Meanwhile, in her boudoir, Bibi Dong was reading the latest diary updates and was at a complete loss for words.
She felt her husband was a bit shameless. That child called Qian Renxue—whether or not she would fall for Zhao Ling and vanish forever, as the diary suggested, was one thing. But even if she did eventually come into the world like in the diary, that wouldn't be for several years at the earliest. By then, Zhao Ling would probably be in his fifties or sixties.
Even though a Titled Douluo's lifespan far exceeds that of ordinary people, and aging is greatly slowed…
Still, fifty or sixty is fifty or sixty—that's a fact.
So how could he be so sure that a grown-up Qian Renxue would still be into him?
Regardless, Bibi Dong had made up her mind. If Qian Renxue really was going to be born in the future and turn out to be her teacher's daughter, then she would protect that girl as if she were her own little sister.
After all, her teacher hadn't locked her up or harmed her like the diary claimed. On the contrary, he was personally planning her engagement to Zhao Ling—an enormous favor she would never forget. Failing to look after his daughter would be downright ungrateful.
At the same time, in Heaven Dou City, Liu Erlong silently labeled Zhao Ling a beast after reading the diary, then casually returned to watering her flowers.
Out over the vast ocean, Bo Saixi sped across the water toward the mainland. For someone like her, skimming across the sea was effortless—far faster than any ship.
Suddenly, the Zhao Ling Diary Replica reappeared before her. Bo Saixi furrowed her brows and stopped in her tracks, her dainty feet hovering just above the waves, her flowing robes fluttering like a celestial being.
She opened the diary with her mind and frowned in confusion. Qian Xunji? The diary had previously mentioned he was Qian Daoliu's son.
Then who was Qian Renxue? Qian Xunji's daughter? Qian Daoliu's granddaughter?
Wait… why did the diary say that child hadn't been born yet?
And if Qian Renxue wasn't even born, how could Zhao Ling say Qian Xunji would one day be his father-in-law? Wasn't that contradictory?
Bo Saixi was baffled. She vaguely suspected that what she was seeing were just the most recent updates, and earlier entries—possibly ones involving her—hadn't shown up yet.
That only piqued her curiosity about the earlier content. But since the diary didn't let her see more, it left her scratching at the itch in her heart.
Suppressing her frustration, she comforted herself: It's fine. Once she found the diary's author, she could learn everything easily.
Even if she wasn't at sea and couldn't use her demi-god-level power, it didn't matter much.
At minimum, she was still a Level 99 Limit Douluo. Once she reached Spirit Hall, unless Qian Daoliu himself intervened, no one could stop her.
And she doubted Qian Daoliu would attack her anyway. The old guy used to chase after her, though she liked Tang Chen and never returned his affections.
But she knew Qian Daoliu well—he was a man of principle. When he learned of her love for Tang Chen, he backed off with dignity.
So she was confident that as long as she showed no hostility at Spirit City, Qian Daoliu wouldn't lay a hand on her.
With that, Bo Saixi sped off toward the horizon, vanishing into the place where sea and sky met.
The next day, Qian Xunji kept his word. He gathered all the elders and worshippers in the Hall of the Pope to officially announce Zhao Ling's title of "Zhenmo Douluo" (Demon-Suppressing Douluo) and confer upon him the honorary elder position in Spirit Hall.
He also publicly declared that his sole disciple, Bibi Dong, would be engaged to Zhao Ling next week.
Immediately, all the elders and worshippers turned their attention to Zhao Ling. Though he was unfamiliar to them, they realized this was the mysterious Titled Douluo who had recently clashed with the Pope in the throne hall.
Seeing how outrageously young Zhao Ling looked, the elders and worshippers began offering congratulations one after another.
"Elder Zhenmo, congratulations! I'm Qianjun Douluo."
"Zhenmo Douluo, I'm Ghost Panther Douluo. From now on, we're comrades. I look forward to working with you."
"Congratulations! I'm Snake Lance Douluo…"
…
Zhao Ling didn't say much in return. He just smiled and nodded politely, exuding charm and elegance.
After spending the entire morning entertaining these elders and worshippers, Zhao Ling finally managed to slip away from the Hall of the Pope.
The constant scrutiny from those old fogeys made him extremely uncomfortable.
He decided it was best to find Bibi Dong and Ah Yin—at least they were his pillow mates and didn't have any ill intent toward him.
When Zhao Ling entered Bibi Dong's room, he found her and Ah Yin playing Chinese chess.
"Cannon 8 to 9… Horse 3 to 5… Chariot 1 to 2…"
The two were so engrossed in their match that they didn't even notice when Zhao Ling entered and stood beside them.
It wasn't until Bibi Dong forced Ah Yin into checkmate by a narrow margin that the two women finally looked up to see Zhao Ling standing there.
"You two are just chilling in here playing chess while I'm being tormented by those elders and worshippers. So thoughtful of you."
Ah Yin's lips curled up in a mischievous smile. She turned to Bibi Dong and said, "Sister Dong'er, could you make some space? I want to challenge my husband to a few rounds."
Zhao Ling's face froze. He immediately shook his head like a rattle drum.
"No, no, I'm not playing chess. No other games either. Indulging in frivolity ruins one's will. I don't have time for such nonsense."
With that, Zhao Ling plopped down on the floor, closed his eyes, and assumed a serious meditative posture, as if beginning closed-door cultivation.
Both Bibi Dong and Ah Yin covered their mouths, stifling laughter.
"Pfft—haha! Husband, you just can't beat Yin'er and now you're making excuses."
"Exactly! Weren't you the one who taught us how to play these games? You were so happy back then, totally crushing us."
"Come on! Your two lovely wives would love for you to 'crush' us more often~"
…
Zhao Ling's eyelids twitched as he kept them tightly shut. These two were way too devious.
They knew full well that over the past couple of days, whether it was chess, cards, or mahjong, he had been utterly destroyed by them. And now they were provoking him?
If he didn't properly discipline them, how would he ever assert his authority as head of the household again?
With that in mind, he opened his sharp eyes, slowly walked to the door, and locked it.
Only then did the two women start to panic, retreating to the corner of the room.
They knew full well: their husband couldn't stand losing—and now he was out for revenge…