What Young Girl Doesn't Long for Love? (Request Follow-Read, Request Collection)

Within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Rongrong, who was about to turn twelve, had already grown into a graceful young girl.

That day, she skipped the Soul Master lesson arranged by the sect and sat on a rock at the back of the mountain, gazing into the distance.

"Who exactly was that little boy?"

The boy Ning Rongrong spoke of was Wu Qi from back then.

Because of Azure Phoenix Douluo's arrival, Wu Qi had been taken away before he could say his name.

Over the years, Ning Rongrong had remained curious about the matter, though it was merely pure curiosity.

He had clearly been handsome even as a child. She wondered what he looked like now.

Ning Rongrong's imagination ran wild.

She possessed extraordinary talent and was Ning Fengzhi's daughter, so she had long been established as the sect's successor.

From childhood to adulthood, the only men she could interact with were Ning Fengzhi and Sword Bone Douluo. Whenever boys from within the sect or outside tried to speak with her, the guards mercilessly drove them away.

It was no wonder she was curious about Wu Qi's identity and origins.

Setting aside her thoughts, an idea suddenly came to Ning Rongrong.

Within the sect, her every action was supervised. If she left the sect, would no one be able to control her?

On the official road, the sun was setting.

Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong leaned against the carriage, exhausted in both body and mind, their expressions dazed.

Noticing a sign pointing toward an inn by the roadside, they sped up the carriage and arrived at the inn half an incense stick later.

The map in their hands had not marked this inn's location.

The inn was a wooden building that looked brand-new from the outside, clearly recently constructed.

Several carriages were parked out front, and passing merchants had all chosen to stop here and rest.

After parking the carriage, Qiangu Changkong urged, "Brother Wu, come on. I'm treating you to a big meal."

This place was only a few days' journey from Heaven Dou City. Having spent so long riding in the carriage and enduring the constant jolting, their bones felt as if they were about to fall apart. They truly needed a proper rest.

Before setting out, their respective elders had given them plenty of spending money.

After entering the inn, Wu Qi asked for a private room to avoid the clamor of the main hall.

Inside, the Shop Assistant enthusiastically served them food and tea.

Wu Qi released Little Deer from his Soul Tool and fed it some fine fodder.

"Finally, we get to eat something hot." Qiangu Changkong picked up his chopsticks and was about to dig in.

Wu Qi said helplessly, "If you hadn't been so eager to get to Heaven Dou City, we wouldn't have spent so long getting jolted around on the road, would we?"

They had passed through many small and medium-sized cities along the way.

Qiangu Changkong seemed to dislike the backwardness and sluggishness of small cities, with his heart set solely on witnessing Heaven Dou City's prosperity.

Thus, they had not stopped once on the journey, traveling day and night.

If there had not been an inn here, they would likely have had to grit their teeth and keep going.

Just as the food was about to enter his mouth, the short antlers atop the Venomous Shining Horn Deer's head flashed with colorful light.

Qiangu Changkong jolted in fright, and the food about to enter his mouth fell to the floor.

Seeing that he was about to erupt, Wu Qi pressed down on his arm and silently shook his head.

The sky was growing dark. A newly built inn. Poison in the food.

The red flags were completely stacked.

Wu Qi furrowed his brows. He had seen similar scenes in his previous life. Could this inn have been run by Bandits, specifically to rob passing merchants?

Qiangu Changkong steadied himself, moved closer to Wu Qi, and whispered, "This place isn't safe. Shouldn't we slip away while we can?"

They probably could not leave.

Wu Qi shook his head slightly.

The Bandits had already set their sights on them. Why would they easily release prey that had reached their mouths?

And they were not the only "lambs for slaughter." The coming scene would certainly be chaotic, and escaping amidst the chaos was the right answer.

Not knowing this group of Bandits' strength, fleeing alone would inevitably draw their full pursuit.

The Bandits had opened an inn like this to make money. Since they had chosen to act, they would surely eliminate every possible risk.

Wu Qi gently stroked Little Deer's body and had it inspect every dish.

With such a large table of food, not every dish could be poisoned.

After Little Deer's inspection, they ultimately confirmed that three meat dishes contained poison.

Wu Qi placed the meat from those dishes into his Soul Tool, then patted Qiangu Changkong's shoulder and whispered, "The rest isn't poisoned. Eat without worry."

A quarter of an hour later, the Shop Assistant entered the private room under the pretext of delivering tea.

When he saw that the poisoned dishes on the table had been completely eaten, his breathing visibly changed.

Wu Qi, sensitive to changes in airflow, naturally noticed this and further confirmed his suspicions.

As darkness fell, all the guests in the inn sank into deep sleep.

Those who had not collapsed acted like drunks, completely disoriented.

The Innkeeper clapped his hands, and a group of vicious Men barged into the tavern. At their head was a Woman.

Qiangu Changkong watched through the crack in the door and said gravely, "Brother Wu, what do we do?"

Without knowing the other side's strength, fighting head-on was absolutely the worst option.

Wu Qi took out a packet of powder from his Soul Tool.

Back in Spirit City, Chrysanthemum Douluo seemed to have truly believed that he could produce seeds of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, so he had given Wu Qi a great deal of information, including information on Immortal Herbs.

Among it was the recipe for Detox Powder.

Since trouble was inevitable on a long journey, Wu Qi had prepared Detox Powder before departing.

"Pretend to be dead for now. Find a way to scatter the powder onto those people."

When he had entered, he had noticed several powerful individuals in the main hall. Once they woke up, they would become the main force against the Bandits.

As several Big Men approached the private room, Qiangu Changkong casually lay on the floor while Wu Qi propped up his head with his right hand, pretending to have been poisoned.

Before long, the Big Men gathered all the guests in the dining hall.

The Woman at their head had vicious eyes, her tongue flicking out like a snake's.

"Take all the valuables from their bodies. Don't overlook the carriages outside either."

Then her tone shifted. "Send anyone without value off to reincarnation. Giving them a quick death will be a mercy."

The Big Men rubbed their hands together, greed undisguised on their faces.

"After this job, I'll have enough to redeem Xiao Yu." A Big Man murmured quietly before bending down to search Wu Qi for valuables.

Suddenly, Wu Qi opened his eyes. The short blade hidden in his sleeve shot from its sheath.

The blade sliced across the Man's throat, and blood gushed forth.

The Big Man clutched his throat, unable to make a sound. Under his terrified gaze, Wu Qi rose with an indifferent expression.

"Oh? So someone saw through us."

The Woman at their head noticed the scene and chuckled softly, making no move to save him.

The other Big Men were drawn by the sound of him falling, but they watched coldly as well.

One less person meant more valuables for each of them.

They were already out robbing and killing. What brotherhood could compare to Gold Soul Coins?

The Woman at their head carefully appraised Wu Qi, her tone softening slightly. "What a handsome Young Man."

"You're good-looking and smart. That's truly rare. Big Sister can barely bear to kill you."

Wu Qi sneered inwardly.

Everything is going according to plan!

Qiangu Changkong was still "playing dead," but his body slowly wriggled almost imperceptibly.