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..."Am I... a bit of a bastard?"
After a long silence, Xuan Ming asked in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery.
Bibi Dong looked at his conflicted expression, and that sliver of jealousy she had felt due to the divine force fluctuations miraculously dissipated.
She reached out, cupping Xuan Ming's face and forcing him to look directly into her eyes.
"You are indeed a bastard," Bibi Dong said bluntly. "Greedy, overbearing, and you love playing dumb."
Xuan Ming gave a bitter smile.
"But..." Bibi Dong's tone softened, her fingers gently stroking his cheek, "if we didn't want to stay, do you think those powers alone could keep us here?"
"Xuan Ming, you underestimate us too much, and you underestimate yourself as well."
"The reason we are willing to stay and endure this grievance isn't because you are the God King, nor because of how much power you've given us. It's simply because... you are Xuan Ming."
"The Xuan Ming who shielded us from the wind and rain in desperate situations, the one who would rather bear the weight of the World just to protect us."
Saying this, Bibi Dong sighed and gave him a light peck on the lips.
"As for the guilt... keep it. It's good to have a bit of a guilty conscience; at least it will make you treat us better in the future, so you don't actually turn into one of those heartless stone statues of a god."
Xuan Ming's heart jolted. Looking into Bibi Dong's forgiving eyes, he felt the heavy stone of oppression in his chest loosen considerably.
"Thank you."
Bibi Dong let him hold her for a while before gently pushing him away.
"Alright, enough with the sentimentality."
She tidied her slightly messy hair, regaining some of her efficiency as an Empress. "Since you feel indebted, then go pay your debts. Hiding isn't a permanent solution."
"Just now... the divine force fluctuations were so massive that the Angel God next door surely noticed long ago."
Bibi Dong pointed toward the direction of the Angel God Temple outside the window with a knowing smile. "If I'm not mistaken, she's probably smashing things in her temple right now. After all, someone crawled into my bed the moment he returned without even saying hello, and even lent her divine force to someone else..."
Xuan Ming's body stiffened instantly.
"Cough..." He rubbed his nose guiltily. "That... that was for official business. Regarding Douluo Star, I needed some power to keep things under control. My power is too unique; ordinary Divinities can't handle it at all. Your power is too dangerous, and theirs..."
"Go explain that to her and see if she believes it," Bibi Dong said gloatingly. "And then there's Nana, and Gu Yuena... you figure it out yourself."
Xuan Ming let out a long sigh and stood up from the bed.
"True, I'll have to face the music sooner or later."
"Then I'm going."
"Go on," Bibi Dong waved her hand as if shooing a fly. "Just don't die next door."
Walking to the door, Xuan Ming's hand was already on the knob when his footsteps suddenly paused.
He turned back to look at Bibi Dong, his eyes filled with a hint of hesitation and inquiry.
"Dong'er."
"Hmm?" Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow.
"You and Xue'er..." Xuan Ming weighed his words, "can you really let go of the past? Those old grudges, especially regarding that person, and Qian Daoliu..."
This had always been a thorn between mother and daughter. Even though both had now become gods and things appeared calm on the surface, Xuan Ming was still uneasy. He didn't want his surroundings to turn into a bloody battlefield of palace drama every day.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong didn't get angry; instead, she looked at him with a half-smile. "What do you think?"
Xuan Ming gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I don't know. As you said, I haven't even sorted out my own mess, let alone try to guess the thoughts of you two women."
"Don't worry."
Bibi Dong sighed, her gaze becoming somewhat distant. "Regarding the matter of Qian Xunji, I already laid all my cards on the table with her long ago. The truth of those years, the rights and wrongs, have all vanished with the past. She is a proud person and a smart one; now that she knows the truth, she doesn't want to mention those disgusting memories again."
"As for Qian Daoliu..."
Mentioning this name, Bibi Dong's tone paused slightly. "Back then, he sacrificed himself so Xue'er could become a god, which has always been a pain in her heart. Fortunately, that do-gooder Goddess of Life stepped in at the last moment to intercept and retain Qian Daoliu's Soul."
"Not long ago, the Goddess of Life returned that wisp of Soul to Xue'er. And Xue'er has personally sent her grandfather to a new World for Reincarnation. Although they are no longer Family, at least knowing he is alive somewhere is the best consolation for Xue'er."
Bibi Dong looked at Xuan Ming and said seriously, "For the current her, the shackles of the past have all been broken. Whether it's the glory of the Family or the grievances with me, nothing remains."
"In this World, the one she cares about most—and the only one she cares about—is you."
