Bibi Dong frowned slightly. "Great Enshrined, are you suspecting me of deliberately stalling?"
"Yes," Qian Daoliu said.
Just as Golden Crocodile had said, even if that boy was wild and unruly, he was still only a child.
If he stayed with Bibi Dong for too long, problems would inevitably arise.
First impressions took root. If Bibi Dong instilled something bad in Xuan Ming, given that child's disposition, it would become far harder for Qian Renxue to control him in the future.
"What if I won't let you see him?" Bibi Dong said.
Qian Daoliu frowned. "Do you think you can stop me?"
"Are you looking to test my abilities, Great Enshrined?" Bibi Dong countered.
"..."
Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes.
He only wanted to take a look and confirm the situation, yet Bibi Dong was willing to clash with him over such a minor matter. Had something happened?
"Move aside," Qian Daoliu said.
"What if I don't?" Bibi Dong's expression turned cold.
Qian Daoliu frowned, sacred Soul Power surging. "For the last time, move aside."
Bibi Dong remained unmoved, entering partial possession with her Death Spider Emperor, with no intention of giving way.
Seeing this, Qian Daoliu grew even more suspicious.
Had something really happened?
Hum!
Sacred, searing Soul Power surged out of Qian Daoliu and blasted forward, forcibly smashing open the chamber doors and driving Bibi Dong back several meters.
Hearing the commotion, Xuan Ming poked his head out of the wooden tub and saw the menacing Qian Daoliu, along with Bibi Dong, whose face was deathly pale and whose lips were bleeding.
In an instant, the two black dragons behind Xuan Ming erupted with a savage presence, fixing their gazes on Qian Daoliu.
"..."
Qian Daoliu froze slightly, instinctively looking at the weakened Bibi Dong.
You set me up?!
Chapter 54: Once You Grow Up, You Can't Cry Anymore
"You... how are you?"
Realizing he had been set up, Qian Daoliu offered no useless explanations and simply turned to leave.
One had painstakingly helped repair a Martial Soul, while the other had barged in unreasonably and even injured her. How could he explain a situation like that?
Facts spoke louder than words!
Trying to explain would only paint it blacker!
"I'm fine. Just focus on soaking in your medicinal bath."
Bibi Dong sealed the chamber doors, returned to the bed, and sat cross-legged, circulating her power to recover.
The gap between Level 98 and Level 99 was still far too great. She needed to find an opportunity to add more Soul Rings to her Soul Devouring Spider Emperor. With another two top-tier Soul Beast Soul Rings over eighty thousand years old, she should be able to reach Level 99. Then, that thing could begin as well...
Several more days passed, and after several changes of medicinal broth, Xuan Ming could finally move normally.
This kind of Martial Soul repair required cutting apart the abnormally adhered sections and stitching together the parts that should have been connected. It was just like surgery, except the patient was a Martial Soul, and there was no anesthetic.
With a normal Martial Soul, it probably would not have been too difficult, but his two Martial Souls were far too ferocious and became extremely restless during the repairs. It was like operating on a wounded patient who kept struggling and resisting. Even though he had done his best to suppress them, the process had still been troublesome.
On top of that, his Black Dragon Martial Soul affected his body far too much. During the repairs, his entire body had felt as though it were being torn apart by the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor, nearly driving him to a breakdown.
The newly repaired Martial Souls were extremely fragile, just like a patient fresh out of surgery. He could not move recklessly and had to wait for the wounds to heal. For the past few days, he had soaked in the medicinal bath as though his entire body were paralyzed, barely able to move anything except his neck.
Seeing that Bibi Dong was still cultivating with her eyes closed, Xuan Ming carefully stepped out of the wooden tub and put on his clothes.
"I've already been looking at your bare backside for over half a month, and you're still embarrassed?" Bibi Dong suddenly spoke.
Xuan Ming's expression stiffened. "That's different."
"How is it different?" Bibi Dong opened her eyes.
"Looking is your business. Covering up is mine," Xuan Ming said.
Bibi Dong raised her eyebrows. "What if I insist on looking?"
"You can act like a hooligan, but I can't abandon my shame," Xuan Ming said.
Bibi Dong's face darkened. "Come here!"
Xuan Ming hesitated, but still walked over. "What for?"
"Smile," Bibi Dong said.
Xuan Ming looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Your Martial Soul problem has been resolved. Aren't you happy?" Bibi Dong asked.
"I am," Xuan Ming said.
"Then why the long face?" Bibi Dong reached out with her right hand and pinched his left cheek.
"Give me a smile. I've never seen you smile."
"I can't smile." Xuan Ming tried to pull Bibi Dong's hand away.
But the moment he raised his hand, Bibi Dong brought her other hand up too, squeezing his face and tugging his features into expressions!
When he tried to resist, Bibi Dong simply grabbed his face and started kneading it.
