Meeting Xue Qinghe Again, Encountering Ning Rongrong

After several days of consolidation, Dugu Yan successfully freed herself from the torment of the toxins. Her Soul Power had also risen to level thirty-three, far faster than in the original work. The moment she stepped out of the courtyard, her entire presence seemed utterly renewed.

Just then, an academy student hurried over and said to Shen Tianchen, "Student Tianchen, His Highness the Crown Prince summons you."

Shen Tianchen's heart stirred. He knew what was coming had finally come. Ever since he and Dugu Bo had left the academy for so long, Xue Qinghe—Qian Renxue—would surely have made a move.

He looked at Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo. "I'll be back soon. Wait for me here."

Not long after, Shen Tianchen arrived on the street outside the Crown Prince's Mansion.

Just as he was about to continue forward, a commotion suddenly erupted from the other side of the street.

"Pedestrians ahead, move aside!"

Seeing this, the guards of the Crown Prince's Mansion hurriedly began clearing the crowd.

Shen Tianchen retreated to the entrance of an inn and heard a chaotic clatter of hooves coming from the street.

A lovely young girl sat astride a horse, galloping wildly.

"Whose child is this, daring to behave so recklessly in front of the Crown Prince's Mansion?"

"No, the hoofbeats are too erratic. The horse has clearly lost control." Shen Tianchen frowned.

Soon, the girl's panicked voice rang out from horseback. "Someone, help this young lady restrain it! I'm about to fall!"

Under normal circumstances, anyone daring to act like this would have long been seized by the guards.

Yet when faced with this girl, the guards appeared somewhat restrained and troubled.

It was not that they did not want to save her, but that they feared hurting her and being unable to explain themselves afterward.

They could only disperse the crowd while praying that the frightened horse would calm down quickly and that nothing would happen to the girl.

"I'd better step in. Otherwise, this will probably be a real hassle to deal with later."

The next moment, Shen Tianchen moved and appeared directly in the horse's path.

The guards wanted to stop him, but the captain of the guards held them back.

In a situation like this, no one could say whether the horse would charge into the Crown Prince's Mansion or stop in front of it.

If they stopped the girl, they would be unable to bear the consequences afterward either.

Since someone had volunteered to play peacemaker, why would they refuse?

After all, once it was over, they only needed to shift the blame onto this young man. At most, they would receive a scolding.

As the horse was about to crash into him, Shen Tianchen grabbed a wooden stick and darted to the side. While evading the charge, he seized the reins with one hand and pressed the stick against the ground as a point of resistance.

In the end, the horse was stopped, but the girl on its back tumbled twice before landing hard on her backside in a nearby pile of hay. Fortunately, she was not hurt; her clothes were merely somewhat disheveled.

"Miss Ning, are you all right?" The guard glanced at Shen Tianchen before hurriedly stepping forward to help her up.

Miss Ning? Ning Rongrong?

Shen Tianchen nodded inwardly. The only person who could act so brazenly in front of the Crown Prince's Mansion was probably Ning Rongrong, that little demoness.

Supported by the guards, Ning Rongrong rose to her feet and immediately shouted at Shen Tianchen, "You! Why did you make this young lady fall off?"

"???" Shen Tianchen was utterly dumbfounded.

They ignored you, I saved you, and not only did you not thank me, you even turned around and blamed me. I really...

"I am a friend of His Highness the Crown Prince. Could we leave this matter to His Highness's judgment?" Shen Tianchen helplessly took a letter from his pocket.

Given Qian Renxue's temperament, she would certainly side with her own camp. The only possible outcome of this matter was for it to be quietly dropped.

Seeing the seal of the Crown Prince's Mansion on the letter, the guards could only yield.

Strangely, after Ning Rongrong finished speaking, her eyes remained fixed on Shen Tianchen, as though she had been drawn to him.

She even marveled inwardly, There is actually such a handsome man in this world. How interesting.

The noise outside the mansion eventually caught Xue Qinghe's attention.

In truth, from the moment Shen Tianchen entered this street, Thorn Snake Spear had already relayed the situation to him in secret. He merely wanted to see how Shen Tianchen would handle it.

Before long, Xue Qinghe emerged accompanied by guards and asked, "What happened?"

