Chapter 32: Punishment, and the Triumphant Liu Erlong!
After her outburst, Bibi Dong chose to ignore Liu Erlong's words. With a frosty expression, she silently waited for the livestream's result.
At last, the reply came.
As a line of blood-red text appeared before everyone's eyes,
A cold voice echoed in everyone's ears.
[Notice: Bibi Dong's answer—Yu Xiaogang's most important person is Bibi Dong—incorrect!]
[Punishment: Loss of her second martial soul's seventh soul ring!]
[Notice: Liu Erlong's answer—Yu Xiaogang's most important person is Liu Erlong—incorrect!]
[Punishment: Loss of three levels of soul power!]
As the mechanical voice sounded, Bibi Dong's face changed drastically inside the Pope's study.
What? Her punishment was to lose the seventh soul ring of her second martial soul?
That was the ten-thousand-year soul ring she had painstakingly acquired not long ago from a Soft-Boned Rabbit in the Star Dou Forest—a truly rare ring—and the livestream was just going to strip it from her?!
While Bibi Dong was still reeling from shock,
A formless force instantly descended and acted upon her.
She immediately felt a sharp pain in her body, and her second martial soul, the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor, involuntarily emerged from her back.
At the same time, a ring formation of black, black, black, black, black, black, red—seven soul rings—rose from beneath her feet and encircled her.
"No!!"
As the soul rings of her Soul Devouring Spider Emperor manifested, the invisible force targeted the seventh ring.
Before Bibi Dong could react, the blood-red ten-thousand-year soul ring was forcibly ripped from her body, transforming into a crimson streak that shot out of the Pope's Hall and vanished in an instant.
"Your Holiness, are you alright?"
Just outside, in a large hall-turned-library set up for handling livestream events, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei rushed to the Pope's study with healing-type support soul masters and called out anxiously.
"I'm fine…"
Though Bibi Dong was furious over the loss of such a precious ring, she managed to suppress her emotions and answered calmly.
"If Your Holiness is unharmed, then we'll take our leave."
Hearing her reply, Gui Mei sighed in relief and turned to return to the main hall to continue analyzing the livestream question with the scholars.
But just after they left, a red notification popped up in front of Bibi Dong.
Someone had @mentioned her.
[Liu Erlong (smug): Haha! Bibi Dong, I can't believe your punishment was the loss of your second martial soul's seventh soul ring. That had to be at least 50,000 years old, right? Your punishment was way worse than mine, so even if I wasn't the correct answer, it proves that Xiao Gang definitely loves me most!]
Reading Liu Erlong's message, Bibi Dong's face stiffened.
She suddenly remembered what the livestream had said earlier:
The harsher the punishment, the greater the discrepancy between the answer and the correct one.
And though both of them had answered incorrectly, her punishment was clearly much more severe than Liu Erlong's.
So… in Yu Xiaogang's heart, was she really so much less important than Liu Erlong?
A deep sorrow gripped Bibi Dong's heart.
She had given so much to Yu Xiaogang—even sacrificed her future.
Yet in his eyes, she wasn't even as important as Liu Erlong, who had barely sacrificed anything for him?
All the pain she endured for him, all the love she gave over the years…
Had it all been for nothing?
Suddenly, Bibi Dong felt cold to her core. She wanted—no, needed—to find Yu Xiaogang and ask:
In his heart, what did she mean to him?
Was all that she had given him truly worthless?
He had said he loved her. But when she, out of desperation, said some harsh things, he left without a word.
Never once did he wonder if something might have happened to her.
And just a year later, he was already entangled with Liu Erlong.
Was his love for her ever real?
The more she thought, the more sorrow Bibi Dong felt.
She began to question whether everything had been a lie. Whether Yu Xiaogang had merely used her all along.
Yet just as that idea started to take root, her instincts tried to block it—to keep her from collapsing.
Driven by self-preservation, Bibi Dong forced herself to believe:
Don't overthink. You need to ask him directly.
But even so, the seed of doubt had already been planted.
Her love for Yu Xiaogang had dimmed, and what remained was pure obsession.
Now, Bibi Dong only wanted one thing—to know whether Yu Xiaogang had truly loved her.
If he had, she would spare his life.
If not… then she would destroy everyone connected to him.
[Bibi Dong (coldly): We both answered wrong, which means neither of us is the most important person in his heart. What makes you think he loves you most?]
Even though her feelings for Yu Xiaogang had already begun to fade, Bibi Dong still refused to lose to Liu Erlong in front of all those watching the stream.
[Liu Erlong (smug): Because the question was about the most important person—it never said it had to be romantic love. It could be family. Xiao Gang probably loves his parents most, then us. But since I got a lighter punishment than you, it means he loves me more than you!]
Yu Xiaogang's parents?
After seeing Liu Erlong's explanation, many viewers began to suspect the real answer might indeed be his parents.
But then, recalling the severity of Bibi Dong's punishment, they hesitated.
Unfortunately, that answer… was also wrong!
[Notice: Host's answer—Yu Xiaogang's most important person is his parents—incorrect!]
In Windmill Village, after both Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong's answers were ruled incorrect, Lin Yu was the first to submit the answer "his parents."
But it too was wrong.
That made Lin Yu frown in frustration.
Did Yu Xiaogang truly have no one important in his heart?
Neither of the women he loved… nor his parents?
So who could it be?
Don't tell me… it's his disciple, Tang San?
Wait—Tang San!
Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, Lin Yu shot upright in bed, eyes wide open.
He had just thought of a possible answer that might actually be correct.
(END CHAPTER)
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