Hu Liena, the dignified Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, had her cheeks pinched and been called "little fox." If she did not settle this score, how could she have the face to return to Spirit Hall?
But every time she saw Yi Yun, he pinched her cheeks.
On the first day, she said, "I came to spar with you," and had her left cheek pinched.
On the second day, she said, "I came to talk to you," and had her right cheek pinched.
On the third day, she said, "I came to play with Xiao Wu," and Yi Yun pinched both her left and right cheeks.
On the fourth day, she said nothing and stood at the edge of the training ground watching Tang San grow vegetables. Yi Yun walked over and pinched her cheek again.
"What are you doing!" Hu Liena covered her cheek, red from his pinching, and her eyes reddened again.
"Force of habit." Yi Yun withdrew his hand with a beaming smile.
"You've made a habit of pinching my cheeks?"
"Yes. They're quite nice to pinch."
Hu Liena trembled with anger, but she discovered that she actually did not dislike the feeling.
Did she like having her cheeks pinched? Was something wrong with her?
On the fifth day, Hu Liena finally gave up and accepted it. She could not beat Yi Yun in a fight, could not outargue him, and could not escape his demonic clutches. Rather than struggle, she might as well lie flat.
But she had to return to Spirit Hall. Bibi Dong had urged her three times, saying she had an important assignment for her. Hu Liena packed her luggage and stood at the entrance to Nuoding Academy, glancing back toward the hill behind it.
She could vaguely make out a figure lying on the grass, his white clothes like snow.
Hu Liena bit her lip, turned, and climbed into the carriage. "Back to Spirit Hall."
The carriage slowly left Nuoding City and headed toward Spirit City. Sitting inside, Hu Liena lifted the curtain and watched Nuoding City grow farther and smaller until it became a tiny, dusty-gray speck and vanished on the horizon.
She lowered the curtain, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes. The image of Yi Yun pinching her cheeks surfaced in her mind again: his smiling eyes, warm fingers, teasing tone, and the tenderness hidden in those eyes, so difficult to notice.
"Bastard..." Hu Liena murmured, yet the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Spirit Hall, the Pope's Palace.
A woman in magnificent robes sat on the papal throne, holding a scepter and wearing a crown. She looked to be in her early thirties, with exquisite features and fair skin, exceptionally well maintained.
But her eyes betrayed her age. They held none of the softness of a thirty-year-old woman, only a coldness and depth born of weathering life's vicissitudes.
She was Bibi Dong, Pope of Spirit Hall, a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, the most powerful woman on the continent-and its most dangerous.
Spirit Hall's senior members stood on either side of the great hall.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood on the left, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei on the right, with dozens of Red-robed Cardinals behind them.
Hu Liena knelt in the center of the great hall, her head lowered.
"Rise." Bibi Dong's voice was calm, betraying neither pleasure nor anger.
Hu Liena stood with her head lowered, not daring to look Bibi Dong in the eye.
"Tell me about that Yi Yun."
Hu Liena drew a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound more normal. "That man... is very strong."
Bibi Dong raised her eyebrows slightly. "Very strong?"
"Very strong," Hu Liena repeated.
"How strong?"
Hu Liena hesitated. She did not know whether she should mention having her cheeks pinched. It was too embarrassing.
"I challenged him."
"And the result?"
"Three moves." Hu Liena's voice was very quiet.
Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment. "You lasted three moves?"
"No, he used three moves to subdue me." Hu Liena's face flushed slightly, but Bibi Dong did not notice.
The great hall fell silent. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged glances, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
Hu Liena was one of the strongest geniuses of Spirit Hall's younger generation, a 48th-level Soul Ancestor with the Demon Fox Martial Soul, virtually unmatched among her peers. Only a handful of people on the entire continent could subdue her in three moves.
"Is he really only eighteen?" Bibi Dong asked.
"He looks even younger than his actual age."
"Looks?"
"He looks very young." Hu Liena's face grew redder, and her voice grew quieter.
Bibi Dong noticed Hu Liena's unusual behavior. This disciple, normally as proud as a little fox, was now blushing like a young girl.
"Nana, are you all right?"
"I'm... I'm fine!" Hu Liena hurriedly shook her head. "Hall Master, that Yi Yun... I think... we'd best not make an enemy of him."
"Why?"
"Because he's too strong, and..." Hu Liena bit her lip. "And he's very difficult to deal with. He's not someone who can be threatened, nor someone who can be bought. He lacks nothing, fears nothing, and cares about nothing."
Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time.
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"Win him over." Hu Liena raised her head. "But we can't use conventional methods. Give him money? He has no shortage. Give him treasures? He has no shortage. Give him power? He's not interested. The only way is to make him feel favorably toward Spirit Hall."
"How do we make him feel favorably toward us?"
Hu Liena opened her mouth, wanting to say, "Send me," but swallowed the words before they left her lips. She feared Bibi Dong would see something if she said it.
"I... am still thinking." Hu Liena lowered her head.
Bibi Dong looked at Hu Liena for a long time before finally nodding. "Go and rest for now."
Hu Liena bowed, turned, and left the great hall. Her steps were quick, as though she were fleeing something.
Inside the great hall, Bibi Dong watched Hu Liena's retreating figure, her brow slightly furrowed.
"Yue Guan, Gui Mei."
"Here." Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo stepped forward together.
"Go to Nuoding City and meet that Yi Yun yourselves."
"Yes."
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged glances, a trace of gravity flashing through both their eyes. For the Pope to dispatch two Titled Douluo at once, this Yi Yun was no simple figure.
Nuoding Academy.
Yi Yun was lying on the grass, basking in the sun, when he suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo!"
"What's wrong?" Xiao Wu asked with concern.
"Someone's talking about me." Yi Yun rubbed his nose. "And whoever it is holds a high position."
"How do you know?"
"The sneeze was loud."
Xiao Wu was speechless. She found that Yi Yun could always say something utterly unserious in a perfectly serious tone.
Ning Rongrong was practicing Standing Stake nearby, her legs no longer trembling. After ten days of standing, she had finally adapted. Though it was still exhausting, at least she no longer collapsed afterward as she had at the beginning.
"Handsome Master, how long have I been standing today?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"Two hours."
"I've only been standing for two hours?"
"Yes. Standing Stake isn't about standing longer, but standing steadier. Being able to stand for two hours without swaying is already very good."
Ning Rongrong almost jumped for joy, but restrained herself. She had now learned to control her emotions because the last time she had jumped, she had fallen, and Xiao Wu had laughed at her for several days.
Zhu Zhuqing sat cultivating beneath a tree with her eyes closed, but her ears kept listening to Yi Yun. She found that his voice held a kind of magic: listening to it was addictive, and she could not quit.
Tang San crouched in the vegetable patch, inspecting the seedlings one by one. They were growing very well, lush and green, and would be ready to harvest in a few more days.
"Brother Yun, the vegetables are almost ready," Tang San said without looking up.
"Then let's hold a Harvest Feast in a few days."
"A Harvest Feast?"
"Yes. We'll cook the vegetables you've grown, and everyone can eat together."
Tang San's hand paused. He grew vegetables to cultivate and had never thought of eating them. But then he reconsidered: if he did not eat the vegetables he grew himself, who would?
"All right." Tang San nodded and continued inspecting the seedlings.
No one knew that two Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall were on their way to Nuoding City.
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