...
Xuan Hao stared at the dark street for a while, his rapid breathing gradually calmed down, but the fear in his eyes did not completely disappear.
Whether it was a ghost or not is not important. What is important is that just a moment ago, every cell in his body was screaming. That thing posed a fatal threat to him!
Whether it's a ghost or not, he has to run!
"Little brother, what are you doing out here all alone so late?" Bibi Dong asked softly.
Xuan Hao took a deep breath, suppressing his guilt, and pretended to be calm, saying, "I...I just finished eating! I ate too much, so I came out for a walk to digest."
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly, not exposing his clumsy lie, and asked casually, "Where are your parents? Why haven't they come to see you this late?"
"My lord?" Xuan Hao thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know, he's probably dead. I've never seen him since I can remember."
Bibi Dong narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly and continued to ask, "Then where do you live? Should I take you home?"
Xuan Hao frowned slightly.
Are you checking my household registration?
Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft!
He subtly took a step back, creating a safe distance, his eyes wary: "Sister, although you're pretty, we're not close. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Just as Bibi Dong was about to speak again, Xuan Hao suddenly said, "Um... I've almost finished digesting, goodbye!"
Before he finished speaking, Xuan Hao took off running, so fast that he was more than ten meters away in the blink of an eye.
Bibi Dong watched the slender figure disappear into the distance, and the smile on her lips finally widened a bit.
He had no background, no family connections, and not even a place to live.
A wild genius with top-tier martial spirit and extraordinary talent.
I found a treasure on the street!
"Trying to run?"
Bibi Dong chuckled lightly, her figure remaining still, yet she vanished from her spot in an instant.
Xuan Hao felt a tightness on the back of his neck, and was lifted up as if he were floating on clouds.
"Holy crap—let me go!"
No matter how much he kicked and struggled, the hand holding him by the back of his collar remained motionless.
The scenery before his eyes changed rapidly. In just a few breaths, when Xuan Hao stepped onto solid ground again, he was no longer on a dark street, but standing in a room with extremely luxurious decoration and soft carpets.
Bibi Dong sat elegantly on the sofa, her long legs crossed, looking down at the bewildered Xuan Hao.
Hu Liena stood obediently behind her, curiously observing the "little beggar" who had been personally brought back by the teacher.
"Let's get to know each other again."
Bibi Dong rested her chin on her hand, which made her less approachable and gave her an air of unquestionable authority.
"I am Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Spirit Hall."
"..."
Xuan Hao was stunned.
Although he guessed that the woman was no ordinary person and vaguely felt that she looked familiar, he really did not expect that he would run directly into the BOSS's line of fire.
A brief, deathly silence fell over the room.
After several seconds, Xuan Hao blinked and cautiously managed to utter a sentence:
"Um...do I have to kneel?"
"Pfft—"
Bibi Dong, who had been looking serious, was amused by the child's sudden train of thought and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"No need." Bibi Dong waved her hand, seemingly in a good mood.
"When I arrested you, I checked your bone age. You are only six years old."
"His body is full of soul power. Although his meridians are somewhat obscure, indicating that he has never practiced meditation, this is indeed innate full soul power."
"With such talent and a powerful martial soul, if it had been awakened through the Spirit Hall, it should have been reported up the chain of command long ago, or even sent directly to me."
"Tell me, why are you alone in such a dangerous place as the Star Dou Great Forest? And what's the deal with your martial soul?"
Now that his secrets had been exposed, Xuan Hao knew he couldn't hide it any longer.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes lowered, and said in a half-serious tone, "A few days ago, I awakened my martial spirit in the village. At that time... the awakening ceremony failed. The deacon said I had neither soul power nor a martial spirit."
Bibi Dong frowned slightly but did not interrupt.
"That night, the village was attacked by wolf bandits." Xuan Hao's voice lowered. "I almost died. Just as the wolf bandit was about to bite my neck off… I don't remember what happened. My mind went blank, and I lost consciousness."
"When I woke up again, all the wolf bandits were dead. I found that I seemed to have become stronger, and I also found more than a dozen gold soul coins on the wolf bandits."
