Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Hu Liena didn't respond; she was simply waiting for Bibi Dong to continue.

Chapter 544 Public Sentiment

Ning Fengzhi, that old fox, never fights a battle he's not confident of winning.

Bibi Dong tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest again, this time at a slower pace.

"The great victory in the North has given him an opportunity, but he will not rush into action. He will first stabilize the southern and western fronts, wait for Eva to completely digest the captured troops and supplies, and wait for the Haotian Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect to complete their integration before considering the next move."

She squinted slightly, her gaze fixed on the direction of the palace gate, as if she could see through the thick stone walls and layers of palace walls to the military map spread out in the Eagle Ridge command post.

"He's waiting for us to make a mistake. So we can't afford to make any mistakes."

Hu Liena nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

The hall was quiet for a moment, with only the golden light streaming down from the dome flowing slowly, and the faint sound of the changing of the guards' footsteps in the distance.

"What about the branch temples in various places?" Bibi Dong asked, her tone still calm, but Hu Liena could hear the scrutiny hidden beneath that calmness.

She was prepared, and her tone remained calm as she spoke: "The feedback from the branch temples in various regions has been compiled. After news of the great victory in the North spread, many branch temples in remote areas experienced varying degrees of unrest."

In some places, the Soul Masters of the branch halls began to frequently ask for leave, citing family matters or physical discomfort as reasons.

In some places, previously agreed-upon cooperation was suddenly terminated, and local nobles and merchants began to find various excuses to delay the supply of goods.

Hu Liena spoke at a measured pace, as if reading a report she had read many times before: "In a few smaller places, the heads of the branch halls have proactively requested to be transferred from their original positions. Their reason is that the local situation is unstable and they are worried that their safety cannot be guaranteed."

Bibi Dong's lips twitched slightly, the curve so faint it was almost imperceptible, but Hu Liena caught it.

"Scared?" Bibi Dong's voice remained calm, but the last syllable rose slightly. "What are they afraid of?"

"I'm afraid what happened in the North will repeat itself," Hu Liena replied quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

"I'm afraid the Anti-Soul Alliance's next target will be their location. I'm afraid I can't defend the branch hall, I'm afraid I'll become the next captured Soul Master, I'm afraid... I won't be able to come back."

When she said the last three words, her voice was very soft, but each word was clear, as if she were stating a fact that everyone knew but no one wanted to say.

Bibi Dong remained silent for a moment.

Then she chuckled softly. The chuckle was so short that if the hall hadn't been so quiet, almost no one would have noticed it.

But Huliena heard it.

“Fear of death is human nature.” Bibi Dong’s voice returned to its usual calm, as calm as if she were saying that the weather was nice today.

"But those who are afraid of death are often the first to die."

She leaned back in her chair, her hands clasped on her knees, her gaze fixed on Hu Liena's face. Her purple eyes held no superfluous emotions, only a calmness honed through countless trials and honed to a sharp, knife-like edge.

"Let them be afraid. When fear reaches its extreme, it will transform into something else: either submission or betrayal. All I need to know is who will submit and who will betray."

Hu Liena lowered her eyes and remained silent. She knew her teacher was right, and she also knew that her teacher's words were not only for her, but also for the branch hall leaders who were shrouded in fear.

"What about the voice of the people?" Bibi Dong changed the subject, her tone more casual than before, as if she were asking about something not too important.

Hu Liena lowered her eyes slightly, as if she was organizing her words. After a moment, she raised her head and spoke in a steady tone, but with a hint of deliberation: "Teacher, the prevailing opinion among the people... is actually leaning towards our side."

Bibi Dong's eyebrows twitched slightly. She leaned back in her chair, not interrupting, gesturing for Hu Liena to continue.

“In the past, during times of peace, the people’s attitude towards the Spirit Hall was not exactly friendly.” Hu Liena’s voice was unhurried, as if stating a fact that had been repeatedly verified.

"They are used to the Spirit Hall sending people to the village every year to help children awaken their spirits, and they are used to the existence of the Spirit Hall. They take it for granted, just like the sun rises every day and the rain falls every year. They don't feel grateful to the sun for rising as usual."

She paused, her voice lowering slightly: "But now, the sun doesn't rise as usual."

Bibi Dong stopped tapping.

Hu Liena continued, "Since the start of the war, the Spirit Hall has withdrawn its forces from the areas occupied by the Anti-Spirit Alliance. In those places, the Spirit Hall's branch halls have been closed, the deacons have been withdrawn, and even the most basic Spirit Awakening services have been interrupted."

Originally, when the children in the village reached the age of six, the deacons of the Spirit Hall would come to their homes to help them awaken their powers, without the village having to pay a single penny.

Children who awaken their soul power will receive a soul master subsidy from the Spirit Hall upon reaching level 10 to help with their daily life and studies.

She shook her head slightly: "But things are different now. In those places controlled by the Anti-Martial Soul Alliance, people who want their children to awaken their martial souls have to find their own ways."

They either had to pay a high price to invite a Soul Master to the village, or they had to take their children on a long journey to the city to seek help from a Soul Master Academy.

The Soul Master Academy itself has limited manpower; they can barely take care of their own students, let alone have the extra energy to manage those remote villages.

Hu Liena paused here and glanced at Bibi Dong's expression.

Bibi Dong's face remained expressionless, but her gaze was more focused than before, as if she were carefully digesting the information in every word.

