Chapter 49 – Confrontation between Mother and Daughter- II
'That's enough. This drama has gone on long enough.'
Qian Renxue smiled faintly as her golden lashes lowered slightly, concealing the sharp glint in her eyes. Her voice, however, was loud and clear for all present.
She directly turned the muzzle of the gun toward Lin Yuan.
She raised her hand and pointed at him.
"This boy named Lin Yuan was caught snooping around the Elder's Hall. When stopped by the guards, he retorted that he is your relative."
Her tone was calm but forceful, each word deliberate.
Then she looked directly at Bibi Dong and asked with exaggerated innocence:
"Your Highness, do you know this boy?"
The sudden question snapped Bibi Dong out of her thoughts.
Her golden-purple eyes slowly turned toward Lin Yuan.
A chill ran down the boy's spine.
'Why is her gaze more terrifying than that of a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast?'
He gulped, his forehead forming a cold sweat as he stood stiffly.
'System, it feels like I'm going to die!'
[Host is currently not in fatal danger. Please maintain your composure. System will act if fatal threat is detected.]
'Maintain composure?! She looks like she's going to skin me alive!'
Before Lin Yuan could panic further, Bibi Dong's gaze shifted away from him, landing back on the one person who always stirred conflicting emotions in her, Qian Renxue.
"Renxue…" she asked with that unnaturally calm tone, "what was in that jade bottle?"
Qian Renxue smiled.
The smile was dazzling, the kind that could blind the naive.
She didn't even pretend.
"The jade bottle contains Martial Soul Evolution Pills," she said matter-of-factly.
"It was a gift given to me by Lin Yuan."
She raised her hand, twirling a golden lock of her hair playfully between two fingers as if the entire matter bored her.
'Let's see how you try to snatch it from me now, Saint Lady.'
Bibi Dong's eyelids twitched.
She adjusted her tone, trying to sound softer… almost affectionate.
"Renxue… can you give that jade bottle to me?"
Her voice was gentle, almost sickeningly so to Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue, however, internally shivered.
'Tsk. Crazy woman. Why are you smiling like that?'
She lowered her eyes, lips curving into a composed refusal.
"No way."
"I cannot give away such a precious gift. That would be disrespectful to the giver."
The atmosphere instantly cooled again.
Bibi Dong's expression darkened.
She was a smart woman, especially in political intrigue and power struggles.
She knew instantly what this meant.
'She's not handing those pills over. Not even to me.'
Lin Yuan, meanwhile, let out a breath of relief.
'See, system! She said she won't give my gift to anyone! Not even her mother!'
The system's reply was dry and immediate:
[Host, she is unwilling to hand over the item due to understanding its priceless value and strategic advantage. This is not an emotional bond.]
'Tch. Machines never understand human feelings.'
[ … ]
Bibi Dong, on the other hand, was not able to completely restrain her rising fury.
A pulse of terrifying aura surged out from her body which was dense, oppressive, and soul-chilling.
The atmosphere tightened for a heartbeat before she reined it back in like a whip being snapped into place.
To an ordinary person, it would've gone unnoticed.
But not to Ci Xue and She Long, both seasoned Titled Douluo who were now standing beside Qian Renxue.
Their expressions darkened.
"That's… that was a Soul Douluo's aura," whispered She Long.
"To think the Saint of Spirit Hall has already reached that realm at such a young age…"
They instinctively moved, stepping in front of Qian Renxue like living shields, subtly pushing her back as their spiritual power circulated, ready for any unexpected move.
The memory of Qian Renxue's near-fatal injury a year ago still haunted them. They would never let her be caught unprepared again, especially in front of this unstable mother-daughter dynamic.
Qian Renxue blinked in momentary confusion, sensing the shift but not understanding the cause.
Still, it didn't stop her from twisting the situation to her favor.
She pointed once again at Lin Yuan, her voice innocent,
"Saint Lady, if you really want those Martial Soul Evolution Pills so badly… you can ask Lin Yuan."
"He's the one who gave them to me. Maybe he has more?"
Lin Yuan began sweating.
Bibi Dong exhaled slowly.
She shifted her gaze away from her golden-haired daughter and looked back toward the nervous boy.
Her tone this time was… calm and almost tired.
"Lin Yuan… You are the child who awakened the Death Spider Emperor martial spirit this morning?"
Lin Yuan gulped and nodded, trying to maintain eye contact but quickly breaking it under her spiritual pressure.
"Yes."
'The news my martial soul must have been reported to her,' he thought.
Bibi Dong gave him one long, unreadable look… then turned.
"Follow me."
Without another word, she began walking out of the Elder's Hall, her white and purple robes flowing like a river of shadows in the light.
Lin Yuan's eyes gleamed.
'She must have a liking for my talent. Maybe I can become her disciple. The prospects are good.'
'I've already made an impression in Qian Renxue's mind. Next time it will be easier to approach her.'
Just as his internal monologue reached the peak of self-satisfaction, the familiar mechanical voice echoed once more:
[Host, I think you are in delusion.]
'Tch, just shut up. You won't understand human emotions anyway.'
He ignored the system's dry sarcasm and puffed up his chest slightly before walking forward, following Bibi Dong out of the Elder's Hall under the watchful eyes of Ci Xue, She Long, and Qian Renxue.
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Author notes: More 2 chapters and Arc 1 is over. See you guys on Monday For 40+ chapters readers can check out: patreon.com/Unknownseer