Ning Rongrong

From atop the horse came a young girl's cry for help. "Someone, hurry and hold this thing down! I'm about to be thrown off!"

If an ordinary person dared to cause trouble in front of the Crown Prince's Residence, the guards would have long since taken them down.

Yet when facing this young girl, the guards appeared extremely restrained.

Of course, the guards wanted to rescue her, but if they injured the girl, they would not be able to answer for it either.

Thus, they could only clear the street while praying that the horse would calm down.

Qian Gu Changkong chuckled. "Wu Ge, want to help out? With your movement speed, saving that girl wouldn't be a problem."

"Since ancient times, beauties have loved heroes. Who knows? You might even bring a powerful ally into the residence."

There were only two families in all of Heaven Dou City that the Crown Prince's Residence would show such consideration to. Even a fool could roughly guess the girl's background.

Wu Qi shrugged. "Such a fine opportunity is yours. Go on, I'll cover for you."

Qian Gu Changkong's eyes shifted, and he took a mirror from his pocket to straighten his hair.

The next moment, he rushed through the wall of Crown Prince's Residence guards and blocked the path the galloping horse was bound to take.

The guards were greatly alarmed. Some wanted to step forward and stop him, but their captain held them back.

In a situation like this, no one could guarantee whether the horse would charge into the Crown Prince's Residence. If they stopped the girl and caused her to get hurt, they could not bear the responsibility either.

Since someone had voluntarily stepped forward to resolve the situation, why not let him?

In any case, if responsibility was pursued afterward, it would not hurt them in the slightest.

The Coiling Dragon Staff appeared in his hand. Qian Gu Changkong leaped forward and yanked the girl off the horse's back, smashing one end of the Coiling Dragon Staff into the bluestone paving as a pivot.

He pulled hard on the hem of her clothes to keep her from falling to the ground.

Her clothing apparently was not sturdy enough to withstand such force. A corner of her dress was torn off, and the girl stumbled to the ground, scraping her knee.

Not far away, Wu Qi covered his face.

Qian Gu Changkong had been yanking and pulling at her. How was this saving someone? He clearly wanted to embarrass that girl!

With no one riding it, the horse gradually calmed down. The guards led it away, while one group hurried over to the girl and another surrounded Qian Gu Changkong.

"Miss Rongrong, are you all right?" The guard captain gave Qian Gu Changkong a sympathetic glance before hurriedly stepping forward to help the girl up.

Rongrong—Ning Rongrong?

Just as expected, Wu Qi thought.

With Ning Rongrong's temperament, she really could cause trouble by riding a horse recklessly. However, she was not chiefly responsible for this accident.

"Hey, what do you mean by this?" Qian Gu Changkong's expression darkened.

He had clearly stepped in to save someone. How had he become the one accused of hurting her?

Her knee was scraped, and the pain made tears well up in Ning Rongrong's eyes.

With the guard captain supporting her as she stood, she turned around, pointed at Qian Gu Changkong, and snapped, "Why did you throw me onto the ground?"

"I..." Qian Gu Changkong had no way to defend himself.

His intentions had been good, but his method had been far too ugly.

Someone needed to take responsibility for Ning Rongrong's injury, so the guards naturally pushed him out to take the blame.

Wu Qi sighed and slowly stepped forward, taking out a letter from his pocket. "We are friends of the Crown Prince. Gentlemen, could we let the Crown Prince decide this matter?"

Given Qian Renxue's personality, she would certainly side with those from Spirit Hall. In the end, this matter would most likely be dropped.

Upon seeing the signature on the letter, the guard captain had no choice but to order his men to release them.

From the moment Wu Qi appeared, Ning Rongrong's gaze had never left him.

She could not help marveling inwardly, There is actually such a handsome man in this world.

The commotion outside the residence finally caught Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's attention.

He walked to the entrance with a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious robes and asked, "What happened?"

"Your Highness." As he spoke, the guard captain could not help glancing back at Ning Rongrong.

Who did not know that the Crown Prince was Ning Fengzhi's disciple? How could the Crown Prince's Residence pursue the trouble caused by Ning Fengzhi's daughter?

Wu Qinan!

Wu Qi noticed that the man beside Xue Qinghe was the current head of the Wu Family.

Last year, the Wu Family had once again earned military merit for the empire. Their title had been elevated to marquis, and the family's standing had risen once more!

Wu Qinan noticed his gaze and found it somewhat familiar, but he did not recognize him.

After so many years, the scrawny boy of the past had grown into a strong, handsome young man. Unless one was close to him, it was difficult to recognize him after such a drastic change.

"Little Sister Rongrong, you're hurt?"

Without needing to ask, Xue Qinghe knew what had happened. He turned and arranged for a healing-type Soul Master from the residence to treat Ning Rongrong's injuries.

"Your Highness, those two..." The guard captain reported what had happened earlier.

Xue Qinghe sensed the aura of their elders from the two of them and nodded in agreement.

After a pause, he cupped his fists toward Wu Qinan. "Marquis, my two friends have come today. As for what we discussed earlier, I will give you an answer tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Wu Qinan did not press the matter and departed with a bow.

After entering the Crown Prince's Residence, both sides tacitly avoided discussing Spirit Hall.

With a warm smile, Xue Qinghe asked, "You two geniuses, are you satisfied with the academy life I arranged for you?"

The "script" had long since been prepared.

To the outside world, Wu Qi and the other were geniuses Xue Qinghe had recruited years ago, secretly sent to study elsewhere on the continent for six years.

Wu Qi respectfully said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness. We have benefited greatly over these six years."

Behind them, Ning Rongrong ignored her own injuries, bypassed the healing-type Soul Master, and hurried after them.

"Brother Crown Prince, who is he?"

Xue Qinghe was somewhat surprised.

The usually spoiled and willful Ning Rongrong had actually restrained her temper?

"This is a genius I recruited, named Wu Qi. Sister Rongrong, is there something you need?"

Ning Rongrong's gaze had never left Wu Qi. She stared intently at his face, always feeling that he somewhat resembled the little boy from back then.

It was not until Xue Qinghe spoke again that she came back to her senses and hurriedly asked, "Wu Qi, did you live in Heaven Dou City when you were little?"

Xue Qinghe answered for him. "Sister Rongrong, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Little Wu is not from Heaven Dou City."

Qian Gu Changkong beckoned to her and explained, "Miss Rongrong, I think there has been a misunderstanding between us. Just now, I—"

Who in Heaven Dou City would dare provoke the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

If he did not explain things clearly, he feared someone might knock him out with a club in the middle of the night.

However, the moment Ning Rongrong heard his voice, displeasure appeared on her face, completely unlike her attitude toward Wu Qi.

Xue Qinghe smiled helplessly. "Sister Rongrong, I still have important matters to discuss with my two friends. As for the unpleasantness between you, I will personally bring them to your door another day to apologize. How about it?"

Though Ning Rongrong was spoiled and willful, she knew what mattered. She nodded and took her leave.

After Ning Rongrong left, Xue Qinghe glanced at Qian Gu Changkong. "How did you end up provoking her?"

"Sovereign Ning is my Master. If he decides to pursue this matter, it may be troublesome."

Qian Renxue had seen Qian Gu Changkong when he was born. To her, he was like a younger brother.

Ning Fengzhi was not easy to fool. If he truly pursued the matter, they would likely have to pay a price.