Faced with the enormous disparity in strength, Xuan Ming could only give up resisting.
Only after playing with him for quite a while longer did Bibi Dong finally let him go.
If she had played with him like this before, those two dragons behind the boy would definitely have tried to bite her.
Now, however, they barely reacted and simply let her do as she pleased.
"Children should smile more. Don't keep such a stiff face all day," Bibi Dong said.
"Why?" Xuan Ming asked.
"Because if you don't smile now, you'll find it even harder once you grow up," Bibi Dong said.
"Smile now, and at least you'll know how to fake one later."
"Otherwise, you won't even be able to fake it."
"Why would I need to fake a smile?" Xuan Ming asked.
Bibi Dong rose, stepped onto the floor, and took Xuan Ming with her out of the chamber.
"Because once you grow up, you can't cry anymore."
"Teacher, you... you're injured?"
Having heard that Bibi Dong had emerged from seclusion, Hu Liena hurried over from Spirit Hall Academy and immediately noticed that her complexion looked off.
"I'm not injured. I've just expended quite a lot," Bibi Dong said.
"I'll be fine after resting for a while."
"Really?" Hu Liena was a little worried.
"Don't worry. I'm fine," Bibi Dong said.
"Also, Xuan Ming still needs some time to recuperate. He won't be going to Spirit Hall Academy for now."
Hu Liena nodded. "Teacher, has his problem... been resolved?"
"Basically," Bibi Dong said.
"Basically?" Hu Liena froze.
"Are there other problems?"
"I've dealt with the trouble caused by the conflict between his Martial Souls, but there's nothing I can do about the flaws in the Martial Souls themselves," Bibi Dong said.
The Black Dragon Martial Soul still carried a considerable risk of losing control, and the Blood Spear Martial Soul still possessed its devouring trait. These were inherent flaws from their Martial Soul Mutation, and she could do nothing about them.
Her repairs had merely ensured that Xuan Ming would not explode from the conflict between his two Martial Souls.
"As for the Black Dragon Martial Soul losing control, cultivate your Blood Spear first for now. Once your cultivation rises and you have sufficiently strong spiritual power and willpower, you can cultivate it. There probably won't be any major problems then," Bibi Dong said.
"As for the Blood Spear Martial Soul's devouring... there should be a limit."
While repairing the Blood Spear Martial Soul, she had discovered that most of what it devoured went toward nourishing itself, while a small portion was fed back to Xuan Ming.
However, if what it devoured was not enough to feed the Blood Spear itself, it would begin devouring Xuan Ming at a drastic rate, taking far more than it gave back.
At the same time, the more the Blood Spear ate, the higher its quality became, and the greater its appetite grew.
If it ate too much in one go and its appetite grew too large, it could easily fall into a vicious cycle.
Thus, the Blood Spear's growth absolutely could not outstrip Xuan Ming's by too much, or he would be unable to sustain its consumption.
"Take it slowly. You're still alive after going through so many misfortunes. That means although your luck is bad, your life is pretty tenacious," Bibi Dong said.
Hu Liena looked at her oddly. "Teacher, is that any way to comfort someone?"
"Well, I can't just close my eyes and say he's blessed with great fortune and longevity, can I?" Bibi Dong said.
"Do you think that would fit?"
"Uh..." Hu Liena was momentarily at a loss for words.
Xuan Ming's luck truly left much to be desired. The fact that he had survived until now was purely down to his tenacious hold on life!
"All right, I..." Bibi Dong's gaze shifted slightly.
"Nana, take Xuan Ming out back."
"Huh? Oh." Hu Liena paused, then took Xuan Ming and jogged away.
"..."
"Is there any need to be in such a hurry?" Bibi Dong asked rather coldly.
"The Great Enshrined sent me to take a look. If the problem's resolved, I'm to bring him back," Golden Crocodile Douluo said.
"As it happens, the crown prince should be formally appointed soon. This boy can be put to use too."
"He still needs some time to recover," Bibi Dong said.
"Does he need to recover, or do you want to play some tricks?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked coldly.
"If you don't believe me, Elder Golden Crocodile, you're welcome to take him away right now," Bibi Dong said indifferently.
"But if something goes wrong later, don't come looking for me!"
"..."
"I'll give you another half a month." Golden Crocodile Douluo turned to leave.
"Don't forget, you were the one who proposed the Heaven Dou Empire plan. Now that the plan needs support, you should cooperate fully."
"I'll come for him in half a month. Don't let some other problem crop up then."
"Stop," Bibi Dong called.
"What is it?" Golden Crocodile Douluo stopped and asked without turning around.
Bibi Dong took out a list and tossed it toward Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Have these things delivered within three days."
Golden Crocodile Douluo glanced over it, and his face instantly fell. "Bibi Dong, don't go too far."
This was outright robbery!
"Don't you know what damage to a Martial Soul means, Elder Golden Crocodile?" Bibi Dong said.