# Chapter 13: The Breaking of Chains
## The Papal Throne Room - Continued
Luo Yan studied Bibi Dong with open interest now that the interference had been removed. Without the Rakshasa corruption clouding his perception, he could see her properly for the first time—not as a corrupted vessel, but as the woman herself.
*Magnificent,* he thought. *Even broken and rebuilt wrong, she's extraordinary.*
"Who am I?" he repeated her question, a slight smile playing at his lips. "That depends on which answer you want. The simple one, or the complicated one?"
Bibi Dong descended from her throne slowly, each step measured and deliberate. The motion was graceful, but Luo Yan could see the tremor in her hands she was fighting to control. The sudden clarity after decades of divine manipulation had left her mentally reeling.
"The truth," she said, her voice steadier now. "Whatever that may be."
"My name is Luo Yan," he began simply. "As for what I am..." He gestured vaguely. "Let's say I'm someone from very far away. Someone who understands what it means to carry burdens that crush the soul. And someone who has taken an interest in your situation."
"My situation." Bibi Dong's expression hardened slightly. "You speak as if you know me."
"I know enough," Luo Yan replied. "I know that over twenty years ago, someone you trusted betrayed you in the worst possible way. I know that betrayal left scars so deep that a parasitic god found perfect purchase in your pain. And I know that you've spent two decades letting that parasite amplify your hatred because you thought it was the only path to power."
The color drained from Bibi Dong's face. "How could you possibly— . "I'm from very far away. And I see things others can't."
Bibi Dong was silent for a long moment, her violet eyes searching his face for deception or mockery. She found neither. Only patient understanding.
"Why?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why free me from the Rakshasa's influence? What do you gain?"
"Because someone I care about asked me to help you," Luo Yan said simply. "And because watching a magnificent woman be slowly devoured by a petty god offended me on a fundamental level."
"Someone you care about?" Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed. "Who could possibly—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her breath catching as realization struck like lightning.
"Your daughter," Luo Yan confirmed before she could finish. "Qian Renxue. She's been trying to understand why you hate her for most of her life. I showed her the truth. Now she sent me to help you heal."
The name hit Bibi Dong like a physical blow. Her carefully maintained composure shattered completely. She stumbled backward, one hand flying to her mouth as a choked sound escaped her throat.
"Renxue... knows?" The words were anguished. "She knows what happened? What her... what that monster did to create her?"
"She knows everything," Luo Yan confirmed gently. "The assault. Your trauma. The Rakshasa corruption that made healing impossible. All of it."
Bibi Dong's legs gave out. She would have collapsed if Luo Yan hadn't moved with impossible speed, catching her before she hit the ground. He guided her back to sit on the steps of her throne, his touch careful and respectful.
"And she..." Bibi Dong couldn't continue, tears streaming down her face. Twenty years of suppressed emotion, of maternal love warring with trauma-induced revulsion, came pouring out.
"What does she think of me now? Does she hate me? Does she understand why I couldn't—why every time I looked at her, I saw—"
"She understands," Luo Yan said firmly, kneeling beside her so they were at eye level. "She knows it was never about her. She knows you tried to love her but the trauma was too deep. She knows the Rakshasa corruption made it worse. And most importantly, she wants to try again. To build a real relationship with you, if you're willing."
The Pope of Spirit Hall, the most powerful woman on the continent, wept openly. The ice that had encased her heart for two decades was melting, and the flood of genuine emotion was overwhelming.
From the doorway, Hu Liena watched in stunned silence. She'd never seen her teacher like this—vulnerable, crying, *human*. The teacher she'd known was all cold perfection and calculated cruelty. This woman was someone else entirely.
"I don't deserve her forgiveness," Bibi Dong choked out. "I abandoned her emotionally for twenty years. Let her grow up thinking she was unlovable, that there was something wrong with her—"
"Which is why you need to tell her that yourself," Luo Yan interrupted. "Not through me. Face to face. Mother to daughter. No masks, no roles, just truth."
Bibi Dong looked up at him, her tear-stained face a mixture of hope and terror. "How? She's in Heaven Dou Empire, playing the role of Crown Prince. If I suddenly appeared—"
"I can arrange a meeting," Luo Yan assured her. "Somewhere private. Somewhere safe. Give yourself a few days to process what just happened. To get used to thinking clearly without the Rakshasa whispering poison in your mind. Then I'll bring you to her."
"Why would you do all this?" Bibi Dong asked, searching his face. "What do you want from us?"
