After returning to Nuoding City, Bibi Dong and the others did not visit the orphanage again, but had Brother Tao arrange accommodations instead.
According to their plan, they would leave for Spirit City tomorrow so Luo Chen could receive the status and treatment he deserved.
Luo Chen was Bibi Dong's disciple, so he only needed to receive the same treatment as Hu Liena.
However, because of Luo Chen's importance, Bibi Dong intended to settle him in the Saintess Hall, where she had always lived, and make further arrangements after she returned from the Star Dou Great Forest.
Of course, there might not be any further arrangements.
Bibi Dong felt that Luo Chen was still young, weak, and sickly. Living with her would make it easier to care for him.
As for bestowing the title of Holy Son upon Luo Chen...
That was impossible, at least for now.
In Spirit Hall, the Holy Son and Holy Maiden were equivalent to heirs in line to succeed the Supreme Pontiff.
No matter how much potential Luo Chen had, Bibi Dong could not possibly make him the Holy Son now.
After all, the stunning Supreme Pontiff had yet to gain a firm foothold in Spirit Hall herself. What right did she have to appoint Luo Chen as the new heir?
With Qian Daoliu's support, that would naturally be another matter, but Bibi Dong would never hand Luo Chen over to Qian Daoliu.
If Qian Daoliu dared lay a hand on Luo Chen, Bibi Dong would absolutely fight that old man to the death.
There was no helping it. Luo Chen's potential was too great. Once the Worship Hall obtained his power, Bibi Dong reckoned she could forget about taking revenge for the rest of her life.
"Xiao Chen, once you return to Spirit Hall, remember to keep your Martial Soul a secret."
"Especially from those fellows in the Worship Hall." Bibi Dong made no attempt to conceal her disgust for the Qian Family. "Not one of them is any good!"
Fortunately, Bibi Dong trusted Luo Chen fairly well.
Luo Chen was very clever, and they had already established their relationship as master and disciple. By the conventions of the Douluo Continent, the two of them were now thoroughly bound together.
Bibi Dong was not worried that Luo Chen would side with the Worship Hall.
If he really did that, his reputation would be ruined.
It could be said that from the moment Luo Chen became her disciple, his allegiance was no longer to Spirit Hall, but to Bibi Dong herself.
The one Bibi Dong truly worried about was that old fellow Qian Daoliu.
If Qian Daoliu learned of Luo Chen's potential and that old bastard placed him under house arrest, Bibi Dong feared she really might go mad.
"The Worship Hall?"
Seeing Luo Chen's confusion, Bibi Dong explained Spirit Hall's internal situation to him. "Although your teacher is the Supreme Pontiff, my word is not absolute in Spirit Hall."
Spirit Hall's decision-making body consisted of a group of elders, who issued directives through voting.
Bibi Dong was the Supreme Pontiff, but that merely gave her a few more votes than the others.
"Don't worry, Teacher."
Luo Chen said, "I'm your disciple. Of course I'll stand on your side."
Well, regardless of whether those words were sincere, Luo Chen had to say them.
"Xiao Chen..."
Bibi Dong did not doubt him at all. Instead, Luo Chen's firm attitude moved her.
The stunning Supreme Pontiff was not stupid, but a lovestruck brain did not manifest only in romantic love.
Once Luo Chen occupied an important place in Bibi Dong's heart, the stunning Supreme Pontiff's intelligence plummeted whenever she faced this disciple, soon becoming rather inadequate.
Leaving Luo Chen alone in Spirit Hall would not pose any safety issues, but Bibi Dong truly could not feel at ease.
Unfortunately, she could not bring Luo Chen with her. I can only hurry there and back.
"Oh, right, Teacher."
Xiao Chen asked, "That uncle from this morning, was he a friend of yours?"
At Luo Chen's mention of Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong's expression changed slightly, but she still answered, "He's the old friend I mentioned before, the one who could help resolve your physical condition."
She did not tell Luo Chen about her relationship with Yu Xiaogang.
Although Luo Chen would learn about such things in Spirit Hall sooner or later.
Still, Bibi Dong simply could not bring herself to tell her disciple face-to-face about her tormented romance with Yu Xiaogang when she was young.
"But now, of course, there's no need to trouble him."
Next, Bibi Dong said quite a few good things about Yu Xiaogang to Luo Chen.
Things like how Yu Xiaogang was the continent's foremost theoretical master, how he had proposed the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, and how, despite a Martial Soul Mutation preventing him from advancing beyond Soul Elder, his spirit remained unbroken despite his disability, and he had never given up on proving himself.
"."
Luo Chen was somewhat bewildered by what he heard.
It was not that he was jealous of Yu Xiaogang or anything. He simply felt that Bibi Dong's description of Yu Xiaogang clearly carried the rose-tinted filter peculiar to a lovestruck brain.
"Teacher, do you owe Yu Xiaogang a lot of money?"
"What?"
