Bibi Dong the Simp!

Fortunately, Bibi Dong did not actually make a move. Her gaze lingered on Su Yang for a moment before passing over him and landing on Yu Xiaorou by the window. The sharpness in her eyes quietly receded in that instant.

She seemed to have remembered something. Her piercing gaze softened somewhat, and even the oppressive aura around her faded a little.

She knew this boy was Yu Xiaorou's disciple.

She could not say the same for anyone else. But Yu Xiaorou... that woman who had once pulled her from the abyss was the deepest regret in her heart.

There were not many things she wanted in this life. One was to seize control of Spirit Hall and unify Douluo Continent. The other was the woman before her. She had ruled Spirit Hall for so many years and regarded no one's words, yet before her, she always felt as though she owed her something.

"Fine." Bibi Dong spoke lightly, her tone much calmer. "Since you have made your decision, I will not force you."

With a flick of her hand, she took two booklets from her Soul Tool. Their covers had yellowed with age, making it obvious that they had been around for quite some time.

The first bore the title: Insights on Cultivating Twin Martial Souls, by Bibi Dong.

The second bore the title: Essential Cultivation Techniques for the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul.

Bibi Dong handed both booklets to Su Yang. "The first contains my summary of my experiences cultivating Twin Martial Souls over the years.

"The second contains Spirit Hall's research materials on the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul. They should be of considerable help in your future cultivation."

Su Yang froze for a moment before accepting them with both hands. "Thank you, Your Holiness."

He looked perfectly respectful, but his mind was racing.

Would this woman really be so kind? The Pope of Spirit Hall came all this way just to give cultivation manuals to a boy she had never met? Something was definitely off.

As he said, "Thank you, Your Holiness," he placed a huge question mark in his mind.

Sure enough, the instant that thought crossed his mind, the system displayed a notification.

[Ding—Bibi Dong's favorability -5. Current favorability: -5.]

Su Yang was speechless. Sure enough. She might have looked gracious on the surface, but she had been keeping score behind the scenes. This Pope had never intended to nurture him properly.

These two booklets looked like gifts, but who knew how many traps were hidden inside?

Bibi Dong was the only person in the world with experience cultivating Twin Martial Souls. If she deliberately wrote something incorrectly at a crucial point, Su Yang could follow it and develop problems without ever knowing where things had gone wrong.

This move was truly insidious.

Yet Su Yang maintained the appearance of an honest, obedient child. He carefully put away the two booklets and bowed in thanks, while sneering inwardly:

Fine, Your Holiness. Dig all the traps you want. I have the system to check them for me. Once I get back, I'll have it scan the contents of these booklets. If there's anything fishy in them, I'll know immediately. Then I can cultivate accordingly. Your trap will have been dug for nothing.

Seeing Su Yang's obedient and unguarded appearance, a trace of barely noticeable satisfaction flickered through Bibi Dong's eyes. She glanced at the silent Yu Xiaorou beside him and said:

"All right, you may return first. I have a few words to say to your teacher."

Su Yang's heart tightened, but he still obediently bowed. "Yes, Your Holiness."

He turned and left the office, closing the door behind him. The night wind in the corridor rushed toward him, and Su Yang let out a long breath, feeling that his back was already soaked with sweat.

Only Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaorou remained in the office. The candle flame flickered, and silence hung in the air for a moment.

Bibi Dong looked at Yu Xiaorou. The sharpness and domineering air she had shown earlier were gone from her gaze, replaced by an indescribable complexity. She took a step forward, then stopped.

"Xiaorou... have you been well these past years?"

Yu Xiaorou stood with her back to her and did not turn around. Her voice was indifferent. "Your Holiness handles countless affairs every day. There is no need for you to concern yourself with mine."

Bibi Dong's gaze dimmed for an instant. She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back down. After a moment of silence, she merely said softly, "You are still the same."

The office was utterly quiet. The silence spread as neither of them was willing to speak first.

The moment the door closed, Su Yang did not leave immediately. He stood in the shadows beneath the eaves, his back against the wall, holding his breath.

The offices at Nording Academy were not particularly soundproof, and the voices inside drifted out in fragments. It was not that he deliberately wanted to eavesdrop, but the relationship between those two was simply too subtle. He could not help being curious.

Inside the office, Bibi Dong stood there, her dark crimson papal robes swaying slightly in the candlelight.

The domineering presence that had looked down upon the world when she faced Su Yang earlier seemed to have been drained away the instant the door closed. Her shoulders drooped slightly, and even her straight back seemed to have bent a little.

"Xiaorou." Her voice lowered, carrying a softness outsiders had never heard before. "After all these years, are you still not over it?"

Yu Xiaorou did not turn around. She continued to gaze at the courtyard outside, washed white by the moonlight, her tone as indifferent as if she were speaking to a stranger.

"Your Holiness must be joking. I am merely a down-and-out soul master. How could I dare be angry with you?"

Bibi Dong frowned and took a step forward. "You truly misunderstood what happened back then. I never had feelings for Qian Xunji. Everything was merely part of Spirit Hall's plans. From beginning to end, you were the only one in my heart. I never wanted to hurt you."

Yu Xiaorou finally turned around. A mocking curve hung at the corner of her lips, and her cold gaze fell upon Bibi Dong's face.

"A misunderstanding? You let your own teacher bear your child for the sake of power, and you call that a misunderstanding? What did you take me for? One of those pawns you could discard after using?"

"Xiaorou—"

"Enough." Yu Xiaorou cut her off. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable finality.

"Bibi Dong, there can never be anything between us again. Let everything from those years be treated as a dream. You go your way, and I will go mine. You are the Pope of Spirit Hall, and I am a guest instructor at Nording Academy. From now on, we will stay out of each other's lives."

Bibi Dong's eyes darkened. She fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"Come back to Spirit Hall with me. I will give you the finest resources. You will stand above all but one. As long as you wish it, all of Spirit Hall's resources can be yours to use."

Yu Xiaorou looked at her, the mockery on her lips deepening. "Above all but one? Beneath whom? Beneath you, Bibi Dong? Or beneath your grandfather, Qian Daoliu?"

That sentence was like a thorn, piercing straight into the most painful place. Bibi Dong's expression changed slightly, and a crack appeared in her gentle facade.

"Spirit Hall is your foundation, something you traded your life for," Yu Xiaorou continued. "You cannot abandon Spirit Hall, nor can you abandon your ambitions. And I have never been someone willing to live beneath another person's shadow. So I appreciate your goodwill, but you need not trouble yourself."

The office fell into a long silence. The candle crackled once, and the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed about to solidify.

Only after a long while did Bibi Dong slowly speak. Her voice was hoarse, carrying a weariness even she had not noticed. "You are still the same. You never allow yourself to turn back."

Yu Xiaorou said nothing more. She merely turned around and continued looking out the window.

Bibi Dong looked at her back. Her lips moved, but in the end, she only let out a soft sigh. She turned toward the door, took two steps, then stopped. With her back to the person behind her, she said:

"I will wait for you at Spirit Hall. Once you have thought it through, you can come find me anytime."