You Are One of the Qian Family!

Bibi Dong gave a derisive laugh and turned away, looking out the window with her back to her.

"Yes, I wanted you to go. Unfortunately, that wonderful grandfather of yours guards you so closely that he refuses to let you face any danger, no matter what."

Her tone was light, betraying neither joy nor anger, yet it pierced Qian Renxue's heart like a needle.

Qian Renxue stood frozen. The scraps of conversation she had overheard outside the hall had now been confirmed by Bibi Dong's casual words.

Something seemed to block her heart, leaving her stifled and unsettled.

She parted her lips, wanting to ask, "Do you really want me to risk my life that badly?" But when the words reached her lips, they became:

"Why me?"

Bibi Dong did not turn around. Her voice came through the window lattice, carrying a faint, elusive chill.

"Because you belong to the Qian Family, and you are the Angel God's successor."

"Spirit Hall raised you all these years. Shouldn't you do something for it?"

"I..."

Qian Renxue was struck speechless, but her eyes reddened beyond her control.

"If I go, will you be happy?"

Qian Renxue's voice was very soft, carrying a trace of hope that even she had not noticed, like a candle flame swaying in the wind, weak yet persistent.

At her words, Bibi Dong slowly turned around and walked toward her, step by step.

She crouched in front of Qian Renxue. The movement was hardly gentle, yet it carried a peculiar sense of pressure.

Her fingertips lightly lifted Qian Renxue's chin, forcing her to raise her head.

Their eyes met. Complicated emotions surged deep within Bibi Dong's purple eyes, but a thin, icy film covered them.

"What do you think, my dear daughter?"

She drew out the words, her voice carrying an inscrutable undertone, as though she were probing, or perhaps mocking.

Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat. Looking at Bibi Dong's face so close to hers, she gathered her courage and asked:

"Then if I go, afterward... can I call you Mom?"

The question was like a pebble dropped into a lake, sending an instant ripple through Bibi Dong's gaze.

That thin, icy film seemed to crack, revealing a fleeting flash of pain beneath it.

But only for an instant. She abruptly released her hand, her voice as cold as if quenched in ice.

"You cannot!"

Those two words were final, leaving no room for compromise, like a blunt knife cutting savagely into Qian Renxue's heart.

Qian Renxue staggered back a step, her eyes instantly reddening. The courage she had struggled so hard to muster shattered completely before those three words.

She looked at Bibi Dong's face, cold once more, and suddenly found it utterly unfamiliar.

"Why..." Her voice trembled with tears.

"Enough."

Bibi Dong cut her off sharply, a hint of impatience in her tone, as though saying even one more word would be a waste of effort.

"Go if you want to. If you don't, I can find someone else. There's no need to keep pestering me here."

Her words were like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the last flicker of hope in Qian Renxue's heart while stirring the stubbornness in her bones.

Qian Renxue abruptly raised her head. Tears still clung to her lashes, but her gaze became extraordinarily firm.

"I understand! I'll go!"

Those three words came quickly and urgently, carrying the resolve to smash the cauldrons and sink the boats.

Bibi Dong's back stiffened almost imperceptibly, but she did not turn around. She merely gave a faint "Mm," her voice revealing no emotion.

Qian Renxue watched her back, which never turned toward her. Something seemed to block her heart, the pressure aching.

She bit her lower lip hard, turned, and headed out, her steps so quick that she seemed to be fleeing.

At the doorway, she paused, but in the end, she said nothing. She pulled the door open and hurried away, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

The door closed gently, separating two worlds.

Bibi Dong slowly turned around and gazed at the empty doorway, no longer concealing the emotions surging in her eyes.

There was pain, struggle, and a trace of something even she refused to admit... reluctance to let go.

She raised a hand and pressed her aching temple, murmuring so softly that only she could hear:

"You chose this yourself... perhaps it's just as well..."

Qian Renxue wiped haphazardly at her tears with the back of her hand, stumbling as she ran out of the Pope Hall.

The night wind blew cool against her face, making her tears flow even harder.

Just as she rounded a bend in the covered corridor, a figure blocked her path.

"It's you!"

She lifted her tear-blurred eyes. Seeing that it was Su Yu, she spoke with a measure of disheveled embarrassment.

"It's so late. Why aren't you back in your room sleeping? What are you doing here?"

Su Yu looked at her reddened eyes, his brows drawing together slightly.

Before Qian Renxue could answer, he stepped forward, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and naturally wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"If I'd gone to sleep, how would I have caught a proud little puppy blubbering?"

Su Yu's tone held a touch of teasing, but concern lay hidden in his eyes.

"Who are you calling a puppy?" Qian Renxue abruptly turned her face away, avoiding his hand. Her voice was thick with tears, but she remained stubborn.

"I wasn't crying! It's... it's too windy. Sand got in my eyes!"

As she spoke, she raised her hand and rubbed her eyes hard again, only making them redder, like a little rabbit trying to hold strong after being wronged.

Su Yu did not expose her lie. He simply pressed the handkerchief into her hand.

"Wipe them. Your eyes are as red as a rabbit's. Whatever the reason, even Little Gray would be heartbroken to see you crying like this."

Qian Renxue's movements paused. She looked down at the handkerchief in her hand and did not argue again.

The night wind lifted strands of her hair and brushed them across her cheeks, bringing a trace of coolness that also helped her calm down a little.

"You..."

She sniffled, her voice muffled. "Why are you here?"

"I came out for some air and happened to pass by," Su Yu said softly, watching her lowered eyes.

"Did something happen? It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but don't keep it all bottled up alone."

Qian Renxue tightened her grip on the handkerchief until her knuckles turned white. Only after a long while did she speak in a barely audible voice.

"I'm leaving Spirit City."

"Is it the plan Teacher mentioned during the day?"

Su Yu looked at her reddened eyes, his tone growing heavier.

Qian Renxue abruptly looked up, her eyes full of surprise. "You already know?"

"When I came back this afternoon, I accidentally overheard a few words outside the hall."

Su Yu hid nothing. "The Great Enshrined has already rejected Teacher's plan. You don't have to go."

Qian Renxue lowered her head and looked at her tightly clenched hand, her voice as quiet as a sigh.

"But... I already promised her."

"You can change your mind even after promising." Su Yu frowned.

"That place is too dangerous. Infiltrating the Heaven Dou Imperial Family-one careless move could plunge you beyond all redemption. You don't need to..."

"I do!" Qian Renxue interrupted him, abruptly raising her head, a stubborn light flashing in her pale purple eyes.

"She's my mother, isn't she? If I succeed, perhaps... perhaps she'll treat me a little better."