Luo Chen's sudden remark left Bibi Dong at a loss. "Why would you say that?"
"Because you're far too servile when you face Yu Xiaogang, Teacher."
"???"
Luo Chen had left Bibi Dong completely baffled.
Servile? What did he mean, servile?
Her own disciple had actually called her servile?
What a joke!
She was Bibi Dong, the reigning Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, the inheritor of the Rakshasa Godhood who was about to break through to Titled Douluo. Who would dare describe her as servile?
It was only because Luo Chen was the one who had said it.
Had it been anyone else, Bibi Dong would absolutely have shown them what the Supreme Pontiff's wrath meant.
"Xiao Chen, you don't understand..."
However, Bibi Dong had to admit that Luo Chen had struck her weak spot.
Before Yu Xiaogang, no matter how dignified, solemn, or overbearing she appeared, deep down, Bibi Dong still harbored an indescribable sense of inferiority.
She was no longer clean. She was unworthy of Yu Xiaogang.
Her debt to Yu Xiaogang, coupled with her inferiority, reflected Bibi Dong's true feelings.
At the same time, it was also what Luo Chen intended to exploit.
"Teacher, I don't know what happened between you, but I don't want to see you feeling indebted to someone else."
Luo Chen said, "If you feel you can't repay it, then let your disciple help you."
"What?"
Bibi Dong froze, clearly not having expected Luo Chen to say that. "Xiao Chen, th-this is my affair. You don't need to..."
"Teacher, I once heard a saying."
Luo Chen said, "When there is work to be done, the disciple shoulders the toil."
Bibi Dong did not understand the original meaning of those words.
But taken at face value, they meant that when a teacher encountered difficulties, their disciple had a duty to serve them.
The master-disciple relationship here was not like that between teachers and students in his previous life. Rather, disciples were true inheritors, in a relationship akin to that of father and son.
"What sort of saying is that..."
Although Bibi Dong said that, her heart was as sweet as if she had eaten honey.
Although Luo Chen was only a child, the experience of being cared for and kept in someone's thoughts truly made Bibi Dong feel as though happiness had enveloped her body and soul.
Once again, Bibi Dong felt fortunate to have met a disciple like Luo Chen.
"Don't worry, Teacher. I won't put you in a difficult position."
"Your past doesn't matter to me."
Luo Chen said, "I only want to help you, Teacher. At the very least, when you face Yu Xiaogang in the future, you won't have to be as servile as you are now."
"Xiao Chen..."
Bibi Dong felt a sting at the corners of her eyes, and even her eyes reddened slightly. "Thank you, Xiao Chen."
The present Bibi Dong was not yet the domineering, cold-hearted Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall she would become.
Less than two months had passed since she had escaped Qian Xunji's control.
For nine whole years, Bibi Dong had lived in Qian Xunji's shadow, cold, lonely, and sorrowful.
In Bibi Dong's eyes, everything was nothing more than false affection and pretense.
That was also why Yu Xiaogang held such weight in Bibi Dong's heart, almost to the point where she lived for him.
However, all of that was in the past, after all.
The two had not seen each other for nearly ten years. However deep their feelings, they had inevitably become somewhat vague and illusory.
Did Yu Xiaogang truly still love her?
Was he worth all she gave him?
Like lovers living far apart, without enough contact, they would ultimately drift into strangers because of other people and other matters.
In the original story, Yu Xiaogang had risen powerfully with Tang San and the Shrek Team, crashing into Bibi Dong's world like a comet and leaving a deep mark on her heart.
It was precisely this that had proven Yu Xiaogang's talent and made Bibi Dong feel regret.
But suppose Yu Xiaogang had never met Tang San and had remained in Nuoding City all his life, accomplishing nothing.
While Bibi Dong reached the pinnacle of the continent and attained godhood at level one hundred.
By then, Bibi Dong might find her past self laughable, for having spent so many years miserable over a piece of trash.
"This will make Bibi Dong change her heart?"
Watching their conversation, Na'er asked, "And forget that useless Grandmaster?"
Since Luo Chen genuinely wanted to help Bibi Dong emerge from her past, and the stunning Supreme Pontiff had clearly never experienced such wholehearted care.
Bibi Dong already lacked love. How could she withstand being cherished in every possible way like this?
"I admit, there's an element of gambling involved."
Luo Chen smiled. "But even if we lose the gamble, we won't lose anything, will we?"
The reason Luo Chen had said so much to Bibi Dong was to seize this opportunity to take Yu Xiaogang's Dragon Clan Origin.
And saddle Yu Xiaogang with the blame in the process.
Finally, Luo Chen also wanted to test just what sort of place he held in Bibi Dong's heart.
"But, Xiao Chen, I appreciate your kindness."
Understanding Luo Chen's intentions truly made her happy. Unfortunately, Bibi Dong really did not know how to compensate Yu Xiaogang, so she could only give a helpless, bitter smile. "Even if I really do owe him, if it's something even I can't accomplish, what could you do, Xiao Chen?"
