Chapter 17: Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang's First Meeting.
Tian Dou City.
Four people arrived at the heavily guarded city gate.
The leader was dressed in a magnificent robe and not only had long, golden hair, but upon closer inspection, his eyes also appeared to be golden.
Beside him was a girl who looked to be under ten years old, with delicate and lovely features, and was also wearing a smaller version of the divine robe.
The two people behind him, one was ugly and short and fat, but his explosive muscles could not be hidden by the wide hem of his clothes;
The other was tall and slender, like a straight spear, exuding a sharp aura.
The four people walked side by side in pairs until they reached the checkpoint.
"Please show your clearance certificate, or go ahead to register." A soldier stopped them.
The short, stout man behind him stepped forward and presented a dark gold token.
Upon seeing the Spirit Hall emblem on the weapon, the soldier's expression changed drastically, and his attitude instantly became respectful.
"Spirit Hall token... Please come in."
The four of them remained silent and headed into the city together.
In the Douluo Continent, one may not know the major families or care about the major academies, but in this world where soul masters are revered, the Spirit Hall controls the vast majority of the soul master power on the continent, and no one dares to disrespect it.
Only after the four members of the Spirit Hall left did the soldiers breathe a sigh of relief. Watching their retreating figures, they murmured:
"The pressure is so intense, I can't even breathe."
After walking for a while, the four entered the bustling market area of Tiandou City. Suddenly, the little girl among them asked:
"Teacher, why are we walking instead of taking a car?"
Her voice was clear and melodious, like a lark in a valley.
"The reason I brought you on this trip is to show you the real lives of ordinary people under the rule of the two great empires," the tall man answered her question in a magnetic voice.
Although his voice was warm and kind, he did not look at the girl while speaking, and his gaze showed no emotion.
However, Bibi Dong was clearly already used to the teacher's way of speaking. She nodded as if she understood, and looked at the stalls on both sides of the street.
Since her spirit awakened, Bibi Dong has been taken to the Spirit Hall and has lived there ever since.
For her, who spent her days eating, sleeping, and cultivating, everything in Tiandou City was new and exciting.
She really wanted to stop and take a closer look at the stalls selling snacks and toys, since these little trinkets were incredibly appealing to children.
Unfortunately, the teacher did not slow down. In order not to fall behind, she could only turn her head frantically and try her best to imprint all the new and interesting things into her mind.
But she was still a child at heart, and once she saw a stall selling hair clips and bows, she couldn't move any further.
As soon as Bibi Dong stopped, her teacher Qian Xunji immediately noticed. He watched his disciple walk toward the stall with an emotionless gaze, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Just as the two elders were about to step forward to intervene, Qian Xunji raised a hand, stopping them.
The stall was run by an elderly man, who was also with a little girl, who appeared to be his granddaughter.
As soon as Bibi Dong reached the stall, the little girl's eyes widened, and words of praise spilled out:
"Miss, you are so beautiful."
Bibi Dong, who was already easily embarrassed, immediately felt ashamed upon hearing this. After all, in the Spirit Hall, few people dared to speak to her, let alone compliment her on her beauty; such a compliment would immediately be seen as having ulterior motives.
Only the elders who trained her would praise her abilities, and some even called her a genius. Her favorite compliment was her teacher's "You've grown again."
Bibi Dong's ears burned a little, and she immediately smiled and thanked the other girl, praising her beauty in return. She also picked out a bunch of small accessories, and the two girls chatted away as if they had become good friends.
"Old man, you still dare to set up a stall in the city?" Suddenly, a discordant voice came from behind Bibi Dong.
A group of taxi drivers in armor escorted a tax official to the stall.
"You haven't forgotten what I said last time, have you? If you don't pay your stall fee, then get out of the city and go do business with spirit beasts."
The tax officer was arrogant, forcing the old man to back away repeatedly. The little girl hid behind her grandfather in fear, her eyes filled with terror.
The old man suddenly knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Sir, business has been bad these past few days. Could you please grant me a few more days?"
