Douluo Continent: I teach and nurture students at Tianshui Academy!

"Youhuang, since Ice Meteor failed, then you can deal with Haoyang Douluo. No matter what method you use, you must get rid of him."

"Yes."

Youhuang nodded slightly, and before leaving, she gave Chiming a deep look, a hint of mockery in her eyes, before disappearing.

Enraged, Chi Ming gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

The vice-leader watched their disappearing figures silently. As far as the Divine Sect was concerned, as long as that thing existed and as long as the sect leader did not die, they could create as many Venerables, Elders, and Title Douluos as they wanted, only requiring the sacrifice of "a little" blood.

…………

Wuhun City, the Pope's bedroom.

Despite the efforts of Emperor Xueye and Prince Xuexing to conceal Gu Shenge's identity, the investigation by Ju and Gui Douluo revealed it to them.

They never expected that Haoyang Douluo was actually the eldest prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. This was not a good thing for the Spirit Hall. After all, although the relationship between the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou royal family was peaceful on the surface, they had long been at odds with each other, but they had not yet broken off relations.

Bibi Dong looked at the confirmed intelligence, her jade-like hand clutching the letter, almost crumpling it into a ball. Her beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, and she bit her lip lightly, feeling a sense of being deceived.

Why did I lie to her?! Were all my feelings of liking and loving her these past few days fake? Was it all just an act to deceive her and to help me fight the royal family?!

The more Bibi Dong thought about it, the more upset she became. She looked down at the acacia bead bracelet on her jade wrist, and in her frustration, she reached out and forcibly ripped it off.

崩～

The rope strung with crimson acacia seeds snapped on the spot under her strong pull, and the seventeen acacia seeds, representing Gu Shenge's feelings, scattered in all directions.

But looking at the fallen acacia seeds, Bibi Dong regretted it. She shouldn't have acted so impulsively. What if, what if Gu Shenge wasn't approaching her for any mission? Besides, she had originally developed a relationship with Gu Shenge with other intentions.

To be honest, they're about evenly matched.

Just as Bibi Dong was pondering whether Gu Shenge truly liked her or was deliberately getting close to her, a maid's voice rang out from outside the palace.

"Your Holiness, Elder Haoyang requests an audience."

The Pope was greatly surprised. Why had he come so suddenly? Shouldn't he be at Tianshui Academy?

Looking at the love seeds scattered on the ground, Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes revealed panic. No, she couldn't let him see it, so she immediately gave an order to the maid outside the door.

"Please wait in the Papal Palace, Elder Haoyang. I will be there shortly."

"Yes."

Gu Shenge, who was outside the palace, was quite surprised to hear that Bibi Dong actually asked him to wait for her at the Papal Palace. Why was she suddenly being so distant?

"Elder Haoyang, please."

The maid bowed and invited him in. He nodded and followed the maid to the reception room of the Papal Palace.

A few minutes later, Bibi Dong, dressed in a simple long dress and as elegant as an orchid, walked in. Gu Shenge, who had not seen his beloved for a long time, was overjoyed when he saw her. He immediately got up and stepped forward, wanting to hug the beautiful pope and caress her.

Faced with his enthusiasm, Bibi Dong subtly took a half step back, distancing herself from Gu Shenge.

This stunned Gu Shenge, who looked bewildered. Her hand, which had just been raised, froze in mid-air, unsure whether to extend it further or lower it.

Seeing the look of surprise on his face, Bibi Dong's eyes flashed with a hint of unease. She turned her head slightly to avoid Gu Shenge's puzzled gaze, and her voice was much colder than before.

"This is the Papal Palace, please be careful."

"I was negligent."

Although Gu Shenge spoke, she was even more puzzled. Her gaze shifted slightly and landed on Bibi Dong's right wrist. Her eyes narrowed. The acacia seed bracelet was gone?!

Noticing his gaze, Bibi Dong panicked and quickly hid her right hand behind her back before walking to the sofa and sitting down.

