I Have a Big Secret—Please Keep Reading

I Have a Big Secret—Please Keep Reading

"You know me?"

Sword Douluo paused, then asked with interest.

"We haven't met, but I've heard of you. Besides, you two didn't exactly avoid talking in front of me just now." Xu Changqing smiled and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Sword Douluo nodded, forcing a stiff smile onto his face. "Since you know who I am, then you also know that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has been looking for you these past few days. Yet you remain so fearless. It seems you're very confident in your own strength? You little fellow are becoming more and more interesting. I'm rather curious—where does your confidence come from?"

Xu Changqing shrugged, looking helpless as he said, "I'm afraid you've misunderstood, Senior. I simply thought that before a Titled Douluo, a mere Soul Elder like me who has only just broken through would have nowhere to hide even if I tried. I might as well be honest."

"Is that so?" Sword Douluo's gaze was somewhat suspicious. He always felt this kid was trying to muddle through with him.

Xu Changqing grinned but offered no answer.

Whether that's true depends on what attitude you people take, doesn't it?

"Speaking of which, I've read all the information on you, but I still want to ask: are you truly not from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"

Sword Douluo recalled the information on Xu Changqing he had read back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. An orphan, raised in the orphanage of Notting City. He had possessed Innate Full Soul Power when his martial soul awakened, later attending Notting Junior Soul Master Academy. He was also on very good terms with Su Yuntao and Si Si, the couple who served at the Martial Soul Branch Hall in Notting City, seemingly addressing them as uncle and nephew, older sister and younger brother.

It looked like perfectly ordinary information. Innate Full Soul Power was merely a little eye-catching. But the strange thing was that only after meeting him did Sword Douluo discover just how absurd this youth's cultivation talent was. His Soul Ring configuration was equally outrageous, breaking record after record set by soul masters across the Douluo Continent. Could Innate Full Soul Power alone really achieve such a thing?

What a joke.

Even stranger, he, a Titled Douluo, had never even heard of such a martial soul with such immense potential!

On the Douluo Continent, martial souls were all about inheritance.

Generally speaking, those who possessed powerful martial souls did not come from simple backgrounds.

Although he had neither seen nor heard of this youth's martial soul, Sword Douluo could tell from the previous battle that it was undoubtedly an exceptionally powerful martial soul. Could someone like that truly have no background at all?

In Sword Douluo's view, there was a considerable chance that he was backed by either the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan or Spirit Hall. One reason was the similarity of his martial soul, while the other was that he was rather close to active Spirit Hall personnel.

Yet there was one thing he could not understand. If the youth truly belonged to one of those two forces, why had no one taken him back to nurture him properly? Why leave him in a tiny backwater like Notting City, under the care of two Great Soul Masters?

Sword Douluo was farsighted and thought deeply about matters. But ever since their encounter, this youth seemed to be shrouded in layers upon layers of mist, making him impossible to read.

In response to Sword Douluo's question, Xu Changqing merely shook his head. "Though I don't know why you would think so, Senior, my surname is not Yu. Naturally, I have no connection to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

"Furthermore, I don't believe I have ever offended the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, nor have I ever had contact with any of its disciples. May I ask why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has put out such an enormous bounty to find me?"

"I hope Senior can clear up this confusion for me. If I unintentionally offended any disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I am willing to compensate your sect for its losses."

Xu Changqing lowered his stance considerably. He had yet to grow strong, and he did not wish to provoke a powerful enemy. As one of the Upper Three Sects of the Douluo Continent, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's strength and foundation were beyond doubt.

In the original story, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been fairly reasonable. Its sect master, Ning Fengzhi, was also kind and mild-tempered. Xu Changqing rather admired this leader of a sect, who held such a high position yet was approachable and unpretentious. Thus, he did not wish to become enemies with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for no clear reason.

"Well..."

Sword Douluo hesitated. As for why his sect had put out a bounty on this youth, he could not really give a specific reason himself. It had begun when Rongrong kept spraining her ankle, after which she had clamored every day about capturing a youth named Xu Changqing. As for why she wanted to capture him, Rongrong would stammer and fail to explain whenever asked, giving the elders a terrible headache.

They had also suspected that Rongrong's sprained ankle might have had something to do with this youth named Xu Changqing. But after this encounter, they found him polite and straightforward in speech, open and aboveboard. He showed no guilty conscience upon seeing them, and everything indicated that he knew nothing about the matter.

As for whether he was acting, Sword Douluo believed he could tell. He might be old, but his strength remained, and he was not blind.

Faced with Xu Changqing's question, Sword Douluo looked troubled, unsure of how to explain. In the end, he gave Ning Rongrong a look, as if to say, Little Ancestor, I found him for you. You explain the reason yourself.

Following Sword Douluo's gaze, Xu Changqing looked doubtfully at Ning Rongrong, who was curled up nearby and staring at him with sparkling eyes.

The corner of his mouth twitched. He roughly understood part of why a bounty had been placed on him. It definitely had something to do with this Little Ancestor.

But many mysteries still lingered in his mind. For instance, he had never interacted with this Little Princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. How had she known about him?

"Hello, my name is Ning Rongrong." She smiled and extended her little hand, looking obedient and adorable.

"Xu Changqing."

Xu Changqing nodded and introduced himself. He shook her hand and was about to pull back when he realized she had grabbed hold of it. He gave her a questioning look.

What does that mean?

Ning Rongrong mischievously stuck out her tongue, her eyes curving into crescents as she giggled. "I was the one who asked Sword Grandpa to bring me here to find you. I have a big secret. Do you want to hear it?"

"..."

The corner of Xu Changqing's mouth twitched as he replied speechlessly, "No."

"No! You do!"

Ning Rongrong bared her teeth and waved her little fist, threatening him indignantly.

"Fine, I do."

"Then let's go over there to talk. Sword Grandpa can't hear this secret."

Watching his precious granddaughter pull that youth named Xu Changqing away, skipping and hopping into the distance, a question mark slowly appeared above Sword Douluo's head. What secret was there that he, her honorary grandfather, could not hear?

Hiss... Why did he suddenly feel so heartbroken?

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(End of chapter)