Pope or Dog? The Emperor's Decree is Issued, Exterminate His Nine Generations! (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Qian Renxue stared blankly as she raised her head, looking at Qin Zheng's back.

The young man's back was not especially broad, yet it gave off an incomparably reliable feeling.

As though, as long as he was there, even if the sky collapsed, someone would hold it up.

Qian Renxue's heart stirred slightly.

Ancestor...

Was Ancestor protecting her?

Or perhaps...

Did Ancestor simply not want her to see Bibi Dong kneeling?

Qian Renxue bit her lip, her little face filled with complicated emotions.

She did not know what to say.

She only knew that with Ancestor by her side, she was afraid of nothing.

With his back to Qian Renxue, Qin Zheng's gaze remained fixed on Bibi Dong.

He spoke slowly, his voice calm.

"Bibi Dong."

"Today, I will spare your life."

"It is not because I am unwilling to kill you, nor because you are irreplaceable to Spirit Hall."

At this point, Qin Zheng paused slightly.

His voice turned even colder.

"The only reason I am sparing you is because you have a good daughter."

"Your life was begged for by your daughter."

"You had best remember that."

As his words fell, the plaza once again sank into deathly silence.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.

They looked at the black-robed figure, their eyes full of awe.

Ancestor...

He was warning Her Holiness the Pope!

Telling her outright.

Your life was given to you by your daughter.

It was not because you yourself were all that important!

This... wasn't that far too disrespectful to Her Holiness the Pope?!

But...

That did seem to be the case. If the Young Mistress had not pleaded for her, Her Holiness the Pope would probably be a corpse by now...

"Qin Zheng..."

Bibi Dong, half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly trembled upon hearing this!

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms!

Blood slowly dripped through her fingers!

Humiliation!

Overwhelming humiliation!

She, Bibi Dong, the dignified Pope of Spirit Hall, had actually been told before so many people that her life had been given to her by her own daughter?!

This was even more unbearable than killing her!

Bibi Dong's heart was filled with frustration and fury!

There was even a trace of crazed killing intent!

She wanted to stand! She wanted to resist!

She wanted to tear apart that indifferent face of the man before her!

But... she could not.

Before Qin Zheng's terrifying pressure, she could not even stand up, much less resist.

Bibi Dong took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the humiliation and fury in her heart.

Lowering her head, she said hoarsely, "...I'll remember."

Those three words seemed to drain every last bit of strength from her body.

Hearing Bibi Dong's reply, a faint trace of amusement flashed through Qin Zheng's pitch-black eyes.

Remember?

He did not think so.

The pride and hatred ingrained in this woman's bones would not be so easily worn away. But even if she was deceiving him, so what?

Qin Zheng slowly raised his foot, and his figure suddenly flashed!

"Whoosh—!"

A black shadow, like a ghostly specter, instantly appeared before Bibi Dong!

There was no movement, no sound of wind.

It was as though he had been standing there all along.

Bibi Dong was startled!

She instinctively raised her head, only to meet Qin Zheng's pitch-black eyes.

Those eyes were as deep as an abyss, as though they could see through one's heart.

Bibi Dong's heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat!

What... was he going to do now?!

Qin Zheng looked down at Bibi Dong, a faint chill flickering through his dark eyes.

He slowly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a force that struck straight at the heart.

"You hate me?"

The four light words exploded beside Bibi Dong's ears like thunder!

Bibi Dong's body abruptly trembled. For a moment, she did not know how to answer that question.

Everyone in the plaza held their breath.

They watched the scene with tense eyes.

What was the Patriarch... doing?

Could it be... could it be that the Patriarch was going to make a move again?!

Before the angel statue.

Qian Daoliu's brows also furrowed slightly.

He could not quite see through what this Patriarch intended to do.

Logically speaking, since he had already decided to spare Bibi Dong, why press her step by step like this?

However...

Qian Daoliu soon let it go.

How could he possibly fathom the Patriarch's thoughts?

He only needed to watch.

Bibi Dong took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the shock in her heart.

She hurriedly lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, "N-No, I wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't dare?" Qin Zheng looked at Bibi Dong, a faint smile flashing in his dark eyes. Yet that smile did not reach his eyes.

He slowly spoke, his tone calm.

"Since you wouldn't dare..."

"Then what should you call me?"

The moment those words fell, Bibi Dong's body stiffened!

She abruptly raised her head to look at Qin Zheng, her eyes filled with astonishment!

Call... call him what?

What... what did he mean?!

Bibi Dong fell silent.

She bit her lip tightly, her heart undergoing an intense struggle.

Was she supposed to call him Patriarch?

For her, Bibi Dong, the dignified Pope of Spirit Hall, to call a youth who looked barely more than a teenager "Patriarch"?

This... this was simply the greatest humiliation!

But... could she refuse?

His strength was right there for all to see.

If she refused, heaven knew what this man might do.

Bibi Dong's heart was filled with conflict.

Her fists clenched even tighter.

Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, sending waves of pain through them.

But compared to the humiliation in her heart, that pain was nothing.

Qin Zheng watched Bibi Dong's conflicted expression, his dark eyes utterly devoid of ripples.

He did not urge her. He merely stood there and watched her in silence.

As though he were watching prey trapped in a cage.

Time passed, second by second.

The plaza was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone held their breath as they watched Bibi Dong, their eyes filled with tension.

Would Her Holiness the Pope... say it?

If she did not...

Would she anger the Old Ancestor again?

At last.

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, as though she had made some sort of decision.

She slowly raised her head and looked at Qin Zheng. A complex, indescribable emotion lingered on her pale cheeks.

Her lips parted, and she spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"...Old... Old Ancestor."

Those three words seemed to drain every last ounce of strength from her body.

The instant she said them, Bibi Dong's pale cheeks suddenly flushed red!

That flush was not from shyness.

It was... humiliation!

Overwhelming humiliation!

She, Bibi Dong, the mighty Pope of Spirit Hall, had actually addressed a youth who looked barely more than a teenager as "Old Ancestor"!

How could she ever retain the Pope's dignity after this?!

Bibi Dong's heart was filled with humiliation and rage.

She even had the urge to perish together with the man before her at once!

But... she could not.

She still had unfinished business.

She still had vengeance to seek, and Xiao Gang...

She could not die like this.

Bibi Dong bit her lips tightly until they broke, a trace of blood seeping out.

She lowered her head, not daring to meet Qin Zheng's eyes.

As though even one more glance would be an insult to her.