"Sheng... Elder Haoyang, why did you suddenly come back?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shenge noticed that Bibi Dong's tone was becoming increasingly strange. She was very puzzled. How could her attitude have changed so much in just a few days? Could it be because she had angered Bibi Dong by going to Tianshui Academy?

"I just got back from the far north ice plains. Tianshui Academy doesn't start until tomorrow, so I came back to spend some time with you while I still have one day left."

Hearing that he had specially set aside a day to spend with her, the beautiful pope felt a warmth in her heart, and her originally cold expression softened. However, the thought of Gu Shenge hiding his identity and whether she was truly sincere towards him made her extremely distressed.

"Is that so, Elder Haoyang? We've known each other for so long, yet you've never mentioned your background?"

Desperate to know if the man in front of her was sincere, Bibi Dong immediately inquired about Gu Shenge's background.

This startled him slightly, and he guessed what had happened. He gently began to tell Bibi Dong about his background, without hiding anything and telling her everything in detail.

Even though he was the eldest son of Emperor Xueye and the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, he told Bibi Dong that he had little affection for the Heaven Dou royal family. He would not stop the Spirit Hall from going to war with the Heaven Dou Empire, but he would not help either.

However, now that he has inherited this bloodline, he will protect the Xue clan and ensure its continuation.

"Your Holiness, it's getting late, I'll take my leave now."

After recounting her background, Gu Shenge got up and left before Bibi Dong could stop her. He had said everything he needed to say and made things clear; the rest was up to her to think about.

~

(Ahem, take your time, no rush.)

Chapter 42: The Unrepairable Love-Sickness, the Regretful Bibi Dong

Bibi Dong was greatly surprised after hearing about Gu Shenge's background. She did not expect his background to be so complicated. He was schemed against and lost when he was young. When he was seven years old, the village that raised him was sacrificed by the Demon Soul Cult. Before he grew up, he lived a life full of hardships.

Watching his departing figure, Bibi Dong's heart trembled slightly, and she quickly got up and chased after him, wanting to stop him.

Gu Shenge had already flown out of Wuhun City without stopping, leaving only a golden trace in the sky.

Watching him leave without looking back, Bibi Dong knew he must be angry. Her estrangement and indifference made her feel bitter and regretful for her irrational actions.

Even though his feelings for her were never fake, she still refused to believe him, thinking that he had ulterior motives for approaching her while concealing his identity.

But from beginning to end, she never asked about his background.

On the other hand, Gu Shenge must have guessed why she asked him about his background, but he didn't hide anything and told her everything.

He went further and made it clear that if the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire went to war, he would choose to remain neutral.

If the Heavenly Dou Empire is defeated, he will preserve the bloodline of the Xue clan. From a moral, rational, and personal perspective, he has already done the best he can.

Ultimately, it was because I didn't trust him enough and didn't love him enough.

But Bibi Dong shook her head violently, repeatedly denying this idea.

No, how could she not love him? She was just... just a little lost.

Yes, she was just confused. She loved Gu Shenge, that's right, she loved Gu Shenge!

Bibi Dong kept repeating to herself that she loved Gu Shenge, frantically giving herself psychological suggestions, but her jade-like hands clenched tighter and tighter, showing the turmoil in her heart.

The more he hinted, the more her love for Gu Shenge wavered.

Honestly, did she truly only have pure love for Gu Shenge? Did she have no other thoughts?

In a corridor not far from the Papal Palace, Qian Daoliu took in the whole scene, a smile flashing in his golden eyes.

In fact, he had been scheming since he handed the information over to Bibi Dong. He knew that this woman was suspicious, and once she learned that Gu Shenge was the eldest prince of Tian Dou, she would definitely suspect his purpose in approaching her.

Although it's unclear what was discussed inside the Papal Palace, seeing that Gu Shenge left immediately after coming out, it's likely that a rift has developed between them, which is a good thing for Qian Daoliu.

He opposed Gu Shenge's relationship with Bibi Dong from the very beginning. Although that woman seemed normal on the surface, her mind was already twisted. He strongly suspected that she had other purposes in being with Gu Shenge.

