Gossip

Shi Yi looked at Ning Rongrong and smiled. "What is it?"

Ning Rongrong gave a light snort. "Are you so broke you've gone crazy? You money-grubber!"

Shi Yi smiled and shook his head. "To the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, aren't I a genuine poor man? Besides, my training regimen is fairly demanding. Now that you've joined, that's another expense. I don't have enough money to keep supporting it. You don't have to pay if you don't want to—as long as you can have someone deliver medicinal herbs and rare metals on time, you can join. What do you say? With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's resources, that should be easy enough."

Ning Rongrong thought it over, then nodded slightly. Some of those resources would be used on her anyway, and bringing Shi Yi and Zhu Zhuqing along would not be much trouble. She could treat it as the sect trying to win Shi Yi over.

"Then come to Suotuo City with me after we eat. Once word gets out, we'll have the things soon enough," Ning Rongrong said to Shi Yi.

Shi Yi nodded, gave Ning Rongrong a thumbs-up, and chuckled. "As expected of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's little princess. So decisive."

"Cut it out. If it doesn't work, just you wait!" Ning Rongrong glared at Shi Yi with a slightly haughty look.

Shi Yi smiled. He could tell that Ning Rongrong rather enjoyed his words.

Before long, Ning Rongrong urged Shi Yi to finish eating. She had finally gotten a holiday—how could she not go browse Suotuo City's night market?

The two soon left together. Zhu Zhuqing watched their retreating backs thoughtfully.

Very soon, Shi Yi followed Ning Rongrong to a merchant house.

Looking at the luxurious building named Seven Treasures Merchant House, Shi Yi could not help sighing. "What a massive family business."

"Of course. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's merchant houses are spread throughout all of Heaven Dou, with branches in every major city. Anything circulating on the market can be bought here. Even if it isn't available for the moment, it can be transferred in from elsewhere," Ning Rongrong said proudly.

After entering the merchant house, there was none of the absurd nonsense where a servant failed to recognize their own master. Everyone who saw Ning Rongrong bowed to her respectfully.

"Alright, make a list of what you need. Take as many medicinal herbs as you want; they'll arrange regular deliveries. But don't go too far with the rare metals," Ning Rongrong said to Shi Yi.

Shi Yi gave an embarrassed smile. "Of course not. Rare metals that are too precious are beyond my current forging level anyway."

Shi Yi was not lying to Ning Rongrong. Extremely precious rare metals were of exceptional quality. Though he knew Disorder Splitting Wind, at present he could barely manage Thousand Refinement. With some higher-grade precious metals, he could not even reach the Thousand Refinement level. Of course, to an ordinary blacksmith, Shi Yi's forging skill was already master-level.

Shi Yi then took out the prescription Yu Xiaogang had given him from his Soul Tool and handed it to Ning Rongrong. "Three doses a day according to this prescription will do. Also, the older the Whale Rubber, the better."

Ning Rongrong looked at Shi Yi strangely. "Whale Rubber? What do you need that stuff for? Don't tell me you're like that Lustful Tiger and Fatty..."

Before she could finish, Shi Yi raised a hand to cut her off. "What the hell do you know? Just get it. It's not for you, anyway. Whale Rubber is also a medicinal ingredient. As for what kind of person I am, don't you know already?"

Ning Rongrong looked Shi Yi up and down. Though she knew he was not that sort of person, she could not resist teasing him. "Who knows? You can know a face, but not a heart."

Shi Yi's face darkened. "So, are you agreeing or not?"

Seeing this, Ning Rongrong stopped joking. She took the prescription from Shi Yi, raised a delicate brow, and said, "Just these herbs and high-year Whale Rubber, right? What rare metals do you want?"

"One piece each of Board Crystal and Hair Crystal will do. As for how large you can get them, that depends on your capabilities. If you can get them as large as possible, I can give you a surprise in the future," Shi Yi said with a smile.

At the mention of a surprise, Ning Rongrong was instantly intrigued. "What surprise?"

"That is temporarily classified information," Shi Yi said with a chuckle.

Ning Rongrong snorted and did not press further. She casually handed the prescription to an employee in the merchant house.

