If Bibi Dong's usual malice toward Qian Renxue was at a level of 100, then this ti, in front of Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, it was only at 30. Although Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo noticed sothing was off, they only assud it had doubled, raising her dislike from 30 to 60. However, no one, except Bibidong herself, could have imagined that under the influence of various factors, her malice toward Qian Renxue at this mont was far beyond the norm—soaring directly from 100 to an astonishing 300.
On the surface, Qian Renxue, unaware of the deeper emotions, felt a bit excited, fantasizing that perhaps Bibi Dong actually cared for her deep down. She wondered if this could be an opportunity to nd their mother-daughter relationship.
After briefly apologizing to Qian Daoliu, Chen Ming, and the other worships, Qian Renxue retreated to a room behind the Worship Hall—the sa room she had stayed in as a child—to think alone.
Ghost Douluo had only co to deliver a ssage. To avoid arousing Bibi Dong's suspicion, he imdiately left the Worship Hall after delivering it and returned to Chrysanthemum Douluo's side, pretending the two had been together the whole ti.
Qian Daoliu glanced at Chen Ming, seemingly hoping for so assistance. However, after thinking for a long ti, he found himself unable to voice his request.
After all, Qian Daoliu had always prided himself on his clean reputation. His greatest stain was having a troubleso son like Qian Xunji.
In Qian Daoliu's view, stopping his disciple from falling in love was no big deal. But who could have expected that his troubleso son would personally intervene and have his disciple bear him a child?
Sigh.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was all a result of his sins.
When Qian Xunji first took Bibi Dong as his disciple, he brought her to et Qian Daoliu. Back then, Bibi Dong was still a delicate little girl, her gaze timid and full of restraint when facing Qian Daoliu.
At that ti, Qian Xunji had not shown any intention of taking a wife and was old enough to be Bibi Dong's father. Considering her status as Qian Xunji's disciple, Qian Daoliu regarded Bibi Dong as a granddaughter-like figure.
Although their interactions were limited due to Qian Daoliu's frequent seclusion, their relationship was amicable. Bibi Dong genuinely treated Qian Daoliu as an elder.
If not for Qian Xunji's later disgraceful actions, which were beyond words, Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong's relationship could have been like that of a grandfather and granddaughter.
Initially, Qian Xunji told Qian Daoliu that Bibi Dong was infatuated and needed to be locked up to calm down for a while. Qian Daoliu agreed, thinking it would only take a few months for her to cool off.
But a few months later, Qian Renxue was born.
As Qian Daoliu thought about it, his fists involuntarily clenched. If his troubleso son Qian Xunji weren't already dead, with his soul likely obliterated, Qian Daoliu would have been tempted to hang him up and use him as a punching bag.
Left with no other choice, Qian Daoliu signaled Golden Crocodile Douluo with a glance before returning to kneel in front of the Angel God statue to continue his prayers.
Golden Crocodile Douluo, having no better option, invited Chen Ming to his room for a chat.
Golden Crocodile Douluo inquired about Chen Ming's past, and Chen Ming shared bits of it. He omitted the supernatural aspects of his cheat ability and attributed the immortal herbs he obtained from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to other fortuitous encounters. But for the most part, he shared about 80-90% of the truth.
To Golden Crocodile Douluo, Chen Ming's experiences sounded... outrageous.
In his eyes, this wasn't sothing that re words like legendary could describe. As a 98th-level Titled Douluo, Golden Crocodile Douluo's life, which was already considered an epic tale among soul masters, now felt lackluster compared to Chen Ming's.
Fortunately, having lived nearly 200 years and gained imnse life experience, Golden Crocodile Douluo quickly collected himself after a few minutes of stunned silence and returned to the main topic.
He explained to Chen Ming the details of Qian Renxue's plan to overthrow the empire, revealing how she had replaced Crown Prince Xue Qinghe over a decade ago and infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire's royal palace to prepare for a coup. After all, in Golden Crocodile Douluo's view, while he didn't know why, Chen Ming already knew that Qian Renxue was Xue Qinghe. Since Chen Ming was aware of the most crucial secret and had even saved Qian Renxue, Golden Crocodile Douluo saw no harm in revealing the rest.
While speaking, Golden Crocodile Douluo carefully observed Chen Ming's expression, as if trying to gauge whether Chen Ming would develop any aversion to Qian Renxue's coup plan.
Chen Ming, however, rely smiled calmly and began pointing out flaws in the plan.
Not just a few flaws—there were over twenty that Chen Ming considered important.
As soone who had been thoroughly trained in the big data era in his previous life, Chen Ming might not be great at practical execution, but his comntary ca across as highly professional.
Chen Ming spent an hour analyzing the plan's flaws, another hour suggesting improvents, and yet another hour sharing his personal insights.
By the ti he reluctantly stopped, Golden Crocodile Douluo, sitting across from him, had beco wide-eyed and dazed, his elderly gaze filled with a kind of naïve confusion. Despite his imnse ntal strength, this 98th-level Titled Douluo felt as though his brain had lagged from the sheer volu of Chen Ming's suggestions.
This nearly 200-year-old man still couldn't understand how soone less than a tenth of his age could be so... professional.
What's more, a significant portion (well, actually the vast majority) of Chen Ming's suggestions seed excessively radical, even to soone as irascible and strong-willed as Golden Crocodile Douluo.
If they truly implented even a fraction of Chen Ming's recomndations, it wouldn't just be the Heaven Dou Empire—Spirit Hall itself would require a complete overhaul from top to bottom.
Even if Qian Daoliu were to reclaim the position of Supre Pontiff with his 99th-level strength and status as the Angel God's High Priest, he would likely end up as a powerless figurehead due to his personality.
Golden Crocodile Douluo silently poured Chen Ming a cup of tea, then patted him on the shoulder, sighing deeply. His aged face was filled with earnestness and expectation.
"Young man, you're a bit too extre. Try to approach things more calmly. There's so much beauty in the world, and as a soul master, there's still a long path ahead for cultivation. Promise —don't get too caught up in the scheming and intrigue of politics, alright?"
"I was just sharing my thoughts. I'm not interested in those things," Chen Ming replied with an awkward smile, noticing Golden Crocodile Douluo's exhausted expression.
He had only wanted to share so conservative opinions to demonstrate that he didn't care much about Qian Renxue's coup plans.
Who would have thought that even his relatively restrained suggestions would still leave this elder, perched at the pinnacle of the soul master world, utterly overwheld?
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