Should We Know You?

"Over the past few days, I had Steward Roger build adjoining courtyards on both sides of the estate, two on each side. Go pick one and see where you'd like to live."

After traveling for roughly half a month, the group returned safely to Suotuo City.

After entering the city but before entering the estate, Ning Rongrong noticed that two new courtyards had appeared beside Tang Estate. Tang Ling looked up from her official work after hearing this and answered her question.

"I want the one closest to Sister Lingling!" Ning Rongrong eagerly raised her arm, then blinked her large eyes as she stared at Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at her and smiled. "All right, you pick first."

"Ah, Qingqing is the best!" Ning Rongrong grinned as she linked arms with her and shamelessly pressed close. "Then Qingqing can live next to me!"

"Sure, whatever you say." Zhu Zhuqing agreed without the slightest hesitation. Though they had spent more than half a month together, she still could not resist Ning Rongrong acting spoiled.

The other three smiled at the sight.

A moment later, the carriage entered Tang Estate and stopped in the first courtyard.

"Miss, the courtyard has been tidied up. The adjoining courtyards have been furnished as well and are ready to move into at any time." Steward Roger had been waiting outside the carriage. When he saw Tang Ling get down, he hurried forward to greet her.

Tang Ling nodded and pointed at two servants. "Take Miss Ning and Miss Zhu to look at the courtyards."

"Yes!" The two maidservants nodded. Ning Rongrong immediately pulled Zhu Zhuqing along, greeted Tang Ling, and ran toward the back.

Tang Ling shook her head with a soft laugh, then turned to Xue Qingxi and Tang San. "A-Xuan and Qingxi, go wash up quickly. Roger has prepared water. I'll go see which places they choose."

"Okay. Senior Sister, you should rest after taking a look too. You've been the most exhausted on this journey," Tang San said with a smile, his eyes full of concern as he looked at her.

"Fine, I'll only take a look." Tang Ling readily agreed, raised a hand to pat his head, and turned to leave.

Tang San and Xue Qingxi exchanged a look before walking into the courtyard together.

Entering from the left side of the hall in the second courtyard led to the newly built adjoining courtyards.

Past the entrance was a small garden. Further ahead were two small courtyards, one on each side. The main houses stood level with the main house of the third courtyard, and on the side adjoining the third courtyard was a moon gate.

Passing through that gate led to the path between the eastern wing and the main house of the third courtyard.

"Sister Lingling, I'll live here! It'll be easier to visit you in the future." Hearing someone approach, Ning Rongrong hurriedly turned around, then pointed at the courtyard on the right.

Tang Ling nodded. "Since you've chosen, go rest. Dinner will be in the main hall of the second courtyard tonight."

"Okay!" Ning Rongrong nodded heavily and ran toward the side room where she had stayed before.

After greeting Tang Ling, Zhu Zhuqing returned to her own courtyard.

Standing at the entrance of the main house, she surveyed the classically styled room. It was simple and elegant, yet fully stocked with everything she needed, including dresses, shoes, socks, trunks, and bags.

This is my home. Zhu Zhuqing's eyes reddened as she shouted inwardly.

There are no rules here saying I can't enter the house after losing a battle, and no sisters constantly suppressing or trying to harm me.

This is wonderful! Zhu Zhuqing sighed inwardly, a delighted smile on her lips as she picked up a pale blue dress and headed for the bathroom.

She no longer had to fear staining her clothes with nothing to change into. Now, she could wear clothes of different colors and styles.

"Sister Lingling, are you still handling official work?"

Ning Rongrong's voice was not loud. She poked her head in through the doorway and looked toward the person in the study.

Tang Ling did not look up when she heard the movement. The documents on her desk were reports brought back by the death guards—reports concerning the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

"If you're bored, Rongrong, go to the Great Spirit Arena in the city with Zhuqing and the others. It'll pass the time and help you build teamwork too." Feeling that gaze still lingering, Tang Ling turned to look at her.

"Okay! I'm leaving, then. Bye-bye, Sister Lingling!" Ning Rongrong keenly sensed Tang Ling's irritation and decisively turned to leave.

She had finally gotten a few days off. She could not squander them by walking into punishment. She definitely did not want extra body-training sessions.

After she left, Tang Ling returned her attention to the information on the table.

The death guards reported that the Yu Clan had deliberately let Yu Xiaogang roam free, solely so he could "test" his theories while recruiting people to serve the Yu Clan.

