Qian Xunji: I Never Agreed! An Yi: I Never Asked You, Either

Over the next month, Qian Renxue indeed never came looking for An Yi again.

An Yi didn't mind. He spent most of his time in Saintess Hall, burying himself in research alongside Bibi Dong as they worked to improve Soul Tools.

With the experience he had gained making the first generation of cultivation armor, coupled with the Soul Guidance Grand Library's continued guidance, he made rapid progress.

Before long, he had successfully created a second-generation suit of Soul Guidance Cultivation Armor capable of exerting enough pressure on his body, which was now comparable to that of a Titled Douluo.

Night fell, and stars dotted the sky.

The two had spent the entire day testing and tinkering with the cultivation armor and were exhausted. They lay side by side on the grass in the little garden, resting.

With his hands tucked behind his head, An Yi gazed at the night sky and suddenly asked, "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

Bibi Dong was taken aback. She turned to look at him in surprise. "Go out?"

"Yeah." An Yi stretched. "I've been in Spirit City for a little over two months now, all told, and I've spent every day either in my little courtyard or holed up here in your Saintess Hall. It's gotten pretty dull."

"Let's go out for a walk."

Bibi Dong's gaze shifted slightly. "Where to?"

An Yi thought for a moment, then said, "Winter's almost here. Let's head north. We might even get to see some snow."

Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, a trace of sorrow flashing through her eyes. "Qian Xunji won't let me leave."

Ever since that year, she had been confined to the tiny patch of ground that was the Pope's Palace. A few years ago, unable to endure the suffocating control any longer, she had volunteered to train in Slaughter City, just to escape her cage for a short while.

But after surviving a narrow escape from death in Slaughter City, she had barely had time to draw a few breaths of freedom before Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo "escorted" her back to Spirit City without leaving her side for a moment, and her sunless life under house arrest resumed.

An Yi turned to look at the dim light in her eyes. His voice was calm. "You only need to tell me whether you want to go out. I'll handle the rest."

Bibi Dong turned her head and looked at him intently. After a long while, she softly uttered a single word.

"Yes."

"Then we'll leave tomorrow," An Yi said. "We'll visit Heaven Dou City. While we're there, I'll see if I can get my hands on the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud."

Bibi Dong looked puzzled. "Didn't you say before that you didn't know where the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was hidden in the imperial palace?"

An Yi scooted closer to her, a sheepish smile on his face. "I lied."

"The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud still has a trace of the Sea God's divine sense in it, and I carry the mark of his divine sense too. The two divine senses come from the same source and can sense each other. As long as the distance isn't too outrageous, how could I fail to find it?"

Bibi Dong froze, then asked through gritted teeth, "Then why did you say that before?"

An Yi blinked, looking utterly innocent. "I was afraid you'd say I wasn't attending to proper business and was neglecting what I should have been doing."

Bibi Dong gritted her teeth. "How many other things are you lying to me about?"

An Yi looked at her strangely. "None. Really, that's all. Why would I lie to you? What good would it do me?"

Bibi Dong stared speechlessly at the man whose mouth ran trains. "You'd better not be lying to me!"

An Yi leaned sideways and buried his head in her bosom, nuzzling her a couple of times.

"Really, that's all. You have to believe me."

Bibi Dong stiffened. His shameless behavior made her laugh in exasperation, and she reached out to push his head away. "Why do you always have to act like such a rascal?! Let go!"

Instead of letting go, An Yi hugged her even tighter.

"No! Kill me if you can."

Early the next morning.

An Yi left Saintess Hall alone and made his way to the Pope's Palace without meeting any obstacles. There he found Qian Xunji seated at the head of the hall.

"I'm planning to take Bibi Dong out for a while."

Qian Xunji frowned slightly and put down the documents in his hands. "Where?"

"Winter's coming," An Yi said mildly. "I'm taking her north to see the snow, and we'll look around Heaven Dou City while we're at it."

Qian Xunji pondered for a moment, then said mildly, "I'll make the arrangements."

"Don't misunderstand." An Yi cut him off. "I mean, I'll just take her myself. Don't send anyone to follow us."

Qian Xunji's face darkened. "No. She's the saintess, and her status is special. The situation on the continent is complicated right now, so her safety must come first. I'll arrange for Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to accompany her and assign guards along the way."

"You know perfectly well whether this is about safety." An Yi scoffed. "I'm not discussing it with you. I'm just letting you know."

With that, An Yi turned and headed out of the hall.

"Stop!"

Qian Xunji shouted angrily and sprang to his feet.

"An Yi! Do you really think you can run wild in the Pope's Palace?!"

An Yi stopped and looked back, somewhat amused. "What, you want to fight again?"

"Last time, I didn't want to fight you because Qian Renxue was there."

"This time, if you make a move, I guarantee I'll twist your head off!"

An Yi stared at him. "Want to try?"

Qian Xunji laughed in anger, Soul Power faintly surging around him. "An Yi, you really don't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is! Do you really think I'm afraid of you?!"

An Yi ignored him entirely, turning to continue out.

"If you want to make a move, do it. I can't be bothered wasting words on you."

"Last time, I spared your life for your old man's sake. If you dare make a move again today, even Qian Daoliu won't be able to save you."

"You!" Qian Xunji ground his teeth in anger, his fists clenching with a crackle.

Yet even after An Yi's figure had completely disappeared beyond the hall doors, he still didn't dare take that step.

It wasn't that he, a dignified Titled Douluo, thought he couldn't beat a Soul Saint. He was afraid that if they completely tore apart all pretenses, the fellow would really run away!

The power of space! It was simply too unfair. If An Yi was determined to leave, there was no way he could stop him!

By the time An Yi returned to Saintess Hall, Bibi Dong had finished packing.

She had changed out of her usual ornate, elaborate gown into a simple purple robe, cinched at the waist with a slender sash. Her long hair fell naturally, lending her less of the saintess's dignity and more of an ordinary woman's delicate beauty.

Seeing An Yi return, Bibi Dong raised her eyes to him. "Did he agree?"

An Yi spread his hands. "I only went to let him know. Since when did I need his agreement?"

Bibi Dong was speechless. "If he didn't agree, then what does that make this?"

An Yi blinked. "An elopement?"

The corners of Bibi Dong's mouth twitched.

"..."

"I don't think it counts." An Yi analyzed the matter with great seriousness. "If I really wanted to elope with you, couldn't I just take you and run? Why would I have water in my brain and go out of my way to tell him?"

Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at him, then turned as if to go back inside. "Go by yourself. I'm not going."

An Yi reacted swiftly and grabbed her hand. "That won't do. You already promised me."

"Either you come with me, or I'll go kill him right now, and then the two of us can flee to the ends of the earth with Qian Daoliu hunting us down."

"I don't mind, though. At worst, I can always hide back on Sea God Island. Qian Daoliu can't do anything to me there."

Bibi Dong laughed in exasperation. "So you really do whatever you please, don't you?"

An Yi asked in return, "Can't I?"

"I have the ability, so why can't I do whatever I please?"

An Yi curled his lip. "Should I pretend to be somebody's grandson instead? I've got no interest in that."

"A person's deeds should match their abilities."

"I know my own limits."