Meeting the Blue Silver Emperor

Gui Mei turned into a black shadow and vanished silently among the leaves.

Yue Guan remained beneath the tree, watching the Blue Silver Emperor. He kept telling himself, No rush. No rush. We found her.

But the Blue Silver Emperor seemed to sense something and looked his way.

Yue Guan was a Titled Douluo, though, and his reactions were quick. The moment he sensed trouble, he ducked behind the tree.

"I keep feeling like someone's watching me. Am I imagining it?"

The Blue Silver Emperor frowned and watched for a while. When she noticed nothing amiss, she went back to handing out food.

Sensing what she was doing, Yue Guan poked his head out from behind the tree. Is this the control over plants Lin Fan was talking about?

No. I can't stay under a tree, especially where there's Blue Silver Grass.

Yue Guan looked down at the stalks of Blue Silver Grass growing beside the roots and immediately moved to another hiding place.

He hadn't forgotten what Lin Fan had said: the Blue Silver Emperor was the ruler of all Blue Silver Grass.

For all he knew, she could use the grass at his feet as her eyes.

Gui Mei hurried back to Spirit City overnight and met with Qian Xunji early the next morning.

He bowed and reported, "Your Holiness, we've found the Blue Silver Emperor. Yue Guan stayed behind to watch her."

Qian Xunji slapped the armrest of his chair. "Good. To be safe, bring Qian Jun and Jiang Mo along."

Bibi Dong spoke up. "Teacher, we're inviting her, not capturing her. Wouldn't a group of men frighten the Blue Silver Emperor? Perhaps I should come too."

Qian Xunji shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll make the invitation in good faith. I don't know how many days we'll be gone, and Lin Fan still needs you to look after him. I can't assign someone else to do it."

"All right." Bibi Dong saw his point. "I wish you every success, Teacher!"

Before long, Qian Xunji left Spirit Hall with Gui Mei, Qian Jun, and Jiang Mo. He brought no one else.

Bibi Dong saw them off until they were out of sight, then immediately turned back and entered Lin Fan's quarters.

"Lin Fan, breakfast is ready." Bibi Dong carried breakfast into his room.

"Dong'er, where are the village chief and the others?" Lin Fan had heard only her voice and asked out of curiosity.

"It rained for two days straight. They're repairing the path." Bibi Dong pulled up a stool and sat in front of him.

"I see. Then the story will have to wait until they get back," Lin Fan said.

"Lin Fan, can I ask you something privately?" Bibi Dong glanced around like she was up to something.

"Of course, Dong'er. Ask whatever you want. If I know the answer, I'll tell you." Lin Fan spoke between mouthfuls of porridge.

"I wanted to ask about Bibi Dong's Rakshasa God position. Do you know where she found it?" Bibi Dong asked carefully.

Lin Fan smiled. "Oh, a question about the Douluo novel? That's easy. A remnant of the Rakshasa God's consciousness was left in the Slaughter City."

"According to the novel, after Bibi Dong gave birth to Qian Renxue, she left Spirit Hall for a while. Seeking revenge, she ventured into the most dangerous place on the continent: the Slaughter City."

"Not only did she gain the Divine Slaughter's Domain there, she also encountered the Rakshasa God's consciousness."

Bibi Dong was startled. The Slaughter City really is dangerous. At my current strength, I'm afraid I'd never make it out alive without a powerful conviction to sustain me.

I never expected the Slaughter City to offer an additional Martial Soul domain, though. Divine Slaughter's Domain sounds formidable.

Bibi Dong asked, "Lin Fan, do you think the Rakshasa God is good or evil? I have a feeling the ending you described for Bibi Dong had something to do with the Rakshasa God."

Lin Fan sighed. "Gods aren't simply good or evil. There's a reason each of them exists. People have emotions and desires, and in the Divine Realm, there are gods who embody them and wield their respective powers."

"Those powers correspond to and restrain one another. The gods are like embodiments of the laws that keep the world turning."

"The Rakshasa God controls the world's evil thoughts. Because of what Bibi Dong went through, that power influenced her and magnified the darkness in her heart. According to the book, she came to her senses several times, but once she began the Divine Trial, those evil thoughts took hold of her again."