"As long as you still care for her, as long as you want her by your side, she will never leave. Even if... she currently wishes she could take a bite out of you."
Hearing this, the last bit of worry in Xuan Ming's heart finally vanished.
He took a deep look at Bibi Dong and nodded. "I understand."
Without further words, Xuan Ming pushed open the door and stepped out. With a flash of his body, he arrived at the neighboring Angel God Temple, grand and holy, emitting a faint golden light.
However, as soon as he pushed open the door, Xuan Ming's eyelids couldn't help but twitch.
The main hall of the Angel God Temple, which should have been solemn, majestic, and spotless, currently looked as if it had been ransacked by thieves.
Precious God Realm vases were shattered all over the floor, golden curtains had been torn down and tossed aside, tables and chairs were overturned, and there were even several deep sword marks on the floor, clearly the result of someone venting their anger with a Divine Artifact.
"Tsk..."
Xuan Ming looked at the mess in the room and clicked his tongue inwardly.
It seemed Bibi Dong was right; that Young Miss of the Angel clan was throwing quite a massive tantrum this time.
He carefully bypassed the shards on the floor, preparing to call out.
Suddenly—
A piercing chill instantly struck from behind!
There was no divine force fluctuation, just pure, extreme speed and killing intent.
Xuan Ming didn't move, just standing where he was.
The next second, a long sword emitting a blazing holy aura was coldly pressed against his neck.
The sharp blade was tight against his skin; he could even feel the waves of chill and fury emanating from it.
"Oh, isn't this our Lord God King?"
Qian Renxue's voice rang out eerily from behind, carrying a sarcasm that made one's scalp tingle. "A day and a night... quite the stamina, isn't it? You're willing to crawl out of that woman's gentle nest so soon?"
Xuan Ming didn't respond.
"Why aren't you speaking?"
The Angelic Sacred Sword in Qian Renxue's hand pressed slightly harder, creating a shallow bloodline on his neck. "In the beginning, the commotion was so loud the entire God Realm heard it. What? Were you afraid I wouldn't know what you were doing next door? Or were you doing it on purpose for me to see?"
Her voice carried an unmaskable trembling and grievance.
She was angry, extremely angry.
Even though she had been psychologically prepared, even though she knew Bibi Dong's status in Xuan Ming's heart, and even though she had accepted the fact that she had to share him with other women.
But when the moment actually came, when she heard the commotion from next door with her own ears and personally felt her divine force being 'casually' borrowed, she found she couldn't maintain her composure at all.
That bitterness of being ignored and ranked second felt as if it were corroding her heart empty.
Xuan Ming didn't defend himself, nor did he use divine force to shake off the sword.
He simply raised his hands slowly in a gesture of surrender, and then slowly, bit by bit, turned around.
Qian Renxue watched his movements, her hand holding the sword trembling slightly, yet she never truly struck down.
When Xuan Ming fully turned around to face her, she saw a pair of eyes filled with guilt and helplessness, yet also incredibly deep and gentle.
Xuan Ming reached out, ignoring the blade at his neck, and gently grasped the edge of the Angelic Sacred Sword.
He didn't use divine force to protect himself; blood flowed through his fingers and dripped onto the white temple floor, a shocking sight.
"You..." Qian Renxue's pupils shrank violently. She instinctively tried to pull the sword back, but Xuan Ming held it firmly.
"Let go!" she cried out in panic.
Xuan Ming only looked at her tenderly. With a slight pull, he moved the sacred sword—symbol of judgment and trial—away from her hand inch by inch, then casually tossed it into the nearby debris.
Clang.
The long sword hit the floor.
In the next moment, Xuan Ming stepped forward, opening his arms and pulling the still-shivering golden figure tightly into his embrace.
"I'm sorry."
Qian Renxue's body stiffened instantly.
That resentment she had held in her heart for a day and a night was like a stone stuck in her throat—she couldn't spit it out, yet she couldn't swallow it either.
She wanted to push him away, to curse him, to stab him.
But when she felt that familiar embrace and smelled the scent that haunted her dreams, all her strength seemed to be drained away in an instant.
Tears welled up uncontrollably from her eyes.
"Bastard..."
Qian Renxue buried her head in Xuan Ming's shoulder and opened her mouth, biting down hard on his shoulder.
Though she used force, she didn't use divine force.
Like an angry kitten, she was asserting her sovereignty and dissatisfaction.
"You are a bastard! A big bastard!"
While she cursed, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, as if afraid he would run away again.
She admitted it despairingly in her heart.
Whether it was before, now, or in the future.
In this lifetime, she was completely done for in the hands of this bastard.