"Mom!"
Just as Bibi Dong was enjoying snuggling with her favorite disciple, a girl's voice, both familiar and unfamiliar, came from behind her.
"Hmm?"
The smile on Bibi Dong's face vanished like smoke.
She turned around and saw Qian Renxue descending from the sky.
That golden hair, those snow-white angel wings-merely appearing before Bibi Dong was enough for Xiao Xue'er to keep testing the limits of her patience.
"What are you doing here?"
Bibi Dong's voice was utterly cold. Compared with how she treated Luo Chen, she seemed like a different person. "Didn't I tell you never to appear before me again?"
"But Mom, I... I was so worried about you..."
"Get out!"
Bibi Dong's words were like an icy blade, plunging viciously into Qian Renxue's heart.
She could no longer hold back her tears.
"Why?"
Xiao Xue'er cried out, "Why are you treating me like this?!"
"You were so nice to him."
Sometimes, Qian Renxue had wondered whether her mother, Bibi Dong, was a woman with a heart of stone.
But now, the answer was obvious.
She wasn't.
Qian Renxue had never seen her mother so gentle.
The way she looked at Luo Chen, her soft voice when she spoke to him, her meticulous care-all of it proved that she understood love and was willing to give it.
"..."
Qian Renxue's words surprised Bibi Dong somewhat.
In truth, Bibi Dong loved Qian Renxue. Otherwise, her affection for Luo Chen would not have stopped at the ultimate level.
The reason it could not reach the absolute level was that Qian Renxue still held a certain place in Bibi Dong's heart.
Her resistance stemmed solely from not knowing how to face this daughter of hers.
"What did I do wrong to make you hate me so much?!"
Qian Renxue demanded, "Is it just because I'm your daughter, while he's your son?"
"What?"
Bibi Dong, who had just been agonizing over how to face her daughter, was immediately left at a loss by Qian Renxue's words.
What was this about daughters and sons?
Bibi Dong quickly understood what Qian Renxue meant, realizing that she had mistakenly assumed she favored boys over girls.
"So what if it is?"
Yet Bibi Dong had no intention of explaining. She would have loved for Luo Chen to be her biological son. "Compared with Xiao Chen, you're nothing!"
Indeed, the gap was enormous.
They both had god-level Martial Souls, yet Qian Renxue was only at level thirty-something at nine years old, while Luo Chen had reached level thirty upon awakening.
As for their Martial Souls' abilities, Luo Chen was a cheat who could casually create a top-level Martial Soul, a super Martial Soul, two ultimate Martial Souls, and a god-level Martial Soul.
What qualifications did the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul have to be mentioned in the same breath as the Sun Disc?
"How... how could you do this?"
Qian Renxue felt terribly wronged. She wiped her tears while glaring fiercely at Luo Chen.
"Ahem, cough, cough."
Luo Chen coughed a couple of times, drawing the mother and daughter's attention to himself, then explained, "You... must be Teacher's daughter, right?"
"You've misunderstood. I'm not Teacher's child."
"Xiao Chen..."
Bibi Dong turned back and pursed her lips in displeasure.
The sight truly left Luo Chen unsure whether to laugh or cry.
It was hard to imagine that the woman acting spoiled and complaining to him was the same Spirit Hall Supreme Pontiff who had dared to confront Qian Daoliu not long ago.
"Y-you aren't?"
Qian Renxue's eyes were full of suspicion. She thought Luo Chen was lying to her.
Yet Bibi Dong's reaction seemed to confirm the truth of his words.
Could he really not be my little brother?
But even so, Mom's kindness toward him is still real.
After learning that Luo Chen was not Bibi Dong's biological son, Qian Renxue's jealousy did not diminish in the slightest. Instead, it grew. "You can treat a disciple who isn't even related to you so well, so why are you so cold and heartless toward me?"
"Enough!"
Bibi Dong stared coldly at Qian Renxue. "Get out of here right now, before I lose my temper!"
Boom!
Surging Soul Power swept Qian Renxue several meters away like a miniature storm, slamming her hard onto the ground.
"Ah..."
The girl landed amid the rubble Bibi Dong had shattered earlier. Broken stones cut her slender, fair hand, and blood immediately stained her sleeve red.
Xiao Xue!
