Ye Tian quickly withdrew his polite bow towards Ghost Douluo and said,
"Ghost Elder, you're being too formal with me."
"Oh yeah, Ghost Uncle, you're being too formal!"
Hu Liena covered her mouth and giggled.
Seeing her bright smile, Ghost Douluo's old face darkened.
He glared at her, waved his sleeve, and said,
"I'm just a middle-aged man, I won't disturb you two."
After speaking, he turned and left.
Ye Tian snapped out of his thoughts and reached out to pinch Hu Liena's fair cheeks.
"Come on, let's go see Sister Dong'er."
"Ah, wait... You used to call her 'Sister,' and now it's 'Dong'er.' Just a few days apart, and you've changed how you address her again."
Hu Liena slumped her head and grinned mischievously,
"At this rate, before long, our teacher will just become your Dong'er. Wouldn't that mean I'd have a new sister?"
Then, Hu Liena's playful expression suddenly became serious. She whispered,
"Speaking of which, teacher is actually quite pitiful."
"She's spent all these years alone."
Hearing this, Ye Tian's face showed a hint of surprise.
This girl... Could she have figured something out?
Was she deliberately probing him?
Ye Tian's surprise gradually turned into shock.
Feeling a bit guilty, he hesitated before saying,
"You're not suggesting that I… fill Bibi Dong's emptiness, are you?"
Hu Liena tilted her head up and teased,
"Why not? If there were a beauty ranking on the continent, teacher would at least be in the top three. Shouldn't you be secretly celebrating?"
Ye Tian didn't believe Hu Liena's nonsense. He assumed she was just testing him.
So, crossing his arms, he casually replied,
"How could you judge me with such a perspective?"
"Hmph hmph."
Hu Liena raised her small fist and playfully swung it in front of Ye Tian.
"You're acting all innocent while taking advantage."
Then, she sighed lightly.
"But it's a pity… In teacher's eyes, there's only her career. I doubt she'll ever allow another love into her life."
After hearing Hu Liena's words, a faint smile appeared on Ye Tian's lips.
She thinks Bibi Dong is lonely while the truth is, I'm already making my move.
As expected, when it comes to romance, Hu Liena is completely clueless.
She's the type to be sold off and still happily help count the money.
Ye Tian couldn't deny it—Hu Liena trusted him immensely.
And it wasn't just trust; her love was unwavering.
Ye Tian suddenly stopped walking and looked down at Hu Liena, who was half a head shorter than him.
This made Hu Liena pause as well. She looked up at him curiously and asked,
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you've already decided to give teacher a warm home?"
Ye Tian chuckled. "What if I really did say that?"
"If you really said that, I'd… happily nod in agreement." Hu Liena laughed, "Of course, that's only if you actually manage to win over our ice-cold Pope."
To her, that was an impossible feat.
She knew her teacher better than anyone.
In Bibi Dong's eyes, Ye Tian was probably just a little brat.
As for her ideal partner, Hu Liena had a vague idea—he had to be more mature and charismatic than Bibi Dong herself.
But such men were as rare as Ultimate Douluo on this continent.
Seeing how readily Hu Liena agreed to him pursuing Bibi Dong, Ye Tian felt relieved.
Even though she was mostly joking, it showed that she didn't reject the idea.
But now wasn't the time to be upfront.
After all, he hadn't even fully secured Bibi Dong yet.
If he made claims and failed, he'd be the ultimate clown.
Ye Tian gently pulled Hu Liena close and kissed her soft pink lips.
Her bright, excited eyes gradually became intoxicated as she passionately responded.
A long while later, Ye Tian finally lifted his head.
Hu Liena's face was flushed, and she was panting slightly from the long kiss.
With happiness radiating from her face, she tilted her head and asked curiously,
"What made you suddenly want to kiss me?"
"Because I just realized—you're an idiot." Ye Tian pinched her soft cheeks.
You're practically giving your own husband away.
If that's not being an idiot, then what is?
But Hu Liena refused to accept it.
With her face still in his grasp, her words came out a little muffled, but her defiant tone was clear:
"How am I an idiot?"
"I'm a genius! Otherwise, I wouldn't have reached the Spirit Emperor level. And now, I'm almost a Spirit Saint!"
"Maybe all your talent points went into cultivation at birth, leaving your intelligence at zero," Ye Tian teased mercilessly as he let go of her face.
"Hmph." Hu Liena puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"But even if I'm a little dumb, it doesn't matter. With you as my guiding light of wisdom, I'll never get lost,"
As long as he was by her side, he wouldn't let her make any foolish mistakes.
Hu Liena's heart instantly warmed.
She hugged Ye Tian tightly.
"I wish I could stay with you forever, my dear husband."
…
Pope's Palace – Rear Hall – Study Room
Draped in a sheer purple nightgown, Bibi Dong leaned against her desk.
Her long, silky purple hair was still damp, indicating she had just bathed.
At that moment, she was completely still.
She stared at two aged documents in front of her, lost in thought.
Knock knock.
The knocking sound startled Bibi Dong out of her daze.
She lowered her hand from her forehead, sat upright, and said in a tired voice,
"Come in."
The Pope's private chambers were restricted.
Very few people were allowed entry.
As expected, it was Ye Tian and Hu Liena who stepped inside.
"Greetings, teacher."
Hu Liena entered with a warm smile and casually saluted Bibi Dong before quickly sitting beside her, leaning against her like a child.
Bibi Dong didn't mind in the slightest.
In the entire Spirit Hall, only Hu Liena was close enough to act this way.
"Dong'er."
Ye Tian looked at Bibi Dong's damp hair in slight surprise.
It seemed she really was too busy, even having to squeeze in time for a bath.
Bibi Dong lazily waved her hand, motioning for Ye Tian to sit.
She placed a delicate book on the table and leaned forward slightly.
"I believe, Xiao Tian, you already know why I summoned you today."
"The matter of Qianjun Douluo?" Ye Tian asked.
"Yes and no."
Bibi Dong handed him the book beside her.
"This book was compiled by my order a year ago."
"It details the full power structure of the Pope's Hall and the Elder's Hall."
"Of course, it mostly records surface-level forces. Spies and hidden agents aren't included."
Ye Tian accepted the book and flipped through it.
Though most of the information was already known to him, he still pretended to read carefully.
As he skimmed through, Bibi Dong continued,
"The core of the Elder's Hall is the Seven Grand Worshipers, led by Qian Daoliu."
"If we want to dismantle their hierarchy, at least three of them must be eliminated."
(End of Chapter)