Ning Rongrong

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

If ordinary people dared cause trouble in front of the Crown Prince's Mansion, the guards would have taken them down long ago.

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

Of course, the guards wanted to rescue her, but if they injured her, they would be unable to answer for it.

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

Qiangu Changkong chuckled. "Brother Wu, should we lend a hand? With your movement speed, saving the young girl would be no problem."

"Since ancient times, beauties have loved heroes. Who knows, you might even bring a powerful ally to Spirit Hall."

There were only two families in all of Heaven Dou City that could make the Crown Prince's Mansion show them respect. Even a fool could roughly guess the young girl's background.

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

Qiangu Changkong's eyes shifted, and he took a mirror from his pocket to tidy his hair.

The next moment, he dashed through the wall of Crown Prince's Mansion Guards and stood in the path of the charging horse.

The guards were greatly alarmed. Some wanted to step forward and stop him, only to be held back by their leader.

In this situation, no one could guarantee that the horse would not charge into the Crown Prince's Mansion. If they stopped the young girl and caused her to be hurt, they could not bear the responsibility either.

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

In any case, even if responsibility was assigned afterward, it would not affect them much.

The Coiling Dragon Staff appeared in his hand. Qiangu Changkong leaped forward and yanked the young girl from the horse's back, slamming one end of the Coiling Dragon Staff into the bluestone pavement as a fulcrum.

He tugged hard on the hem of her clothes, preventing her from falling to the ground.

Her clothes seemingly could not withstand such force. A corner of her dress tore away, and the young girl staggered to the ground, scraping her knee.

Not far away, Wu Qi covered his face.

Qiangu Changkong had pulled and yanked at her like that. How was this saving someone? He was clearly trying to embarrass the young girl!

With no one riding it, the horse gradually calmed down. The guards led it away. One group rushed to the young girl's side, while the other surrounded Qiangu Changkong.

"Miss Rongrong, are you all right?" The Guard Captain gave Qiangu Changkong a pitying glance before hurriedly stepping forward to help the young girl up.

Rongrong... Ning Rongrong?

Just as I thought, Wu Qi thought.

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

"Hey, what do you mean by this?" Qiangu Changkong's face darkened.

He had clearly stepped in to save someone. Why was he being treated as the one who hurt her?

Her knee was scraped, and Ning Rongrong was in so much pain that tears welled in her eyes.

Supported by the Guard Captain, she stood up, turned around, pointed at Qiangu Changkong, and cursed, "Why did you throw me to the ground?!"

"I..." Qiangu Changkong was utterly unable to defend himself.

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

Someone had 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 a letter from his pocket. "We are friends of His Highness the Crown Prince. Big Brothers, could we leave this matter for His Highness the Crown Prince to decide?"

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

After seeing the signature on the letter, the Guard Captain had no choice but to order them released.

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

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

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

He and a Middle-aged Man dressed in luxurious robes walked to the mansion gates, and he 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? Since it was trouble caused by Ning Fengzhi's daughter, how could the Crown Prince's Mansion pursue the matter?

Wu Qinan!

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

Last year, the Wu Family had once again rendered great service to the empire. Their title had already been elevated to marquis, and the family's standing had risen once more!

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

After so many years, the skinny boy from back then had grown into a strong, handsome youth. Unless one was close to him, it was difficult to recognize him.

"Sister Rongrong, you're injured?"

Without needing to ask, Xue Qinghe knew what had happened. He turned and ordered the mansion's Healing-type Soul Master to treat Ning Rongrong.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, those two..." The Guard Captain reported what had just happened.

Xue Qinghe sensed the aura of their elders on the two of them and nodded in acknowledgment.

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

Wu Qinan did not press the issue. He bowed and departed.

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

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

The "script" had long been prepared.

To outsiders, Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong were geniuses Xue Qinghe had recruited years ago and secretly arranged to study elsewhere on the continent for six years.

Wu Qi said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince, for recognizing us. We have benefited greatly over these past six years."

Behind them, Ning Rongrong ignored her own injury, passed the Healing-type Soul Master, and caught up to them.

"Crown Prince Brother, who is he?"

Xue Qinghe was slightly surprised.

Ning Rongrong, who was usually willful and unruly, had actually restrained her temper?

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

Ning Rongrong's gaze never left Wu Qi. Staring intently at his face, she felt that he bore some resemblance to the little boy from years ago.

Only when Xue Qinghe spoke again did she come back to her senses and hurriedly ask, "Wu Qi, did you ever live in Heaven Dou City when you were little?"

Xue Qinghe answered for him. "Sister Rongrong, I'm afraid I must disappoint you. Xiao Wu is not from Heaven Dou City."

Qiangu Changkong waved at her and explained, "Miss Rongrong, I think there has been a misunderstanding between us. Earlier, I—"

Who in Heaven Dou City dared offend the Young Lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

If he did not explain things clearly, he feared someone might club him unconscious in the middle of the night.

However, the moment Ning Rongrong heard his voice, displeasure appeared on her face. Her attitude was completely different from how she looked at 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 apologize at your door another day. How does that sound?"

Although Ning Rongrong was spoiled and willful, she knew what mattered. She nodded, bid them farewell, and left.

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

"Sect Master Ning is my teacher. If he investigates this matter, I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle."

Qian Renxue had seen Qiangu Changkong when he was born. To her, he was much 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.