“So,” Hu Liena continued, “the people in those places have begun to miss the Spirit Hall. Not because they have any deep feelings for the Spirit Hall, but because without the Spirit Hall, their children would not even have the chance to awaken their spirits.”

“In a village, if even one child with soul power appears every ten years, it's considered an immense joy. That child might be the only one in their village with a chance to change their fate. And the Spirit Hall used to be the one that provided that opportunity. Now, that opportunity is gone.”

As she spoke, a complex meaning crept into her tone, making it difficult to discern whether it was a sigh or something else entirely.

"Those who once thought the Spirit Hall was dispensable are now hoping for its return. It's not because they've suddenly figured out some profound truth, but simply because they've discovered that life is indeed different without the Spirit Hall."

The hall was quiet for a moment.

Bibi Dong leaned back in her chair, her slender fingers gently stroking the armrests, her fingertips tracing the cold metal texture and making a soft rustling sound.

She did not respond to Huliena's words immediately. Instead, her gaze shifted slightly, landing on the huge mural of a six-winged angel on the ceiling, as if she were looking through the painting into the distance.

After a long while, she slowly spoke: "You see things very clearly."

Hu Liena bowed slightly: "It's because the teacher taught so well."

Bibi Dong didn't respond to that. She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Hu Liena, her voice still calm, but Hu Liena noticed that the cold barrier in her eyes seemed to have thinned slightly.

"What is the current attitude of the people in those areas towards the Anti-Martial Soul Alliance?"

“Complex.” Hu Liena carefully considered her words.

"They are grateful to the Anti-Soul Alliance for lowering the tax rate, after all, their lives have indeed become much more stable since the dissolution of the Heaven Dou Empire. But when it comes to the matter of Soul Awakening, they harbor resentment."

“Those sects and forces aren’t unwilling to help,” she added.

"However, their own manpower is also limited. Some sects, such as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, and the Clear Sky School, do send soul masters to some big towns to help with martial soul awakening, but they can't be sent to those remote small villages at all."

There are only so many Soul Masters, and their energy is limited, so the area they can cover is naturally limited as well.

"Therefore, those forgotten villages began to miss the Spirit Hall."

Bibi Dong's lips twitched slightly. The curve was very shallow, hardly a smile, more like a knowing "I knew it" expression.

“That’s just how people are.” Her voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself. “We never cherish what we have. Only when we lose it do we realize how important those everyday things were.”

Hu Liena did not speak.

The hall was quiet for a moment. The candlelight flickered gently in the niche, casting two long shadows on the cold floor.

"What about the Hall of Offerings?" Bibi Dong changed the subject, her voice returning to its usual calm. "Has there been any activity lately?"

Hu Liena looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She hadn't expected her teacher to ask about the Hall of Offerings.

Since the Heaven Dou Empire was incorporated into the Spirit Hall, the teacher's attention to the affairs of the Hall of Worship has gradually faded.

Previously, they would regularly inquire about the progress of the offering hall, but now it seems they are deliberately avoiding that direction.

She was somewhat surprised that her teacher had asked her about it.

"Reporting to Teacher," Hu Liena calmly reported, "Since Qian Renxue entered the depths of the Offering Hall, she has not come out again. There has been no news from the Offering Hall either; everything is very quiet."

She paused, then added, "The High Priest hasn't shown up again either. The last time he appeared outside the Hall of Worship was... before the great victory in the North."

Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened for a moment.

A thousand feet of snow. A thousand streams.

These two names were like two inconspicuous pebbles, casually tossed into the calm lake of her heart.

Only a very faint ripple appeared on the water's surface, which quickly disappeared, but that momentary ripple was not entirely absent.

The image of Qian Renxue involuntarily appeared in her mind.

When was the last time we met?

She couldn't remember very clearly.

Did Qian Renxue come to see her before entering the Hall of Offerings?

They've probably been here before.

But what was she busy with at the time? Was she reviewing battle reports? Meeting with generals from various places who were sending reports? Or was she dealing with some other trivial matter?

She couldn't remember.

Those fragmented memories are like those covered with a thin layer of dust; the outlines are still there, but the details have become blurred.

The only thing she could clearly remember was the extremely complex emotions surging in Qian Renxue's golden eyes when she stood in front of her.

There was anticipation, trepidation, and a hint of tenderness she had never seen on anyone's face before.

How did she respond at the time?

He seemed to simply nod and say "Go," before continuing to look down at the battle report in his hand.

Bibi Dong tapped her fingertips lightly on the armrest, the rhythm much slower than before.

She suppressed those inappropriate thoughts, her face remaining calm and icy, revealing nothing.

"Any other news?"

Hu Liena thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"There is no further news from the Hall of Offerings at the moment. After the Holy Maiden entered the Hall of Offerings, she cut off all contact with the outside world, and even the daily affairs inside the Hall of Offerings are temporarily being managed by other offerings. The High Priest has not issued any further instructions."

Bibi Dong nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Her gaze returned to the window, to the distant sky dyed golden red by the setting sun.

There was no emotion in his gaze, as calm as the snow that never melts on a mountaintop, its height and thickness unreadable.

"You may leave," she said, her voice regaining its usual calm.

"Continue to monitor developments everywhere, especially on the western front. Report any unusual activity immediately."

"Yes, teacher." Hu Liena bowed and turned to walk towards the palace gate.

Her steps remained light, and her boots made almost no sound as they trod on the white marble floor.

When she reached the entrance of the palace, she paused slightly and looked back.