Luo Yan smiled slightly. "Qian Renxue is important to me. Making her happy makes me happy. It's really that simple."
*And claiming both mother and daughter for my harem is an excellent bonus,* he thought but didn't say. *But let's take this one step at a time.*
"Important to you how?" Bibi Dong's maternal instincts, freed from corruption, immediately sharpened. "Are you... involved with my daughter?"
"Yes," Luo Yan said simply. "Very involved. She's mine, and I'm hers. Completely."
Bibi Dong stared at him, processing this revelation. Part of her wanted to object—her daughter was only twenty-one, this man was a stranger of terrifying power. But another part, the part that had just been freed, recognized something in the way he spoke about Renxue.
Absolute certainty. Protective possessiveness. Genuine care.
*He loves her,* Bibi Dong realized. *Or something close to it. And more importantly, she trusts him enough to send him to me.*
"Does she know you're this powerful?" she asked quietly.
"She knows I'm far beyond this world's normal standards," Luo Yan confirmed. "She doesn't know the full extent, but she trusts me anyway."
"Then she's braver than I was," Bibi Dong said bitterly. "I trusted Qian Xunji and look what happened."
"Qian Xunji was a predator who saw you as prey," Luo Yan said, his voice hardening. "I see Renxue as an equal partner. There's a difference."
Bibi Dong studied him for a long moment, then slowly nodded. "If my daughter trusts you, then... I'll try to trust you too."
**[BIBI DONG - FAVORABILITY INCREASED]**
**[CURRENT FAVORABILITY: 15 → 38]**
**[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Major breakthrough achieved. Target's emotional barriers have been significantly lowered. Maternal instincts now active and focused on reconciliation with daughter. Host positioned as facilitator of healing. Recommended approach: Continue supportive role while gradually building personal connection.]**
Luo Yan helped Bibi Dong to her feet. "Take a few days," he advised. "Get used to your mind being your own again. Process what happened. I'll be staying at the guest manor if you need to talk."
"Wait," Bibi Dong said as he turned to leave. "The Rakshasa inheritance... you told it to pass on the power but stop the corruption. Can it even do that?"
"It will if it values its existence," Luo Yan replied. "Gods are parasites by nature. They need worshippers and inheritors to maintain relevance. The Rakshasa knows that if it disobeys me, I'll simply erase it from reality. So yes, it will behave."
The casual way he spoke about erasing a god made Bibi Dong shiver. "What are you really, Luo Yan?"
He smiled enigmatically. "Someone far above gods. That's all you need to know for now."
---
## Guest Manor - Later That Evening
Hu Liena knelt before Luo Yan in the manor's sitting room, pouring tea with trembling hands. The afternoon's events had shattered her entire worldview and rebuilt it with him at the center.
She'd watched him force a god to submission. Seen him free her beloved teacher from decades of mental torture with two words. Witnessed the unshakable Pope of Spirit Hall weep like a broken woman in his presence.
And through it all, he'd been patient. Kind, even. Not cruel or dominating, just... absolute.
"You're wondering what you just witnessed," Luo Yan said, accepting the tea cup.
"Yes, Senior," Hu Liena whispered. "Teacher... I've never seen her like that. So vulnerable. So human."
"That's because the woman you knew wasn't entirely herself," Luo Yan explained. "The Rakshasa God had been manipulating her emotions for over twenty years. Amplifying her worst feelings, suppressing her better ones. What you saw today was the real Bibi Dong, freed from divine corruption."
"And you did that," Hu Liena breathed. "With just words. You commanded a god and it obeyed."
"Gods are less impressive than mortals believe," Luo Yan said dismissively. "They're powerful, yes. But they're also parasites desperately clinging to relevance. Threaten their existence credibly enough and they'll grovel like anyone else."
Hu Liena looked up at him with undisguised awe. "Who are you really, Senior? What are you?"
Luo Yan studied her for a moment. The sixteen-year-old Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, already beautiful and talented beyond measure, looking at him like he'd hung the stars in the sky.
*She's ready,* he realized. *The foundation is laid. Time to start building properly.*
"Come here," he said gently, patting the cushion beside him.
Hu Liena's heart raced as she moved to sit beside him, hyperaware of every point where their bodies nearly touched. This close, she could feel the inexplicable warmth radiating from him, a comforting presence that made her feel both safe and terrifyingly excited.
"I'm going to tell you something no one else in this world knows," Luo Yan began. "Can you keep a secret, Nana?"
The casual use of her nickname made her blush. "Yes, Senior. I swear on my life."
