Suspicion

Hearing Bai He's words, Niu Gao chuckled coldly:

"When did the Clear Sky Sect become so reasonable? Do those people even care about whether they're in the right or not? It's just that their courage has waned since the old sect leader disappeared."

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

The old sect leader Niu Gao was referring to was Tang Hao's grandfather Tang Chen, because the sect leader they recognized was Tang Hao's father.

As for Tang Xiao, they didn't acknowledge him as their sect leader at all, since the mountain closure incident happened during Tang Xiao's tenure, and he was somewhat involved in it.

After a while, the Bai He sighed Youyou:

"I wonder what happened to the old sect leader, and whether he is still alive?"

"Given the old sect leader's strength, there aren't many who can be his match. I think he might be trapped somewhere," Tai Tan guessed.

"I've traveled to many places, but I haven't found any trace of my grandfather," Tang Hao said.

"Is it possible, overseas?" Bai He asked.

"Grandpa went overseas before, but he returned safely. However, he might go to sea again, but the chances of finding him overseas are probably slim." Tang Hao shook his head.

Niu Gao looked at him and asked:

"Tang Hao, what are your thoughts on me and the Old White Bird joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School?"

Bai He also looked at Tang Hao, clearly concerned about this issue.

Tang Hao was somewhat puzzled, "Xiao Feng once asked me if he could win you over, and I agreed at the time. Didn't he tell you about this?"

Niu Gao and Bai He exchanged a surprised glance and both shook their heads. "No, neither the sect leader nor Xiao Feng mentioned it."

"Maybe they felt it wasn't necessary to mention it?" Tang Hao said.

Tai Tan couldn't help but ask:

"Master, why did you allow that child to win over the Old White Bird and the Old Rhino?"

Tang Hao paused for a moment, then said:

"The Clear Sky Sect can no longer provide you with protection. I know that your four clans have had a hard time these past years, so there's no need to continue. Finding a better backer is a good thing."

Tai Tan wanted to say something, but then realized he had nothing to say.

Just as Tang Hao said, it was the Clear Sky Sect that abandoned them first, so there's no point in them persisting in this futile way.

Moreover, when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was trying to win over the Speed and Defense Clans, they did not use any dishonorable means; they followed the proper and righteous path.

Not to mention that Tang Hao now claims he gave permission long ago, which makes the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's actions even more legitimate.

This is what Chen Feng told Ning Fengzhi back then: when doing things, one must be legitimate and justified so that one can proceed smoothly.

Just like now, Chen Feng and Ning Fengzhi's methods are all out in the open. Even if Tang Hao meets and chats casually with the Four Clans, it doesn't matter, because Chen Feng and the others are using Overt Scheme.

Covert Scheme is different; underhanded tricks can't be openly discussed, and they'll be exposed as soon as the two sides communicate.

However, Covert Scheme is not entirely useless; in certain situations, Covert Scheme can be indispensable.

For example, what Chen Feng told Niu Gao before about Sowing Discord " was a standard tactic of Covert Scheme.

If Bai He and Niu Gao had some unavoidable hesitation about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect before, their hesitation completely disappeared now that they knew Tang Hao had already given Chen Feng his permission.

The new employer treated them well, and the old employer allowed them to switch allegiances, so they naturally had no psychological barriers.

However, Tai Tan remained persistent, and he said to Tang Hao:

"Master, this old servant wishes to follow you forever."

Tang Hao shook his head. "Following me will only bury your talents. Xiao Feng and Xiao San are doing something big right now and need a lot of help."

Tai Tan remained silent.

Seeing this, the Bai He thought for a moment and said:

"How about we compromise? Old Orangutan, you don't have to be like us. You can just follow Xiao San. Anyway, Xiao San and Xiao Feng are good friends. What do you say?"

Tang Hao looked at Tai Tan, "What do you think?"

Tai Tan thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Yes, I am willing to follow the Young Lord."

"Speaking of which, should we bring that Old Mountain Goat guy over too?" Niu Gao suddenly said.

"I'm afraid the chances aren't very high. We've met a few times over the years, and Old Mountain Goat knows about our joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but he hasn't really mentioned it. I guess he doesn't want to continue living under someone else's roof," Bai He said, shaking his head.

