Chapter 328: Next Time, Use Your Sword
Qian Renxue cried for a long time, as though it was the first time she had vented her emotions, almost like a lonely, helpless child.
With Qian Renxue's status, no matter the scene, she always carried an air of nobility. Perhaps throughout her life, she had never opened her heart to anyone. It was only after learning the truth about her past that she seemed to lose control.
When Qian Renxue had cried herself out, Yang Xiong slowly spoke. "Qian Renxue, have you ever thought about who Bibi Dong really is, and what she truly seeks?"
Qian Renxue wiped the tears from her face, thought for a moment, and then spoke. "Bibi Dong is a woman with no humanity. In her eyes, power and status outweigh everything else."
Yang Xiong nodded. "That's true. Bibi Dong is the greatest enemy of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Ning Fengzhi and I have done some research on her."
"As for her background, Bibi Dong was born a commoner. But due to her outstanding talent, she caught Qian Xundao's eye at a young age, becoming his direct disciple and also the Saintess of the Spirit Hall."
"But Qian Xundao may have protected her too well, shielding her from the cruel world. She had no real experience with the dangers of life or contact with emotions."
"And so, Bibi Dong met Yu Xiaogang, who was studying at the Spirit Hall. Perhaps she was moved by his determination to break the limitations of soul masters. The two became lovers, but their relationship was not accepted by the world."
"Bibi Dong, as the Saintess of the Spirit Hall, and Yu Xiaogang, the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's patriarch, were natural enemies. No matter the factions behind them or the world's view of them, they were never understood."
"Unfortunately, things didn't go as they planned. When Bibi Dong intended to leave with Yu Xiaogang, Qian Xundao took the most extreme measures to keep her. He took Bibi Dong for himself and had you. After that, Yu Xiaogang was abandoned by Bibi Dong and fell into despair, living in Notting City alone."
"The rest, you should already know. In order to seek revenge, Bibi Dong took advantage of Qian Xundao's injury and killed him."
"Afterward, she used the excuse of avenging Qian Xundao to force the Haotian Sect into retreat, pushing the Spirit Hall to its peak in power and prestige, eventually becoming its Pope."
"In the past twenty years, Bibi Dong has eliminated her enemies, gathered her inner circle, and even allowed the Spirit Hall's elders to behave recklessly, all to expand her power and make the Spirit Hall even stronger."
"After these years of expanding her power, Bibi Dong's ambitions reached their peak. She didn't hesitate to oppose the world, establishing the Spirit Empire and starting this brutal war. All of this was driven by her selfish desires, either to destroy the Spirit Hall as it once was or to dominate the world."
Qian Renxue's face darkened after hearing Yang Xiong's description. "Yang Xiong, so according to you, Bibi Dong is an utterly wicked person, a scourge to the Spirit Empire?"
Yang Xiong shook his head. "People can't be judged so simply. You have to consider all aspects."
"In a certain sense, Bibi Dong may not be wrong. If the Spirit Empire truly united the entire Douluo Continent, it would erase the Tiandou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Perhaps for commoner soul masters and ordinary people, there would be no more exploitation by the nobles, which could be a good thing."
"But, from a personal standpoint, Bibi Dong is cruel and brutal, and she even acted against our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. In my eyes, she is my enemy, so I will not allow her to dominate the world, and I will not let her stir up more trouble."
"As for the personal matters you mentioned, those are just her private affairs. If she takes out her personal frustrations on others, in my eyes, that is unforgivable."
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth. "So no matter what, you will stop me from unifying the Spirit Empire, and you will oppose me and Bibi Dong?"
Yang Xiong nodded. "That's true. As the saying goes, 'there can't be two suns in the sky.' With Bibi Dong's personality, I will eventually clash with her, and when that time comes, it might be a fight to the death."
"Of course, from a personal standpoint, I don't think Bibi Dong has done anything wrong. If I had her power, if I controlled the immense soul master forces of the Spirit Hall, I might do even worse than she has. After all, if the continent was unified, it would reduce wars between us and decrease the death of common people."
"As for the mother-daughter relationship you mentioned, in the face of major issues, in the face of so many deaths, in my eyes, that's insignificant."
"You can look at the Jialing Pass battlefield. After half a month of fighting, tens of thousands of soul masters have died, and almost a million ordinary civilians have been killed or wounded. These people had families, had parents, had children. Wouldn't their loved ones be heartbroken? Wouldn't there be separation and loss?"
