Chapter 55: Questioning, Burying a Trap
"So, if I don't have a family... is that okay?"
A strong, clean masculine scent wafted over, the same scent of pine and cold steel she remembered. It was the scent of Qin Xuan. It was overpowering in the enclosed space of the library's third floor, surrounded by the dry, dusty smell of old parchment.
The scent instantly reminded Bibi Dong of their last time in the small woods, of the ambush, of his "dying" confession. It made her cheeks burn.
Bibi Dong looked up at him, her expression pleading. She instinctively took a step back, her hands rising to her chest.
"No, Qin Xuan, I... I heard from Teacher. He told me. You and... and her... you went through life and death together in Slaughter City."
Her voice was soft, almost a tearful whisper. "You can't betray your wife. And... and I can't betray Xiao Gang."
Yu Xiaogang was still just one floor below. She didn't dare to speak too loudly, terrified he might hear.
But Qin Xuan turned a deaf ear, his dark eyes, still tinged with the faintest red of the Slaughter God Domain, fixed on hers. He leaned in, just as he had in the small woods, closing the distance.
He was too close. His presence was overwhelming, a mix of predatory power and undeniable charm that her sheltered life had never prepared her for.
Bibi Dong closed her eyes in pain, a resigned, terrified expression on her face. This was it. He was going to force her.
Two lines of clear, hot tears slid from the corners of her eyes. In her heart, she silently apologized.
Xiao Gang... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...
The imagined intimate, forceful scene didn't happen.
She felt his breath ghost across her ear. "Is what you heard... necessarily true?"
His voice was a low, inexplicable whisper.
Then, he was gone. The warmth and the pressure vanished.
Bibi Dong opened her eyes in surprise, the tears still wet on her cheeks. She turned, her beautiful face a mask of utter confusion.
Qin Xuan was already several feet away. He had reopened the ancient text he was holding and leaned casually against a towering bookshelf, flipping through a page as if nothing had happened.
What did that mean? Was there another, hidden story? Was Jing Ni... not his wife? He was planting a seed, a tiny, poisonous seed of doubt, and he knew it would flourish in the fertile ground of her confusion.
Qin Xuan didn't dwell on the topic. He snapped the book shut, his expression turning from roguish to indifferent. "Let's talk about the purpose of your visit."
He tapped the book's leather cover. "You came all the way up here to find me, even at the risk of leaving your precious Xiao Gang downstairs, all alone. It shouldn't just be to congratulate me, right?"
The shift in tone was jarring. He was back in control.
Bibi Dong, still reeling from the emotional whiplash, quickly wiped her tears. She nodded, forcing herself to refocus. "When I left the Elder Palace earlier, I heard from Teacher. He... he said your spirit power increased so rapidly because you consumed an Immortal Herb. One that could strengthen your foundation."
She took a breath, her voice trembling slightly with hope. "I want to know what that Immortal Herb is."
"A miraculous item of heaven and earth," Qin Xuan said, his voice a flat, indifferent monotone. He showed no surprise at her request; he had been expecting it. "It can enhance spirit power and talent. It is very beneficial to one's Spirit. If... some Immortal Herbs are consumed by the right person, they can even cause their Spirit to sublimate, to evolve."
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up, her previous fear forgotten, replaced by a desperate, shining hope. "Then can you…?"
"You want to give it to Yu Xiaogang?" Qin Xuan interrupted, his voice turning to ice. He glared at her with a cold, sidelong glance.
Bibi Dong felt a little guilty under Qin Xuan's freezing gaze, but the thought of Yu Xiaogang's lifelong despair gave her strength. She took a deep breath, clutching the collar of her robe.
"My Xiao Gang... he is limited by his talent. His Spirit mutated. He will never be able to break through Level 29 in his lifetime. I... I want to help him."
"Help him?" Qin Xuan scoffed, a cold, humorless laugh. "Help a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan disciple?"
He pushed himself off the bookshelf and began to walk slowly around her, like a shark circling its prey.
"Indeed, I do know of an Immortal Herb that can solve Yu Xiaogang's Spirit mutation. It could regrow his severed meridians, break his bottleneck, and allow him to cultivate again."
He dangled the hope in front of her, letting her grasp it.
"But, Bibi Dong... oh, no, Holy Maiden," he sneered, "do you know that Yu Xiaogang ran away from his family and came to Spirit Hall precisely because he couldn't stand the ridicule of his own clansmen?"
He stopped in front of her. "Moreover, do you know that that one Immortal Herb is valuable enough to give any genius in our Spirit Hall the potential to break through to Titled Douluo? Even the Titled Douluo Elders in the Elder Palace, and even the Consecrated ones, would greatly benefit from consuming it."
"And you want to take that strategic, hall-defining treasure... and give it to him?"
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong hurriedly explained, "No! Xiao Gang has already left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! He is also a member of Spirit Hall now, just like us!"
