Inside the Papal Palace, Qian Xunji propped his cheek up with one hand, reclining leisurely on the papal throne.
Outside the hall, thunder boomed and lightning flashed.
Gale-force winds swept torrents of rain across the sky, pounding against the glazed tiles with dull, raucous clatter.
Qian Xunji simply sat there, waiting for a result he had anticipated long ago.
Before long, two blurred figures cut through the wind and rain and swiftly entered the Papal Palace.
They were Yue Guan and Ghost Elder.
"Your subordinate pays respects to His Holiness the Pope!" Yue Guan stepped forward first, bent at the waist, and bowed deeply to Qian Xunji.
His voice carried surprise and lament as he recounted everything he had witnessed outside to Qian Xunji, sparing no detail.
From Yu Xiaogang's extreme disgust upon seeing Bibi Dong's disfigured face, to his hysterical reaction after learning that Bibi Dong's cultivation had been completely crippled.
And finally, how he had slapped Bibi Dong across the face before fleeing Spirit City in a panic.
Yue Guan described it vividly. He felt that all Bibi Dong's sacrifices had been for nothing! Yet the corners of Qian Xunji's lips lifted slightly, and he soon laughed aloud.
"Bringing it upon herself! This is exactly how it should be!"
Mockery flashed through Qian Xunji's eyes. "Love? What a laughable love! Only a fool like Bibi Dong would believe that good-for-nothing's sweet talk!"
Qian Xunji knew all too well what kind of person Yu Xiaogang was.
Yu Xiaogang had known full well that Bibi Dong was the Holy Maiden. To claim that he had approached her without an ulterior motive? Qian Xunji would never believe it, even if he were beaten to death!
That good-for-nothing had spent his entire life trying to prove himself to his clan.
He called himself unrivaled in theory, yet he could not even break through Rank 30. In the end, he had become the laughingstock of the entire continent!
Courting Bibi Dong had been his biggest and most insane gamble.
If he succeeded in luring the future heir of Spirit Hall back to his clan, Yu Xiaogang would become the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's greatest hero!
His father would look at him with new respect, while the clansmen who had mocked him would marvel at his world-shaking wisdom!
Unfortunately...
Yu Xiaogang's schemes had been carefully laid out, but he had failed to account for the fact that the original Qian Xunji would never let Bibi Dong leave, even if it meant destroying her.
Even less had he anticipated that the woman who had crossed over would be so ruthless as to cripple Bibi Dong outright, reducing her to a cripple!
What would he do once Bibi Dong became a good-for-nothing with a shattered Martial Soul, completely crippled cultivation, and ruined appearance?
It was obvious!
Yu Xiaogang would not gain a single benefit. Instead, he would have to endure the fury of the colossal Spirit Hall!
It would have been strange if he had not run!
"Enough. You may leave. Don't bother with Yu Xiaogang. His continued existence is the greatest punishment for that traitor!"
Qian Xunji waved his hand dismissively.
Bibi Dong had abandoned everything for Yu Xiaogang and become a cripple. If she learned that the good-for-nothing was living well, who knew what she would think?
Just as Yue Guan and Ghost Elder were preparing to accept the order and withdraw, Qian Xunji suddenly thought of something amusing. "Wait!"
"Does His Holiness have any further instructions?" Yue Guan asked respectfully.
Qian Xunji smiled. "Take her to Spirit City's central square. Then grant her a golden bowl and have her beg there!"
"Remember, send several people to watch her. Don't let her starve to death too easily, but don't let her live comfortably, either!"
"I want her to spend the rest of her life in endless remorse and contempt! If the punishment for betraying Spirit Hall ended so simply, wouldn't that be letting her off far too easily?"
"Beg? And... grant her a golden bowl?" Upon hearing the order, Yue Guan found the whole thing utterly incomprehensible.
How could a beggar beg while holding a golden bowl?
Once that pure-gold bowl was set out, which passerby would think she was a beggar? Who would give her even a single copper coin?
