"Bi… Bibi Dong?"
"The Bibi Dong from the Spirit Hall?"
"The Saintess… was Bibi Dong?!"
As Aether spoke, everyone froze—except for Paimon and Fire Meow Meow, who found nothing out of the ordinary.
The Shui sisters, Zhu Zhuqing, and even Yu Keke, who was cradling Fire Meow Meow, all looked utterly stunned.
On the Douluo Continent, you might not know how to read. You might not have awakened your spirit power. But there's one thing you must know—Spirit Hall.
In a land where cultivation is built around spirit power, Spirit Hall is revered as a holy place by spirit masters, and even commoners hold it in awe.
You may have never stepped foot inside Spirit Hall, and you may have never seen the Supreme Pontiff—but you've definitely heard her name.
The title "Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall" isn't just a designation—it's the embodiment of supreme authority, etched deeply into the heart of every man, woman, and child.
Even back when Aether and Qian Renxue had ventured to Heaven Dou Academy in search of the Serenitea Pot, they'd encountered a boy on the roadside who, despite his poverty and youth, still knew the weight of that name.
And now, the woman standing before them—was she truly the current Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Her Excellency Bibi Dong?
As they reeled from this bombshell, another memory resurfaced: this same woman had appeared in the story Aether had told… as the Saintess
Either one of these revelations alone would have shaken them to the core. But together? They crashed down like a bolt of heavenly thunder, leaving them dumbstruck.
"The current Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong, pays her respects to… Lord Aether."
Bibi Dong executed the formal Douluo Continent greeting, though when she tried to say Aether's name, she hesitated—clearly unsure how to properly address him.
His identity wasn't difficult to uncover from the available intelligence. But with power like his, what kind of title could truly capture the respect he deserved?
"Aether."
Aether returned the gesture with a cupped fist, acknowledging her greeting. This counted as their first proper meeting.
Though…
"You don't have to call me 'Lord'—just use my name. I'm not used to hearing that."
He rubbed his head sheepishly, clearly amused by something.
In fact, when he heard someone call him 'Lord,' he always got the feeling they were about to deliver some menacing speech. It was unsettling.
"But…"
Bibi Dong struggled to find her words.
Addressing someone so casually felt improper, but he had outright rejected any formal honorifics…
Noticing her conflicted expression, Aether sighed and gestured to the others behind him.
"They've been calling me 'Your Excellency this whole time. I've kind of gotten used to it. If 'Aether' doesn't sit right with you, just do what they're doing."
"Y-Yes… Your Excellency."
Bibi Dong replied, her expression complicated.
Your Excellency—a term of deep reverence reserved for Title Douluo who had reached level ninety and earned their titles.
Typically, it was used after one's Douluo title, signifying both respect and admiration.
But this young man? Who would believe he was merely a Title Douluo?
Back when she'd first arrived, she'd acted bold and confident, relying on her identity as a top-tier Title Douluo, a rare twin-spirit user with exceptional talent.
And yet, with just a casual flick of his hand, this mysterious youth had effortlessly suppressed her.
Sure, she hadn't gone all-out—but did he look like someone who needed to?
That's why she'd hesitated to even use the term Your Excellency. She felt, strangely enough, that it didn't quite do him justice…
"Do you… have anything else you want to ask me?"
Aether nodded slightly, his voice calm.
The tale had already been told. And now, Bibi Dong stood there with an eerie stillness—too calm, in fact.
She looked like someone who'd been freed from something… but the Bibi Dong in his memory wasn't that simple.
"Your Excellency… I want to know… where he is now."
Even without naming him, the tremble in her voice made it clear. Her heart was far from at peace.
"I don't know."
Aether shook his head.
The "he" she referred to was, of course, Yu Xiaogang.
Though Aether and Paimon had experienced many entanglements with the people of this world since arriving, he had never once actively sought out Grandmaster and his companions. Their encounters had been coincidental—perhaps inevitable.
It was possible, he thought, that his and Paimon's presence had disrupted the fate-bound trajectory of this world. That's why they kept getting pulled into these crosscurrents.
If that was the case… then maybe, just maybe, Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang would cross paths again someday.
This world… it wore a veil over its truths, and Aether felt as though he was slowly pulling it back.
After telling her the 'story,' he'd sensed something shift in the air itself. It wasn't just a feeling—it was real.
With that in mind, he looked at the still-lost Bibi Dong and spoke again.
"There's a saying in a very peculiar kingdom:
People are bound for life by the things they couldn't have in their youth, but one fleeting moment may unravel a lifetime of doubt."
"Maybe… what you're really searching for isn't something. It's yourself."
"Searching… for myself?"
Bibi Dong blinked, her eyes gleaming with an unfamiliar light. Something deep within her heart—long dormant—seemed to stir.
The story Aether had told… she had fallen into it, step by step, as if she were reliving her own past.
The cultivation system might have been different, but the events mirrored her life with uncanny accuracy. It was as though someone had watched her from beyond the skies, chronicling everything.
Of course, she had questioned the story's authenticity—especially its ending.
But when she traced the events from meeting Yu Xiaogang to their painful parting, every beat lined up with Aether's tale. Even the tiny, nearly forgotten details were resurrected through his words.
If there was anyone in the world who could describe her untold past in such depth, it would be either herself… or Yu Xiaogang.
And yet this boy knew it all—and more. He gave it an ending.
An ending where the Saintess dies, and the holy Land falls into ruin…
Was that her fate?
Aether's power, paired with the absurdity of the tale's conclusion, only made her more certain that it wasn't fiction.
Oftentimes, it's not that people can't understand—but that they refuse to.
Through Aether's story, the weight in Bibi Dong's heart had been pierced by a single ray of light. And now, with his final words, she was reaching for it.
"Yeah." Aether gave a simple, firm nod.
"…Your Excellency, pardon me. I'd like to be alone for a while."
Bibi Dong bowed low to him, and with that, her figure vanished from sight.
Haaah… Hope you figure it out.
Aether sighed as he gazed at the empty space where she'd stood.
He had done everything he could. Now, it was up to time.
Turning back to the others—who were still in a daze—his gaze landed on one in particular.
"Zhu Zhuqing… what did you want to say to me?"
_
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