"Left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?" Qin Xuan's voice was cold. "Has he? Has he publicly announced his withdrawal? Has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan publicly removed him from their name? Expelled him?"
Bibi Dong's mouth opened, but no words came out.
"No," Qin Xuan stated, his voice flat. "He's not an exile, Bibi Dong. He's a runaway. His name is still on their family register. He is, and always will be, the son of the current Sect Master."
He leaned in again, his voice dropping. "So now the question is... because you, in your foolish love, leaked so many Spirit Hall secrets to Yu Xiaogang... when Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan inevitably clash... who will Yu Xiaogang help?"
Bibi Dong said earnestly, her mind rejecting the very premise, "No! Spirit Hall is the largest Spirit Master organization in the Douluo Continent, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is one of the Upper Three Sects. The two powers keep to themselves! They will not clash. In the future, when I become the Supreme Pontiff..."
Qin Xuan cut her off, his voice like a whip. "So you also believe that between the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Spirit Hall, Yu Xiaogang will choose his own family, right?"
"I…" Bibi Dong was speechless. He had twisted her words, cornered her.
Qin Xuan shook his head, a look of profound "disappointment" on his face. "You don't need to explain for him; anyone would do the same. His father is the Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He loves his son and treats him quite well, despite his wasted Spirit."
"If a person doesn't even love his own father, his own clan... how could he love Spirit Hall, which he joined halfway, simply as a convenience?"
"But Holy Maiden, I can't control Yu Xiaogang loving his clan. What I hope to do is make you clarify one thing... and that is your own identity and your own stance."
His voice grew louder, filled with a sudden, righteous passion. "Whether it's you or me, we both grew up eating Spirit Hall's food! If Spirit Hall hadn't awakened our Spirits, hadn't nurtured us, given us everything... do you think those nobles of the Two Great Empires, who devour human flesh without spitting out bones, or those high and mighty Upper Three Sects, would anyone have been willing to awaken our Spirits?"
"The answer is no."
He pointed at himself. "Take me, for example. Born an orphan. I'd probably still be in some forgotten corner of the city, muddled and worried about my next meal. If I were lucky, I might live a poor, short life. How could I have my current strength and noble status?"
"So I have always been grateful to Spirit Hall for raising me." He conveniently left Qian Xunji out of that statement.
"And you," he said, his voice softening, but his words becoming sharper, "you would be even worse off. In this world where the strong prey on the weak, if you cannot control your own destiny, beauty is no longer a woman's greatest asset. It is a disaster."
"If Spirit Hall hadn't nurtured you, awakened your twin Spirits, and provided you with protection... with your devastatingly beautiful looks, unmatched across the Continent... do you really think those noble lords, those city masters, would have let you go?"
"Remember, my Holy Maiden," he whispered, "when you drink water, don't forget the well-digger. Don't be a white-eyed wolf who eats from the bowl and then curses the mother."
Qin Xuan's words left Bibi Dong unable to refute. She stood there, trembling, the logic of his argument warring with the powerful, all-consuming emotion in her heart.
But the love-struck minds in this world are absolutely terrifying.
The root cause is a fundamental lack of critical education, a blind, cultural pursuit of strength, thereby neglecting ideological and moral character.
Sometimes, they aren't unaware of right and wrong; they just believe that love is greater than everything. That sacrificing the world, their family, their home, for the person they love is the only thing that true love means.
At this moment, Bibi Dong was in this very category.
"Qin Xuan," she said, her voice shaking but firm, "I know you might have some... misunderstandings about Xiao Gang. But I believe Xiao Gang. He won't do anything to betray Spirit Hall. On the contrary, he is now researching Spirit Master theories for Spirit Hall, to help us!"
If the person in front of her wasn't Qin Xuan, the man who had just returned from Slaughter City with an aura that terrified her, she would have already acted, striking him to seek justice for Xiao Gang.
"Are you sure he's researching?" Qin Xuan asked, his voice dripping with contempt. "And not... planning to categorize, summarize, or even plagiarize and claim as his own the ancient texts and core secrets left by our predecessors in Spirit Hall?"
He smiled, a cruel, knowing smile. "Using them to gain fame and finally shed his reputation as a good-for-nothing?"
"No!" Bibi Dong said, a shade too quickly. She said it against her conscience.
This theoretical path was one she had suggested Yu Xiaogang take. His access to the Spirit Hall library, his access to books that even most Elders couldn't see... even his knowledge of the top-secret Angel Set Spirit Bone... it was all because of her help.
She knew, deep down, that Qin Xuan was right.
"If that's the case," Qin Xuan said, seeing the guilt in her eyes, "then let me ask you another question. You like Yu Xiaogang, right? You're willing to give everything for him?"
Bibi Dong thought Qin Xuan was going to threaten her again, just like he did in the small woods. Her eyes flustered, and her face couldn't help but blush, but she still nodded heavily, her voice firm. "Yes."
Qin Xuan continued to ask, his voice a soft, final, trapping question.
"Do you think your teacher... will agree?"
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