To prevent Bibi Dong from using Gu Shenge against the Angel lineage, Qian Daoliu was determined to stop them from being together.

After taking one last look at the stunningly beautiful Pope standing outside the Papal Palace, lost in thought, the High Priestess disappeared down the corridor.

Once she came to her senses, Bibi Dong hurriedly ran back to the Pope's bedroom and picked up the scattered acacia seeds one by one, as if they were the most precious treasures in the world. She wiped each seed clean, but when she finally counted them, there were only sixteen. No matter how she searched, even if she turned the entire Pope's bedroom upside down, she could not find the seventeenth acacia seed.

Looking at the incomplete acacia seeds in her palm, she could no longer hold back. She knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and was filled with deep regret.

A golden streak of light streaked across the vast sky, piercing the clouds and leaving a dazzling trail in the sky.

Gu Shenge, who was flying at high speed, looked sullen and even a little annoyed.

When Bibi Dong inquired about his background, he realized that she already knew his identity as the Crown Prince of Tian Dou. However, he did not expect that Bibi Dong would distrust him so much and not believe in their feelings for each other.

That half-step back, the evasive gaze, the concealed wrist—it was like a series of daggers piercing his heart, causing him immense pain.

Is their relationship so fragile, so easily tested?

Or rather, Bibi Dong didn't actually love him as much as he imagined. He was just presumptuous, thinking that he could win her heart with just a few days of companionship and care.

Ha~

Gu Shenge gave a self-deprecating smile. In the end, he had been overthinking things. He had gone straight to Wuhun City as soon as he left the Arctic Ice Plains.

The result... well...

After being hurt by Bibi Dong, Gu Shenge felt that she didn't love her as much anymore.

He suddenly flapped his Sun God Wings, and his speed increased dramatically, flying straight towards Tianshui Academy.

…………

The Tianlan River ripples and mist hangs in the air, fish and dragons leap and dive, and countless aquatic creatures swim and dance in the river, creating waves and ripples.

Fishermen fish on the riverbank, peasant women wash clothes by the river, and thousands of sails and boats pass by on the Lanjiang River, reaching as far as the heavens and as far as the stars, vast and mighty.

The azure-blue academy stands on the banks of the Tianlan River. Compared to the desolation of a month ago, with the arrival of the new school season, students who had returned home are gradually returning to the academy, and female soul masters from the Tiandou Empire and many other kingdoms are also coming to the academy to register, making Tianshui Academy lively again.

In front of the jade-carved gatehouse, hundreds of young female Soul Masters of varying appearances lined up in two long queues: one for noble ladies and the other for commoner girls, clearly dividing the social classes between the two groups.

The noble ladies, served by their servants, didn't look like they were queuing up; rather, they looked like tourists. Some held umbrellas to shield them from the sun, some served tea and fanned them, and some servants even knelt on the ground to act as human stools.

Meanwhile, the ordinary girls, accompanied by their parents, lined up, their hearts filled with nervousness and trepidation, praying that they would pass the registration test.

Many noble ladies' eyes fell on those commoner girls, some with disdain, some with surprise, some with disgust, and most with contempt.

Among the noble ladies, a pretty but haughty, even arrogant, girl in a red dress looked disdainfully at the commoner girls' group five meters away.

"I really don't know what Tianshui Academy was thinking, actually recruiting commoners. Do they even deserve to attend the same academy as us?"

"Exactly, a bunch of lowly commoners, the fishy smell on them is disgusting."

"I really want to get rid of them all; they're an eyesore for me."

Her words resonated with some noble ladies, who chimed in in agreement, while drawing angry glares from many commoner girls and their parents. However, upon seeing the burly Soul Master guards beside the girl, they all withdrew their gazes, not daring to express too much dissatisfaction.

After all, they were just commoners and couldn't compete with the nobles.

Class distinctions have been solidified. The only way for ordinary people to rise above their circumstances is to become a Soul Master, and a powerful one at that!

This is why the Spirit Hall is supported by the common people, because it provides them with a way out.