"You heard what he said, right? Do as he requested. Three doses of herbs per day. Get plenty—send a month's supply at a time," Ning Rongrong said casually.

The employee accepted the prescription respectfully. "Yes, Miss."

Ning Rongrong nodded in satisfaction and turned to Shi Yi. "Come on. I've done you such a huge favor, so you can accompany me while I shop, right?"

Shi Yi smiled helplessly. "Fine. Since you're the boss."

Shi Yi then obediently became Ning Rongrong's attendant, taking the chance to relax himself as well.

As they walked, the two began chatting.

"Do you like Zhuqing? You help her so much, but when it comes to me, you ask for this and that—money, herbs, everything." Ning Rongrong looked at Shi Yi, her beautiful eyes blazing with gossip.

Shi Yi smiled and shook his head. "First of all, I didn't take the initiative to help Zhuqing. After I saw Teacher's training plan, I made some suggestions. Teacher was the one who assigned the most obedient person to train with me. Obviously, Zhuqing is the most obedient among you. Training one person is no different from training another; it doesn't take much extra effort. Besides, there's nothing to squeeze out of Zhuqing. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a huge fortune, so if I'm making friends with a young lady like you, shouldn't I get some benefits out of it?"

"You're certainly honest. So many people try to curry favor with me while pretending they want nothing in return. But I don't think that's all there is to it. Your attitude toward Zhuqing is obviously much better than it is toward the rest of us," Ning Rongrong said, staring at Shi Yi.

Shi Yi sighed with feeling. "No teacher dislikes an obedient student. I'm no exception. What I feel for Zhuqing is more pity than anything else. A young girl risked danger to travel all this way, only to find a young master who indulges in wine and women. Sometimes, I even feel that her martial soul ought to be swapped with Dai Mubai's. Perhaps Zhuqing could do better than Dai Mubai."

Ning Rongrong nodded at those words, while Shi Yi continued, "Of course, Zhuqing's performance in training also moved me. She trains seriously—seriously enough to stake her life on it. That determination surpasses all of yours, even mine. Compared to us, Zhuqing is only lacking somewhat in martial soul. That's why I'm willing to help her within my abilities. Even if that seems to have offended Dai Mubai, he isn't worth my concern."

As Shi Yi spoke, a trace of guilt flashed through his eyes. There was something else he did not say. His arrival had changed everything. Tang San might not lead Shrek to the championship now. Zhu Zhuqing, who should have obtained an Immortal Herb, had lost a precious turning point in her life because of him. It could even be said that without the Immortal Herbs, they would never have been able to defeat Star Luo Royal Academy in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

Thinking of this, Shi Yi's gaze fell upon Ning Rongrong. She too had lost her chance at obtaining an Immortal Herb, yet her fate was far better than Zhu Zhuqing's.

Sometimes, fate was simply that cruel. Ning Rongrong losing an Immortal Herb and Shrek failing to win the championship would not truly affect her. She would still be the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Without getting involved with Tang San, perhaps the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might even have a better outcome under Spirit Hall. But Zhu Zhuqing was different. No matter how desperately she tried to change her fate, without the Immortal Herb, the odds of defeating Star Luo Royal Academy had already plummeted.

"Yes, meeting someone like that Lustful Tiger really is pitiful for Zhuqing. Do you think the Lustful Tiger and Zhuqing have a chance of winning?" Ning Rongrong asked Shi Yi.

Shi Yi shook his head slightly. "I don't know. But I'll do everything I can to help her. That might give them a little chance."

"You really don't feel even a little stirred by Zhuqing?" Ning Rongrong teased.

Shi Yi chuckled. "Stirred? Perhaps a little. After all, I'm still a normal man. But I'm also a rational person. Before I have the ability to protect others, I'm unlikely to consider such things. Besides, Zhuqing's identity is special. I don't want the people around me to face such a fate, like Dai Mubai has."

Hearing Shi Yi speak so frankly, Ning Rongrong could not find anything to criticize for a moment.

"Alright, stop prying into my affairs. Why not put that energy into cultivation?"

Ning Rongrong's eyes shifted, the fire of gossip in them not dimming in the slightest. "Then what's going on between Xiao Wu and Tang San?"

