Leaning against Bibi Dong, Lu Chen sensed that her emotions were stable and said nothing more.
Soon, the room fell completely silent.
Meanwhile, at the Heaven Dou Crown Prince's residence,
candlelight burned quietly in a study.
The figure that had belonged to the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, was gone. In its place stood Qian Renxue, her disguise removed.
She stood in the study, listening to Snake Lance Douluo's report.
Snake Lance Douluo said quietly, "Young Master, the Pope of Spirit Hall arrived at the Spirit Saint Hall in Heaven Dou City today. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo accompanied her. She also brought a child with her."
Qian Renxue had been fairly calm, but her expression changed noticeably at those words.
"You mean my mo—"
She suddenly stopped halfway through.
After a brief silence, she corrected herself. "No. That woman came to Heaven Dou City?"
Snake Lance Douluo lowered his head. "Yes."
Qian Renxue frowned slightly.
That woman had actually come to Heaven Dou City.
And she had brought Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo with her.
It was all too sudden.
She had been undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire for years and was always keenly alert to anything happening in Heaven Dou City.
If Spirit Hall had been carrying out an official operation, there was no way she wouldn't have known about it.
But this time, Bibi Dong had arrived very suddenly, and no one had informed her beforehand.
A complicated feeling instinctively stirred within Qian Renxue.
Her first impulse was to go see Bibi Dong.
No matter what she called that woman, some ties couldn't simply be erased by denying them.
Bibi Dong had suddenly come to Heaven Dou City, so close to her. Qian Renxue couldn't be unaffected.
But after taking half a step, Qian Renxue stopped again.
She remembered how Bibi Dong had treated her in the past.
The coldness, the scolding, the look in her eyes that always seemed to keep an uncrossable distance between them.
Qian Renxue's fingers curled slightly.
What was the point of seeing her?
Was she going to look at that cold expression again?
At the thought, Qian Renxue suppressed the impulse that had risen within her and regained her composure.
She looked at Snake Lance Douluo and asked, "What did she come to Heaven Dou City for?"
Snake Lance Douluo shook his head. "We don't know yet. Her Holiness went straight to the Spirit Saint Hall. She hasn't contacted the imperial family or appeared in public."
Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment, then said, "Find out. Learn why she came here, but don't alert her."
Snake Lance Douluo lowered his head. "Yes."
With that, he took his leave of the study.
The door closed again.
Qian Renxue stood alone in the study, her expression complicated.
Bibi Dong's sudden arrival had disturbed her otherwise peaceful state of mind.
And the child Snake Lance Douluo had mentioned brought a name to mind.
Lu Chen.
She had already learned from Qian Daoliu's letter that a child with a god-level Martial Soul had appeared in Spirit Hall.
The child's talent was exceptional—so much so that even her grandfather took him very seriously. What concerned Qian Renxue even more was that Bibi Dong had taken him as her disciple.
A disciple.
The word stirred an indescribable feeling in Qian Renxue's heart.
She was naturally curious about Lu Chen.
She understood better than most what a god-level Martial Soul meant.
Though her grandfather hadn't written much detail in his letter, his words made it clear how highly he regarded Lu Chen.
A child valued so greatly by Spirit Hall and personally accepted as Bibi Dong's disciple had to be more than merely talented.
But it was precisely because Bibi Dong had taken him as her disciple that Qian Renxue cared even more.
Would that woman treat her disciple as well as she treated that vixen?
The thought had only just surfaced when Qian Renxue frowned and pushed it away.
She didn't want to keep thinking about this.
The reason Bibi Dong had come to Heaven Dou City was still unclear, and Lu Chen might simply have come along by chance.
No matter what, she couldn't act rashly before she understood what was going on.
After all, her current identity was Xue Qinghe, the Heaven Dou Crown Prince.
She couldn't let that identity be exposed.
The candlelight in the study flickered faintly. Qian Renxue sat back down at the desk, her expression gradually returning to its usual calm.
Elsewhere, in the Spirit Saint Hall, Lu Chen was already sleeping soundly.
The night passed without incident.
Before you continue