Spirit Hall's Plans

The warmth that had just risen in Bibi Dong's chest nearly choked her when Lin Fan called her an "ungrateful wretch."

She glared at Lin Fan. He couldn't see it, but she glared at him fiercely anyway.

"Who are you calling an ungrateful wretch!?" Bibi Dong demanded, a little angry.

Damn you, Lin Fan. You're infuriating!

Lin Fan had no idea. Without a second thought, he said, "I told you before. Her teacher, Qian Xunji, raised her, trained her, gave her resources, and even made her the Saintess. Then she ran off for some man—one who was practically useless to Spirit Hall. She abandoned Qian Xunji and Spirit Hall without a thought for everything they'd invested in her. That's what an ungrateful wretch does."

"And the reason Bibi Dong could later become Pope was the standing she'd gained as Spirit Hall's Saintess."

Lin Fan paused to catch his breath, then continued. "Imagine spending decades training a disciple. Just when she can finally repay all the effort you put into her, she decides she doesn't need you anymore and runs off at a crucial moment. Wouldn't you be angry?"

Bibi Dong opened her mouth. She pictured it the way Lin Fan had described, and realized she would indeed be angry.

So she couldn't argue.

"All right. You have a point," Bibi Dong said, her tone softening a little.

Lin Fan nodded. "See? Listening to stories is useful. There's a saying: 'History is a mirror.' It means learning from past failures so you can correct your own mistakes."

"Oh, right." Something occurred to Lin Fan. "Your village is so isolated there isn't even a signal tower nearby. How do the children learn to read and write?"

Bibi Dong thought for a moment. "We have our own way of teaching, with books different from those outside."

"I see." Lin Fan had been about to say that shutting themselves off from the world wouldn't do them any good.

But he was an outsider who had arrived only a few days ago. He couldn't even see, and he knew nothing about what the village looked like or its history. How could he judge its way of life?

Better not say too much.

"Well, you've told me a lot today. I'll remember what you said and work on changing myself," Bibi Dong said as she stood.

"You're still injured. Get some rest. I'll bring you dinner when it's ready."

"Sure." Lin Fan nodded.

Alone in the room, Lin Fan sighed. "I wish my eyes would heal soon. Being blind feels awful."

Outside, Bibi Dong looked around the luxurious courtyard and silently encouraged herself. You can do this, Bibi Dong. You can't let Lin Fan or your teacher down.

In the rear hall of Pope's Palace, Yue Guan and Gui Mei reported to Qian Xunji. "Your Holiness, we've issued the orders according to your plan and the Grand Worshipper's."

Pointing to each Spirit Hall Sub-Hall marked on the map, Yue Guan said, "Starting from every Sub-Hall, we'll send people to infiltrate every village. Where there aren't enough personnel, the halls in the Two Great Empires will send reinforcements."

"These people will answer directly to the Sub-Hall masters. Every one of those masters was selected by headquarters and can be trusted completely."

"But the stronger Soul Master families and sects, especially the Upper Three Sects, won't be so easy to infiltrate. It will take time."

Qian Xunji raised a hand. "There's no need to rush. Based on Lin Fan's account, we still have time. As long as we can infiltrate them, another year or two won't matter."

"Understood," Yue Guan said with a bow.

Qian Xunji turned to Gui Mei. "Elder Gui, have you arranged for someone to observe Yu Xiaogang's movements in secret?"

"Rest assured, Your Holiness." Gui Mei bowed. "I sent Shadow Blade, the subordinate I trust most. His Martial Soul is a shadow. Though he's only a Soul Saint, even most Soul Douluo can't detect him when he's concealed."

"Much less a useless Soul Master who hasn't even reached level ten."

Qian Xunji chuckled. "Good. Now we can listen carefully to Lin Fan's story."

"It concerns Spirit Hall and all of us. You must listen closely and analyze everything he says."

Yue Guan and Gui Mei bowed together. "Yes, Your Holiness!"

After dinner, Qian Xunji and the others arrived at Lin Fan's residence. Lin Fan had just finished eating with Bibi Dong beside him.

"Village chief, you're here," Lin Fan greeted him with a smile.

"Yes. I was busy all afternoon. How are you doing, young friend?" Qian Xunji replied.

"You're too kind. Your disciple kept me company, so it was a pleasant afternoon." Lin Fan smiled. "You're older than me, village chief. Just call me Lin Fan or Little Fan. 'Young friend' is too much."

"All right, I'll call you Little Fan from now on," Qian Xunji said. "It's time to change your medicine. Village Doctor Yue is here."

"Okay. Sorry for the trouble, Auntie Yue." Lin Fan nodded.

Bibi Dong covered her mouth and snickered.

Hearing that name again, Yue Guan couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Just call me village doctor from now on."

"Sure. Yue is an uncommon surname, though. Were your ancestors from the Yuezhi?" Lin Fan guessed.

"Yuezhi? Something like that." Yue Guan had no idea who the Yuezhi were, so he went along with it.

As Yue Guan replaced the herbs on the back of Lin Fan's head, he said, "Lin Fan, your wound has almost healed. One more application should be enough. After that, you won't need any medicine."

"So soon? That's amazing." Lin Fan sounded surprised. "Then when will the blindness clear up?"

Yue Guan thought for a moment. "My treatment methods aren't as good as those outside, but you do have some blood pooled in your head. Take care of yourself. Once it clears on its own, your sight should return."

Qian Xunji spoke up at the right moment. "Village Doctor Yue is right. Once you've recovered your strength, the injury will heal. Unfortunately, the only path to the outside was blocked by a mudslide after the heavy rain. It's a large blockage, so clearing it will take quite some time."

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay with us until then."

Lin Fan quickly waved a hand. "It's no trouble. We're not even related, yet you've treated me so well. How could staying here be a burden?"

Then Lin Fan said, "Speaking of the surname Yue, there's someone named Yue Guan on Douluo Continent. He's an important figure in Spirit Hall."

Yue Guan's interest was immediately piqued. "Really? How does he fare in Spirit Hall?"

Lin Fan shook his head. "Not very well."

Yue Guan froze and stole a glance at Qian Xunji. For heaven's sake, don't tell me I betray Spirit Hall too.

"Since you've brought him up, Little Fan, tell us about this Yue Guan," Qian Xunji said.

Lin Fan nodded. "Well, you can't talk about Yue Guan without mentioning his good friend Gui Mei. The two of them play a major role. They have a powerful technique called Bipolar Static Domain that can freeze everything around them."

"But unfortunately, despite their loyalty to Spirit Hall, all they get is an elder's title and a little authority. Neither of them even has a decent Soul Bone."

"After becoming Titled Douluo, Yue Guan and Gui Mei served two Popes in succession, Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong. In the end, Tang San killed them both, and neither had a single Soul Bone."

"They were both level ninety-five Titled Douluo. Wouldn't you say Spirit Hall treated them poorly?"

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a look. Why did they suddenly feel a little touched?

Was someone finally speaking up for them?