Meanwhile, after several days of travel, Yu Xiaogang finally returned to Spirit City and immediately went to find Bibi Dong.
Inside the Supreme Pontiff's Palace, Yu Xiaogang angrily exclaimed, "Bibi Dong, you sent the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to protect me, but it was clearly to deliberately embarrass me!"
Seeing his angry appearance, Bibi Dong was taken aback, her eyes filled with doubt.
If it were any other man, Bibi Dong would probably have already decided to kill him the moment he stepped into the palace with such an attitude.
However, Yu Xiaogang not only entered the palace casually but also questioned her with righteous indignation, which was simply outrageous.
"Where are Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo?"
Bibi Dong was not angry; she calmly inquired about the whereabouts of her two subordinates.
"Hmph! I think those two have already turned against me. They actually abandoned me to curry favor with that Lin Mu guy!" Yu Xiaogang said angrily.
Upon hearing the name Lin Mu, Bibi Dong's brows furrowed. She parted her red lips slightly, asking, "How did you encounter Lin Mu at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"He's definitely plotting something big, perhaps to counter Spirit Hall, since they're both on the side of the Heaven Dou Empire," Yu Xiaogang maliciously speculated.
However, Bibi Dong remained unfazed. In her view, once Qian Renxue ascended the throne, the Heaven Dou Empire would naturally be Spirit Hall's for the taking.
"You said Yue Guan and Gui Mei are currying favor with Lin Mu. Are you sure about that?"
A hint of doubt flashed in Bibi Dong's purple eyes. The Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos were her trusted confidants; they had no reason to betray her.
Besides, the Chrysanthemum Douluo had been severely injured by Lin Mu last time. How could he possibly be currying favor with him?
"Bibi Dong, you actually don't trust me! I risked breaking my oath, deciding to use all my wisdom to help you take control of the world, and this is how you treat me?!"
At this point, Yu Xiaogang resolutely said, "Since you don't trust me, then I'll leave!"
Before Bibi Dong could reply, Yu Xiaogang actually turned and began to walk away, fully intending to take Ma Hongjun with him away from this place that he felt ostracized him.
He had been just as resolute when his clansmen ostracized him twenty years ago. He hadn't returned since, ignoring even his father's letters.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened, and she immediately released her aura.
Faced with this sudden pressure, Yu Xiaogang didn't even have time to react before being forced to his knees with a thud.
A moment later, enduring the pain, Yu Xiaogang looked up at Bibi Dong, his eyes filled with disbelief. He angrily shouted, "Bibi Dong, you actually attacked me! Have you forgotten our past relationship?!"
"Xiaogang, I can agree to almost anything you want... except letting you leave," Bibi Dong said firmly.
Faced with a Bibi Dong who was different from the woman in his memories, Yu Xiaogang realized he couldn't rely solely on their past relationship. He could only recount what had happened at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in detail.
After understanding the situation, Bibi Dong immediately softened her tone and said gently, "Xiaogang, I will give you an explanation for this later."
Seeing Bibi Dong's gentleness return, Yu Xiaogang felt somewhat uncomfortable, and a little doubtful.
'Could it be that those in high positions inevitably become so capricious?'
"Your Holiness, I need to see my disciple, so I'll take my leave now," Yu Xiaogang said, suppressing his complex emotions.
As soon as he finished speaking, he decisively turned and left, not waiting for Bibi Dong's dismissal, and quickly departed from the Supreme Pontiff's Palace.
Through this incident, he realized that past relationships were unreliable; only by cultivating Ma Hongjun into the strongest expert on the continent could he truly earn respect and security.
Outside the Spirit Hall Academy Golden Generation Team Dormitory.
Under Bibi Dong's arrangement, Ma Hongjun had joined the Spirit Hall Golden Generation team and was training with them, preparing for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition a year later.
However, due to the side effects of the herbs, Ma Hongjun had become strikingly androgynous.
He could only use makeup to make himself look somewhat normal, along with some custom-made clothes, so at least he wouldn't look so strange to his new teammates.
"Xiao Ma, why do you always hide from us when you go to the toilet?"
On the way back to the dormitory, Yan put his arm around Ma Hongjun's shoulder and asked with a strange look.
As a core member of the Golden Generation, Yan's soul power had reached Level 49. Being a Fire-attribute Soul Master, he was responsible for taking care of the newly joined Ma Hongjun.
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun smiled awkwardly and explained, "I'm a few years younger than you guys, so I'm a little uncomfortable."
"What's there to be uncomfortable about? As your older brother, I won't look down on you," Yan said, patting Ma Hongjun's shoulder with great generosity.
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun's lips twitched. 'If someone actually saw what's missing, they'd definitely look down on me.'
He then changed the subject, saying, "Brother Yan, you must like Senior Sister Hu Liena, right?"
Upon hearing this, Yan's expression changed slightly, instantly forgetting his previous question. He asked warily, "You're not going to try and steal Nana from me, are you?"
After being transformed by the herbs, Ma Hongjun's appearance had improved considerably, leaning towards a delicate, almost feminine beauty.
Moreover, having reached Level 36 at the age of thirteen, his talent far surpassed that of the Golden Generation at his age, which was why Yan valued Ma Hongjun as a potential rival.
Most importantly, Ma Hongjun's teacher had a close relationship with the Pope, and Hu Liena was the Pope's direct disciple.
As the saying goes, proximity breeds advantage, and Yan naturally worried that Ma Hongjun would beat him to it.
"Brother Yan, don't worry. Although Senior Sister Hu Liena is indeed very beautiful, she's not my type," Ma Hongjun said bitterly. Since losing his physical attributes, he had given up on appreciating beautiful women in 'that' way.
After all, doing so would only bring more heartache.
"That's good. As long as you don't compete with me for Nana, you're still my good brother," Yan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Ma Hongjun didn't compete with him, with his persistent efforts, he believed he would eventually win Nana's heart.
"Brother Yan, I think if you want to pursue Senior Sister Hu Liena effectively, you should change your strategy," Ma Hongjun said solemnly.
Hearing this, Yan was slightly taken aback and asked with a surprised look, "You know about this stuff?"
"Brother Yan, you can't keep hanging around Senior Sister Hu Liena constantly. It'll easily annoy her. If it were you, and a woman you didn't like was pestering you every day, you'd get impatient too."
As Dai Mubai's former brothel partner, Ma Hongjun had learned many theoretical ways to pick up girls.
Unfortunately, back then he had neither good looks nor money to back him up, so he could only relieve himself in the worst brothels. Now he had both looks and status, but lacked the physical equipment.
It was a tragedy of life!
Hearing this theory, Yan suddenly understood and hurriedly asked, "How do I do it?"
"First, you need to show that you are different from others, so that Senior Sister Hu Liena will be interested in you. Then—"
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Xiaogang walked up from behind and interrupted Ma Hongjun.
"Hongjun!"
"Teacher! You're finally back."
Ma Hongjun greeted him with great joy. In Spirit Hall, Yu Xiaogang was his only true support.
Seeing this, Yan suppressed his eagerness and said, "Xiao Ma, since the Grandmaster is looking for you, let's talk about our matter later."
Yan maintained some respect for Yu Xiaogang. After all, Yu Xiaogang had a close relationship with the Pope, which might be helpful in his pursuit of Hu Liena down the line.
After Yan left, Yu Xiaogang slowly spoke, "Hongjun, try your best to win him over in the future; it will help you gain a foothold in the team."
"Yes, Teacher."
"Alas, we're currently living under someone else's roof. Only when you have sufficient strength can we, master and disciple, regain our freedom and dignity."
"Teacher, I will try my best!"