"Teacher."
Luo Chen smiled slightly. "Perhaps I really do have a way."
"You said that Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul Mutation left him unable to advance beyond level thirty for his entire life, so he chose the path of Martial Soul Theory to prove his talent."
"That's right."
Bibi Dong vaguely guessed what Luo Chen meant. "Could it be that you want to restore Xiao Gang's Martial Soul?"
"Exactly. That's my plan."
Luo Chen asked, "Teacher, if I help Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang restore his Martial Soul so he can cultivate again..."
"Would that favor be enough for you to stop feeling guilty toward him?"
Luo Chen did not like hypocrites like Yu Xiaogang in the slightest.
Naturally, Luo Chen could help Yu Xiaogang restore his Martial Soul.
He could even use the Sun Disc's power to let Yu Xiaogang awaken the Golden Sacred Dragon Martial Soul directly.
But how could Luo Chen possibly waste the Sun Disc's Ascended Power on this fellow for nothing?
"No!"
However, Bibi Dong's answer was beyond Luo Chen's expectations. "Your body is so weak. If you were hurt because of my affairs, how could I live with myself?"
I owe Xiao Gang, but I owe Xiao Chen too!
Bibi Dong thought, If I hurt Xiao Chen for Xiao Gang's sake... no, I can't do that!
"..."
Originally, Luo Chen had thought Bibi Dong's lovestruck brain would flare up and she would take the initiative to ask him to perform an Ascension Ritual for Yu Xiaogang.
But to Luo Chen's surprise, perhaps he truly did hold a certain weight in Bibi Dong's heart.
She had not chosen to expose and squander Luo Chen's power for Yu Xiaogang's sake.
For some inexplicable reason, Luo Chen actually felt a little like a scumbag. No, this isn't being a scumbag. I haven't hurt Teacher.
"Teacher, you're worrying too much."
Luo Chen could not possibly let such a good opportunity slip away. He continued, "The Ascension Ritual consumes Ascended Power, and what I'll be doing this time is Martial Soul restoration. It has nothing to do with the Ascension Ritual."
"Nothing to do with it?"
Meanwhile, after hearing Luo Chen's words, Bibi Dong fell silent.
"Really? It really has nothing to do with it?"
Bibi Dong said, "Xiao Chen, you aren't lying to your teacher?"
"Absolutely not!"
Seeing Luo Chen give such a firm assurance, Bibi Dong's heart finally wavered somewhat, and she finally began considering whether his proposal was feasible.
When Xiao Gang first came to Spirit Hall, it was to resolve the problem of his Martial Soul Mutation.
Although I let down his affection, if I have Xiao Chen help restore his Martial Soul, with such an enormous favor, what right would he have to blame me again?
Of course, Bibi Dong had indeed considered asking Luo Chen to act earlier.
Unfortunately, just as Luo Chen had thought, when choosing between keeping Luo Chen's secret and giving Yu Xiaogang hope, Bibi Dong had chosen the former.
There was no helping it. When it came to indebtedness and guilt, Bibi Dong felt no less toward Luo Chen.
If they really were talking about being servile, she was even more servile before Luo Chen.
"Xiao Chen, are you really willing to do this?"
Bibi Dong sighed and said, "Your teacher is the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall. Your ability is far too shocking. If it's accidentally exposed, you'll be in grave danger."
She had already hurt Luo Chen once, causing him to suffer from deadly poison since childhood.
And now, to use Luo Chen again for her own selfish desires was something Bibi Dong truly did not want to do, because it would remind her of her own teacher, Qian Xunji.
She, Bibi Dong, would never become a beast like Qian Xunji!
"Don't worry, Teacher. It won't be exposed."
"What?"
"Simply resolving Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul problem won't be enough to expose the Sun Disc's secret."
Luo Chen said, "Teacher, you only need to say that my Martial Soul is a support-type Martial Soul with the power to heal injuries and repair other people's Martial Souls."
"That way, as long as I control it well enough, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang definitely won't be able to tell."
"Is that so?"
Bibi Dong was somewhat tempted, but then she thought of her status as Supreme Pontiff. "But I just said that your Martial Soul is a secret of our Spirit Hall, Xiao Chen. It can't be used lightly."
In truth, this was no problem at all. Bibi Dong had always been forceful; how could she really care about such things?
Bibi Dong said this because she did not want Luo Chen to misunderstand and think she was treating him as a tool.
Still, Bibi Dong was tempted after all. After Luo Chen persuaded her again, she finally made her choice. "You must be tired after hunting soul beasts today, Xiao Chen. Leave Xiao Gang's matter for me to arrange."
"If you really do help Xiao Gang restore his Martial Soul, Xiao Chen..."
A smile shone in Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes. "Then who owes whom may no longer be so certain."
(End of chapter)