16: red beans

"Senior Brother, Nana hasn't seen Teacher yet today."

Just as Hu Liena finished speaking, a voice that sounded like a half-smile reached their ears.

"What... has my eldest Apprentice finally thought of me?"

Bibi Dong strode into the courtyard with her long legs, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. When her sharp gaze fell on Su Wen, the latter felt his scalp go numb.

"Teacher, hehe!"

Su Wen toughened his resolve and stepped forward, looking at her with a grin. "I brought a gift for Teacher!"

Bibi Dong's face showed no extra emotion, and she didn't speak, looking as if she were waiting for his performance.

"Teacher, candy!"

Su Wen rummaged through his spirit tool and finally found something presentable.

Bibi Dong's rosy lips twitched, and a rare expression of speechlessness appeared on her face.

Seeing Su Wen holding his hand out to her so innocently, this was indeed a good thing for someone his age to offer.

After a brief hesitation, she reached out her jade-like finger and took the candy from his palm.

Su Wen breathed a sigh of relief. He peeled another piece and popped it into Hu Liena's small mouth.

Bibi Dong suddenly spoke coldly, "I won't hold it against you this time, but next time, don't blame me for hanging you up and beating you!"

Both Su Wen and Hu Liena trembled. Hu Liena leaned closer to Su Wen and shrank her snowy-white neck.

Bibi Dong glanced at Hu Liena, then fixed her gaze on Su Wen again. "From today on, you will study Spirit and Spirit Beast knowledge in the morning, learn combat experience from me in the afternoon, and use meditation to replace sleep at night!"

Su Wen immediately protested, "Teacher, with such an arrangement, won't Junior Sister and I have no rest time at all?"

"Hehe." Bibi Dong spoke in a tone that brooked no refusal, "Today, I will teach you combat techniques, starting with swordsmanship."

Su Wen was dazed. "swordsmanship?"

Bibi Dong took a longsword out of her spirit tool and swung it twice in the air, creating ripples.

She explained, "That umbrella of yours has appeared many times in the history of the Spirit Hall. Your father was one of them. The umbrella can be used as a sword, a spear, or even a shield!"

Su Wen realized that Bibi Dong had already thoroughly researched his Natal Weapon.

Looking at the way Bibi Dong held the sword, he felt a bit skeptical. "Teacher, your Spirit isn't a sword, is it?"

"It's enough to teach you... use your Spirit Ability to attack me with all your might!"

Bibi Dong glanced at Hu Liena, who immediately scurried to the side to make room for their battle.

"Teacher, please go easy on me. I'm still young."

With a wave of his hand, the red oiled paper umbrella appeared in Su Wen's palm.

The Ghost Emperor in Wedding Dress Spirit appeared.

It was accompanied by gusts of Yin wind and a yellow spirit ring.

"Hongdou!"

"Hongdou?"

*Swish swish swish—*

Bibi Dong was wondering why he shouted "Hongdou"?

Just then, several iron chains burning with Nether Flames suddenly erupted from the ground. They emitted both a freezing chill and extreme heat, forming two extreme phenomena as they performed a Binding toward Bibi Dong's graceful body.

A strange look flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. When the chains touched her clothes, a mark immediately appeared, burning through the outer layer to reveal her snowy-white skin beneath.

The Soul Power on Bibi Dong's body surged. While shaking off the iron chains, she swung the sword in her hand left and right.

The cold light brought by the Sword Qi drew several arcs in the air.

In the next moment.

The iron chains were all severed.

Seeing two damaged spots on her clothes, Bibi Dong couldn't help but praise, "The speed and attack power are both very good, and it's quite sudden. At the same Rank, it would be hard to react. To have such power just after becoming a Spirit Master, you are quite good."

After speaking, Bibi Dong asked about the doubt in her heart, "Why is it that when you use your Spirit Ability, your spirit ring doesn't react at all? Even the Soul Power on your body shows no movement?"

Hu Liena was also curious. She knew that when a Spirit Master used a Spirit Ability, the spirit ring would definitely react; that was basic common sense.

"Hongdou?"

A cloud of red mist drifted out of the umbrella, and the figure of the Ghost Bride appeared from within.

Her body, nearly two meters tall, emitted waves of Yin Qi.

Wearing a wedding dress almost identical to Su Wen's Spirit, both Bibi Dong and Hu Liena were astonished.

"My First Soul Skill can't attack; it only lets Hongdou help me. Those chains just now were her Spirit Ability, and Binding is also her Spirit Ability."

Su Wen explained Hongdou's situation. Since Bibi Dong was his teacher, there was no need to hide anything. Sometimes, showing off talent would lead to more attention and a tilt in cultivation resources.

Bibi Dong marveled, "It seems your umbrella is somewhat different from the records in the Spirit Hall. I still underestimated your Spirit... But since I'm teaching you combat experience, put her away for now."

Su Wen opened the umbrella, and Hongdou turned into mist and returned to it.

"Attack me. Circulate your Soul Power throughout your body and keep yourself in peak condition."

After Bibi Dong finished speaking, Su Wen immediately rushed forward. When the red oiled paper umbrella in his hand collided with Bibi Dong's longsword, it actually made an unbelievable crisp sound.

"So hard!"

Bibi Dong was amazed.

When attacking, the umbrella's sharpness and hardness were no less than that of a sword.

"Huff, huff~"

Su Wen was panting. After attacking for a while, he looked at Bibi Dong, who still appeared relaxed, while layers of hot sweat seeped from his cheeks.

The corners of Bibi Dong's mouth curled slightly into a mocking smile. "If this is all you've got, I'm too disappointed."

Su Wen didn't speak, just kept attacking until his Soul Power was drained dry. Only then did Bibi Dong show a hint of satisfaction and let him go.

"That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow. Your Soul Power is depleted, so you need a good night's rest. Nana, you need to hurry up and Cultivate to Rank 10." Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes, a hint of vengeful pleasure deep within them. "Xiao Wen, remember to write me a three-hundred-word post-battle reflection."

Su Wen was panting slightly and was stunned to hear Bibi Dong's words.

Why did he have to write an essay too?

By the time he looked up, Bibi Dong had already walked out of the courtyard.

"Senior Brother, are you okay?"

Hu Liena ran over, her small face filled with excitement and worry.

"I'm fine, just had my Soul Power drained dry by Teacher."

Su Wen rested his hand on Hu Liena's small shoulder, using her body to ease his fatigue.

*Swish!*

Bibi Dong, who had already left, reappeared in the courtyard.

She had almost forgotten that the body would experience exhaustion after Soul Power was depleted.

She needed to infuse a bit of Soul Power so Su Wen could recover quickly.

Sensing that the senior and junior siblings were both in the room.

Bibi Dong was about to enter when she heard muttering from inside, followed by a period of silence.

After a brief hesitation, she scanned the room with her Mental Energy.

The scene inside left her speechless.

Su Wen was fast asleep on the bed, while Hu Liena was hunched over the table writing furiously, her small face occasionally showing an expression of serious thought.

"This brat really knows how to order Nana around!"