Ning Rongrong, Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, and even Dai Mubai were all within their plans.

"They're quite ambitious. They even want to drag a prince from another country home to work as cheap labor." Tang Ling tapped the tabletop with her fingertips as she murmured to herself.

She then continued reading the remaining information. It was not particularly disorganized, mainly covering the daily lives and potential actions of several Yu Clan powerholders.

"Yu Luomian?"

Tang Ling looked at the thinner file on him and carefully read through it again.

Upon seeing one particular line, she swiftly retrieved the list Little Heavenly Dao had copied down earlier from her spatial storage.

The names on the list had been a chaotic mess, impossible to connect before. But now, they had a link.

It was the restaurant opened by Yu Luomian.

All kinds of people came and went at a restaurant; anyone might dine there. Yet everyone on the list had eaten there. And just three days ago, two of them had entered and left that restaurant on the same day as Yu Luomian.

Coincidences were not frightening. Too many coincidences were.

"Yi Yin, did the person monitoring Yu Luomian return alive?" Tang Ling leaned back in her chair and called out.

"He returned. To prevent any poison he may be carrying from spreading, he is currently quarantined in the mountains." Tang Yiyin poked his head down from the ceiling beam and replied in a deep voice.

"Have Er Yi bring him here. I'll interrogate him personally," Tang Ling ordered. After receiving the task, Tang Yiyin flipped down from the beam and went out to release a carrier pigeon.

Tang Ling continued reading the files.

Yu Luomian had never contacted Qian Xunji, so he should have accomplices. Those close to him included Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.

"Could it be you?" Tang Ling lightly asked as she tapped Yu Xiaogang's name with her finger.

The reports showed that Yu Xiaogang had no connection to Qian Xunji either, but Yu Xiaogang's former girlfriend, Bibi Dong, was the mother of Qian Xunji's child.

"Looks like I need to ask Little Heavenly Dao about the old story." Tang Ling sent her divine sense into her spatial storage and looked at the sleeping little round ball.

No, it should have been a big round ball now. As the contamination of fate's trajectory was removed, Little Heavenly Dao had begun seclusion once more.

"I'll have to rely on myself for now." Tang Ling poked the round ball. Seeing that it did not wake, she let out a helpless sigh.

She then picked up a brush and wrote a letter to Liu Yu. He oversaw intelligence, so tracking down someone was the simplest thing for him.

Elsewhere, after Ning Rongrong left the study, she forcibly dragged the three people who had gathered in the back courtyard for extra training out of the estate.

"Sister Lingling said we should go to the Great Spirit Arena to improve our teamwork, so stop moping around inside!" Ning Rongrong said with a grin, one hand looped around Zhu Zhuqing's arm.

"Then take a look at the road you're walking on. Does it lead to the Great Spirit Arena?" Xue Qingxi walked beside her, pointed toward the food street in the distance, and asked a soul-searching question.

"We have to fill our stomachs before going!" Ning Rongrong stared stubbornly at him. When he responded with a smile, she proudly pulled Zhu Zhuqing toward the snack stalls.

The three of them laughed at her excuse. They had only been doing extra training during their break because they truly had nothing else to do. Since someone was taking them out to have fun, they all agreed wholeheartedly.

They had fought from morning till night in the Star Dou Great Forest, then trained their bodies and combat skills every day after returning home. Suddenly taking a break really was boring.

"Why are you here?" A stern male voice suddenly shattered their leisurely mood.

"Who are you? Why are you standing so close? Are you trying to molest her?" Ning Rongrong immediately yanked the somewhat stiff Zhu Zhuqing behind her, her tone aggressive.

The man who had just approached Zhu Zhuqing pushed away the two girls in his arms and gave a wicked smile. "You don't know me?"

"May I ask, should we know you?" Xue Qingxi gave Tang San a meaningful look. Tang San obediently stepped behind the two girls, while Xue Qingxi stood in front of Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong, who was a head shorter than Zhu Zhuqing, could not shield her at all. But Xue Qingxi was taller and sturdier than both of them.

Standing before Ning Rongrong, he completely blocked her from view. From the front, only Tang San at the very back could be seen.

"Hah!" The man holding two girls sneered, then pointed at Zhu Zhuqing. "You're friends? Then have her introduce me! Don't tell me she never mentioned me to you?"