"From another perspective, comparing the temporary death to eternal peace, perhaps these deaths and sacrifices are worth it. But from every angle, they far outweigh the relationship between you and Bibi Dong."
Qian Renxue quietly drank her wine after hearing Yang Xiong's words, not saying anything more.
Yang Xiong also held his cup, slowly savoring the Zuihongchen, and the two clinked their glasses and chatted intermittently.
Qian Renxue suddenly seemed to recall something. "Yang Xiong, when we fought last time, why did you hold back in your final strike?"
Yang Xiong shook his head. "It wasn't about holding back. If I had truly given my all at the last moment, you might have died, but I'd have been crippled as well. Gods are much more resilient than I thought."
"Besides, I'm not the type who likes to win unfairly, and you're not that kind of person either. We have plenty of time. There will be more chances to continue our fight."
Qian Renxue said, "Yang Xiong, I feel like there's something wrong with my Angel God power. At the end, I sensed a trace of darkness, a hint of uncontrollable evil. Perhaps it's a flaw in my soul."
Yang Xiong smiled slightly. "Why do you think it's your problem? I also sensed that darkness. It's not something of a mortal's doing. It should be the work of the Rakshasa God."
"You are the inheritor of the Angel God, yet Bibi Dong is the inheritor of the Rakshasa God. The two of you are supposed to be opposites, but I bet when Bibi Dong gave birth to you, your soul was already tampered with. That's why you've been so extreme in your personality, hesitant in your decisions, and exceedingly proud."
"To put it bluntly, apart from me, you probably wouldn't recognize anyone else in this world. That's why you've had no real friends, and even your enemies are few. That's probably why you sought me out to drink."
Qian Renxue smiled. "You really understand me. This is the first time I've wanted to drink in my life. But I didn't know who could drink with me, so I came to you. Maybe, as you said, we are kindred spirits."
"Too bad, no matter our origins or our positions, we will always be enemies. Whether it's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or the Body Sect, both are mortal enemies of my Spirit Empire. Even you, as an inheritor of the Asura God, are the enemy of the Angel God."
Yang Xiong, somewhat speechless, replied, "There are no true enemies in this world. Did you know that in the divine realm, there are five great gods, including the God of Goodness and the God of Evil, as well as the God of Destruction and the God of Life? Yet, strangely enough, these pairs are married."
"Imagine this: extreme goodness and extreme evil, destruction and life. How do they manage to coexist, when they can't even touch each other?"
"One must walk their own path. Nothing in this world is absolute."
Qian Renxue straightened her face. "Yang Xiong, thank you. I will go speak with Bibi Dong. Even if there's no mother-daughter bond, I must face my heart. Perhaps that's the obsession I've had all these years, and perhaps it's the reason for the flaws in my soul."
Yang Xiong: ...
The two drank for the entire night, discussing many things, including their arguments back in the Tiandou Empire.
Even the cold Qian Renxue couldn't help but smile when thinking about their first meeting. Back then, Yang Xiong was just a six-year-old child, but he had something different about him. Given Qian Renxue's nature, she had already realized that they were kindred spirits, both of them wearing masks.
By the next morning, Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue woke from their drunken stupor. The room was filled with wine jars, and to their surprise, Yang Xiong's hand and Qian Renxue's hand were still clasped together, as though they had been pulling each other along for a drink.
Qian Renxue jolted awake, feeling as though she had been offended. She quickly pulled her hand back.
Yang Xiong scratched his nose, awkwardly pulling his hand back as well. But honestly, Qian Renxue's hands were indeed very fair and smooth.
Qian Renxue returned to her usual cold demeanor and prepared to leave. "Yang Xiong, thank you this time. But next time we meet, I hope you'll draw your sword and don't hold back."
Watching Qian Renxue leave, Yang Xiong felt a bit helpless. Perhaps it was just his thoughts on kindred souls.
When Yang Xiong returned to the military camp, Ning Rongrong was waiting in his room, looking worried.
"Little Bear, where did you go last night? You're still injured! Why are you running around?"
Yang Xiong, looking a bit embarrassed, replied, "Rongrong, I was feeling a bit bored. I've been recovering, so I went out drinking alone."
Ning Rongrong was puzzled. "Little Xiong, this isn't like you. If you wanted to drink, you could have called me and Oscar, but why do you seem a bit strange when you came back?"
"And it looks like you're hiding something from me. Come on, tell me honestly, did you go after some little girl?"
Yang Xiong was a bit startled, feeling like he had been caught. This girl really had a keen sense. It seemed like he couldn't hide anything from her.
(END CHAPTER)
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