Seeing this, Bibi Dong instinctively wanted to step forward.
But the moment she remembered what Qian Xunji had done to her, Bibi Dong abruptly clenched the hand she had slightly raised.
"Let this be a lesson."
The stunning Supreme Pontiff tried her best to appear indifferent. "Next time, I won't show you mercy."
Even if she could become the Angel God in the future, the present Qian Renxue was merely a little girl not yet ten years old.
"Why... why are you treating me like this? Waaa..."
Large teardrops kept falling. Xiao Xue'er could no longer hold on and ran out, bursting into sobs.
"Sigh..."
At the sight, Qian Daoliu could not help sighing. "Xiao Xue is your daughter, after all."
"She's not my daughter!"
Bibi Dong was torn inside. She wanted to love Qian Renxue.
But whenever she saw that child, painful memories surfaced in her mind.
A pitch-black secret chamber, an icy dungeon, a captive girl.
To make her give birth to Qian Renxue, Qian Xunji had not only threatened her with Yu Xiaogang, but also imprisoned her underground, where the sun never shone, for an entire year!
Alone, with nothing but loneliness and despair.
Not hating Qian Renxue was already the limit of what Bibi Dong could manage.
"Sigh."
Qian Daoliu knew he was in the wrong. He truly wanted to dig up that father-sabotaging fool of his and beat him to death himself.
I've had an illustrious reputation all my life. How did I end up fathering such a bastard?
The Great Enshrined left the Papal Palace, cursing under his breath, and went to find Xiao Xue'er.
"Teacher."
Luo Chen feigned ignorance. "Was that pretty big sister your daughter?"
"..."
Had anyone else asked, Bibi Dong would definitely have said, "She's no daughter of mine."
But this was Luo Chen.
He alone was someone Bibi Dong could not even bring herself to deceive.
"Her name is Qian Renxue. She's my daughter."
Bibi Dong did not want to hide anything from Luo Chen, but she truly did not want him to learn about that humiliating past.
She feared that once Luo Chen knew, he would look down on her.
"I believe you must have your reasons for doing this, Teacher."
Without suffering another's hardships, do not urge them to be kind.
Precisely because Luo Chen knew Bibi Dong's past, he could not speak up.
"Xiao Chen..."
Bibi Dong was touched by Luo Chen's understanding, but she truly did not want her disciple involved with that accursed child, so she took the initiative to change the subject. "Although you can just about get out of bed and walk now, your body is still far too weak."
"I originally intended to have you study at Spirit Hall Academy," Bibi Dong said. "But with you like this, I really can't rest easy."
Spirit Hall Academy was the key to Spirit Hall's cultivation of a new generation of Soul Masters.
Holding the reins of education was equivalent to controlling Spirit Hall's future, which made Bibi Dong pay particular attention to Spirit Hall Academy.
However, her disciple's safety was far more important than any of that.
"Teacher, I'm really fine."
Luo Chen did not want to be like a canary, confined to the Papal Palace.
He knew his own circumstances.
Na'er's spatial abilities were ridiculously broken. Even a Peerless Douluo could not stop her from escaping with Luo Chen.
In fact, Soul Masters who had undergone the Ascension Ritual, such as Bibi Dong, Wang Sheng, and Hu Liena, naturally carried invisible spatial anchors on their bodies.
Whenever Luo Chen wished, he could immediately teleport to their sides.
Thus, Luo Chen was not worried about his safety at all.
With a weapon of mass destruction like Bibi Dong, he could teleport to the stunning Supreme Pontiff's side whenever he could not win a fight.
When that happened, the game would become something like this.
Luo Chen: I summon Spirit Hall Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong in attack position!
Luo Chen: Bibi Dong, I choose you!
Luo Chen: Bibi Dong, ultimate evolution! Demonic Abyss Divine Empress mode!
As a Soul Master with connections and backing, calling his teacher when he could not win was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?
"Hmm, from now on, I'll call my ultimate move 'Come forth, Bibi Dong.'"
At this point in time, unless a deity descended in person, there really was no one who could defeat Bibi Dong after the massive boost Luo Chen had given her.
"Teacher, my Celestial Star Crown actually has another special ability."
Afterward, to reassure Bibi Dong, Luo Chen told her about his spatial ability.
