Di Tian was stunned.
He did not respond.
"Hm?"
Gu Yuena looked at Di Tian. "Raise your head and look at me."
Hearing this command, Di Tian slowly lifted his head.
"Master, I need to ensure your safety here."
"Insolence!"
Gu Yuena's voice turned cold. "Are my words useless now?"
Di Tian immediately knelt on the ground, but his gaze remained firm.
His sole purpose in staying here was to protect Gu Yuena.
"No, but compared to Bear Lord, your safety is far more important," Di Tian insisted stubbornly.
Gu Yuena looked at him, seeing his seriousness.
She knew he was doing this for her.
However, she could not leave the Star Dou Forest.
"Follow my orders."
Gu Yuena's expression softened slightly. "Nothing will happen to me here."
"What Bear Lord is doing is very important. I don't trust anyone else—you must be the one to find him."
Di Tian remained silent.
In the end, he chose to obey her command.
"Go immediately. Not a second can be wasted."
Gu Yuena ordered firmly.
Di Tian nodded before turning and stepping into the distorted space.
…
In Spirit City.
Qian Renxue carefully dressed herself before stepping into the Spirit Hall.
The guards at the entrance immediately lowered their heads upon seeing her.
They did not dare to meet the eyes of the princess of the Spirit Hall.
"Greetings, Young Master."
Qian Renxue ignored them and walked straight inside.
Since the Worship Hall was located in the mountains behind the Spirit Hall, she had initially planned to go directly to find Qian Daoliu.
However, every time she passed by the Pope's Palace, she could not help but glance at Bibi Dong.
Even if it was just from a distance.
From childhood to now, Bibi Dong had rarely ever looked at Qian Renxue directly.
This had deeply hurt her, yet at the same time, it made her subconsciously want to prove herself in front of Bibi Dong.
That was why Qian Renxue often mimicked Bibi Dong's mannerisms without realizing it.
It was also why she was later able to successfully disguise herself as Xue Qinghe and infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire.
After all, the noble bearing of a ruler was not something an ordinary person could simply imitate.
This kind of presence was ingrained from birth.
Whenever Bibi Dong appeared as the Pope, regardless of who was in front of her, she always exuded elegance, dignity, and grace.
This noble and refined demeanor was something Qian Renxue had unknowingly learned.
However, what Qian Renxue did not know was that the more she tried to imitate Bibi Dong, the more Bibi Dong hated her.
Because when Bibi Dong looked at Qian Renxue, she saw a reflection of her younger self.
So in Qian Renxue's childhood memories, Bibi Dong's gaze was always filled with loathing.
That hatred was not just directed at Qian Renxue as the daughter of Qian Xunji.
It was also a hatred towards her own past self.
Of course, Qian Renxue was completely unaware of this.
At this moment, she arrived at the Pope's Palace, but Bibi Dong was nowhere to be found.
Even the Ghost Douluo, who usually lurked in the shadows near the palace, exuding an aura of darkness, was also missing.
Qian Renxue found this odd.
Logically, if nothing major had happened, Bibi Dong would not have left the Spirit Hall.
Could something significant have occurred?
"What's going on?"
For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into Qian Renxue's heart.
She calmed herself before heading toward the Worship Hall.
Soon, she arrived at the hall.
This was where Qian Daoliu spent most of his time.
"Grandfather."
Whenever she wanted to find her grandfather, she could always locate him beneath the Angel God Statue in the Worship Hall.
For the past twenty years, she had never seen Qian Daoliu leave even once.
So she was certain he would be there.
However, this time, she was wrong.
Qian Daoliu was not beneath the Angel God Statue.
Thinking back to how he and Bibi Dong had fought fiercely over Spirit City not long ago, Qian Renxue felt a surge of panic.
Just as she was at a loss for what to do, the doors of the Worship Hall swung open.
Qian Renxue thought Qian Daoliu had returned and hurried forward.
"You're finally back."
However, when she reached the entrance, she saw that it was Golden Crocodile Douluo who had entered.
"Hm? Xue'er, you're back," Golden Crocodile Douluo greeted with a grin.
"Grandfather Golden Crocodile, why isn't my grandfather here? Where did he go?" Qian Renxue asked with confusion.
"Where did he go?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo scratched his head. "I don't know. He never tells me where he's going."
Then, he looked at Qian Renxue. "Xue'er, it's been a long time. What made you decide to return so suddenly?"
Qian Renxue sighed. "I heard that my grandfather and Bibi Dong fought, so I rushed back to check on the situation."
"Oh, that matter." Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head helplessly. "It wasn't much. The Pope was injured, but she should be fine now."
"Do you know why they fought?"
Qian Renxue asked.
Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No idea. They just suddenly started fighting."
"You'd have to ask them yourself."
"That's exactly why I came back," Qian Renxue said, feeling frustrated. "But now, neither of them are here."
She knew that being anxious wouldn't help. She could only wait for them to return to find out the truth.
But for some reason, a strong sense of unease filled her heart.
It felt as though something major had happened, yet she knew nothing about it.
…
Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Xue Tianyu held Xue Di in his arms inside the wooden house.
"Tianyu, what are you doing? This is so embarrassing." Xue Di said, but she didn't use her soul power to push him away.
Xue Tianyu knew—she was saying no, but her body was being honest.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? No one else can see us." Xue Tianyu chuckled.
Then, he wrapped his arms around Xue Di's slender waist, looking at her blushing face, his heart stirred.
To outsiders, she was the cold and untouchable Goddess of Ice and Snow. But in front of Xue Tianyu, she was just a shy woman.
At this moment, in Xue Tianyu's embrace, Xue Di's long hair was tied up, her sky-blue eyes carried a hint of shy pink as she gazed at him.
Her tall, graceful figure was nestled in his arms, even her rapid breathing—caused by the fluttering of her heart—was caught by him.
Her white, translucent dress had no extra embellishments, yet it only made her look even more stunning.
The snow-white legs peeking out from beneath her dress were pressed tightly together, and her delicate feet twitched slightly in nervousness.
"Bing Bing might see us."
Xue Di thought of Bing Di, who had run off to play in the Ice Dragon King's spring, and she felt a wave of frustration.
The moment she left, this little Tianyu started making a move on her.
"She won't. Aunt Bing hasn't come up yet."
With Xue Tianyu's current soul power perception, he wasn't much weaker than Xue Di.
Xue Di sighed helplessly, but she didn't have the heart to push him away.
After all, deep inside, she was still looking forward to it.
She just needed time to accept the change in their relationship.