"You could see it whenever she met her daughter Qian Renxue or Yu Xiaogang. Her feelings grew complicated. She might have wanted to let go of her hatred, but she was too deeply bound to the Rakshasa God's power. That's why Bibi Dong kept talking about destroying the continent in the novel, even though she couldn't bring herself to do it."

"By the end, she couldn't even tell which hatred was hers and which the Rakshasa God had planted in her. She became more and more obsessive, more and more extreme."

"That made Bibi Dong an incredibly complex character later on. Some readers even believe the Rakshasa God's power controlled her, rather than the other way around."

Bibi Dong fell silent.

She hadn't lived through any of that yet, but even from Lin Fan's account, the person she would become sounded extraordinarily complicated.

She might not be wholly good now, but she hadn't done anything truly bad either. Yet Lin Fan described her future self as someone driven to terrible extremes.

She couldn't begin to understand how much hatred and pain those experiences would leave her with.

"So that's why you said Bibi Dong was your favorite?" she asked.

"More than anything, I think I felt sorry for her," Lin Fan said. "Bibi Dong was immensely talented and became a god through her own efforts. Qian Renxue and Tang San both had people helping them along, even laying the groundwork for them."

"Tang San's Sea God Divine Trial was the worst of it. He got the maximum reward at every turn, and even the people around him received blessings from the Sea God."

Bibi Dong smiled. "I see."

"Dong'er, you've asked a lot about Bibi Dong today." Lin Fan tilted his head. Though he couldn't see her, his brow furrowed slightly. "Is something on your mind?"

Bibi Dong's heart skipped a beat, but her expression didn't change. "No. I've heard you talk about her so much that I got curious."

"Really?"

"Really. Eat your porridge before it gets cold."

"Oh!"

After traveling for about a day, Qian Xunji and the other three reached Small Town at noon the next day and soon found Yue Guan.

"Your Holiness." Yue Guan bowed.

"Forget the formalities. Where's the Blue Silver Emperor?" Qian Xunji asked.

"Some people got into a fight this morning. She's treating their injuries," Yue Guan reported.

Qian Xunji waved a hand. "Lead the way."

The five of them came to a simple but beautifully built wooden house.

A dozen or so people had gathered outside. The Blue Silver Emperor was tending to those injured in the fight, blue-green light glowing from her hands.

"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast! Your Holiness, this—" Qian Jun said in surprise.

Qian Xunji nodded. "Yes, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who took human form to cultivate anew. But we're not here to kill or capture her today. We're here to invite her."

"You'll learn why in time."

"Yes!" Qian Jun and Jiang Mo did not dare make a move.

As a member of the Qian family, Qian Xunji commanded considerable authority as Pope. At the very least, the elders of the Worship Hall would not defy him.

With Bibi Dong, that would not necessarily have been the case.

That was why the Worship Hall stood opposed to her.

Qian Xunji watched the Blue Silver Emperor for a while, then said with feeling, "She truly is a kindhearted, gentle young woman."

In the distance, the Blue Silver Emperor finished treating the injured and said softly, "There. You can go now. You're all neighbors, so don't fight again."

"Thank you, Miss Blue Silver. We won't. It would've cost us a fortune to have a Soul Master treat our injuries."

The Blue Silver Emperor nodded. "Go on."

Seeing this, Qian Xunji said, "Everyone, it's time."

He stepped forward.

Yue Guan, Gui Mei, Qian Jun, and Jiang Mo followed at just the right distance: not so close as to seem threatening, but close enough to project an unspoken warning.

The Blue Silver Emperor paused, then frowned.

She sensed an immensely powerful surge of Soul Power. Although the newcomer was deliberately holding it back, the pressure was still faintly perceptible.

These five are so powerful. From their clothes, they seem to belong to the same faction. She took an instinctive step back.

Qian Xunji stopped about seven yards away. He bowed slightly and gave her a formal Soul Master's salute.

"Miss Blue Silver, please don't be alarmed. Forgive us for intruding."

Ah Yin looked at him and the people behind him. Her gaze was wary, but her manner remained polite. "Who are you?"

Qian Xunji came straight to the point.

"My name is Qian Xunji. I'm from Spirit Hall, and I'm its current Pope."