Chapter 125: Second Attempt to Dissuade Bibi Dong, Part 2
(Note: Qian Xunji was never a good man. Even if he knew about Bibi Dong's infatuation with Yu Xiaogang and her desire to elope, he could have chosen to restrain her and convince her rationally instead of assaulting her. This shows his true character. Additionally, the fact that he was killed by Tang Hao, who had just reached Titled Douluo, indicates that his cultivation level did not exceed Rank 95. The cultivation of a Titled Douluo's spirit becomes progressively more challenging, requiring an ever deepening comprehension of one's martial spirit. If Qian Xunji had been compatible with the Angel Spirit, he would not have stagnated at Rank 95. For reference, consider Yan Shaozhe from Douluo Dalu II, who mastered the Light Phoenix Spirit. It is widely known that Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu were both infatuated with Bo Saixi, and Tang Wei and Qian Xunji were merely heirs to continue their bloodlines, not particularly cherished or closely mentored. There's also a slight chance that the Rakshasa God targeted Bibi Dong, manipulating Qian Xunji into her corruption; however, this is unlikely, as the Rakshasa God would not waste time scouring the continent for heirs and mainly focused on antagonizing the God of Asura in the City of Slaughter. In any case, Qian Xunji serves as a minor, expendable antagonist and will ultimately meet his end at Tang Hao's hands, so further elaboration on his character is unnecessary.)
Bibi Dong's expression continued to shift, moving from fear and disgust to skepticism, and finally to reluctant acceptance of the truth. This was a bitter realization that Qian Xunji had ultimately trapped her in his own political scheming. The formerly naive Bibi Dong, once oblivious to the true dangers of power struggles, now fully understood the reality of factional turmoil.
Bibi Dong recalled holding Qian Renxue as an infant, how she had once been genuinely happy for her birth. But now, that moment of joy seemed to have turned into an abyss for her. Feeling disheartened, she looked to Ye Wen with a hint of bitterness and asked in a dry voice, "Ye Wen, tell me what should I do now? I don't want to go to the City of Slaughter anymore, but my teacher has already assigned a Titled Douluo to escort me there."
Ye Wen fell silent, realizing how ruthless Qian Xunji was. Not only had he sacrificed her usefulness in this cruel political move, but he even tried to protect his own reputation by forcing his own disciple to perish in the City of Slaughter. Were it not for Ye Wen's intervention, Bibi Dong's descent into tragedy could have become far worse.
"I have a soul skill that can fool even a Titled Douluo. If you trust me, you can lie low at my academy for a while," Ye Wen proposed earnestly. "Eventually, I plan to visit a place that even Wuhun Hall wouldn't dare to intrude upon. You could train there in peace."
A good person like Bibi Dong didn't deserve to be pushed into such darkness, much less to end up as she had in the original story.
Bibi Dong felt overwhelmed. Here was a man willing to risk opposing Wuhun Hall just to help her. Despite knowing this, he had offered his support without hesitation. If she could spend a lifetime with such a man… yet she quickly dismissed the thought. It would be selfish to interfere in his happiness, and she resolved that she would repay his kindness by protecting him from afar when she grew strong enough.
With a faint but serene smile, Bibi Dong said softly, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Ye Wen. I will repay this kindness one day."
Together, they discussed a plan to deceive the Titled Douluo assigned by Wuhun Hall to accompany her. Watching Bibi Dong's retreating figure disappear into the distance, Ye Wen felt a sense of relief, knowing he had saved her from the dark fate awaiting her in the original story.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder how this might affect Wuhun Hall's "Three Beauties" dynamic as it played out in the original. Yet, he reminded himself, he didn't possess any prophetic abilities; he could only do his best to steer things in a positive direction and hope for the best.
Just then, Ah Yin approached him. During their visit to the Star Luo Empire's capital, Ah Yin had initially found the Soul Master Tournament amusing. But after watching a series of matches that essentially boiled down to low level skirmishes, she quickly lost interest. She had told Ye Wen she'd go sightseeing, which is why she had been absent for much of the day. As the second most spiritually powerful person in the academy after Ye Wen, Ah Yin could monitor a broad area by spreading her consciousness through the Blue Silver Grass growing around the hotel grounds. And, since Ye Wen hadn't concealed his exchange with Bibi Dong, she was fully aware of what had transpired.
She understood Ye Wen's choice to help Bibi Dong. In her view, this was just one of the countless acts of kindness that defined him. Although Bibi Dong had no significant connection to them, he had chosen to assist her. Far from feeling threatened by Bibi Dong, Ah Yin found herself admiring her husband's selflessness.
But her visit wasn't about Bibi Dong.
For the past four years, they had been hoping for a child, but Ah Yin's belly had yet to show any signs of a new life, and the two of them were becoming disheartened. Ye Wen remembered that, in the original story, it took seven or eight years of her life with Tang Hao before she finally became pregnant with Tang San. While spirit beasts in human form could reproduce with humans, the chances of conception appeared to be quite low. Even after Tang San became a god, he and Xiao Wu had to wait decades in the Divine Realm before they could finally conceive Tang Wutong and Tang Wulin.
"It's getting late, my love," Ah Yin said, her voice soft and sultry as she leaned closer. Ye Wen sighed, bracing himself for another night. Whoever said "a fertile field never tires of plowing" clearly didn't consider the hardships of the ox. All those dreams of a harem were foolishly ambitious what about the state of one's kidneys? Yet he couldn't bring himself to say he wasn't up to the task; a man's pride wouldn't allow it.
The next morning, Ye Wen rubbed his aching back, his eyes slightly dark. He couldn't believe that despite his Soul Douluo level strength and physical power that could literally shatter a stone wall, he still couldn't keep up with Ah Yin.
"Enough of this suffering! As soon as we return, I'm downing a full bottle of Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum essence. Ah Yin's getting out of hand lately; it's time she sees what I'm capable of!" he muttered, undeterred by the notion of "doping up" to boost his performance.
With that, the students of Tianxing Academy began their journey home. Ye Wen, however, did not accompany them, slipping away from the group to follow Bibi Dong's entourage in secret.
Among the escort team was a Titled Douluo sitting with an unremarkable demeanor, blending in as though he were merely a regular person. Ye Wen did not recognize him, but he felt a renewed sense of caution toward Wuhun Hall's strength. As the continent's foremost organization, Wuhun Hall could casually send a Titled Douluo on an escort mission, while in the Heaven Dou Empire, such individuals were revered as living legends.
Using his "Disguise" technique, Ye Wen altered his aura so that even the Titled Douluo failed to sense anything amiss with Bibi Dong. The planned switch took place without a hitch, and afterward, the Titled Douluo was misled into thinking that Bibi Dong had indeed entered the City of Slaughter.
During the preparations, Ye Wen confirmed one curious detail with Bibi Dong: she had no soul bones on her. Later, Bibi Dong would send Hu Liena to the City of Slaughter, even gifting her a head soul bone to protect against its corruptive influence. If Qian Xunji genuinely intended for Bibi Dong to grow stronger and not merely perish or lose herself there, wouldn't he have given her a soul bone for protection?
In this era, methods for cultivating spiritual power were scarce. No matter how talented Bibi Dong was, her mental strength was only slightly above that of an ordinary soul master of her rank.
End of Chapter.
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