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince, this..." As he spoke, the captain of the guards could not help glancing back at Ning Rongrong.

Everyone in Heaven Dou City knew that Sect Master Ning was His Highness the Crown Prince's teacher. Trouble caused by his daughter was not easy for the Crown Prince's Mansion to handle.

Without needing an explanation, Xue Qinghe took in the situation and immediately ordered the mansion's Healing System Spirit Master to treat Ning Rongrong.

At that moment, the captain of the guards added, "Your Highness, that person claims to be your friend."

Xue Qinghe's gaze fell upon Shen Tianchen. He gave a slight nod, then brought the two of them into the mansion.

After entering the Crown Prince's Mansion, neither Xue Qinghe nor Shen Tianchen spoke of anything related to matters beyond Heaven Dou City.

Xue Qinghe smiled faintly. "Tianchen, you have finally returned. I have been worried about you for quite some time."

Shen Tianchen bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I had important matters to attend to during this journey."

At that moment, Ning Rongrong caught up from behind and asked, "Crown Prince Brother, who is he?"

This somewhat surprised Xue Qinghe.

After all, Ning Rongrong was well known throughout the area as a spoiled and willful little demoness, yet she had unexpectedly restrained her temper somewhat today.

Judging by her usual behavior, Ning Rongrong would surely have demanded that Xue Qinghe deal with him severely.

"He is a friend of mine. Just call him Tianchen. Rongrong, is there something you need?"

Ever since entering the Crown Prince's Mansion, Ning Rongrong's gaze had never left Shen Tianchen. As she stared at his face, her own cheeks could not help turning slightly red.

"Rongrong, I have matters to discuss with this friend. As for your matter, I will visit your home with people another day. How does that sound?"

Though Ning Rongrong was spoiled, she still understood some propriety. She nodded, took her leave, and departed.

Xue Qinghe led Shen Tianchen into the study. After waving for the people in the room to leave, he lit the incense burner, gestured for Shen Tianchen to sit, and said, "From this point on, this is an absolutely safe place. You may speak freely."

Xue Qinghe had Thorn Snake Spear, two Titled Douluo elders, guarding him. Lighting the incense burner was a way of conveying a certain message.

At this moment, having received the signal, the two Titled Douluo would certainly keep a close watch on everything nearby.

"The main purpose of Senior Dugu's and my journey was to resolve the issue with the Dugu Family's martial souls." Shen Tianchen paused before continuing.

Xue Qinghe nodded. This had been mentioned in the letter before.

"I believe Sister Xue has also sensed how different I am now." With a thought, Shen Tianchen summoned the Dragon Abyss Sword into his hand. Then, three purple, one black, and one red spirit ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.

Seeing this, Xue Qinghe's eyes widened. Especially when she saw the red ring of his Fifth Spirit Ring, even the hand covering her mouth trembled slightly.

"This... this is... Soul King!"

"Tianchen, you reached Soul King at such a young age! And you even possess a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring!"

Shen Tianchen smiled and nodded, then briefly explained what had happened along the way.

Xue Qinghe gradually calmed down. "As expected of a genius with Twin God-Tier Martial Souls. This rate of growth truly cannot be measured by ordinary standards."

Her tone suddenly shifted as Xue Qinghe asked, "Since you are so clever, did you notice anything on your way back?"

Shen Tianchen nodded and explained what he had heard about Suotuo City along the road.

Xue Qinghe clicked her tongue in admiration. "To possess such powers of observation at such a young age is truly enviable."

"Your guess was correct. The source of the rumors was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and there is a high chance that my teacher personally spread them."

Shen Tianchen was not surprised. He had already suspected as much on the road, and Xue Qinghe's words merely confirmed it.

Although Shen Tianchen looked down on Shrek Academy from the bottom of his heart, its location was rather remote, and there were few spies from the various factions there.

Ning Fengzhi might have guided Ning Rongrong to study there in order to keep her from being affected by court affairs.

Ning Rongrong's going out to study must have had Ning Fengzhi's tacit approval. Otherwise, with Sword Bone Douluo's perception, how could they possibly not know?

Therefore, in order to wear down Ning Rongrong's spoiled temperament, Ning Fengzhi would surely guide her toward an academy in a remote place, one where someone could protect her safety. Shrek Academy clearly met those conditions.