Chapter 13: Bai Ze Possession, Demonic Armor Descent
Pope's Palace.
Qian Renxue slowly awoke from a deep sleep.
She looked at the familiar surroundings, her gaze unconsciously wandering around the room.
It was as if she were searching for something—but very quickly, the light in her eyes dimmed.
"So it was just a dream…"
Her tone was filled with disappointment, and in that moment, the endless loneliness surged over her once again.
Qian Renxue lowered her eyes, sitting on the bed as she wrapped her arms around her legs, curling into a ball—like she was trying to hug herself.
Just then, from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something sticking out of her clothes pocket.
She reached into her pocket and took it out—what appeared in her hand was a slightly wrinkled paper airplane.
Her originally dull gaze gradually brightened, and the gloom in her heart quietly dispersed.
"So it wasn't a dream!"
Everything that had happened in the library replayed in Qian Renxue's mind.
She had slept so deeply just now that she had thought all of it had been nothing more than a dream.
"The paper airplane… Xiao Bai… Brother Fan Chen…"
Qian Renxue cupped the paper airplane in both hands, and an uncontrollable smile rose to her face.
And at that moment, another figure surfaced in her mind.
"Will Mother be a little happier if she sees this?"
The paper airplane that Fan Chen had taught her to fold made her genuinely happy, and Qian Renxue subconsciously thought of her mother.
Maybe if she took this and showed it to her, it might make her feel a bit better.
A child's thoughts are simple. When they like something, their first instinct is to share it with the person closest to them.
And the person closest to Qian Renxue… was her family.
For as long as she could remember, Qian Renxue had never seen her mother smile.
Every time she saw her, the expression on her face was either impatience or disgust.
Qian Renxue didn't understand why her mother hated her so much. She had once asked her father and grandfather about it.
But no one had ever given her an answer. So, she subconsciously believed that it must be because she had done something wrong that upset her mother.
Her mother must be angry at her.
But she had no idea what wrong she had committed.
She wanted to make up for it. But she didn't know where to start.
All she could do was use the clumsiest method—constantly trying everything she believed might make amends.
Sharing the things she liked, talking about interesting little things that had happened recently… all of that.
But her mother showed no interest in any of it. Her attitude remained as icy and distant as ever—cold as a stranger.
"This time, Mother will definitely be happy."
Holding the paper airplane in both hands, Qian Renxue, carrying a heart full of joy and anticipation, ran toward the place where her mother, Bibi Dong, was staying.
The distance between Bibi Dong's residence and Qian Renxue's was not far—only separated by a few rooms.
This arrangement was something Qian Daoliu had deliberately insisted on, so that Qian Renxue wouldn't feel too anxious.
Even if they all knew Bibi Dong didn't like her, at the very least, she had to be there.
Even if it was only for a show, they had to put on that show for Qian Renxue.
At this moment, Bibi Dong was sitting at the edge of the balcony, spacing out.
Her eyes were empty and lifeless, like those of a walking corpse.
Knock, knock, knock—
The door was gently knocked on. Bibi Dong came back to herself and turned toward the sound.
Her brows furrowed slightly. She knew very well who this would be.
Other than that, the so-called daughter of hers, Qian Renxue, no one else would disturb her at this time.
Bibi Dong rose impatiently, walking toward the door. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down so she wouldn't immediately lose control upon seeing Qian Renxue.
When she finally subdued the violent surge in her chest and opened the door…
What she saw was Qian Renxue's face, blooming with a radiant, sun-bright smile.
"…"
It was as if it were her first time seeing Qian Renxue smile so happily. Bibi Dong froze for a moment.
The baleful aura around her weakened by more than half. Compared to before, she actually looked… a little more gentle.
"Mother, this is for you. My friend taught me how to fold this paper airplane. It can fly without using soul power."
Qian Renxue could clearly feel that, compared to their previous encounters, Bibi Dong's aura was much softer this time.
At the very least, she didn't seem as full of impatience and disgust as before.
For Qian Renxue, that alone was already a huge gain.