Shi Yi smiled. "You couldn't dig anything out of me, so you're changing targets? Aren't Xiao San and Xiao Wu exactly what they look like?"

"They don't look like normal siblings," Ning Rongrong said with a smile.

"You've already seen through it, so what else is there to say?" Shi Yi said helplessly.

Ning Rongrong glared at Shi Yi. "Talking to you is no fun at all."

"Though Xiao San and I don't really get along, he's still my Disciple Brother. What good would it do me to reveal his private affairs? Unless..." Shi Yi grinned wickedly.

Seeing Shi Yi's expression, Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes and said irritably, "You shouldn't be called Shi Yi at all. You should be called Money-Grubber!"

"Knowing too much is not always a good thing. What you can see is what you can handle. Consider that the first lesson I'm giving you as your teacher. Xiao San is someone who keeps his thoughts deeply hidden. If you cross some line, all you'll bring yourself is trouble," Shi Yi said with a light smile.

Ning Rongrong recalled the setback she had suffered when she first entered the academy. She understood that Tang San was clearly no simple person. After all, on this continent, there were only a handful of people who did not take the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect seriously.

Ning Rongrong gave an indifferent snort. "Fine, don't tell me. I don't even want to know about his stupid affairs. Looking at Tang San and Xiao Wu, they probably aren't good people anyway."

Shi Yi nodded in agreement and smiled. "They really aren't good people."

One was an assassin from the Tang Sect, and the other was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form. They indeed could not be considered good people.

Ning Rongrong shot Shi Yi a glare. "You aren't a good person either."

"I've never said I was a good person. I can be good, and I can be bad. It depends on who is looking. Perhaps in your eyes, I'll soon become a good person—a good person who does things for money," Shi Yi said with a chuckle.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Ning Rongrong's eyes. "So you only talked to me this much for money?"

Shi Yi looked at Ning Rongrong and said slowly, "I've never thought earning money was anything shameful. And 'friend' is a very broad term."

At the word "friend," a flicker of evasiveness appeared in Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes. She fell silent.

"Fair-weather friends are friends. Drinking buddies are friends. Business partners are friends. Classmates can be friends, and teachers can be friends. Friends who would die for each other can be friends too. You do not need to obsess over the word 'friend.' You only need to understand who in this world truly treats you well. In fact, for you, people who share your ideals have always been by your side—your father, and those two seniors," Shi Yi said softly.

Ning Rongrong's eyes reddened and her nose stung. Seemingly unwilling to let Shi Yi see her in such a sorry state, she turned her head away and lowered it slightly.

The next moment, Shi Yi's familiar voice sounded beside her. "Alright, it's getting late. I need to go back and cultivate. You should head back and rest early too. Make the most of these remaining days of your holiday."

By the time Ning Rongrong looked up, Shi Yi's back was already gradually disappearing into the distance.

"This guy said he'd go shopping with me. How long have we even been shopping before he ran off?" Ning Rongrong complained as she watched his retreating figure, though a faint smile curled across her pretty face. She then began browsing the streets on her own, skipping along happily.

The seven-day holiday quickly passed, and it was time to train again. During breakfast, Shi Yi saw Ma Hongjun's utterly lifeless expression and understood what had happened. Perhaps Flender had handled the aftermath smoothly. After all, Ma Hongjun was his disciple, and he could not simply abandon him. But Flender could not keep letting Ma Hongjun go out and cause trouble either. One day, he might encounter someone truly ruthless and end up dead outside.

On the other hand, Yu Xiaogang's training was also proving effective. Under the intense regimen, Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire had stopped flaring up. His cultivation was still weak, so training could suppress it for now. As his cultivation rose, however, the Evil Fire would grow stronger as well. When that time came, he would need an ice-attribute Soul Master to help suppress it.

At breakfast, Ning Rongrong also spoke with Yu Xiaogang. Yu Xiaogang readily agreed to let her train with Shi Yi. Given the current situation, he no longer held much hope for his plan to build a powerful team centered around Tang San. Therefore, his main task now was to properly cultivate Tang San himself. As for the others, there was not much difference between herding one sheep and herding a whole flock.

The Shrek group all looked surprised upon seeing Ning Rongrong, but no one said anything.