Among the Four Clans, Yang Wudi, the Clan Chief of the Breaking Clan, had the best relationship with him. Before the Speed Clan joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Yang Wudi was the main person who funded them.

As the saying goes, those who sell their charms can't compete with those who sell medicine. The Breaking Clan's main business is pharmaceutical manufacturing, and their money-making ability is arguably the best among the Four Clans. That's why they have the resources to support the impoverished Speed Clan.

The abundance of funds also gave Yang Wudi the confidence to maintain the clan's independence without needing to seek a powerful backer like others.

"Whether he wants to join or not, now that we've all found our way, we should at least let him know. Our annual gathering is coming up soon anyway," Niu Gao said.

"That's true, then let's send him a message." Bai He nodded and said.

While Tang Hao was meeting with the Three Clans Clan Chief, Chen Feng also accompanied Ning Fengzhi to a teahouse.

In an elegantly decorated private room, Chen Feng met a young man, Xue Qinghe, whom he had met once before.

"Teacher, why didn't you tell me you were coming to Heaven Dou City? I could have arranged for someone to welcome you. If you hadn't sent someone to find me, I wouldn't have known you were here," Xue Qinghe said to Ning Fengzhi with a smile.

"I just suddenly had the idea to visit my Rongrong, so I didn't notify her beforehand, and there was no need for a big fuss or any kind of welcoming ceremony." Ning Fengzhi waved his hand with a smile.

Xue Qinghe looked at Chen Feng and said with a warm smile:

"We meet again, young man."

"Oh? You've met Xiao Feng before?" Ning Fengzhi asked curiously.

"That's right, we happened to run into him when he came to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy looking for Poison Douluo," Xue Qinghe said.

"I see, that's quite a coincidence." Ning Fengzhi nodded and said.

"Teacher, why did you bring this young man here today?" Xue Qinghe looked at Ning Fengzhi with a questioning gaze.

"Oh, is that so? Xiao Feng is an outstanding junior in the sect, and also Uncle Jian's disciple, so I wanted to introduce you two," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes. "This young man is actually Sword Douluo's disciple? I think he also has the surname Chen. Could he be related to Sword Douluo by blood?"

Ning Fengzhi hesitated for a moment, then Chen Feng smiled and spoke:

"Actually, it was a coincidence. My master saw that I had good talent and that my Martial Soul was a sword, so he took me as his disciple. Perhaps my surname played a role in that."

"Ah, it's just a coincidence," Xue Qinghe said with an unchanged smile. "I thought you were a relative of Sword Douluo, just like that Grandmaster Chen Feng."

"Disciples are like family, aren't they?" Chen Feng said with a smile.

"Oh, right, Qinghe, there's something else I need to tell you." Ning Fengzhi suddenly seemed to remember something.

"What is it, teacher?" Xue Qinghe asked.

"I've already decided to get Xiao Feng and Rongrong engaged. They're about the same age, and they grew up together and are very close. I think they're a good match." Ning Fengzhi said, while observing Xue Qinghe's expression.

After hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, Xue Qinghe was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said:

"That's great too. I think Brother Chen Feng is very handsome and a good match for Rongrong."

Ning Fengzhi's smile deepened. "Hey, I brought this up mainly because I was worried you might overthink it, Qinghe. After all, you often talked to me about Rongrong, and I thought you..."

"Teacher, you've misunderstood. I only see Rongrong as a younger sister; I don't have any other thoughts," Xue Qinghe said, shaking her head.

"I see. I was overthinking it. By the way, Qinghe, do you have any ideas about who should be the Crown Princess?" Ning Fengzhi asked.

Xue Qinghe sighed, "Sigh, there are certainly many people who want to be the Crown Princess, but I don't feel they're all quite suitable. Perhaps I need to think about it for a while longer."

"It's best to settle this matter as soon as possible; it will be beneficial for the stability of the court," Ning Fengzhi advised.

"What the teacher says is true, I will consider it as soon as possible." Xue Qinghe looked at Chen Feng and suddenly smiled as she said:

"It's a pity Brother Chen Feng is a young man. If he were a woman, I might be tempted."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your His Highness the Crown Prince," Chen Feng said, somewhat speechless.

The three chatted for a while longer before Chen Feng and Ning Fengzhi took their leave.

Watching them leave, Xue Qinghe suddenly spoke softly:

"Elder Ci Xie."

