Chapter 236: The Battle for Silver Soul Rank Between Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu
Chapter 236: The Battle for Silver Soul Rank Between Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu
After chatting about a few more trivial matters of the imperial court, Qian Renxue suddenly shifted the topic.
With her brows slightly raised, that gentle, jade-like smile surfaced once more with perfect timing.
"Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Sister Rongrong in a long while. Is she still staying at the Sect lately?"
Qian Renxue’s tone was casual, as if she had just happened to recall it during a light chat.
"When we were children, she always loved to pester me to bring back some fresh and interesting trinkets from Heaven Dou City. I didn’t see any sign of her today."
She spoke nonchalantly, as if it were merely a common greeting.
She was, of course, perfectly clear about Ning Rongrong’s whereabouts.
The girl wasn’t at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School at all, nor was she at Shrek Academy; she was at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
By dropping these words today, she intended to test Ning Fengzhi.
She wanted to see what this old fox would do after learning that Ning Rongrong had appeared at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Ning Fengzhi raised an eyebrow slightly, a somewhat helpless smile appearing on his face, his tone carrying a hint of doting.
"That girl complained there were too many rules and too much supervision in the Sect. She made a fuss about going out to experience life and ran off long ago."
He shook his head, looking like he was talking about a troublesome matter that he couldn’t bring himself to truly be angry about.
"I’m afraid she’ll only be willing to return to the Sect once she’s played enough outside and suffered enough hardships."
He knew in his heart that Ning Rongrong had gone to Shrek Academy.
Since childhood, that child had been held in the palms of his and the two Titled Douluo’s hands; her temperament had grown a bit spoiled.
No one in the Sect dared to discipline her.
Going out to be tempered and suffer some hardships might not be a bad thing.
Moreover, he had already made arrangements with Flender at Shrek, so no major trouble would occur.
He hadn’t expected his Disciple, Xue Qinghe, to suddenly mention it at this time.
A flash of surprise crossed Qian Renxue’s face, her expression looking as if she truly hadn’t expected it.
"Oh? Sister Rongrong isn’t at the Sect? That is indeed strange."
He tilted his head slightly, his tone revealing a bit of surprise.
"A few days ago, I went to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to inspect the progress of Spirit Master training. I saw her in the academy with several members of the Royal Fighting Team, chatting and laughing together."
"I thought Teacher had arranged for her to study at Heaven Dou; I didn’t realize she had run off on her own."
He spoke naturally, and the astonishment on his face showed no flaws.
Yet, a glint of scrutiny in the depths of his eyes fell unobtrusively upon Ning Fengzhi’s face.
He wondered what expression this old fox would show upon hearing that his daughter was not at Shrek but had instead appeared at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The fingertips with which Ning Fengzhi held his teacup paused almost imperceptibly.
The smile on his face faded slightly, and his heart sank a little.
Ning Rongrong had been staying steadily at Shrek Academy; how could she have run off to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?
Xue Qinghe was more than familiar with that girl’s appearance; he certainly wouldn’t have mistaken her for someone else.
Either the child had hidden it from everyone and slipped away from Shrek to Heaven Dou Royal Academy on her own,
Or some unexpected change had occurred.
Doubts churned in his mind, but a gentle smile soon piled back onto his face, his tone adding a bit of helplessness.
"That girl has had many ideas since she was little; I’m afraid she’s changed locations to play again."
"A child’s Heart-Nature is unsettled; I’ve made Your Highness see a joke."
Qian Renxue smiled and waved her hand, her tone relaxed.
"Sister Rongrong is innocent and romantic; that’s what makes her cute."
"Teacher needn’t worry too much. She is so clever; nothing will happen to her."
After a few more idle words, Qian Renxue rose to take her leave.
Ning Fengzhi personally escorted her to the entrance of the main hall, standing upon the stone steps.
He watched as that figure gradually receded along the mountain path.
Only then did the gentle smile on his face fade away bit by bit.
A dark shadow emerged silently from beside a pillar behind the hall; it was none other than the Bone Douluo, Gu Rong.
He was rubbing a skull-shaped jade pendant in his hand as he walked slowly to Ning Fengzhi’s side, lowering his voice.
"Fengzhi, that kid Xue Qinghe had hidden meanings in his words just now."
Ning Fengzhi turned around, strode back into the main hall, and sat down in the primary seat.
His brow furrowed slightly, and his tone revealed a hint of tension.
"Uncle Bone, Qinghe said he saw Rongrong at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
The movement of the jade pendant in Gu Rong’s hand abruptly stopped, and his expression changed slightly.
"The possibility of Qinghe mistaking the person is minuscule."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head, his voice deepening a bit.
"He wouldn’t bring this up for no reason."
"Since he said it, he must have truly seen her."
"That girl has many devious ideas; perhaps she really did hide it from us and slipped away from Shrek to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
He paused, looking up at Gu Rong, his tone adding a bit of solemnity.
"Uncle Bone, I must trouble you to personally go to Heaven Dou City to secretly find out exactly where Rongrong is and the reasons behind it."
"Remember, do not alert her, and do not alert anyone else; just investigate secretly."
Gu Rong nodded, and the aura around him condensed slightly, as if an invisible force field was quietly spreading out.
"Rest assured, I’ll head to Heaven Dou Royal Academy right away."
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, revealing a half-smile.
"If anyone dares to bully her, I’ll tear their bones out one by one."
Before his voice had even faded, Gu Rong’s figure had already dissipated silently within the main hall.
Only a very light breeze remained, fluttering the pages of the books on the desk.
Ning Fengzhi sat alone in the primary seat, his fingertips lightly tapping on the tabletop.
His gaze passed through the window frame, falling upon the hazy mountain scenery in the distance.
The doubts in his heart, however, grew heavier and heavier.
Xue Qinghe’s visit today was filled with a subtle sense of deliberateness.
First, he talked about the situation of Spirit Hall, with every word and sentence testing his attitude and bottom line.
Then, he unexpectedly brought up Ning Rongrong—was it a casual, unintentional mention, or did he have other motives?
He vaguely felt that his Disciple, Xue Qinghe, harbored a very large secret.
A secret that perhaps he had not been able to see through even now.
...
A month and a half’s time passed in the blink of an eye.
The Heaven Dou CityGreat Spirit Arena was the liveliest place in all of Heaven Dou City.
Every day, tens of thousands of Spirit Masters and ordinary people flooded in here to watch one thrilling Spirit Fight after another.
Everywhere were deafening shouts, the cries of Spirit Masters, and the booming sounds of Spirit Abilities colliding.
In the VIP spectator stands.
Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan were sitting on soft sofa chairs.
On the stone table before them were plates of fresh fruit and iced tea.
Dugu Yan’s fingertips pinched a glistening purple grape and tossed it into her mouth, her gaze scanning the noisy Spirit Fighting Arena below.
"Are you two going to compete or not? If you delay any longer, today’s Spirit Fight sessions will be over."
"This battle of yours for the silver soul rank will probably have to be dragged until tomorrow."
Xiao Wu curled her lip, picked up the teacup on the table for a sip, and spoke with a hint of defiance.
"What’s the rush? For the silver soul rank competition between me and Zhuqing, we naturally have to choose the session with the most spectators and the most excitement."
"If we go up now when there are hardly any spectators, even if we win, it won’t be very interesting."
The two had agreed to see who would get the Silver Soul Badge first, and there were also some special conditions as stakes.
She certainly didn’t want to lose to Zhu Zhuqing.
(End of Chapter)
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