[At Bibi Dong's distant, polite greeting, the light in Qian Renxue's golden eyes dimmed.
The faint hope she had held shattered.
She stood still, the holy radiance around her fading. Silent loneliness enveloped her, and for a moment, the atmosphere before the temple turned icy.
Seeing the chill between mother and daughter, Li Xun gave a soft cough and stepped forward to break the awkward silence. "Rakshasa God, we've come a long way. Won't you invite us inside?"
But Bibi Dong remained in the gap in the barrier, proud and aloof. Her expression did not soften, and her eyes stayed indifferent.
"My Rakshasa God Temple is too humble to accommodate you both," she said coolly. "Angel God, Asura God King, please find somewhere else to rest."
It was a blunt dismissal, with no attempt to hide it.
The warmth vanished from Li Xun's eyes, and his face darkened. A trace of his divine pressure seeped out. "Rakshasa God, are you driving me away?"
Bibi Dong showed no fear in the face of the Asura God King's power. She held her back straight, her icy face calm. "If that's how Your Majesty sees it, then so be it."
"You...!"
Her refusal to yield left Li Xun speechless with anger. He was about to speak again when a slender, soft hand gently caught his arm.
Qian Renxue buried the loneliness and hurt in her eyes and stepped forward. The word Mother, which she had longed to say for years, stuck in her throat. In its place came a distant title.
"Rakshasa God, we only stopped by to see you. Since it's inconvenient, we won't trouble you further."
She did not look at Bibi Dong again. Tugging gently at Li Xun's sleeve, she rose into the air with him. Their figures became streams