'A toy made out of a scrap of paper is enough to make you this happy… children really are easy to satisfy.'
Bibi Dong sighed and, somewhat helplessly, reached out to accept the paper airplane from Qian Renxue's hands.
She didn't know why, but when she saw Qian Renxue's smile, she didn't reject her as coldly as before.
Perhaps, deep down, she understood that none of this was the child's fault. The girl before her was innocent. There was no need to heap sins upon her head.
Or perhaps… from Qian Renxue, she saw a shadow of her former self—back when she had once been pure and lively.
But the moment she took the paper airplane, the handwriting on it made her brows knit again.
As she gently smoothed out the creases in the folded paper, that all-too-familiar script instantly stirred up memories she had long since sealed away.
'Xiaogang? This is Xiaogang's book. You actually tore his book to make… this?'
Bibi Dong's aura changed in an instant. The faint softness from just now vanished completely, replaced once more by overwhelming disgust as she looked at Qian Renxue.
"Did you come here to provoke me? As expected, none of you Qian clan people are any good."
"You're all the same—every last one of you!"
Her emotions spiraled further out of control. Qian Renxue was completely startled.
She didn't understand. Just a second ago, Mother had seemed fine—why did she suddenly become like this?
Frightened, Qian Renxue's legs gave out beneath her, and she fell back onto the floor, staring at her mother with fear in her eyes.
"M-Mother…"
"I'm not your mother. You're a cursed child! You shouldn't exist at all!"
Bibi Dong's expression became more and more twisted and deranged. The aura around her grew wild and violent.
"You should just die!"
She raised her hand, ready to slap Qian Renxue's face with full force.
At that moment, in another room, Xiao Bai—who had been playing a food-tossing game with Fan Chen—suddenly froze.
"What's wrong, Xiao Bai?"
Because his mind was linked with Xiao Bai's, Fan Chen immediately noticed something was off.
"Big Sister is in danger. Big Brother, let's go save her!"
As soon as he said that, Xiao Bai's body turned into a streak of white light and shot straight into Fan Chen's chest.
The white light merged into Fan Chen's body, and in the next instant, it burst outward, fully enveloping him.
With Bai Ze's possession, Fan Chen's entire body began to transform.
Two curved, sharp horns sprouted from the top of his head, and pure white wings spread from his back.
His eyes flared with dazzling light, and in that moment, everything around him seemed to disappear from his sight. Time itself appeared to halt.
A beam of light appeared in Fan Chen's vision.
Following that beam, Fan Chen looked toward the distance.
His line of sight pierced straight through the walls, extending far outward until it finally landed on Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong.
At that moment, Bibi Dong's raised hand was about to come crashing down on Qian Renxue's face.
Fan Chen's gaze sharpened, and the aura around his body shifted dramatically.
"Damn it—what the hell is going on!?"
He didn't have time to think about what was happening to his body. Right now, there was only one thought in his mind— to get there as quickly as possible and stop what was about to happen.
The wings on his back flapped once.
In the next second, his entire body shot forward like a fired arrow, heading straight toward Qian Renxue's location.
Fan Chen turned into a blazing white streak, piercing through the countless walls between him and his destination.
Like a white spear that could pierce all things, he rushed toward his target.
He was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Qian Renxue and whisked her away from danger.
Qian Renxue was now cradled in his arms, trembling slightly like a frightened little white rabbit.
Rage surged in Fan Chen's heart, and at the same time, the soul mark on his left hand lit up.
A dark, ghostly blue light erupted as the Reverse-Edge Demon Armor attached itself to his entire body.
The Reverse-Edge Demon Armor wrapped him completely—his wings, his horns, every part of him was encased in armor.
Even his face was covered, leaving only his eyes visible through the gaps in the helm.
The starlight in his eyes faded, replaced by the same eerie blue glow that pulsed on the armor.
That glow flickered and swayed like two blue flames burning fiercely inside his eye sockets.
"What gives you the right to hit her?"
—
End of Chapter