He did not reveal Na'er's existence, only saying that it was an ability derived from the Celestial Star Crown's first Soul Skill: control over the spatial element.
"What?!"
Bibi Dong was very surprised.
Teleportation-type Soul Skills were rare, but they did exist.
Yet Bibi Dong had truly never heard of such a method of teleporting over immense distances.
"Then, Xiao Chen, can you teleport me to your side?"
Bibi Dong did not mind Luo Chen leaving a mark on her. Instead, she considered it a symbol of their deep bond as teacher and disciple, a pleasant surprise that would allow Luo Chen to return to her side at any time.
"Uh..."
Luo Chen had considered that. He asked Na'er, who gave him an affirmative answer.
"I can, but summoning you would require your consent, Teacher."
Bibi Dong was far too powerful. Even if she did not resist Na'er's summoning at all, Luo Chen would still need at least ten seconds to construct a passage connecting them.
"Of course I'd agree!"
Bibi Dong did not even stop to think. How could she possibly refuse Luo Chen's request?
Besides, if Luo Chen summoned her, he would surely have encountered some danger.
If that truly happened, no matter what Bibi Dong was doing, she would appear by Luo Chen's side at the first opportunity and shoulder everything for him.
"In that case, you have even less reason to worry about me, Teacher."
Moreover, Spirit Hall Academy was right within Spirit City, not far from the Papal Palace.
With Bibi Dong's strength, once she received Luo Chen's summoning request, she would not even need ten seconds to reach Spirit Hall Academy from the Papal Palace.
"You little rascal."
Bibi Dong sighed helplessly. She knew she could not keep Luo Chen locked up here. "All right, you can attend Spirit Hall Academy, but you must agree to a few conditions."
"First, you must not reveal your identity."
"Second, I'll conceal your Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power, and Soul Power for you, and you must not reveal any of them to anyone else."
Luo Chen's existence could be considered Spirit Hall's highest secret. Only six people currently knew the secrets of his absurdly powerful Ascension Ritual.
Bibi Dong would have a proper talk with Qian Daoliu.
From what Bibi Dong knew of the Great Enshrined, as long as Qian Daoliu wanted Spirit Hall to go further, he would certainly give Luo Chen the best protection.
As for Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo, those two were already Bibi Dong's trusted subordinates and core members of Spirit Hall. They could not possibly betray her.
"I'll tell Wang Sheng and Nana about this, then transfer you and Wang Sheng into Nana's class."
This way, Wang Sheng and Hu Liena would look after Luo Chen at the academy, while another Titled Douluo-level fighter would be secretly dispatched to protect him at all times.
On top of that, he would be within Spirit City, with Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu watching over him.
Under this triple protection, as long as Luo Chen did not leave Spirit City, absolutely no one could threaten him.
"Xiao Chen, you're my disciple, but for your safety, I hope you'll enter the academy as an ordinary Spirit Hall disciple."
If Luo Chen's Innate Soul Power had only been level ten, Bibi Dong would not have been so worried.
But level-thirty Innate Soul Power was truly too terrifying.
If the other sects learned of Luo Chen's existence, they would certainly spare no cost to make him disappear forever.
Otherwise, once Luo Chen matured, no one in this world would be able to halt Spirit Hall's advance.
In this respect, Qian Renxue was actually the same.
To protect the little angel, Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji had falsely claimed that the previous Supreme Pontiff's daughter had died young.
As a result, Qian Renxue's existence was known only among Spirit Hall's highest ranks.
"Don't blame me. I'm doing this for your safety."
Bibi Dong lovingly stroked Luo Chen's face. "If you can agree to these two conditions, I'll let you attend Spirit Hall Academy."
"Um..."
Luo Chen scratched his head awkwardly and said with a smile, "Teacher, I actually don't really want to study at Spirit Hall Academy."
"Huh?"
Bibi Dong froze for a moment, only then realizing that everything she had just said had been wasted breath. "Xiao Chen, you don't want to go to the academy? Then..."
"Teacher, I just want to learn more, but Spirit Hall Academy..."
Luo Chen said, "As you said yourself, Teacher, my situation is unusual. Being exposed to too many people isn't a good thing."
"So what I had in mind was to ask you to let me enter Spirit Hall's library and give me permission to borrow any book in its collection."
