Qi Ling smiled slightly upon hearing Bibi Dong's words, thinking to herself that this was not an illusion; she was right in front of Bibi Dong, only she couldn't see it.
But then, seeing the rather lonely expression on Bibi Dong's face, Qi Ling couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. If we're talking about longing, wasn't she just as longing?
At this moment, Qi Ling withdrew her power, appearing before Bibi Dong with a smile, awaiting Bibi Dong's reaction.
Suddenly seeing Qi Ling appear before her, Bibi Dong blinked, then covered her forehead and said, "It seems I really do need a rest. I never imagined I'd miss my little brother so much that I'd hallucinate about him here."
"Sister, this isn't an illusion, I'm a living, breathing person!" Qi Ling couldn't help but laugh. "If you don't believe me, you can touch me and see if I'm really here."
Bibi Dong seemed confused as well. How could this hallucination be so real, and even talking? It was even more real than her own dreams.
Without hesitation, Bibi Dong stood up, walked to Qi Ling, and reached out to touch his face. After actually touching Qi Ling's body, Bibi Dong immediately realized that this was not an illusion at all, but that Qi Ling had really returned.
"Little brother, little brother!" Bibi Dong excitedly hugged Qi Ling and said, "You're really back? You naughty guy, you're back and you still have to tease your sister, making her think she was hallucinating."
"How could that be? I just wanted to give you a surprise, sister," Qi Ling said with a smile. "Since you want to see if I'm just hallucinating, why don't you try again? Let's see if my lips are real."
Bibi Dong blushed slightly, clearly understanding Qi Ling's meaning, but she was always a person who dared to love and hate, unlike those shy young girls, so she directly kissed Qi Ling's lips.
After the two separated, Bibi Dong naturally wanted to ask Qi Ling about her experiences in the Devil Realm, but Qi Ling said, "No rush, sister. Let me see A Xue first, and I'll tell you both the consequences later."
"That's good. A Xue probably misses you just as much as I do," Bibi Dong said. "I'll go and call A Xue over right now; he happens to be in town today."
"Sister, when you call A Xue over, don't tell her I'm back," Qi Ling said with a smile. "I want to see how A Xue will react."
Bibi Dong agreed and went out to find Qian Renxue. Although the people of the Spirit Hall found it strange that the usually calm and dignified Pope seemed so happy, no one dared to ask too many questions.
Not long after, Bibi Dong returned with Qian Renxue. At this time, Qian Renxue asked, "Mother, why did you bring me here in such a hurry? The Knights still have training missions to complete, and I have to go and supervise them."
"Hehe, it's nothing really, I just have something I wanted to tell you." Bibi Dong pulled Qian Renxue into the Pope's Palace. Besides the two of them, only Qi Ling, who was hiding to the side, was present.
Looking at Bibi Dong's expression, Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel curious. What could have made her mother so happy? In Qian Renxue's imagination, only the return of that person could have such an effect.
But if it really is that person returning, I'm afraid I'll be just like my mother, unable to hide my joy. Qi Ling, when will you finally come back?
After entering the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong had Qian Renxue sit in her seat, gently massaging her shoulders as she said, " A Xue, it's been a year since Qi Ling left. Have you missed him?"
Qian Renxue said strangely, "Mother, don't you already know the answer? Besides, if we're talking about missing someone, you're even more so than I am. Don't you often tell me that you even dream about Qi Ling?"
"Ahem, really, A Xue, I'm asking you, why are you bringing me up?" Bibi Dong said rather awkwardly, glancing furtively at Qi Ling beside her, unaware that Qi Ling was grinning mischievously.
"Me? Of course I miss Qi Ling too," Qian Renxue said.
"Oh? How much do you miss him?" Bibi Dong asked with a smile. "Do you dream about him like I do?"
"This..." Qian Renxue hesitated for a moment, then said, "It was just a one-off thing. It's all that guy's fault; he's been out of contact for so long. When he comes back, I'm going to teach him a lesson!"
Qi Ling couldn't help but say, "Hmm, that really scares me, A Xue. What if you scare me so much that I'm afraid to come back?"
Upon hearing Qi Ling's voice, Qian Renxue immediately turned around, looking at Qi Ling in disbelief. This situation gave her a feeling of a dream come true.
" Qi Ling?! What are you doing here? You... where did you come from?" Qian Renxue asked.
"Well, I naturally came back from the Devil Realm," Qi Ling said with a smile. "It really surprised me. I never expected that Captain Qian Renxue of the Knights would dream about me."
Qian Renxue's face immediately turned bright red. Although she was fearless in battle, at this moment she was just a shy little girl.
"Mother, you, you and Qi Ling conspired to deceive me!" Qian Renxue said, feeling both ashamed and angry.
Bibi Dong laughed and said, "No, I only brought you here to see Qi Ling, I didn't say anything else. A Xue, don't you want to see Qi Ling?"
"I... of course I wanted to see them," Qian Renxue said shyly, "But I didn't expect that you would actually..."
"If you want to see me, then that's settled!" Qi Ling said with a smile, then suddenly hugged Qian Renxue and picked her up. " A Xue, I'm back!"
Holding Qian Renxue in Qi Ling's Qi Ling, feeling his scent and warmth, a sense of peace welled up inside her. She couldn't help but hug Qi Ling back, smiling as she said, "Yes, welcome back, Qi Ling."