Went In?

After a bout of "intimate contact" with Hu Liena, Qin Chao clutched his swollen, aching backside and set off on the return journey with the other two, looking thoroughly aggrieved.

Watching the retreating figure that was just beginning to show a young maiden's grace, Qin Chao secretly gritted his teeth.

So you spanked me, huh? Just wait. Once I grow up, I'll pay you back double! When that time comes, I won't just spank you-I'll strip your clothes off and spank you hard. Otherwise, I'll never vent this anger in my heart!

Qin Chao seethed, secretly setting himself a goal...

Not long after they returned to Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong summoned Qin Chao to the main hall.

They had only been apart for half a month, yet the little fellow seemed to have grown considerably taller, and his body looked much sturdier than before.

Qin Chao was now dressed in Spirit Hall's standard uniform, long since shedding the rustic look of a village child. He looked more like a wealthy young master now, the clothes lending an extra touch of nobility to his already handsome little face.

With a gentle wave, Bibi Dong beckoned Qin Chao over, lifted him onto her lap, and lightly bounced him to gauge his weight. Good, the little fellow had not lost weight; he even seemed a little heavier. It looked like Yue Guan had taken good care of him...

"How much did you gain from this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest?" Bibi Dong asked gently, having long since cast aside the noble, icy bearing of the Supreme Pontiff.

"Pretty big sister, we saw so many soul beasts on this trip! Teacher Yue Guan not only taught me about their traits and all sorts of related knowledge, but also showed me lots of unusual plants..."

In truth, Qin Chao's greatest gain from this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest had been meeting Xiao Wu and obtaining twenty fortune points from her. But that was his secret, and he certainly could not tell Bibi Dong.

"Was that all?" Bibi Dong asked slowly. Though her tone was calm, Qin Chao detected something different beneath it.

Could I have given something away?

"Yes, that was all..." After turning it over in his mind, Qin Chao decided to stiffen his neck and brazen it out to the bitter end.

As long as Bibi Dong could not read minds, no matter how suspicious she was, suspicion was all it could ever be...

"Kneel!" Bibi Dong's voice abruptly rose, carrying an authority that brooked no argument.

Overawed by her imposing presence, Qin Chao's legs went weak, and he dropped to his knees in spectacular fashion.

"Honest Magistrate, everything I said was true!" Qin Chao gave Bibi Dong a mournful look and launched into his well-practiced clowning. Whatever she had discovered, playing dumb was definitely the best response.

The corners of Bibi Dong's mouth twitched, and she forcibly suppressed the smile threatening to rise.

Though she had no idea what on earth an Honest Magistrate was, the little fellow's exaggerated expression filled her with delight.

If Spirit Hall were a school, Qin Chao would be the most mischievous top student in the class. Not only did he have outstanding grades, but his cheeky personality, infuriating as it was, was also particularly endearing.

"Stop fooling around. Do you know what you did wrong?" Bibi Dong's voice remained stern, though there was little anger in it.

That familiar killer question struck again. Qin Chao's eyelid twitched; he thought he knew why Bibi Dong was angry now...

"If pretty big sister says I was wrong, then I was wrong. Everything I did was wrong. But my biggest mistake was disobeying Teacher Yue Guan and leaving the group on my own..."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly. "If you knew it was wrong, why did you do it?"

"I was just worried about Teacher Yue Guan and Sister Nana... That was a two-thousand-year-old soul beast. What if something happened..." Qin Chao's voice grew quieter and quieter.

What a joke. Worrying that a Titled Douluo could not defeat a thousand-year-old soul beast? Qin Chao might as well worry about the sun rising in the west...

"Is that so? How very thoughtful of you..." Bibi Dong spoke again, her voice cool and tinged with more than a little sarcasm.

"I'm young and don't know any better. Please don't hold it against me. I really know I was wrong now..."

Qin Chao raised his eyes pitifully to Bibi Dong, looking for all the world like an aggrieved little rabbit. After spending a night with Xiao Wu, he had to have picked up something, right...

Seeing Qin Chao behave like this, Bibi Dong softened a little. He was only a child, after all. What could a child possibly know?

(Qin Chao's inner monologue: Actually, I know everything you know, and I even know things you don't. It's just that some of it can't be broadcast...)

"Do you really know you were wrong?"

"I really know I was wrong!" Qin Chao raised a hand and swore.

I was wrong, but I'd still dare do it next time...

"Get up..." Seeing Qin Chao's "sincere" attitude, Bibi Dong stopped making things difficult for him. "Remember, never put yourself in danger again. Far too many geniuses in this world fall before they can fully grow..."

Seeing Bibi Dong soften, Qin Chao hurried to seize his chance. Spreading his little hands, he easily wrapped his arms around her slender waist and buried his head in her ample bosom.

"I understand! I knew big sister treated me best~" he said in a deliberately sweet voice, nuzzling back and forth in Bibi Dong's arms.

What was wrong with being little? Being little had its advantages. Right now, for instance, Qin Chao was clearly taking the opportunity to cop a feel, while Bibi Dong merely thought he was being affectionate...

"All right, all right. A boy like you is even more clingy than Nana was when she was little..." Bibi Dong chided him aloud, but inwardly, she rather enjoyed it.

Qian Renxue had been taken away by Qian Daoliu as soon as she was born. As a mother, Bibi Dong had a heart full of maternal love with nowhere to direct it. Qin Chao's arrival had given those feelings an outlet.

Unfortunately, Bibi Dong wanted to be Qin Chao's mother, while Qin Chao wanted to make Bibi Dong a mother...

"Oh, right. Chrysanthemum Douluo said you obtained a rather good soul skill this time?" After indulging him for quite a while, Bibi Dong finally remembered the matter at hand.

At the mention of soul rings and soul skills, Qin Chao grew serious too. "The Star Dou Forest was so big that I got lost before I'd gone very far. I happened to come across a big bear fighting a spider. Once the fight ended, I went over to take a look and happened to scoop up a bargain..."

Qin Chao had already recounted how he obtained his soul ring to Yue Guan, so his second telling was naturally even smoother. As he spoke, he began circulating the soul power within him.

The golden Heaven and Earth Tower slowly appeared in his right hand, with two soul rings, one yellow and one purple, neatly arranged around it.

Qin Chao's First Soul Skill was Blazing Flames, which primarily granted the Heaven and Earth Tower a burning effect and belonged to the power attack system. His second soul skill, obtained from the Great Strength Vajra Bear, was somewhat different.

The Heaven and Earth Tower rapidly expanded. Since he was testing its power, Qin Chao did not limit his soul power output this time, only just stopping when the tower had grown over four meters tall.

"Watch out, pretty big sister~ Second Soul Skill: Entrap!"

The enormous tower shot toward Bibi Dong. Despite its massive bulk, it moved with extraordinary agility.

"Well done!" Bibi Dong's lips curved slightly, and soul power instantly spread throughout her body. This was not to defend herself, but to better gauge the power of the attack.

The Heaven and Earth Tower stopped precisely above Bibi Dong's head. Unlike its previous, simple enveloping effect, a powerful suction now emerged from inside the tower, pulling Bibi Dong straight into it before it slowly settled to the ground.

"She... she went inside?"