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"Oh?"
Bibi Dong's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
She didn't approach him. Instead, she gracefully moved toward the massive Pope's Throne, symbolizing supreme power, and sat down with an elegant turn of her body.
Her posture was casual, but the overwhelming sense of authority radiated tangibly downward.
Propping her cheek on one hand, her elbow resting on the cold armrest of the throne, her deep purple eyes looked down at Yu Xiaogang below—someone she had once known so intimately.
To her surprise, Bibi Dong realized…
Though memories of her past with Yu Xiaogang still stirred complex emotions within her, compared to before…
The sharpness of those memories had somehow grown fuzzier.
She didn't know why this was happening, nor whether it was good or bad, but she did know one thing—
She didn't resist this change.
"About whom?"
After a brief silence, Bibi Dong spoke again, her cool voice echoing through the vast Pope's Hall.
Here we go!
Yu Xiaogang instantly perked up, almost instinctively jumping in with the excuse he had carefully prepared on his way here—not an excuse, but rather his "concern":
"Naturally, my disciple Xiao San, and your disciple—the newly rising prodigy, though not as strong as Xiao San, still considered a genius—young Prince Dai Chengfeng of the Star Luo Empire."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang's gaze turned "sincere." "Bibi Dong, you know that although Xiao San has greater talent, he started late, leaving his foundation somewhat shallow."
"And that Dai Chengfeng…"
"He is now your personal disciple. That identity, along with your guidance… truly makes him formidable among his peers."
"I imagine under the tutelage of someone at your level, Dai Chengfeng must be advancing rapidly. I wonder…"
Yu Xiaogang deliberately paused, his eyes fixed intently on Bibi Dong's breathtaking yet proud face atop the throne, trying to gauge her reaction.
"Has he already mastered some of the Spirit Hall's secret techniques? Or does he have any other remarkable trump cards?"
"I'm not here to pry. I simply want my less-than-stellar disciple to be mentally prepared, so he doesn't lose too disgracefully in their match—and perhaps allow your beloved disciple to win more… gracefully?"
"After all, surely you don't think your disciple would lose, do you?"
Yu Xiaogang finished his speech in one breath, humbling Tang San's position while placing himself in the role of a concerned teacher seeking advice for a weaker disciple. His words subtly elevated Dai Chengfeng, especially emphasizing his status as Bibi Dong's disciple.
At the same time, he tried to evoke a sense of nostalgia for their past relationship and appeal to her pride as a powerful individual.
He hoped she might inadvertently reveal something about Dai Chengfeng.
Unfortunately…
In the past, Bibi Dong might have fallen for such tactics. After all, when facing Yu Xiaogang, her emotions often overruled her logic, leading to unexpected decisions.
And what was the secret of a mere disciple compared to that?
But this time…
The conversation Yu Xiaogang anticipated never materialized.
Bibi Dong didn't know why, but whenever Dai Chengfeng was mentioned, it seemed to bring a measure of clarity to her mind when dealing with Yu Xiaogang.
Thus, almost immediately, she understood that Yu Xiaogang had come to probe for information.
And strangely, she felt no desire to divulge anything about Dai Chengfeng—not even to Yu Xiaogang, her first love.
Especially when she thought about how disappointed Dai Chengfeng might look if he found out she had said something today, her heart tightened inexplicably.
Therefore, even after Yu Xiaogang finished speaking, Bibi Dong remained silent, gazing at him with her deep purple eyes, calm and unrippled.
The air seemed to solidify. Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists slightly…
Finally, just as Yu Xiaogang prepared to speak again, Bibi Dong's icy voice rang out once more.
"Elder Yu," the faintest trace of a mocking smile tugged at the corners of her lips, dripping with obvious, unmasked sarcasm, "you've overstepped."
Four words, like a whip, lashed across Yu Xiaogang's stunned face.
"Chengfeng…"
"How I teach my disciple, the progress he makes, the techniques he masters…" Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened, her tone suddenly turning icy, carrying immense pressure. "These are the highest secrets of the Spirit Hall."
"How dare you, an outsider, a teacher from another academy, presume to pry into them under the guise of 'concern'?"
"Out… outsider?"
Yu Xiaogang felt as if struck by lightning. His face turned deathly pale, his body swayed, and he instinctively repeated those two words.
A wave of humiliation and bone-chilling disbelief swept over him.
He had imagined Bibi Dong might refuse, evade, or even hesitate or show sadness due to their past feelings…
But he had never expected her to so directly, so ruthlessly label him as—an outsider!
And with the phrase "highest secrets," she mercilessly shattered all his carefully woven excuses!
Instantly, a surge of anger and panic rushed to Yu Xiaogang's head.
He took a sudden step forward, his voice rising with rage, the façade of false respect crumbling completely. "Bibi Dong! You…"
"Address me as Your Eminence!"
Bibi Dong sharply cut him off. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sharpness. "Mind your place, Elder Yu."
Bibi Dong rose to her feet. Her golden-purple papal robes swayed like rippling water as she stared directly into Yu Xiaogang's eyes, which flickered with shock, disbelief, anger, and shame.
"This is the Pope's Hall, not a place for reminiscing or currying favor."
Yu Xiaogang's lips trembled violently. His face turned white, then green, and finally flushed red.
He felt as though his blood was flowing backward, his hands and feet icy cold.
The "boundless confidence" and "foolproof plan" he had brought with him were now utterly shattered, leaving only the humiliation of being stripped bare in public and the piercing pain of betrayal—whether from her ruthless words or the absurd collapse of his laughable plan.
Watching Yu Xiaogang's disoriented, humiliated expression, a flicker of pity flashed deep in Bibi Dong's eyes.
But at the thought of Dai Chengfeng…
That fleeting complexity in her eyes was forcefully suppressed once more.
Still, she dared not look at Yu Xiaogang again, fearing she might blurt out something she shouldn't…
She quickly turned and walked toward the side door.
The crisp, cold echo of her high heels striking the polished floor reverberated through the hall. Just before stepping out of the side door, she paused briefly, her back turned to the frozen figure behind her, and her cool voice rang out once more.
"Dai Chengfeng…"
"My disciple is naturally exceptional. How far he goes depends on his own abilities. I have hardly taught him anything."
"As for you, Elder Yu, instead of worrying about what trump cards others' disciples might hold, you should focus on properly teaching your 'unremarkable' disciple Tang San how to rise to the next level."
"After all…"
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