"I'm not from this world," he said simply. "I'm from somewhere very far away. A place where the power scales are completely different. What you call gods here would barely register as noteworthy in my homeland."
Hu Liena's eyes widened. "You're... from another world? Is that even possible?"
"Clearly," Luo Yan smiled. "I'm sitting right here, aren't I?"
"Then why are you here?" she asked. "What brought you to our world?"
"Connections," he replied vaguely. "And opportunities. Your teacher's daughter is someone very important to me. When I learned about the situation between them, I decided to help."
"You really care about her," Hu Liena observed. "Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. Or... wait, you said she's Teacher's daughter, but Teacher never—" Her eyes widened as realization struck. "The Crown Prince is actually a woman? Teacher's daughter has been disguised as—"
"Now you're starting to understand how complicated this situation is," Luo Yan confirmed. "Qian Renxue has been living as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe for years. It's a mission for Spirit Hall, though I suspect Bibi Dong's emotional distance from her daughter made that mission possible in the first place."
Hu Liena's mind raced, pieces falling into place. "That's why you came to Spirit Hall. To help Teacher heal so she can reconnect with her daughter."
"Exactly."
"That's..." Hu Liena searched for words. "That's incredibly kind of you."
"I'm not particularly kind," Luo Yan corrected gently. "I'm pragmatic. Helping Bibi Dong makes Qian Renxue happy. Making Qian Renxue happy benefits me. It's a simple transaction."
But Hu Liena shook her head. "If it was just a transaction, you wouldn't have been so gentle with Teacher. You could have commanded her like you did the god. Instead, you gave her time. Showed her compassion. That's kindness, Senior."
Luo Yan tilted his head, considering. "Perhaps you're right. I suppose even pragmatists can be kind when it doesn't cost them anything."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, Hu Liena processing everything while Luo Yan simply enjoyed her presence. The fox-like Holy Maiden was lovely up close, her natural charm enhanced by the genuine vulnerability she was showing.
"Senior," she said quietly. "May I ask you something personal?"
"Go ahead."
"Are you going to leave?" The question came out almost fearfully. "After you help Teacher and her daughter reconcile, will you return to your world and never come back?"
Luo Yan looked at her, reading the hope and fear warring in her eyes. "Would it matter to you if I did?"
Hu Liena's face flushed crimson, but she answered honestly. "Yes. It would matter very much."
**[HU LIENA - FAVORABILITY INCREASED]**
**[CURRENT FAVORABILITY: 34 → 47]**
*Almost at Level 2,* Luo Yan noted with satisfaction. *Just a bit more.*
He reached out and gently tilted her chin up so she was looking directly at him. "Then I suppose I'll have to find reasons to visit regularly," he said softly. "I wouldn't want to disappoint someone so devoted."
Hu Liena's breath caught. This close, she could see the depths in his dark eyes, feel the overwhelming presence he usually suppressed. And instead of fear, she felt... drawn to him. Like a moth to flame, knowing it might burn but unable to resist.
"Senior..." she whispered.
"Luo Yan," he corrected. "When we're alone, you can use my name."
"Luo Yan," she repeated, the name feeling almost sacred on her lips. "Thank you. For everything you've done for Teacher. For coming to our world."
"You're welcome, Nana," he replied, releasing her chin but not moving away.
They stayed like that for a while, sitting close together in the quiet manor, the beginning of something neither fully understood but both instinctively recognized taking root between them.
Outside, Spirit City continued its evening routines, completely unaware that a being capable of commanding gods was sitting in their guest manor, systematically collecting the most powerful and beautiful women of their world.
---
## Meanwhile - Heaven Dou Empire
In her private chambers, Qian Renxue sat at her desk reviewing reports when she felt it through the Heart's Dominion bond.
A pulse of satisfaction and warmth from Luo Yan, followed by an emotional message that wasn't quite words but she understood perfectly:
*Your mother is free. I've started the healing. We'll arrange a meeting soon.*
Tears pricked her eyes. She placed one hand over her heart, sending back her own emotional response:
*Thank you. I love you.*
The connection hummed with his reply:
*I love you too, my angel. Always.*
Qian Renxue smiled through her tears. For the first time in her life, she felt hope about her relationship with her mother. And it was all because of the impossible man who'd walked into her life and refused to let her remain broken.
*Whatever he asks of me,* she thought fiercely, *I'll give it. My heart, my body, my soul—they're all his. Forever.*
Through the bond, she felt his amused satisfaction at her possessive devotion. It only made her smile wider.
---
**To Be Continued**