Chapter 24: Rotten Truths and Shattered Bonds
Qian Renxue's words were too sharp.
Too cruel.
Each word pierced Bibi Dong's heart—the heart she had long masked with feigned strength, pretending to be invulnerable to every poison life had thrown at her.
Ever since the humiliation in the secret chamber, Bibi Dong had relied on relentless cultivation to numb her emotions. She had tried to forget.
But the truth could not be erased.
Just like Qian Renxue said—
Rotten.
Since that day, she had already rotted inside. She was a ruined person—through and through.
Only Qin Chuan hadn't despised her.
He had spent over ten years pulling her out of the abyss, piece by piece, making her almost forget her corruption. Almost believe she could be whole again.
But in the end, it was she who drove Qin Chuan away with her own hands.
And now, her daughter had reminded her again…
She was still a rotten person.
The words rekindled a furious storm in Bibi Dong's heart. Rage overtook her. She wanted to slap Qian Renxue, to shut that cruel mouth once and for all.
But just then—
A cold voice echoed from outside the Pope's Palace:
"You don't have the qualifications."
It was Qin Chuan.
"Brother Qin Chuan…"
Qian Renxue turned her head with difficulty in Bibi Dong's grip and looked toward the door.
Then—bang!
A muffled crash rang out.
Ju Douluo Yue Guan was flung backward through the grand doors and slammed heavily against the cold stone floor of the Pope's Palace.
His face was pale, his expression twisted with pain. Struggling to stand, he muttered bitterly,
"Your Holiness… I couldn't stop him."
"Useless!"
Bibi Dong snapped coldly.
Immediately, she stood and faced the entrance. Her sharp gaze landed on the tall, familiar figure striding in.
Qin Chuan.
"Bibi Dong, let go of Xue'er."
His expression was dark, heavy with cold anger. His eyes locked onto Qian Renxue—slumped, haggard, and beaten. The sight of her like that made something tighten in his chest.
"A-Chuan! You finally came back to see me!"
The moment she saw him, Bibi Dong's face lit up with joy.
She hurried forward to take his hand—but he stepped aside, quietly avoiding her touch.
Still, she smiled and said as if nothing had happened,
"A-Chuan, did you receive my gift?"
"That was Xiaogang's leg. You've always disliked him, right? So, I cut it off and sent it to you."
"A-Chuan, do you forgive me now?"
Her voice softened, almost tender by the end.
Qin Chuan had suspected it. Suspected that she had mutilated Yu Xiaogang to win his forgiveness.
But hearing it confirmed from her lips…
He was stunned.
Shocked.
A whirlwind of emotions surged through him—disgust, confusion, disbelief.
Yu Xiaogang was truly pitiful.
And Bibi Dong… was truly insane.
To beg for forgiveness, she had willingly dismembered the man she once loved. Her obsession had twisted into something monstrous.
In that moment, Qin Chuan felt relieved.
Relieved he had walked away when he did.
If he had stayed, perhaps one day he would be in Yu Xiaogang's place.
And that would have been the greatest tragedy of all.
"A-Chuan, I know I was wrong. Please, don't be angry anymore, okay?"
Bibi Dong's voice trembled.
"I'll make it up to you—we can consummate our marriage tonight. If you want it in the future, I'll give it to you anytime, as long as you don't leave me again."
"A-Chuan, please come back."
"I won't bind you anymore. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want. If you want to be Pope, I'll give it to you."
"I don't want anything… really…"
Tears began to fall—one drop at a time.
But Qin Chuan felt nothing.
Not pity. Not anger. Not even sorrow.
His expression remained cold.
There was a time when he would've been heartbroken at the sight of her crying. He would've done anything to comfort her—even pulled the moon from the sky.
But now—
He didn't love her anymore.
And once love was gone… it was truly gone.
"Bibi Dong," he said, voice calm and cutting.
"Stop acting. Aren't you tired of pretending?"
Finally, Qian Renxue stood up.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and sneered,
"You want Brother Qin Chuan to return because of all those things you said?"
"No. You don't even know what love is."
"You just want to possess him. You can't bear the thought of someone escaping your control. His departure was a slap to your face, and you can't stand it."
"That's why you even cut off your old lover's leg to make him stay."
"Bibi Dong, you have no heart. Did you even feel pain when you mutilated Yu Xiaogang?"
"Now, you've not only lost Brother Qin Chuan, but also destroyed your past. What a joke. How can a woman as selfish and deranged as you even exist?"
Each word was a blade to Bibi Dong's heart.
Her face twisted in anger.
She opened her mouth to argue, but then her expression changed. A venomous look overtook her features.
"Little bastard! Who gave you the right to speak?"
She raised her hand, aiming a vicious slap at Qian Renxue.
This time, she didn't hold back. The force behind it could shatter half her daughter's face.
"Snap—"
A crisp sound echoed.
But it wasn't flesh hitting flesh.
Bibi Dong's expression froze.
Qin Chuan had caught her wrist—stopping her hand in mid-air. Her arm stiffened, unable to move further.
"Qin Chuan."
Her eyes reddened.
"Let me go. Do you even know what you're doing?"
"I told you," Qin Chuan said icily,
"You are not qualified to teach Xue'er a lesson."
Their arms remained locked in midair—his unyielding grip halting her fury.
"Was anything she said wrong?" he asked, voice low and cold.
"Isn't that exactly why you don't want to let me go?"
"Of course she's wrong!"
Bibi Dong snapped, her eyes full of resentment.
"She's my daughter. She has no right to talk to me like that!"
"She came from my body."
"She owes me her entire life!"
———-
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