"Bang! Bang!!"
Ghost Leopard clapped his hands in praise. "That's good, that's very good. I've heard of your hundred consecutive victories at the Great Soul Fighting Field. Now I see the legend is true."
"Worthy of being a student under the Pope's crown. I admire you," Wang Bo added with a respectful bow.
"Thank you, Mr. Ghost Leopard, for your praise," Gu Han replied modestly. He turned to Wang Bo. "Your strength is among the best I've faced. I didn't want to risk your unknown soul skills, so I had to end it quickly."
It was a polite lie. Gu Han had no fear, but he saw no need to act arrogant.
"Hey, a loss is a loss. No need to sugarcoat it. I have higher soul power and still lost. I accept it," Wang Bo said freely.
"Alright, enough modesty. Class is over. You're all dismissed," Ghost Leopard announced.
The battle had been the last of the day. As afternoon light slanted in, Gu Han exchanged a few more pleasantries before heading to the library.
"Brother!!"
A lively voice called out. Gu Han looked up to find Bibi Dong squatting at the library entrance, waving at him.
"Senior Sister, what are you doing here?"
"Hehe, the teacher said you like reading, so I guessed you'd come here after class."
Gu Han smiled. "You guessed right. Let's head in."
Since Gu Han joined her side, Bibi Dong had become far more animated, as if discovering a new toy. She stuck to him often.
"Brother, why do you like reading so much? Isn't it boring?"
"Not at all. There's so much fascinating knowledge in books — and some great stories too."
"Stories? What kind?"
"I'll tell you one when we have time."
"Why not now?"
Bibi Dong tugged on his arm, coaxing him sweetly.
Gu Han thought for a moment. He had free time. "Alright, let's find somewhere quiet."
"Great! Let's go to my place."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him along, giggling.
They arrived at the secluded back garden of the Holy Lady's Temple — a place even Qian Xunji rarely entered.
"Wait here, brother."
Bibi Dong ran inside, returning moments later with a small bench, a bag of melon seeds, and grapes. She summoned a soul-guided table and set everything up.
"Okay, I'm ready! Start the story!"
Her setup left Gu Han stunned, but amused.
"Alright then, let me tell you the story of Sun wukong."
"Who's that?"
"Just listen, Senior Sister. It's a fictional tale."
"Okay!"
Bibi Dong leaned forward eagerly, munching seeds.
Gu Han cleared his throat. "Once upon a time, in the Eastern Divine Continent, there was a country called Aolai..."
He began narrating how Sun Wukong was born from stone, sought out the Bodhi Ancestor, and learned cultivation. Bibi Dong listened intently, asking curious questions:
"Is Sun Wukong a soul beast?"
"What does 'immortal' mean?"
Gu Han patiently answered them all.
As the sky darkened, he decided to stop.
"That's enough for today, Senior Sister. I should head back."
"What? That's it?!"
Bibi Dong looked betrayed, like a reader left on a cliffhanger.
"We'll continue tomorrow," Gu Han promised.
"Hmm..."
Bibi Dong pouted, then suddenly pushed him back onto the bench and crossed her arms.
"Nope! You're not leaving until you finish the part where he learns from the Bodhi Ancestor!"
Gu Han chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you the next bit."
"I knew you were the best, brother!"
She beamed, face lighting up.
He continued with Sun Wukong's training, the seventy-two transformations, and cloud somersaults.
"Whoa! So three knocks on the head was a secret code?! Sun Wukong's so smart!"
"If it were me, I'd learn both the seventy-two and thirty-six transformations. Then I'd have 108! And I could fly across all of Douluo Continent!"
She giggled and daydreamed as he finished the tale.
Eventually, she nodded, satisfied.
"Don't forget to tell the next part tomorrow!"
She waved from the temple door.
Gu Han turned back and waved. "I won't forget."
---
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