You Hurt Ji'er, and You Hurt Bibi Dong Too!

Qian Daoliu knelt, his spine held straight.

At this moment, he looked no different from a child who had done something wrong.

Qian Chenming's words caused the shadow hidden deep within his heart to float to the surface once more.

Back then.

It was not as though he had no chance to save Ji'er.

Only, too much hesitation and thought had ultimately led Qian Daoliu toward a path of indulgence.

Qian Xunji had raped Bibi Dong, which meant he was in the wrong to begin with.

Therefore, Qian Daoliu felt a sense of guilt and could not bear to deal a ruthless, fatal blow to Bibi Dong.

What was more.

Xue'er had already been born.

Qian Daoliu truly could not bear to watch such a child, only a few years old since birth, lose her father first and then lose her mother immediately afterward.

All of these various factors.

Prompted Qian Daoliu to choose to turn a blind eye.

Yet at this moment, Qian Daoliu could not voice this explanation no matter what.

"Father..."

His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

Qian Chenming did not urge him, only watching him quietly, a clear emotion hidden within those turbid yet sharp eyes.

"Back then when Ji'er made his mistake, I indeed failed to properly control and manage the situation."

After a long while, Qian Daoliu finally spoke, every single word seeming squeezed out from between his teeth.

"I thought to myself, he raped Bibi Dong, so he was in the wrong to begin first. If I were to ruthlessly exterminate that woman as well, wouldn't it make our Qian Family seem too overbearing?"

"Overbearing?"

Qian Chenming sneered.

"So you just watched idly as Ji'er went to his death?"

"I..."

Qian Daoliu raised his head abruptly, then heavily struck his head against the ground again. "And Xue'er, she was still too young..."

Qian Chenming walked up to him, looking down at him from above:

"You still haven't understood to this day. That Bibi Dong intended to leave the palace for the sake of romantic love, and Ji'er's actions were wrong, yet you did not stop him or prevent the situation from sliding into an uncontrollable abyss. This is your first mistake!"

"Then Bibi Dong headed toward extremes and became a demon, and you likewise failed to stop her. This is your second mistake!"

"Father..."

Qian Daoliu was stunned. He wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

And Qian Chenming continued his stern reprimand: "I ask you, Ji'er committed a wrong, did you know or not?"

"I knew." Qian Daoliu opened his mouth.

"No, you did not know." Yet Qian Chenming's voice carried a deep sense of disappointment.

"You let him run wild, and when he suffered, you ran out to play the good guy, feeling that he got what he deserved and that Bibi Dong's revenge was justified. Liu'er, put your hand on your heart and tell me, is this what a father looks like?"

As his voice fell.

Qian Daoliu trembled all over, yet he could not utter a single word.

"Ji'er makes a mistake, you do nothing," Qian Chenming reminded him, word by word.

"Bibi Dong turns into an avenger, and you do nothing either. You let her step by step walk toward extremes, you let her transform into a merciless demon who kills without blinking, yet you still consider her pitiful. Did you think your indulgence was a form of atonement?"

A dead silence filled the Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu's tears finally fell.

This peerless Douluo over a hundred years old, the usually expressionless Great Enshrined, had broken down.

He truly had failed Ji'er, never fulfilling the responsibilities a father ought to have from start to finish.

He ruined Ji'er.

And in truth, he ruined Bibi Dong as well.

Seeing this.

Qian Chenming crouched down, looked at his son, and dropped his final words:

"If your indulgence is atonement, then all these years are enough. From this day forward, this pontiff will restore order to Spirit Hall and will never allow a woman who has already gone mad to run amok."

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu jerked his head up.

"Father, what did you say?"

"I said, a madwoman is not fit to sit upon the pope's throne."

Qian Daoliu's pupils contracted violently.

Qian Chenming stood up, turning his back to Qian Daoliu. "You failed Ji'er, and you failed Bibi Dong too."

Qian Daoliu knelt upon the ground, grief filling his heart to the extreme.

"Liu'er." Qian Chenming's tone suddenly grew weary.

"In this world, no one is born a demon. Ji'er wasn't, and Bibi Dong wasn't either. Yet as a father, as the Great Enshrined, you ought to have pulled them back each time they strayed off course. But you did nothing."

"You let Ji'er commit wrongs, you let Bibi Dong exact her revenge, you let her step by step march toward the abyss."

"This is not kindness of yours; it is cowardice."

With these words finished.

Every single word and sentence struck like a sharp blade piercing into Qian Daoliu's heart and lungs.

His tears dropped one by one onto the floor tiles, and he said, wracked with remorse, "Father, I was wrong. I was truly wrong."

"Where were you wrong?"

"I... I should not have indulged them. Whether it was Ji'er or Bibi Dong, I should not have let them run amok."

Qian Chenming remained silent for a long time. "Then do you know what you must do now?"

Qian Daoliu raised his head, a trace of resolution flashing in his eyes.

"I know."

Qian Chenming looked at him and said nothing. Only after a long while did he speak:

"If you know, then stay kneeling. Kneel until it is time you should no longer kneel."

At the dawn of day.

Outside the Worship Hall, the morning light was faint.

The six great enshrined stood side by side, their gazes fixed upon the tightly closed hall doors.

For an entire night, their eldest brother, Qian Daoliu, had knelt inside without moving a single bit.

Golden Crocodile Douluo furrowed his brows tightly and spoke in a low voice: "Eldest Brother has never knelt for this long."

"It's not just a matter of never kneeling." Azure Luan Douluo sighed. "I have been in the Worship Hall for so many years, and I have never seen Eldest Brother shed a tear."

The figures fell silent.

Even though they could not hear the specific words spoken inside the hall, they had all heard the faint movements within, especially Qian Daoliu's weeping.

It was the crying of a man over a hundred years old, kneeling before his own father, tearing away all his disguises.

"Should we... go in and take a look?" Mighty Lion Douluo probed cautiously.

"You go in?" Golden Crocodile Douluo glanced sideways at him. "That is the old pope disciplining his son. What would you go to do? Take a slap across the face?"

Mighty Lion Douluo shut his mouth.

At that very moment, the hall doors opened.

Qian Chenming walked out.

The morning light fell upon him, his golden hair as bright as ever, his expression calm.

The six great enshrined bowed in unison: "Old Pope."

Qian Chenming swept his gaze across them and said indifferently: "What are you all standing here for?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo hardened his scalp and said, "Old Pope, Eldest Brother he..."

"He is kneeling."

Three words, spoken lightly, yet they made the hearts of the six great enshrined tighten.

Qian Chenming looked at them and suddenly smiled: "What, feeling heartbroken?"

No one dared to reply.

"You feel heartbroken for him, but have you ever considered how many people in this vast Spirit City do not even qualify to have their heartbreak cared about."

These words were far too heavy.

The six great enshrined lowered their heads, and none dared to respond.

Qian Chenming instead clasped his hands behind his back and looked off toward the distant Pope's Palace. "Take me to take a look."

"Where does the Old Pope wish to go?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked.

"To see this brand-new Spirit Hall."

As he spoke, Qian Chenming stepped forward, his tone flat: "And to see that woman."

The six great enshrined looked at one another in dismay, understanding in their hearts.

This old man had not come for sightseeing.

He had come to settle accounts.