"Oh, I see."
Bibi Dong understood. She had read the information Gui Mei had gathered on Luo Chen and knew that her disciple loved books.
"May I?"
Luo Chen gave her a hopeful look. "Teacher?"
At that moment, Luo Chen's gaze almost melted Bibi Dong's heart.
The anguish and anger Qian Renxue had brought her earlier vanished in an instant.
"You child. You know perfectly well that I can't refuse you, yet you keep pleading and pleading."
Even if Luo Chen wanted the stars in the sky, Bibi Dong would pluck them down for him. "If you need anything in the future, just tell me. Understood?"
Besides, Luo Chen merely wanted to read the books in the library. How did that even count as a request?
As the Supreme Pontiff's disciple, Luo Chen already had that privilege.
Of course, Bibi Dong also agreed to Luo Chen's proposal not to attend Spirit Hall Academy.
"Thank you, Teacher. You're so good to me."
Luo Chen didn't want to attend the academy. He had no interest in socializing.
As for friends, didn't he already have Hu Liena and Wang Sheng?
Looking at the original story, even by the end, Tang San had really only been particularly close to the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils.
In the Douluo World, the strong reigned supreme.
Though it wasn't a very nice thing to say, anyone who could continue walking alongside Luo Chen in the future would at least need Innate Full Soul Power, like Wang Sheng.
"I told you not to thank me!"
Bibi Dong kneaded Luo Chen's cheeks in displeasure. "Keep doing that, and I'll get angry!"
"Got ish."
"Pfft."
Luo Chen's aggrieved gaze made Bibi Dong laugh, and she gave him a few more reminders about things to watch out for.
Luo Chen agreed to every one, fully displaying the qualities a well-behaved, sensible disciple ought to have.
"Waaah..."
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue ran out of the Papal Palace in tears.
The guards noticed Xiao Xue'er. Most of them didn't know who Qian Renxue was, only that she came from the Worship Hall and was probably a descendant of one of the worshippers.
However, Qian Renxue's status was extremely high. With that worshipper's token hanging at the girl's waist, no one dared stop this little princess.
"Why do you treat me like this?"
Finding a deserted spot, Qian Renxue crouched in a corner and wiped away her tears. "I'd be satisfied even if you treated me a tenth as well as you treat him."
"But I... I don't get even a little."
"Waaah..."
She had clearly already resolved not to acknowledge Bibi Dong as her mother, yet seeing her treat Luo Chen with such tenderness broke through Qian Renxue's defenses again.
"Xiao Xue..."
Qian Daoliu couldn't bear to see his granddaughter so heartbroken.
"Grandpa!"
Seeing her grandfather, Qian Renxue threw herself into his arms, crying. "Why? What did I ever do wrong for her to hate me so much?"
She didn't care whether Luo Chen was Bibi Dong's child.
If he was, it meant Bibi Dong simply didn't like her.
If he wasn't, that was even crueler.
Because Bibi Dong would rather love an outsider than spare even a tiny bit of love for her own daughter.
How were they anything like mother and daughter?
Even hatred for someone who had killed one's father or stolen one's wife would only amount to this, wouldn't it?
"Xiao Xue."
Qian Daoliu didn't know how to comfort her. All he could do was stroke his granddaughter's little head and let her vent in his arms.
Just what can I do to make Bibi Dong accept Xiao Xue?
Seeing his granddaughter cry like this, Qian Daoliu felt as though a knife were twisting in his heart.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Luo Chen's face appeared before Qian Daoliu's eyes like a thunderbolt, jolting him out of his fruitless pondering.
That's right, that child!
Qian Daoliu thought, Isn't he the key to breaking this deadlock?
If that child could marry my Xiao Xue...
No matter the world, elders always paid particular attention to their children's marriages.
Even Qian Daoliu, a Peerless Douluo, was no exception.
Qian Renxue would become a god someday, so she didn't need to consider such things, you say?
As far as Qian Daoliu was concerned, becoming a god was one thing, and getting married was another.
Who said becoming a deity meant one couldn't marry and have children?
"That's right! That's it!"
At that moment, Qian Daoliu was utterly thrilled to have discovered a breakthrough that could ease the relationship between Xiao Xue'er and Bibi Dong.
(End of chapter)