Seeing Su Cheng deep in thought and not responding, Bibi Dong didn't mind and waited quietly by his side.
After a long while, Su Cheng came back to his senses and said indifferently, "Although Xiao Xue has taken a crucial step in her cultivation, it is just the beginning. She has yet to truly master that kind of power.
"I have helped her sort out the energy in her body, but as for when she will fully understand and control it, it's still hard to say.
"However, her mindset is very important in this process. If she is distracted during cultivation, it will be much harder for her to succeed."
"I see," Bibi Dong nodded lightly and asked, "Is that power very strong?"
"Very strong."
"Stronger than you?"
Su Cheng hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head, "I can't be sure."
"Mm..." Bibi Dong nodded thoughtfully, not asking any further.
At this moment, Su Cheng glanced at her and tentatively said, "Since you have let go of your inner conflict, you could try to reconcile with her. After all, blood is thicker than water, and you have your own reasons. If there is a chance to reconcile, it could be a relief for both of you."
Su Cheng was not speaking without reason. He had noticed that in recent days, Bibi Dong had shown concern for Qian Renxue. Since that was the case, he thought she wouldn't reject the idea, so he took the opportunity to share his thoughts.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong lowered her eyelids, a hint of gloom flashing in her eyes. However, it was very subtle and disappeared in an instant. When she looked up again, her face still bore a gentle and natural smile. Her voice, unusually, carried a touch of weakness and bitterness.
"You're right, but you also know Xiao Xue's personality. The initiative in this matter is not with me. If I were to take the initiative, it would only add fuel to the fire. It might be better to maintain the current situation for both of us."
"...You have a point," Su Cheng sighed, not noticing the fleeting change in her expression. This kind of issue is indeed difficult to handle. Years of love and hate cannot be resolved with a few words.
Even if they did open up to each other and revisit old wounds, it might not necessarily be a good thing. Removing the bad skin from an old wound might not reveal fresh flesh underneath; it could be more deeply infected.
Emotions built up over years are not easily dismantled in a day. For Qian Renxue, is her hatred for her father's death really that significant? How much affection did she have for her biological father, especially when the person who acted was her mother?
The hardest thing for her to let go of are the countless times over twenty years of hatred and indifference, as well as the cold and unfeeling attitude...
No matter what Bibi Dong has gone through or her reasons, from Qian Renxue's perspective, why should she forgive and understand?
Similarly, Su Cheng cannot force her to accept an apology or this belated motherly love. Because in this process, Qian Renxue is the most innocent person.
"Sigh, let's wait and see," Su Cheng thought to himself.
Just like his own complicated feelings, resolving such matters requires the right moment. Moreover, seeing Bibi Dong's current sad expression, he couldn't bring himself to say more.
He smacked his lips and sighed softly, "You've had a hard time."
Bibi Dong shook her head, her voice low, "You don't need to say that. It is I who wronged her. This is what I deserve, my retribution..."
As she spoke, her voice gradually weakened until she fell silent. Su Cheng didn't know what to say for a while. After a moment, Bibi Dong softly said, "Can you walk with me?"
"...Alright."
The scenery around Spirit City was excellent. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the top three sects, was powerful and wealthy, and its domain was already blessed with natural beauty.
However, compared to Spirit City, which spanned across the vast mountain range between two great empires, it was like comparing the light of a firefly to the moon.
The enormous mountain range stretched out to the east and west...
No matter the strategic significance or the natural scenery, this place is considered the best in the Douluo Continent.
Of course, such a place isn't easily occupied by just anyone.
Being located at the border between two countries, even with the advantage of high ground and natural defenses, a weaker force would have been overwhelmed long ago.
The Spirit Mountains are not entirely made up of peaks and forests. Centered around Spirit City, the surrounding terrain mainly consists of valleys and basins.
It was now the best season of the year, with the spring sunlight bright and the breeze gentle. Walking through the mountain meadows, the fragrance of flowers filled the air, bringing a sense of relaxation.
Su Cheng, who planned to visit Chrysanthemum Douluo later, didn't mind spending some time here.
As they walked, Bibi Dong suddenly chuckled softly, "You must have really disapproved of my actions before, right? I mean, over a year ago, before everything happened."
"Your Holiness, you overthink. I didn't mean it that way," Su Cheng replied, feeling a bit awkward.
Throughout this time, he had consciously avoided mentioning anything about their experiences in the simulation.
Due to their respective identities, ages, positions, and real-life experiences, he couldn't allow himself to have too many thoughts. He always believed that she shared the same mindset, which is why they maintained a tacit understanding.
Hearing his response, Bibi Dong smiled without saying more.
Before long, they arrived at an open grassland, scattered with a few shrubs and some unknown wildflowers. In the center stood a few giant peach trees, their light pink blossoms in full bloom.
Though the place appeared wild and untended, it didn't seem chaotic. Instead, it had a special natural and harmonious beauty.
Bibi Dong stopped under a tree. Without concern for her luxurious and expensive Pope's robe getting dirty, she directly leaned against a peach tree and sat down on the ground.
With her long legs slightly tilted and her upper body habitually leaning back a bit, her graceful figure was naturally accentuated.
A mountain breeze swept through, causing the flower branches to sway and the hem of her robe to flutter, giving her a somewhat different appearance from usual. But Su Cheng couldn't quite pinpoint the difference.
After sitting down, she gently patted the grass beside her, her tone becoming livelier, "Sit with me."
Su Cheng hesitated but did not sit next to her. Instead, he walked a bit closer and looked towards the distant mountains.
It wasn't the dirt on the ground that bothered him, but rather the odd atmosphere that made him feel uneasy.
Behind him, in a place out of his sight, Bibi Dong bit her lip tightly, her eyes dimming for a moment before returning to normal. She followed his gaze towards the distance.
Her red lips parted, and a plain voice came from behind him.
"I grew up in a remote village, not knowing who my biological parents were. But they must have been remarkable soul masters, probably evil soul masters, and likely killed by Spirit Hall soul masters..."
Su Cheng glanced back at her in surprise.
What she said made sense and was probably true.
Bibi Dong possessed twin martial souls, both being high-quality innate full spirit power spider queen types.
He was deeply knowledgeable about martial soul bloodlines, understanding that martial soul mutations had an internal logic. Even if her parents didn't have spider queen martial souls, they must have had powerful demon spider martial souls.
And soul masters with such martial souls had a high probability of becoming evil soul masters.
The fact that Bibi Dong could think of this indicated that her studies hadn't been in vain.
"Soul masters in this world cannot avoid conflict and killing. Since both my parents are gone, yet I survived and was taken in by ordinary villagers, there can only be a few reasons, but those are unimportant now."
Bibi Dong's voice continued without pause, though her gaze returned from the distant mountains to meet Su Cheng's.
"After my martial soul awakened, I was quickly brought to Spirit City to receive personal training from Qian Xunji. The whole process went surprisingly smoothly.
"To be honest, compared to you, his level was far inferior."
At this point, she suddenly laughed, her eyes seeming to burn with a hidden flame.
Su Cheng instinctively looked away, avoiding her gaze.
"Do you know, for the past twenty-some years, I've always wondered what I'm living for.
"No matter how strong I became, I had already lost everything.
"The ones who should have been closest to me ended up as nothing more than mutual resentment.
"As for the reverence and admiration of the world, it only made me feel ridiculous and hateful.
"Does such a life have any meaning to continue? But laugh if you will, I was also afraid of death."
"..." Su Cheng remained silent.
He recalled the desolate and barren scene he once saw in the depths of Bibi Dong's soul.
A desire for self-destruction tempered by a cauldron of fear, resentment, hatred, and unwillingness, wanting to drag the whole world down with her.
But the current her was obviously different from the past.
As for what she was thinking now, Su Cheng didn't know if he should ask.
At this moment, Bibi Dong looked at him with a probing gaze and softly asked, "What about you? What are you living for?"
Seeing Su Cheng's silence, she teasingly asked, "It couldn't be for those women, could it? Always thinking about how to manage their relationships?"
"..."
Still no response.
Just when she thought Su Cheng wouldn't answer, he suddenly said, "What if it is?"
This time, it was Bibi Dong who was taken aback.
She had been joking.
She didn't think that with Su Cheng's current power, he really needed to care so much about such things.