Most importantly, Bibi Dong had once been the Holy Maiden. Making her carry a golden bowl and beg would be even more agonizing than killing her!
When it came to ruthlessness, no one could beat their pope!
"Yes, Your Holiness! I'll see to it at once." Yue Guan exchanged a glance with Ghost Elder, then withdrew from the Papal Palace.
The hall once again fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the sound of rain striking the glazed tiles.
Qian Xunji slowly rose from the throne and stretched.
"What a relief! In my previous life, the person I hated most was that shameless ingrate who repaid kindness with treachery!"
"Today, I've at least collected a little interest on behalf of the original owner and Spirit Hall! At last, I've avenged that great grudge!"
He rolled his shoulders and loosened his limbs. "Next, I should pay a visit to the Worship Hall. This matter concerns the Holy Maiden, after all. My old man is stubborn, but he has the right to know..."
With his hands behind his back, Qian Xunji leisurely walked out of the Papal Palace.
The rain grew heavier overhead.
Yet when the raindrops, each as large as beans, were about to fall onto Qian Xunji, they seemed to strike an invisible barrier and slid down a foot away from his body.
The barrier formed by a Titled Douluo releasing his Soul Power made it impossible for the rain to wet even the corner of his clothes!
At the entrance to a secluded and elegant courtyard in Spirit City, Bibi Dong was still slumped there like a lump of mud.
The icy rain had long since soaked her from head to toe. Mixed with the blood and tears on her face, it streamed down her body.
Yet she seemed like an empty shell that had lost its soul, staring blankly at the deserted street and letting the rain beat against her.
Perhaps if she did this, her teacher would soften and forgive what she had done. Perhaps it might work...
"Whoosh..."
Two waves of Soul Power flashed, and Yue Guan and Ghost Elder abruptly appeared some distance in front of her.
The instant Bibi Dong saw them, she seemed to grasp at a lifeline. She frantically crawled toward them.
With her mud-caked hands, she seized Yue Guan's trouser leg and pleaded hoarsely, "Chrysanthemum Elder, Ghost Elder."
"I know I was wrong. I truly know I was wrong. Please, please go and beg Teacher for mercy on my behalf, all right?"
"As long as Dong'er can return to Teacher's side, even if she can no longer be the Holy Maiden and must serve as a slave in the Papal Palace, waiting on Teacher for the rest of her life, Dong'er will do so willingly!"
"Please, I beg you. Dong'er truly regrets it. Sob..."
Bibi Dong wept her heart out. Her face, covered in blackened scars, looked especially hideous beneath the rain, sending chills down the spine.
Yue Guan looked at the former Holy Maiden and sighed inwardly at how she had ended up like this. With some helplessness, he said, "Bibi Dong, stop wasting your effort."
"His Holiness has already made his decision. Surely you understand that by now? When has he ever changed a decision he made?"
"His Holiness has ordered that you be granted a golden bowl today. From now on, you are to beg for forgiveness in Spirit City's central square!"
"Rest assured, His Holiness is benevolent. He specifically instructed us not to let you starve to death too easily. Remember His Holiness's mercy."
"A golden bowl? Beg?"
Bibi Dong was struck as if by lightning. Her entire body stiffened, and her hands slipped weakly to the ground. "No... No!"
"Does Teacher truly refuse to give Dong'er even one chance to start over? This isn't true. This isn't true!"
Yue Guan sighed softly and advised her earnestly, "Bibi Dong, I've already returned everything you had to Spirit Hall. You personally demanded it before His Holiness. Now that neither side owes the other anything, what do you still have to complain about?!"
"Besides, His Holiness warned you before: you can know a person's face but not their heart, especially when that person is a good-for-nothing!"
"Everyone's patience has its limits! Especially when what you did amounted to betraying Spirit Hall!"
"When you insisted on leaving Spirit Hall for that good-for-nothing, betrayed Spirit Hall, and said that you would return everything to Spirit Hall, you should have realized that you would end up like this!"
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