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"Alright, Lady Saint."
The two Titled Douluo used their soul power to examine the medicine, confirming that there was nothing unusual about it. Their trust in Bibi Dong grew even further.
"Dong'er, you're here," Qian Xunjie said with a smile, reclining on the bed. His complexion had improved slightly; though his face was still pale, the deep indent in his chest was no longer as noticeable.
"Teacher, it's time for your medicine."
Bibi Dong placed the basket on the nearby table and, as usual, gently fed Qian Xunjie the medicinal soup.
Qian Xunjie smiled sweetly and said, "Dong'er, I'm feeling a bit better now, you don't need to feed me anymore."
Without hesitation, Bibi Dong firmly replied, "No, Teacher. Your health hasn't fully recovered yet. We'll wait until you're better."
"Come on, open your mouth, Teacher." Bibi Dong scooped a spoonful of the soup and fed it to Qian Xunjie, carefully holding the bowl beneath his chin to catch any spills.
After taking a sip, Qian Xunjie asked, "Dong'er, I heard you've taken on a disciple. Is that true?"
Bibi Dong nodded. "Yes, Teacher. Her name is Hu Liena. She has incredible talent, and her older brother is a student at the Spirit Hall Academy—Xie Yue, one of the top students."
At the mention of Xie Yue, Qian Xunjie's face lit up with joy. After a moment's hesitation, he activated a soul tool, and a glowing Pope's token appeared, which he handed to Bibi Dong.
"Teacher, what is this?" Bibi Dong asked, surprised.
"Dong'er, my injuries will take at least six months to heal. The operation of Spirit Hall and its affairs need someone to handle them. After this incident, Spirit Hall has lost a great deal of its prestige. I believe every sect on the continent that opposes us is mocking our failure. You are already the Saintess of Spirit Hall, the first in line to inherit the title of Pope. With your twin spirits and innate full soul power, you are a genius on par with Tang Hao. During this time, I want you to act as the interim Pope. I believe Father will agree." Qian Xunjie placed the Pope's token into Bibi Dong's hands.
"Don't worry, Teacher. I will manage Spirit Hall with great care and restore its former prestige!" Bibi Dong accepted the Pope's token and continued feeding Qian Xunjie his medicine.
After a moment, Bibi Dong hesitated before speaking again. "Teacher, not long ago, Nanna awakened her martial soul. This is the best time to lay the foundation for her future, I believe."
"Is it the Immortal Grass? As acting Pope, you have the right to allocate such resources. That child's talent is more than enough to qualify for the Immortal Grass," Qian Xunjie said casually as he drank the soup again.
---
In the Douluo Hall, Qian Renxue entered with a restrained expression.
"Xiaohan, what brings you here?" Qian Daoliu asked, his brows furrowed. Ever since Qian Renxue awakened his Fallen Angel martial soul, he had kept his distance from the Angel Statue. Why was he voluntarily coming here now?
"Grandfather," Qian Renxue said softly.
He tossed a Qiankun bag to Qian Daoliu, who scanned its contents with his spiritual power. The bag contained valuable herbs for strengthening the body and some Immortal Grass. If Qian Daoliu recalled correctly, these were the same herbs that Qian Xunjie had shown him three years ago, though some were missing.
Qian Daoliu looked at Qian Renxue in confusion, unsure of the reason for his actions.
Spirit Hall was the Qian family's domain, and the treasure vaults of the Pope's Palace and the Worship Hall were all part of the family assets. As long as he informed the family elders, he could enter and take whatever he needed. However, Qian Renxue had not mentioned that he was planning to move all the herbs.
Qian Renxue went straight to the point. "Old man, do you think what we've seen these past few days is believable?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes, beginning to piece together some of the discrepancies. Bibi Dong's treatment of Qian Xunjie seemed overly affectionate, a stark and sudden shift in attitude. While she had been gentle with him, why was her treatment of Qian Renxue so much colder? Her attitude was barely polite.
"I haven't had much direct contact with that woman, so I don't entirely trust what I've seen or heard," Qian Daoliu responded cautiously. "But there's one undeniable fact: before we captured the Blue Silver Emperor, her attitude was one thing; afterward, it completely changed. If the Blue Silver Emperor had been captured, it would be one thing, but the fact is, we didn't catch him."
Qian Renxue, intrigued, asked, "Old man, let me ask you this: If you detest someone to the extreme, but that person is hell-bent on winning your favor, even bringing their subordinates to steal a treasure from someone weaker than themselves, only to fail and get severely injured, how would you feel about that person?"
"Of course, I'd despise them even more," Qian Daoliu responded bluntly. He immediately understood that Qian Renxue was describing Bibi Dong and Qian Xunjie's situation. From this, he had completely seen through Bibi Dong's act. The value of his son's life far outweighed any pride.
"Although it's not very pleasant to hear, the old man's actions certainly show he's a simpering fool. Once a fool gets a little advantage, they forget their place. Their intelligence drops, and they become incapable of making decisions. They'll blindly follow whatever the other person says. These herbs, Old Man, you should take good care of them."
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. "Understood."
Qian Renxue left the Douluo Hall, pondering his next steps. He hadn't placed all his bets on Qian Daoliu, for in Qian Daoliu's mind, Spirit Hall came far below Qian Xunjie. If Spirit Hall could flourish under Bibi Dong's leadership, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a Qian Xunjie for the greater good of Spirit Hall, hoping it would alleviate Bibi Dong's hatred.
Although Qian Daoliu was a competent leader when it came to managing the Spirit Hall, having grown up with a mindset shaped by the Angel God, his insight into human nature was still lacking. This old bachelor, whose mind was filled only with the Angel God, didn't fully understand how twisted and complicated human malice could be. He mistakenly thought that patience and concession would inspire gratitude in others.
During the days that Bibi Dong took care of Qian Xunjie, discussions about Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, continued to rise across the continent. Everyone believed Qian Xunjie had been defeated by Tang Hao, considering that leading a group of people to a mutually destructive battle wasn't a victory. If it was a tie, would anyone dare to claim that?
In Notting City, at Notting Academy, Yu Xiaogang laughed uproariously when he heard about Tang Hao defeating Qian Xunjie. Ever since he had been forced to kneel and swear allegiance to Qian Xunjie, he had harbored a deep hatred for him. He wished he could tear Qian Xunjie apart, but unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to do so.
Yu Xiaogang shut all the doors and windows, laughing uncontrollably. "Qian Xunjie, Qian Xunjie, I can't believe you've fallen to this point! Three Titled Douluo couldn't even defeat a Soul Master who just broke through to Titled Douluo! Tang Hao, Clear Sky Douluo, from this day on, you are my idol!"
At the Clear Sky Clan, the entire sect was filled with an atmosphere of joy and laughter. The elders couldn't contain their laughter, almost bursting out with glee, and every meal was accompanied by fine wine.
Tang Lie slapped his thigh and said, "Little Hao really did it! He's truly given us Clear Sky Clan some face, showing that the Clear Sky Hammer is a treasure. Qian Xunjie's Angel Martial Soul is nothing. He calls it a god-grade martial soul? Compared to our Clear Sky Hammer, it's not even worthy to carry our shoes!"
"Exactly! Six-winged angels may be considered god-grade martial souls, but our Clear Sky Hammer is an ultra-god-grade martial soul!" another elder chimed in, nodding in agreement.
(End of Chapter)