"What do you mean by a few days' grace? I've given you more than just a day or two's grace. Get out of here today."
Seeing the old man pleading, the official's face was full of impatience. He gestured to the taxi drivers behind him, and several people came up to dismantle the stall.
Despite the old man's attempts to stop him, his frail health made him no match for the aggressive taxi driver. Not only was his stall overturned and his trinkets scattered everywhere, but he was also knocked to the ground.
"You bad people, I'll beat you to death!"
When the little girl saw her grandfather being bullied, she cried and went up to him, punching the soldier's armor with her little fists. Her delicate little hands were quickly cut.
But she still wouldn't give up, grabbing the tax official's leg and biting him.
"Ouch, this little brat actually dared to bite me!"
The tax official cried out in pain, yanked the little girl away, and pulled a knife from the soldier's waist, slashing at the girl with force.
The little girl on the ground struggled to get up, but the tax collector's knife was already at her feet, about to decapitate her.
Suddenly, the tax officer felt something kick his foot, and he stumbled and fell to the side.
Turning around, I saw that it was Bibi Dong who had made her move.
That wasn't all. A surge of dark purple soul power erupted from Bibi Dong's body as her martial soul was released, and her appearance underwent a slight change.
Her upper body was partially covered by armor, and her face was covered with shell-like patterns. Two pairs of compound eyes appeared beneath her beautiful eyes.
"Spider Demon!" The tax official never expected that a delicate little girl would transform into such a terrifying appearance.
Upon hearing his words, the soldiers drew their weapons and prepared to launch an attack.
"stop."
Elder Cigu, who was standing behind Qian Xunji, had somehow appeared in front of Bibi Dong, holding a golden token in his hand.
"We are from the Spirit Hall, please show mercy."
Once the token was displayed, the taxi drivers who had surrounded him dared not cause any trouble.
The tax official was quick-witted; upon seeing this, he immediately said "it's a misunderstanding" and hurriedly led the soldiers away.
Seeing that the crisis was over, Bibi Dong went over to check if the little girl was hurt, but to her surprise, the little girl cried even more sadly.
"Waaaah, monster, monster, don't come any closer!"
The little girl, who had been so brave just moments before, was now so frightened by her own appearance that Bibi Dong froze on the spot, unsure of what to do.
A pair of warm hands touched Bibi Dong's shoulders, and pulled up the hood of her divine robe to cover her spider demon face that had appeared due to the release of her soul rings.
After Elder Serpent Spear paid for Bibi Dong's purchase, he picked up the trinkets she had bought and left the grandfather and granddaughter.
"Bibi Dong, what have you learned from today's events?" Teacher Qian Xunji's voice remained expressionless.
"I don't know, I just feel a strange sadness in my heart." Bibi Dong's mind was filled with the little girl's fearful eyes.
"You should have gotten used to this by now. This is the kind of reverence that mortals should have for the gods. Your character still needs to be tempered. Your evening meditation time will be doubled."
"Yes, teacher."
...
night.
Yu Xiaogang tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, so he could only sneak out of the room alone.
Since the curfew had long passed, there were hardly any people on the streets.
He walked alone, unsteadily, and unknowingly arrived at the riverbank.
The wind was strong by the river at night, making him shiver, but his heart was even colder.
His grandfather's actions during the day made him vaguely realize that his status as the eldest grandson in the family was far less important than that of his third brother, Yu Xiaozhen.
Recalling the kind look his grandfather gave his third brother, and then thinking about the cold and harsh tone he had been given, Yu Xiaogang felt an overwhelming sadness that he couldn't express.
"Just because I have a mutated, useless martial soul?"
He casually summoned Luo Sanpao, only to look helplessly at the other's chubby body.
Seemingly sensing his master's sorrow, Luo Sanpao approached Yu Xiaogang and gently rubbed his head against his calf.
Sudden.
"What an adorable martial spirit."
A clear, bell-like voice rang out, startling Yu Xiaogang from his grief.
He looked up and saw a pretty little girl in a long robe. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that she seemed to have tear stains on her face.
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