Chapter 230: Ah Yin: Ah Qing Is Different! Bibi Dong: Wait for Me~
Just then, the notification sound from the chat group broke the brief silence.
[Bingbing]: Yo, could it be that someone has set their sights on a certain hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor's soul ring?
The Ice Empress's message popped up.
Her tone was thick with sarcasm.
Even through the screen, one could imagine the teasing expression on her cold and alluring face.
Every word implied that Lin Qingmo harbored ulterior motives.
Ah Yin's leaves instantly tensed.
She stared at the chat group interface, a surge of anger rising in her heart.
How could this person be like this?
Talking nonsense without understanding anything!
Ah Qing is not that kind of person at all!
She would not allow others to speak of Ah Qing like that.
But before she could type a reply, a new message appeared in the group.
[Ice and Snow Maiden]: Bingbing, don't speak recklessly.
The Snow Empress's message was concise, yet her tone carried unquestionable authority, directly stopping the Ice Empress's sarcasm.
[Dad Douluo]: Just going over to take a look. If Ah Yin's condition is stable, I plan to take her away.
[Dad Douluo]: When I hunt my fifth soul ring, I'll bring her back to the Blue Silver Forest along the way. In the Blue Silver Forest, Ah Yin should recover faster.
The moment she saw this message, Ah Yin froze.
On her leaves, crystalline droplets suddenly condensed.
One drop, two drops, slowly slid along the veins of her leaves, falling into the spring beneath her, creating small ripples.
Those were her tears.
She had stayed in that dark, lightless valley for more than ten years.
There was no sunlight there, no companions of her kind, only cold rocks and endless loneliness.
Tang Hao had transplanted her there, saying it was to protect her.
But in those ten-plus years, she had been like an object hidden away, forgotten in a corner, unattended.
No one had ever thought about how she wanted to return to the Blue Silver Forest, to go back to her own kin.
To feel the vast expanse of Blue Silver Grass swaying in the wind.
Only Ah Qing.
Only he thought of sending her home.
Ah Yin felt as if something had struck her heart hard—sour yet warm, moved beyond measure.
Her leaves trembled gently, conveying endless emotion.
Now she could be one hundred percent certain that Ah Qing was absolutely not like Tang Hao, coveting her soul ring and soul bone.
He truly cared about her.
He truly treated her as an independent being—a life with feelings, belonging, and desires.
Not as a "tool" that could provide a soul ring and soul bone.
Even if… even if he really needed her soul ring…
Ah Yin's leaves swayed lightly as she thought silently.
"If one day Ah Qing truly needs it, I'm willing to give it."
"Ah Qing is worth it."
She murmured, another drop of dew forming on her leaves.
That was a tear of gratitude.
...
Spirit Hall.
Inside the Pope's Palace, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to drip with tension.
Bibi Dong sat upon the towering papal throne.
She wore a black papal robe embroidered with intricate golden patterns, gleaming coldly under the candlelight.
A chilling pressure radiated from her, lowering the temperature of the entire hall.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the armrest, one tap at a time—slow yet oppressive.
Expressionless, she listened to the report from Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo below.
"Your Holiness, we followed your orders and ambushed Tang Hao together with Dugu Bo."
Chrysanthemum Douluo lowered his head, his voice cautious, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"He was heavily injured, and his body was corroded by Dugu Bo's poison. In the end, he jumped off a cliff."
"From that height, and with such severe injuries, there's a high probability… that he's already dead."
"High probability?"
Bibi Dong's voice was calm yet carried a bone-piercing chill.
Those words were like icy needles stabbing into the hearts of the two Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo stiffened instantly, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
"Yue Guan, Gui Mei."
Bibi Dong's gaze swept over them, filled with dissatisfaction.
"You've followed me for so many years. Do you not understand that what I want is a definite result, not 'probability'?"
Tang Hao.
That name was a thorn in her heart.
He was Ah Qing's greatest threat.
As long as he existed, she could not be at peace.
Someone like Tang Hao had a stubborn fate. How could she be satisfied with a mere "high probability of death"?
Back then, Qian Xunji had led several Titled Douluo to besiege him, yet failed to kill him and was instead killed in return.
For such a person, how could she feel at ease without seeing the corpse?
"Your subordinate knows his mistake!"
The cold sweat on Chrysanthemum Douluo's forehead increased.
"It's just that the cliff is bottomless. We've sent people down to search, but we haven't found the body yet."
"But with those injuries and that poison, a normal person absolutely wouldn't survive…"
"A normal person?"
Bibi Dong interrupted him with a cold laugh. "Is Tang Hao a normal person?"
"Uh…"
Chrysanthemum Douluo was momentarily speechless.
At that moment, Bibi Dong's gaze suddenly paused.
The chat group interface popped up before her, and she happened to see Lin Qingmo's message.
Hunting the fifth soul ring?
Her eyes instantly lit up.
The dissatisfaction and hostility in her heart seemed to be dispelled by a beam of light.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her lips, and even the pressure around her softened.
'Ah Qing is about to break through to rank fifty?'
She thought to herself, her fingertips lightly brushing the armrest.
This child's talent was truly astonishing.
It hadn't been long, yet he was already approaching rank fifty.
Very soon.
Bibi Dong regained her senses, waved her hand, and addressed the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo below, her tone returning to its previous coldness.
"You may leave."
"Investigate thoroughly. I want to see a person if alive or a corpse if dead. If I find out Tang Hao is still alive—"
She paused, her gaze sharp as a blade.
"You know the consequences."
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
The two Douluo felt as if they had been granted amnesty. They hurriedly bowed and retreated, their steps twice as fast as when they arrived, not daring to say another word.
The hall fell silent.
Only Bibi Dong remained, leaning against the papal throne.
The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows across her face.
She looked at Lin Qingmo's avatar in the chat group, the smile on her lips growing, her gaze softening.
Completely different from the cold pope she had been moments ago.
With Ah Qing breaking through to rank fifty, she could go see him in the identity of a teacher.
Her fingers lightly tapped the armrest as she began planning in her heart.
"Just in time to go see him and check his cultivation progress. And also… check Ah Qing's physical condition."
She recalled the last time she saw Lin Qingmo—those clear eyes, that vigorous vitality, and his unguarded closeness toward her.
Her heartbeat quickened, her legs subtly drawing together.
However, when she thought of the girls surrounding Lin Qingmo, her gaze cooled slightly.
Especially that one called Xiao Wu.
That hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit.
Disguised in human form, clinging to Ah Qing every day, calling "Ah Qing" again and again.
Even through the chat group, she could sense that coquettish energy.
"An eyesore."
Bibi Dong snorted inwardly.
Her fingertip tapped on the chat group interface as she sent a message.
[The Pope Herself]: @Dad Douluo, Ah Qing, you're going to hunt your fifth soul ring? When do you plan to go to the Star Dou Great Forest?
She needed to know his schedule.
Recently, Qian Daoliu had increased his surveillance on her, so she couldn't leave Spirit City frequently.
She had to arrange her timing in advance and avoid those watchful eyes.
[Dad Douluo]: Hard to say.
[Dad Douluo]: Regarding the breakthrough to rank fifty, it could be as fast as one or two months or as slow as several months.
Bibi Dong looked at the reply and frowned slightly.
One or two months…
She silently calculated the time, beginning to plan her schedule.
How to avoid Qian Daoliu's watchful eyes.
How to meet Ah Qing without arousing suspicion.
"Ah Qing, wait for me~."
End of Chapter
[35+ advanced chapters available on Patreon—next arc already unlocked (search: Taichu372).]