Outside the Papal Palace.
"Xue'er, wait!"
Lin Qian hurried after Qian Renxue and caught up with her.
"What is it?"
Qian Renxue stopped but did not turn around.
Lin Qian said, "Didn't you tell me not to leave?"
Qian Renxue froze, then quickened her pace. "There's no need now."
Lin Qian sped up too. "Then don't you have any questions?"
"No."
"What about the truth about your parents? You don't want that either?"
Qian Renxue stopped short. She hesitated for a moment before her gaze grew resolute. "I don't need anyone's charity. Whether it's my parents or the truth, I'll find them through my own efforts!"
With that, she turned and walked away, her Mystic Steps tapping out a rhythm.
Only the tears drifting from the corners of her eyes on the wind betrayed the vulnerability within her.
"Little Qian, come in for a moment."
Bibi Dong transmitted her voice to him.
So Lin Qian returned to the palace.
"Do you think I was wrong?"
The moment he entered, Bibi Dong hit him with that question.
Though her voice was gentle, like a whisper between lovers, paired with the tightly shut doors and the enveloping Soul Power barrier, it did not bode well.
Lin Qian felt this truly must have been a cursed bond from his previous life. In this life, he had fallen into the hands of this mother and daughter.
If you have something to say, say it to Qian Renxue! What's your mouth for?
Though he rolled his eyes countless times inwardly, he still answered respectfully, "Teacher, you are the Pope, shouldering responsibility for all of Spirit Hall. How could you possibly be wrong?"
This was not flattery. He knew all too well that under the influence of Rakshasa Divine Power, Bibi Dong was already mentally unstable. Speaking up would be a waste of effort, so he might as well say something pleasant and make them both happier.
Sure enough, Bibi Dong gave a rare smile at his words, as captivating as countless glittering stars.
A flash of madness passed through her eyes. "Exactly. As the Pope, I need not explain myself to anyone, even if she is my..." She abruptly stopped there. After thinking for a long while, she finally decided to reveal the truth. "Qian Renxue is my daughter."
Mm, I already knew that.
Lin Qian "saw the light." "So she's your child, Teacher. No wonder she looks so much like you!"
Whenever Qian Renxue was mentioned, Bibi Dong felt both heartache and hatred. If not for the plan, she would not have wanted to mention her at all this time.
Rather than respond, she changed the subject directly. "I called you back because I want you to go to the Heaven Dou Empire as well and help her complete the infiltration plan."
What's this? Has your conscience woken up?
Then Bibi Dong continued, "I gave it careful thought and felt that she would struggle to succeed on her own. We must not end up losing both the lady and the troops, with all our efforts falling short at the final hurdle. So... I'll have to ask you to put more effort into this."
At least you have some self-awareness. In the original story, it was your urging that drove Qian Renxue to take the desperate risk of poisoning Xue Ye. Dugu Bo spotted the flaw, and then that cheating bastard Tang San interfered. The infiltration plan ultimately failed, and over a decade of Qian Renxue's work went down the drain.
It was precisely because of this that Qian Renxue grew ever darker. To get back at Bibi Dong, she deliberately split the Worship Hall from Douluo Hall and took the position of Adjudicating Elder herself.
Of course, this was purely an impulsive act. After becoming Adjudicating Elder, she did not fight Bibi Dong for power, but instead entered seclusion in the Worship Hall to undertake the Angel God Trial.
Yet her actions still harmed Spirit Hall's shared interests, leaving the newly formed Spirit Hall Empire divided afterward. Open conflict and covert struggles between the two factions never ceased, indirectly affecting the empire's grand plans and giving that cheating bastard Tang San an opening.
One could say that in the original story, Spirit Hall had many chances to unite the continent, only to be dragged down by this mother and daughter until all its efforts fell short at the final hurdle.
Now that he had joined Spirit Hall's camp, Lin Qian also had to plan for himself. It was one thing for this mother and daughter to love and hurt each other, but what was this business of dragging the entire empire into the grave with them?
What had left the deepest impression on him was the battle at Jialing Pass, when mother and daughter worked together in unprecedented harmony to kill Tang San.
Lin Qian had been so excited at that point that he had nearly shouted, "Long live Spirit Hall!" Yet at the crucial moment, one bizarre complication followed another, and this absurd mother and daughter started infighting yet again.
With her brain apparently broken, Bibi Dong gave them three days to surrender. Then Tang San came back to life with even bigger cheats, combining the Sea God and Asura God into one, pitting two gods against two gods.
In the end, the Rakshasa God fell, the angel godhood shattered, and the Douluo Continent became the domain of the Tang family alone...
The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. For the sake of a happy life in the future, Lin Qian agreed without hesitation. "Rest assured, Teacher. As long as I'm here, I will never let Spirit Hall's plan fail!"
"Good child. With those words from you, I can rest completely easy. Even though Qian Renxue is my daughter, the position of Pope will still be yours in the future!"
With the serious business finished, Bibi Dong began dangling grand promises before him.
Had he not known about this mother and daughter's relationship, how they would shield each other from swords and even shatter a godhood at Jialing Pass, he really would have believed her. Then he would have devoted his life to her, only for the pair to screw him over until not even scraps remained.
Though the plot had yet to begin, Lin Qian kept having an ominous premonition.
Never doubt a woman's fighting power. Once they lost their reason, they really would drag the whole world into the grave with them!
After leaving the Papal Palace, Lin Qian went to Heaven Dou to become an undercover agent... as if!
With his Martial Soul incomplete and without even being a Titled Douluo, going to Heaven Dou now would be no different from throwing his life away.
In the mere few months since joining Spirit Hall, he had faced countless threats of being shut in a secret chamber. If he did not improve himself now, who knew how many more he would face? Perhaps he really would fall victim to one!
So, for the sake of his lifelong happiness, and to have the strength to strike back the next time he faced a similar secret chamber situation, he had to work hard!
Taking advantage of the limited time available, he decided to arm himself fully and find time to visit the Far North to finish making his other Martial Soul, while also helping his little brother, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, fulfill his dream along the way-pursuing his goddess.
Bibi Dong had given him a month to pack and prepare. Before setting off, he decided to return to the academy.
A detached villa.
Lin Qian met the little fox. More precisely, he had asked his teacher to summon her.
Having been invited for the first time, Hu Liena approached shyly, barely able to maintain even her charm. "Junior brother, you called me here in such a hurry... is something wrong?"
"There is."
"Oh my, this is so sudden. I'd be so embarrassed if someone saw us~"
Hu Liena stamped her foot and swayed her body coquettishly.
Glancing at their utterly empty surroundings, where there was not even a single bird, Lin Qian walked straight up and placed both hands on her shoulders.
"I'm leaving to carry out a plan."
Hu Liena cried out in alarm, "Where? Will it be dangerous?"
Lin Qian raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. Maybe not."
Hearing his ambiguous answer, Hu Liena completely lost her composure. "When are you leaving?"
"Now. Right away. Immediately."
"I..."
Hu Liena wrung her hands, looking terribly torn, her thoughts unknown.
Lin Qian roughly guessed what she wanted to do and fanned the flames. "Nana, don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Of course I do! You... come closer..."
So Lin Qian leaned closer.
"Mwah!"
Softness pressed against him. Hu Liena had offered him a kiss!
Lin Qian smiled smugly inside, then turned the tables and deepened the kiss...