"Teacher Xin, what... are you thinking?"
"Why haven't you been willing to see me since that day?"
At Heart of Fire Pavilion, after several days of recuperation, Bibi Dong's complexion had noticeably improved, but she couldn't smile.
The color had returned to her face, yet a heaviness lingered in her expression, as though something unresolved had settled in her chest and refused to disperse. She stood by the window of the pavilion, looking at the deep pool house, which was said to be Teacher Xin's residence.
The surface of the pool reflected the distant cherry blossoms, their petals drifting down in slow motion, but even that beauty felt muted today. In these past few days, Xin hadn't come out once, not eating or drinking, as if he had become a different person.
How could Bibi Dong be happy about this?
A sense of inferiority emerged from the depths of Bibi Dong's heart.
Xin, who was he?
The cherry blossom Immortal Teacher of Heart of Fire Academy, capable of cultivating a championship team for the Soul Master Competition in just two or three years, the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent, and his appearance was uniquely unparalleled in the world.
In their eyes, he was truly pure and untainted, a person detached from the world—someone untouched by darkness, someone who did not belong to mortal chaos.
And she, although she was the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall and a rare genius spirit master, her appearance and figure were not inferior to others, but she... was ultimately not a young girl.
That thought alone was enough to quietly erode confidence.
"All lies are like bubbles, bursting at a touch."
Her voice was low, almost self-mocking.
"Teacher Xin, at that time, you... must have seen my past in your spiritual sea. It was not glorious, and I can understand if you mind..."
Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.
"I should be your first woman, right?"
A faint tremor passed through her gaze as she looked toward the distant cherry blossom residence.
"To have such a past, I am content."
She turned away slightly, as if trying to hide the emotions gathering in her eyes.
Then she began tidying Heart of Fire Pavilion, returning all the furnishings to their original places. Every movement was careful, almost ritualistic, as if restoring order could also restore something within her heart.
Bibi Dong's charming body lay briefly on the ice jade bed, savoring the lingering scent on it, as if she could relive the feeling of that day. Her expression softened for a moment, before she exhaled slowly and steadied herself again.
Then, she took a deep breath, slowly descended the pavilion, and stood before the pool pavilion, bowing slightly towards the cherry blossom house where Teacher Xin lived, and said:
"Teacher Xin, Bibi Dong has troubled you for a long time. My body has recovered significantly now, and I am very grateful to the academy for meticulously preparing rare medicinal soups to nourish me. It is an honor to become an assistant teacher at this academy, but I am, after all, the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, and there are many affairs at the Supreme Pontiff Palace that require my attention."
"I think it's time for me to return."
"I have come specifically to bid farewell to Teacher Xin."
Her voice was calm, controlled, but the pause between sentences betrayed what she refused to show outright.
After Bibi Dong finished speaking, as she turned to leave, she repeatedly looked back three times with reluctance, gazing at the cherry blossom house in the distance—not hoping that Teacher Xin would come out to see her, but even if he could just bid her farewell, it would be enough.
What made Bibi Dong's face dim with disappointment was that a gentle breeze swept past, and she did not hear a single word from that pleasant, clear young voice.
Silence answered her instead.
Then, at last—
"Teacher, why did you come out? Given your current physical condition, it's best not to be exposed to the wind. You should stay in the pavilion to recuperate."