Yue Guan's sudden movement startled Bibi Dong.
Her outstretched hand paused mid-air.
Noticing the change in Yue Guan's demeanor, Bibi Dong realized he had clearly misunderstood something.
She had only wanted to touch the baby's chubby little face—so soft and adorable.
However, Bibi Dong had no intention of explaining herself.
"Sigh…"
She let out a quiet sigh. Something had come to mind, and her mood soured.
She was thinking of another child.
A child she deeply disliked.
She had only recently left the Slaughter City, and the murderous aura clinging to her was still difficult to suppress.
That detestable child had come running to her, proudly showing off her newly awakened martial soul. Bibi Dong lost control.
Killing intent surged in an instant, and she launched a ruthless attack without hesitation.
If not for the timely intervention of a meddling old man, that child would've been strangled to death on the spot.
The real reason she had come here wasn't just to clear her mind—it was also to escape that cold, cruel city, and to avoid seeing that child again. She feared she wouldn't be able to restrain herself if they met once more.
As for the task of eliminating the evil soul masters, that was just incidental.
Seeing that Bibi Dong made no further moves, Yue Guan let out a sigh of relief, unaware of the shift in her emotions.
But Ye Qifeng, with his big, clear eyes fixed on Bibi Dong, could sense her inner pain.
He reached out his tiny hand and gently patted the back of her hand.
"Don't be sad. Things will get better."
Not knowing what else to say, Ye Qifeng could only offer this simple comfort.
"Yiyiya…"
The soft pat on her hand, paired with the baby's gentle babbling, somehow soothed Bibi Dong's troubled heart. The chaotic emotions within her gradually calmed.
Looking at the baby's pure, innocent gaze and feeling that tiny hand patting her, Bibi Dong found herself strangely comforted. A faint smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.
That smile was like the first bloom of spring—radiant and captivating.
Ye Qifeng was momentarily stunned.
Seeing her smile and recalling the suffering she had endured, a surge of compassion rose in his heart. He made a silent vow.
For the sake of that smile, he swore to one day rescue her from the abyss of hell, to protect her, and never let her meet a tragic end.
Even Yue Guan was stunned at that moment.
"Am I seeing things? Did the Holy Maiden actually smile? How many years has it been since I last saw that? Is this a hallucination?"
He blinked his peach blossom eyes, beginning to doubt himself.
But in the next moment, he watched Bibi Dong gently pinch the baby's cheeks several times, the smile on her face growing wider.
Yue Guan's jaw practically dropped.
Bibi Dong didn't care what Yue Guan thought.
She was simply in a good mood and found herself growing fond of the delicately carved, jade-like baby. She just wanted to get a little closer to him.
"Quick! Elder Chrysanthemum and the Holy Maiden are up ahead!"
At that moment, voices from the Wuhun Hall's enforcement team rang out nearby.
A number of people were arriving quickly.
Soon, the various squads of the enforcement team arrived on the scene.
Lacking the powerful cultivation levels of Elder Chrysanthemum and the Holy Maiden, it naturally took them some time to catch up.
By the time they arrived, the battle was already over.
After all, with Yue Guan, a Rank 92 Titled Douluo, and Bibi Dong, a Rank 89 Contra already half a step into Titled Douluo, working together, there wasn't much left for others to do.
The enforcement squads could only clean up the battlefield.
Not that they minded.
To the enforcement team, not having to fight was a blessing in itself.
Though hunting evil soul masters was their duty, the fights were always extremely dangerous.
Evil soul masters were not only bloodthirsty and cruel—they also had strange, unpredictable abilities that made them especially deadly.
Every year, hundreds or even thousands of enforcers were killed or injured in battles against them.
"Teams One and Two, clean up the battlefield. Burn all the corpses of those evil soul masters—don't leave them to pollute the land. The rest of you, escort the Holy Maiden back to her carriage."
Yue Guan issued his orders to the enforcement squad leaders.
"Yes, Elder Chrysanthemum!"
The captains placed a hand over their chests and knelt, accepting the command.
After making all necessary arrangements, Yue Guan led the remaining squads to escort Bibi Dong back to her ceremonial carriage.
It wasn't far and had been guarded by a separate enforcement team, so there was no risk of it being tampered with.
As for Ye Qifeng, he was cradled in Yue Guan's arms.
Even if Bibi Dong was fond of him, she wouldn't carry him while traveling.
At this point, Ye Qifeng had already fallen asleep—after all, he was still just a baby and needed his rest.
Not long after, they reached the carriage.
"Holy Maiden! Elder Chrysanthemum!"
The squad guarding the carriage immediately dropped to one knee upon seeing them.
"Mhm."
Bibi Dong gave only a faint acknowledgment and entered the carriage, sitting cross-legged on the seat to begin meditation.
She needed to seize every moment to cultivate and break through her bottleneck at Rank 89 to reach the Titled Douluo realm as soon as possible.
"Rise."
Yue Guan, less aloof than Bibi Dong, still spoke with authority.
He then approached the carriage window.
"Holy Maiden, this…"
He awkwardly lifted the sleeping baby slightly as a signal.
"Put him inside."
Bibi Dong lifted the curtain and paused for a moment. Thinking it over, she decided it wasn't appropriate for Yue Guan to hold the baby the whole time—he still had to drive the carriage—so she agreed.
Upon receiving her permission, Yue Guan gently placed Ye Qifeng inside.
It was his first time entering Bibi Dong's carriage.
But at this moment, he had no thoughts of curiosity or sightseeing.
All Yue Guan wanted was to quickly set the baby down and get out. He clearly felt the temperature drop noticeably the moment he stepped inside.
Under Bibi Dong's cold, expressionless gaze, Yue Guan gently laid the baby next to her seat, then fled the carriage at lightning speed—actually using soul power in his escape.
His exit was swift and seamless.
Bibi Dong couldn't help but chuckle, blinking in confusion."Am I really that scary???"
Outside, Yue Guan finally relaxed once he stepped on solid ground. He took a deep breath.
He didn't know why, but despite having a higher cultivation level than Bibi Dong, he always felt a strange sense of dread around her.
Shaking his head fiercely, he tried to rid himself of the feeling, found a stone nearby, and began meditating as he waited for the squads cleaning the battlefield to return so they could depart for Spirit Hall City.
Inside the carriage.
Once Yue Guan had left, Bibi Dong resumed her meditation.
Three hours later.
The carriage convoy had been traveling back toward Spirit Hall City for about two and a half hours.
Bibi Dong awoke from her meditative state.
A faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips—her mood clearly improved.
She was surprised to discover that her cultivation had progressed far more smoothly than expected, without the usual sluggishness.
She had been stuck at Rank 89 for over a year.
Six months ago, she realized she'd hit a bottleneck—no matter how she meditated, her soul power progressed painfully slow.
Yet just now, within a single hour of training, her soul power had grown significantly, and the bottleneck had loosened.
She now felt confident that it wouldn't be long before she stepped into the realm of Titled Douluo.
At that moment…
The smile on Bibi Dong's lips suddenly disappeared.
Her expression returned to icy indifference. The surge of negative emotions returned, and her chronic headaches began again.