Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

At that moment, the door of the private room sounded.

"Huh? Haven't all the dishes been served?"

Paimon blinked, glancing at the food on the table and murmured to herself.

Zhongli's brow twitched slightly. This little one only cared about food, didn't she?

Without even looking, he already knew who was at the door. With a wave of his hand, the door opened silently, revealing a familiar face—"Xue Qinghe."

"Come in," he said.

"Xue Qinghe" didn't stand on ceremony, walking in directly and closing the door behind her.

Her eyes glanced briefly at Bibi Dong but didn't bother to greet her.

When she heard that Bibi Dong and Zhongli had gone to the Qibao Hotel for dinner, she was utterly stunned. Without a second thought, she rushed over in a hurry.

Fortunately, her strength was far from ordinary; otherwise, signs of weakness like panting or sweating might have betrayed her.

She had to come. If anything happened between those two, she would be utterly devastated!

Of course, this distrust was aimed at Bibi Dong. As for Zhongli, she felt entirely at ease.

This man was the epitome of detachment. He understood everything yet cared about nothing.

He was like a rock weathered by countless storms—hardly capable of showing emotions typical of ordinary humans.

Clenching her fist, Qian Renxue felt even more determined. She had to make this stone-hearted man feel something and make the iron tree bloom!

Sadly, she greatly overestimated herself and underestimated the Rock King Emperor.

Guizhong: There's something I shouldn't say, but sometimes, I really want to punch him hard!

"Oh, it's Qinghe! Come, sit down! We were just about to eat!"

"Thank you, Paimon!"

Having interacted with Paimon a lot, "Xue Qinghe" was already used to her.

"No need to thank me, no need!"

Paimon waved her hands and continued, "This meal is courtesy of Her Holiness Pope. She's so kind…"

Before Paimon could finish, "Xue Qinghe's" expression darkened. Her eyes turned cold as she glanced at Bibi Dong.

Seeing this, Paimon swallowed nervously and instinctively stopped talking.

How terrifying…

They were mother and daughter, so why was the atmosphere like this?

"Hmph, as expected of the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou, you certainly have too much free time," Bibi Dong remarked with arms crossed, her face expressionless and her tone carrying a trace of mockery.

Was her daughter really that distrustful of her?

All she did was invite her guest minister to a meal. Was it worth making a fuss over?

It wasn't like she was inviting her man…

Cough. Even if she were, wouldn't that be the mother-in-law meeting the son-in-law? Her daughter's reaction was a bit over the top.

This lack of trust in her as a mother was disheartening!

"Not at all!"

"It seems Her Holiness is even more at leisure, running to Heaven Dou City all the time. Doesn't the vast Spirit Hall have matters needing your attention?"

"Xue Qinghe" replied coolly, her eyes slightly narrowing as she spoke without missing a beat.

Hearing this, Bibi Dong felt a flicker of anger but quickly suppressed it, as though reminded of something.

These were debts she owed Qian Renxue. She hadn't been a good mother, but she would try to make amends in the future.

Still, to admit fault or show weakness outright? That wasn't her style and never would be.

"I've been managing affairs for over fourteen years, with ample experience. Every step I take is deliberate and efficient, ensuring that Spirit Hall operates in perfect order, unified from top to bottom."

"Ha!"

"What's with that attitude?"

"What attitude could I possibly have?"

"Unified? Under a lovesick leader like you, Spirit Hall is bound to decline!"

"Whew—"

Zhongli and Paimon exchanged glances and instinctively moved a bit further from Bibi Dong and "Xue Qinghe."

Bibi Dong was momentarily stunned, her face turning red. It was one thing for others to criticize her, but to be called lovesick by her own daughter?

She was absolutely fuming!

She might be a romantic fool, sure, but when she struck down Yu Xiaogang, she didn't hold back in the slightest.

All those feelings were wiped clean with those few sword strikes.

Wait a minute—she admits she's a romantic fool, but is Qian Renxue any different?

Just look at the way Qian Renxue looks at Zhongli—how is that normal?

Like mother, like daughter; neither had any right to criticize the other!

"I didn't come to Heaven Dou City today to argue with you," Bibi Dong said at last, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Oh?"

"Xue Qinghe" let out a cold chuckle. Now Bibi Dong claimed she didn't come to argue?

The revelations of today had completely overturned her worldview!

How could such a foolish woman exist?

Yu Xiaogang hadn't even sweet-talked her—he was blatantly living off her resources.

And yet, this woman had been stupid enough to show him the Spirit Hall's confidential information.

If that wasn't a romantic fool, then what was?

Seeing her reaction, Bibi Dong chose not to get angry and simply ignored it.

"Lord Martial God," Bibi Dong said with a serious face, "I know the habitat of the ten-thousand-year-old Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python. There might even be a hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit there as well.

"Tell me which soul beast attributes you're planning to hunt, and we can discuss further."

The stronger the soul beast, the less likely its habitat was to change.

The last time she went hunting for soul beasts, both the Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape, along with that escaped rabbit, had all been there.

It had only been a few years since then; they were surely still there.

As soon as she said this, Zhongli, Paimon, and "Xue Qinghe" were all taken aback.

The three exchanged glances, a faint awkwardness in the air.

The Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python?

If reincarnation were real, their new forms would already be born by now.

If not, the grass over their graves would already be three meters tall!

Zhongli hadn't expected Bibi Dong's "sincerity" to be offering the locations of the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python.

If he truly were a soul master and joined forces with her to take down the two beasts, it wouldn't have been an issue.

But he wasn't a soul master, and the two beasts had been dead for over two years now.

Not to mention, their soul rings hadn't been absorbed by anyone; instead, they had dissipated into pure energy, merging back into the fabric of the Douluo Continent.

As for the hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit… wasn't she just living here in Heaven Dou City?

Seeing the strange expressions on the three faces, Bibi Dong froze, momentarily bewildered.

What was going on?

She had come with absolute sincerity!

The locations of these soul beasts weren't fabricated.

So why were their reactions so odd?

"Uh, well…"

"Your Holiness," Paimon spoke hesitantly, rubbing her hands. "The hundred-thousand-year-old Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape… well… they've already been killed by Zhongli."

As soon as these words left her mouth, Bibi Dong was stunned.

Killed?

"???"

Her mind blanked for a moment, as though she had just heard something truly shocking.

Could the ten-thousand-year soul ring that Du Bafang acquired have come from…?

No, that wasn't right. The hundred-thousand-year soul ring, though unused, had displayed attributes that closely aligned with his martial soul. It couldn't have belonged to the Titan Giant Ape or the Azure Bull Python.

And the hundred-thousand-year soul ring on Zhongli's body—it couldn't have been from those two beasts either.

But Paimon didn't have a soul ring, did she?

"Where's the soul ring?"