"Hey~ Zhuqing, what's wrong?"
Shui Yue'er rushed forward to steady Zhu Zhuqing, who nearly collapsed, wrapping an arm around her slender waist as she asked anxiously,
"What happened? Who's this Yu Xiaogang you mentioned? And Tang San? You and His Excellency were saying things we couldn't make sense of…"
"Yeah, I didn't expect the story His Excellency told to actually take place here! Zhuqing, hurry and tell us!"
Shui Bing'er chimed in right on cue.
Judging by Zhu Zhuqing's expression and her conversation with His Excellency, she clearly knew this Yu Xiaogang!
The important part was that this Yu Xiaogang was the protagonist of His Excellency's story!
That alone made the girls all perk up.
To think that the hypocrite hiding behind a gentleman's mask had been nearby all along?
The fire of gossip had long since ignited in their hearts, and they looked ready to dig until they hit the very bottom of the pot.
Aether glanced back at the stunned and silent Zhu Zhuqing, then stood and gave up his stone bench seat.
"Here, you sit."
He gestured for Shui Yue'er to help Zhu Zhuqing over to his spot. After stretching his limbs a little, he cast a glance at the still-vacant-eyed Bibi Dong, then said,
"Since they don't understand, why don't you tell them what you know about this protagonist?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Aether, then at the curious, baffled expressions of the girls around her. At last, her eyes settled on the mysterious Titled Douluo sitting opposite, and she drew in a deep breath.
"Alright. What I'm going to say is about someone whose story overlaps with the protagonist of His Excellency's tale. But I only know a little of it…"
Afraid to miss anything, Shui Bing'er got up and sat right beside Zhu Zhuqing, not wanting to miss a single detail.
"The first time I met him was…"
Zhu Zhuqing slowly recounted her memories. As her tale unfolded, the names Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and the rest of the Shrek crew were gradually revealed to the others.
"Wha—! So the person the Traveler mentioned—I've seen him too!"
Hearing the mention of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Paimon suddenly gasped from the side.
"That Tang San guy is trash! He actually tried to steal His Excellency's treasure?!"
"And he bullied Paimon too? What the heck?!"
The Shui sisters listened closely to Zhu Zhuqing's tale, each new detail striking a nerve.
They were especially shocked to learn that both Yu Xiaogang and Tang San had intersected with Aether and Paimon more than once.
And beyond their surprise, they couldn't help but admire their sheer audacity…
As Zhu Zhuqing's story reached the Blue Tyrant Academy in Heaven Dou City, everyone finally heard the name Liu Erlong.
"Wait! Zhuqing, did you say the dean of Blue Tyrant Academy used to have that kind of relationship with Yu Xiaogang?"
Shui Yue'er's mind was spinning—she had immediately picked up on the juicy part.
"Mhm~"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
"Then was this Liu Erlong the 'saintess' or the cousin?"
Shui Yue'er's questions were always sharp, often hitting right where everyone else was wondering too.
"The cousin."
"But the dean should be the saintess, right?"
Shui Bing'er frowned, sharing her own view.
In her mind, a scene had already played out: a saintess, her heart broken after being toyed with, abandoned and unable to find the man she loved, wandered lost until she founded her own academy in Heaven Dou… waiting foolishly ever since.
"No. She was the cousin."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head firmly, her voice full of certainty.
"Huh? Then what about the saintess? Who was she?"
Shui Yue'er pressed further. Even Paimon and Yu Keke leaned in, eyes locked on Zhu Zhuqing—they were dying to know.
As they focused intently on the mystery of the saintess's identity, two glimmering tears suddenly rolled from the dazed eyes of Bibi Dong, sliding down her pale cheeks and landing on the stone table with a soft splatter, shattering like glass.
"..."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer Shui Yue'er. Instead, her gaze shifted toward Bibi Dong. Seeing the sorrow carved into her face, her heart was tangled in emotion.
The others followed Zhu Zhuqing's line of sight and finally noticed the strange behavior of the mysterious Titled Douluo.
"Wh-What's going on with Her Excellency now…"
Shui Bing'er whispered to the others.
"I don't know… but I can tell she's really sad."
"..."
Shui Bing'er gave her sister a sidelong glance.
Yue'er, you're not wrong…
But next time, maybe don't state the obvious?
"Big sis, h-here…"
Yu Keke stood up, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket. She leaned on the stone table and cautiously extended it toward Bibi Dong.
She didn't know what was going on with this "big sister," but she could clearly feel the overwhelming grief radiating from her—like the pain of a heart that had truly died. It made her own chest ache just watching.
"Get away from me!"
"Roooaaar!"
A furious shout exploded in the air, followed immediately by a beast's roar.
The stone table shattered into dust under the soul power laced within the roar. But before the shockwave could hit the girls, Aether had already moved them safely aside.
The massive Fire Meow Meow stood ablaze, flames curling around its huge frame. Its bull-like eyes stared murderously at Bibi Dong, who still sat on the stone stool.
"What the hell is wrong with this woman?!"
"She's totally nuts! Keke was just handing her a handkerchief—what's she freaking out for?! Way out of line!"
The Shui sisters were caught off guard, but even with Aether standing between them and danger, they instinctively pulled Yu Keke and Paimon behind them and scolded the hysterical woman in outrage.
"She… she's the saintess from His Excellency's story…"
Zhu Zhuqing stood beside the sisters, her gaze complicated as she looked at Bibi Dong and murmured softly.
"Huh?"
"WHAT?!"
The Shui sisters' eyes flew wide open. They glanced back and forth between Zhu Zhuqing and Bibi Dong in shock.
"She is the saintess."
Zhu Zhuqing said it again, her voice crisp and certain—drawing a clear line that equated Bibi Dong with the saintess.
"!!!"
The Shui sisters, and even Paimon hovering in the air, were utterly stunned.
"So the Traveler was telling that story… just for her?"
Paimon's mouth hung open as the realization slowly hit.
"That's it. She arrived, and His Excellency immediately started telling the story. So that's the true meaning behind all this…"
The others all came to the same conclusion at once.
"It's fine now."
Aether walked up to Fire Meow Meow and patted its leg, calming it down and signaling that there was no need for violence.
"Rooo…"
Fire Meow, still cloaked in flames, shrank down in size. It gave Bibi Dong one last fierce growl, then turned and trotted obediently over to where the girls stood.
"…Who… Who are you… really?"
Bibi Dong rose to her feet. Still trembling with emotion, tears clinging to her lashes, her voice wavered—half grief, half disbelief.
_
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