"Young Lord." A middle-aged man walked in from outside the door. He waved his hand and sealed the entire private room with his Soul Power to prevent the sound of their conversation from being leaked out.

"Elder Ci Xie, what do you think of Chen Feng?" Xue Qinghe, or rather Qian Renxue, asked.

After thinking for a moment, Ci Xie said:

"It feels too much of a coincidence. Grandmaster Chen Feng is said to be a blood relative of Sword Douluo who was separated from his family. Now, another disciple of Sword Douluo, Chen Feng, has appeared. Moreover, both of them have some connection with Nuoding City. This is really strange."

Qian Renxue nodded. "That's what I thought too. Before, I thought Chen Feng was too young, and with Tool Spirit, it was unlikely he could be that renowned Biological Pioneer. But now it seems that although the possibility is small, it cannot be ignored."

"Can a child of this age really have that kind of wisdom?" Ci Xie found it somewhat unbelievable.

Qian Renxue paced back and forth in the private room a few times, pondering as she spoke:

"I asked Chen Feng earlier if he was related to Sword Douluo by blood. The teacher seemed to hesitate for a moment. Although Chen Feng quickly answered, it's still a rather suspicious point."

After thinking for a moment, Ci Xie said:

"Furthermore, this child's Martial Soul is a sword, and his surname is Chen, which makes him seem like a member of the Sword Douluo clan."

Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly, "If that's the case, then the two Chen Feng could indeed be the same person."

"But this is just our speculation; we still can't find any conclusive evidence," Ci Xie sighed softly.

Qian Renxue smiled and said, "Elder Ci Xie, we're not investigating a case, so why would we need evidence? You're just too concerned about this."

"You killed the Second Brother and Third Brother without leaving any trace, but that doesn't stop people from suspecting me."

Ci Xie paused for a moment, then said, "That's true."

Xue Qinghe put his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face.

"Having doubts is enough. We'll have many more opportunities to deal with this boy and gradually ascertain his identity."

"Speaking of which, Young Lord, what do you think of Ning Fengzhi's engagement?" Ci Xie frowned. "Originally, we could have used a marriage alliance to further our relationship with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but now I'm afraid that opportunity is gone."

Qian Renxue said nonchalantly:

"Let's get engaged then. Anyway, I didn't really want to marry that girl in the first place."

"But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect..."

"Ning Fengzhi is already my teacher, that relationship is enough. Do you really want me to marry a girl?" Qian Renxue frowned and said.

"Your subordinate dares not," Ci Xie said, kneeling on one knee.

Get up.

"Yes."

Qian Renxue was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed:

"But what the teacher said is true. The matter of the Crown Princess needs to be dealt with; at least some word needs to get out. But how should we do it?"

Silence fell over the private room for a moment.

Returning to Ning Fengzhi's residence with Gu Rong, Chen Feng couldn't help but ask:

"Uncle Ning, why are you suddenly bringing up engagement?"

He had brushed this off before by saying he was too young, but now Ning Fengzhi had suddenly brought it up with Xue Qinghe, and it was probably about to become an open secret.

It wasn't that Chen Feng disliked Ning Rongrong; it was just that it was his first time experiencing something like this and he didn't know how to handle it.

And most importantly, Zhu Zhuqing didn't know what to say either.

We can't expect Ning Rongrong to become the dominant wife and Zhu Zhuqing to become the subordinate wife, can we?

Regardless of whether Zhu Zhuqing is willing or not, Ning Fengzhi probably wouldn't be happy to see his son-in-law having a lover.

Hearing Chen Feng's question, Gu Rong patted Chen Feng on the shoulder and said:

"What, you don't want to get engaged to Rongrong?"

"Uh, I just feel a bit surprised."

Ning Fengzhi sighed softly, "The reason I brought this up in front of the Crown Prince is because Rongrong Crown Prince the past, so I have to make things clear as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Crown Prince takes the initiative to propose marriage someday, it will be easy to offend people if we bring this up again."

"But didn't the Crown Prince say that he only sees Rongrong as a younger sister?" Gu Rong asked, puzzled.

Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "He only said that; he probably doesn't really think that way. But since he's made his stance clear today, he probably won't mention Rongrong again."

"So, the engagement was just an excuse?" Chen Feng asked.

"What are you thinking? Of course I'm serious, and I'm ordering right now!"

Chen Feng: