"You! I will never forgive you!"
Qian Renxue covered her swollen cheek, tears mingling with grievance as they fell.
Turning around, she stumbled toward the exit of the Papal Hall, the white-gold hem of her dress dragging messy trails on the ground like a wounded swan.
Bi Bidong watched her resolute back, her figure swaying abruptly. She instinctively raised her hand and called out urgently:
"Xiaoxue!"
But Qian Renxue's figure had already vanished beyond the hall's entrance, leaving only an empty corridor behind. The only response was the fading sound of footsteps.
Bi Bidong's outstretched hand froze mid-air, her fingertips trembling slightly before slowly lowering.
The Soul Power around her grew chaotic due to the intense emotional turmoil, her face pale and frightening.
"Teacher!" Hu Liena hurried forward, carefully supporting her arm, her small face full of concern.
"Are you alright?"
Su Yu also stepped forward, watching Bi Bidong's despondent appearance, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Bi Bidong took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the surging pain and regret in her heart. She patted Hu Liena's head, her voice slightly hoarse:
"Nana, it's not your fault. It's Teacher... Teacher lost control of her emotions."
She paused, her gaze complex as she looked toward the hall's entrance, softly instructing:
"Promise Teacher, if you ever meet her again, try not to clash with her, alright?"
Though Hu Liena didn't understand the intricacies, seeing Bi Bidong's weary expression, she nodded firmly:
"Mm, we'll listen to Teacher."
Su Yu also nodded: "Teacher, don't worry, we will."
Bi Bidong forced a smile, patted both their shoulders, but said nothing more.
She turned and walked slowly toward the Papal Hall, her silhouette appearing exceptionally lonely in the empty plaza.
Hu Liena watched her retreating figure, tugged Su Yu's sleeve, and whispered:
"Su Yu brother, Teacher seems very sad..."
Su Yu softly acknowledged, "Mm." There were things he knew, but couldn't speak aloud.
He saw clearly—the piercing words from Qian Renxue concealed a longing for maternal love.
The heartache and regret in Bi Bidong's eyes after she delivered that slap weren't fake either.
This mother and daughter were like two hedgehogs raising their spines at each other.
Though both cared deeply for the other in their hearts, they always used the most hurtful words to push each other away.
Harsh words became the norm, the rift between them deepening, their mother-daughter relationship gradually freezing over.
In the end, Bi Bidong died protecting Qian Renxue, leaving Qian Renxue without any family, alone in the world.
Mother and daughter tormented each other for half their lives, only willing to let go of their barriers at the very end.
Su Yu sighed quietly, glancing toward the silent Bi Bidong in the distance, then toward the direction Qian Renxue had fled.
He felt the weight of the knot between this mother and daughter, heavy enough to make even an observer's heart feel stifled.
"Su Yu brother, what's wrong?" Hu Liena noticed his unusual demeanor and asked softly.
"Nothing." Su Yu shook his head, suppressing his thoughts. "Let's... just head back for now."
Seeing Su Yu didn't want to talk, Hu Liena didn't press further, obediently following behind him.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue covered her face, tears uncontrollably streaming down as she ran crying all the way back to the Hall of Worship.
The attendants along the way looked at her in confusion, but none dared to approach and ask.
Inside the Hall of Worship—
A holy glow permeated every corner, with the faint scent of incense drifting in the air.
Qian Daoliu had just finished today's offerings to the Angel God when he turned and saw his granddaughter covering her face, sobbing as she entered through the doorway.
"Xue'er!" Qian Daoliu's brow furrowed, and he quickly went to meet her.
"Grandfather..."
Qian Renxue's voice was thick with tears. Seeing Qian Daoliu, the accumulated grievances she had been holding back could no longer be contained, and her tears fell even harder.
"Xue'er, what's wrong? Did someone bully you again? Come, come to your grandfather."
"Grandfather, I... I'm a bit tired. I want to return to my room first."
Qian Renxue avoided his gaze, her voice muffled, only wanting to find a place to hide.
Seeing Qian Renxue like this, Qian Daoliu already knew she had gone to see Bi Bidong again.
Walking to Qian Renxue's side, he gently pulled her hand away. When he saw the clear mark of a slap, a surge of anger rose in Qian Daoliu's heart.
"She hit you!"
"No! Grandfather, this... I accidentally hit myself!"
Watching Qian Renxue lie for Bi Bidong, this Limit Douluo who had lived for nearly a century instantly felt a complex mix of emotions in his eyes.
There was heartache, helplessness, and a trace of long-anticipated understanding.
Bi Bidong... in the end, their Qian family had wronged her.
His worthless son had committed such a beastly act back then.
There were countless ways to keep Bi Bidong, yet his son had forcibly violated her.
And Xue'er was the product of that disgraceful accident.
He had always known how deep Bi Bidong's resentment toward the Qian family ran.
So deep that even her own daughter was seen as a mark of shame, making it difficult for her to treat her with genuine affection.
All these years, had he not been compensating Bi Bidong?
He had given her the position of Pope of the Spirit Hall, making her the de facto ruler;
His son, who had committed the grave mistake, had ultimately died by her hand, giving her a form of closure.
Now, he no longer cared about the rise and fall of the Spirit Hall, nor the glory or disgrace of the Qian family.
If Bi Bidong truly wanted to destroy it all, he might... just turn a blind eye.
His only wish now was to protect Xue'er, help her inherit the Angel Godhood, and let her truly break free from all these entanglements, to live purely and powerfully.
Qian Daoliu reached out and gently stroked Qian Renxue's head, his voice carrying an unprecedented gentleness:
"Xue'er, don't cry. Don't blame your mother. She... she also suffers in her heart. She has her reasons."
Qian Renxue looked up sharply, her eyes blurred with tears: "Reasons? What reasons does she have! She's just a heartless person!"
"She's my mother, yet she's never cared about me. And today! She even hit me, she..."
The words stuck in her throat, unable to come out, she could only shake her head in grievance.
"Grandfather, she simply doesn't like me!"
Qian Daoliu fell silent, a flash of pain crossing his aged eyes.
Some things, he could not explain to his young granddaughter.
Those ugly matters were too heavy; these grudges and grievances should end with the older generation.
He did not want Xue'er to know these things—this was not a pain she should have to bear.
Qian Daoliu bent slightly, gently pulling Qian Renxue into his embrace as he patted her back and whispered softly:
"Xue'er, she doesn't like you, but what about you? Do you like her?"
Qian Renxue lowered her head slightly and muttered under her breath: "She's so mean, of course I don't like her!"