"The villagers looked at me like I was a monster, so I ran away. But I didn't know anything, so I thought I'd try my luck in the Star Dou Great Forest and see if I could get a spirit ring."
A knowing glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.
The awakening of a martial soul under extreme emotional stimulation is rare, but it is not without precedent, especially for beast martial souls.
Moreover, those terrifying dragon-type martial souls are indeed prone to causing slaughter when out of control.
"Since that's the case... Now that you've awakened, why don't you go to the local branch of the Spirit Hall to report for duty? With your talent, you'll receive the best training as soon as you go."
Xuan Hao fell silent.
Why not go?
Nonsense, going there would be like signing a contract of servitude!
Leaving aside Tang Hao, who might come out at any moment with the Clear Sky Hammer to smash people, let's just talk about the power struggles between the Pope's Hall and the Hall of Worship within the Spirit Hall.
This genius, possessing top-tier twin dragon-type martial souls, might get caught up in the political struggle between the two sides once he enters the Spirit Hall, and he might not even know how he died.
Besides, he's a man!
Although Bibi Dong seems normal now, she's a madwoman at heart. She treats Hu Liena well, like she's raising a daughter.
Him? He's a man!
Who knows, Bibi Dong might impulsively kill him at any moment.
In contrast, the Heaven Dou Empire is the real answer.
The current Crown Prince of Tiandou, "Xue Qinghe," is actually Qian Renxue in disguise!
As long as you manage to get into Heaven Dou City and find a way to get on the coattails of "His Highness the Crown Prince," you'll have the backing of the young master of the Spirit Hall as an invisible shield, the resources of the Heaven Dou Empire, and you won't have to directly deal with the mess left by the Spirit Hall.
Most importantly, there's Dugu Bo and the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in Tiandou City!
Being near the water gives you an advantage.
"say."
Seeing that Xuan Hao remained silent for a long time, Bibi Dong gently tapped the table, "What are you worried about?"
Xuan Hao scratched at the expensive carpet, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
At this point, no matter what reason is fabricated, as long as any resistance to the Spirit Hall is shown to be due to "interests" or "fear," it will arouse Bibi Dong's suspicion.
Only emotions, only those childish, irrational emotions, can provide the perfect cover.
He sniffed and lowered his head.
"The village chief told me that my parents... used to be Soul Masters of the Spirit Hall."
Bibi Dong paused slightly, "And then?"
"And then that was it." Xuan Hao twisted his hands together tightly. "When I was too young to remember anything, they took on a mission from the Spirit Hall and went out, and they never came back."
"The villagers all say they sacrificed themselves for the glory of the Spirit Hall. But... but some people have also whispered to me that they didn't die."
"They said the outside world is wonderful, and they must be living a good life in the big city. They think I'm a burden and don't want me anymore, so they left me in the village to fend for myself."
"So... I hate the Spirit Hall! Whether they're dead or they don't want me anymore, it's all because of the Spirit Hall! Why should I go to that place?"
After saying this, Xuan Hao lowered his head again, looking like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of being scalded by boiling water, as if saying "kill me or torture me as you please".
This statement is half true and half false, and its logic is closed.
In the world of Soul Masters, where the mortality rate is extremely high, disappearing while on a mission is all too common.
For a six-year-old left-behind child, the resentment of being "abandoned" or "dying in the line of duty without any explanation" is enough to become the strongest reason to resist the Spirit Hall.
A long silence fell over the room.
Hu Liena's gaze towards Xuan Hao had completely changed; it now held a compassionate pity born of shared suffering. She too was an orphan, and without a teacher to take her in, her fate might have been filled with hardship.
Bibi Dong's fingers, which were gripping the scepter, tightened slightly.
Looking at the stubborn child in front of her, she found herself unable to utter a single word of the threats and inducements she had prepared.
This reason sounds naive and emotional.
But for a six-year-old child, this makes perfect sense.
The Spirit Hall is indeed a cold-blooded machine that can sacrifice everything and cover up everything for the so-called "righteousness" and "angelic glory".
If it were for any other reason, she might think the child was lying or hiding something.
But this reason... was too real, so real that it made her feel a little inexplicably irritated.