"What do we do?"
Oscar paced in a panic.
"Fatty's hurt that badly. If he's been taken, will he even survive?"
"Let's wait until Tang San gets back."
Dai Mubai's face was ashen as he turned and walked out of the room.
At the corridor's corner, he collided head-on with Tang San, who was hurrying back.
"Boss Dai?
Where's Fatty?"
Seeing everyone's expressions, Tang San's heart sank.
"He's gone."
Dai Mubai ground out the two words through clenched teeth.
Tang San froze in place. A full three breaths passed before he finally spoke:
"Ye Lingling wouldn't come.
She said... even if Fatty were rescued, he'd be a cripple."
Silence fell over the room.
Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed and said coolly:
"Have you even thought about who took him?"
"What do you mean?"
"The inn was quiet. There were no signs of a struggle and no traces of anyone breaking in."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Dai Mubai.
"Who would go to the trouble of taking a half-dead cripple?"
Oscar abruptly lifted his head.
"Are you saying... one of our own?"
"Rongrong went out today and hasn't come back since."
After saying this, Zhu Zhuqing turned and went back to her room, closing the door behind her.
Flender stood there with his mouth open. It took him a long time to force out a sentence.
"N-no... that can't be right, can it?
Rongrong, she... she may hate Hongjun, but she wouldn't go that far..."
"Dean."
Tang San closed his eyes, his voice barely audible.
"Do you remember the last thing she said before she left?"
Flender shuddered, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"The harsher he was, the better it made me feel."
Tang San repeated the words, then opened his eyes. His Purple Demon Eye was full of exhaustion and coldness.
"I'm going to the Seven Treasure Pavilion to find her."
"Xiao San, calm down!"
Dai Mubai stopped Tang San.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect isn't somewhere we can just barge into.
Ning Rongrong's gone mad. You think you can reason with her?"
"What about Fatty, then?
Are we just abandoning him?"
"We'll do something."
Dai Mubai released him, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
"At daybreak, I'll put out a bounty in the Underground Black Market and search for him.
I want to see him alive or find his corpse."
Tang San stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
Oscar crouched in the corner, clutching his head in both hands, his shoulders trembling faintly.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, swallowed it back down.
--
On the main road leading to Spirit City, at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Azure Luan Douluo walked with his hands behind his back, while Huang Yan and Shui Bing'er followed side by side.
"Teacher, are we heading straight back to Spirit City?"
Huang Yan asked casually.
"We'll stop in Heaven Dou City first and buy some supplies."
Azure Luan Douluo didn't even look back.
"You have quite a few Immortal Herbs in your Storage Soul Tool, but to turn them into truly effective medicine, you'll need some ordinary supplementary ingredients.
Heaven Dou City has a full selection of medicinal herbs, and it's on the way."
Heaven Dou City?
Huang Yan nodded slightly.
That sounded good.
They were both from the Worship Hall faction. Maybe Qian Renxue would even come to see them on her own.
Shui Bing'er linked her arm through Huang Yan's and said softly:
"Brother Yan, when we get to Heaven Dou City, I want to pick out a gift for Yue'er."
"Sure. Buy whatever catches your eye."
Huang Yan smiled and gave her nose a gentle pinch.
Azure Luan Douluo glanced at the two of them and shook his head with a laugh.
"You two certainly have it easy.
Those people from Shrek must be in complete chaos by now."
"You're keeping an eye on them too, Teacher?"
Huang Yan asked, surprised.
"I don't concern myself with ants."
Azure Luan Douluo said indifferently.
"But that boy called Tang San has an aura about him that makes me uncomfortable.
I can't quite put my finger on it. It's as if... it doesn't belong to this world."
Huang Yan's heart stirred, but he kept his expression neutral.
"You're overthinking it, Teacher. He's a good-for-nothing only in his twenties. What trouble could he possibly cause?"
"True enough."
Azure Luan Douluo nodded and quickened his pace.
"Come on. Let's get into the city before dark."
Shui Bing'er looked back toward the Star Dou Great Forest and murmured to Huang Yan:
"Brother Yan, will Ning Rongrong really turn out the way you said?"
"Just wait and see."
The corner of Huang Yan's mouth lifted.
"Some people become ten thousand times more frightening after they've been disfigured."
Heaven Dou City, the Seven Treasure Pavilion.
Tang San stood outside, his Purple Demon Eye scanning the layout within through the crack in the door.
Two guards stood at the foot of the stairs, while an elderly man who looked like a manager sat behind the counter, working an abacus.
Tang San took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
"What would you like to buy, sir?"
The manager didn't look up.
"I'm here to see Ning Rongrong."
The manager's abacus beads stopped for a moment, then resumed clicking.
"You've come to the wrong place, sir. This is a shop, not a place to look for people."
Tang San slapped a pouch of Gold Soul Coins onto the counter.
"I'm not here to cause trouble.
Tell her Tang San is here. I just want to ask her about one thing."
The manager looked up at him for a moment, put down the abacus, then turned and went into the back room.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, footsteps sounded from the stairs.
Ning Rongrong came down wearing a mask. At its edge, a charred scar could be seen stretching beneath her collar.
She stopped halfway down the stairs and looked down at Tang San.
"Third Brother, you actually managed to find this place."
"Where's Fatty?"
Tang San got straight to the point.
Ning Rongrong tilted her head and replied lightly:
"Fatty?
Isn't he recovering at the inn?
I'm just a helpless woman. How could I possibly have him hidden away?"
"Rongrong."
Tang San took two steps forward, his voice low.
"Someone broke into the inn last night and took Fatty.
They were a Soul Saint-level agility attacker, and they left no trace.
Tell me, in Heaven Dou City, who would go to such lengths to target a half-dead cripple?"
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.
"Third Brother, are you accusing me?"
"I just want to know the truth."
"The truth?"
Ning Rongrong walked down the stairs and leaned close to Tang San. Her eyes glittered with a sickly light behind the mask.
"The truth is, Ma Hongjun couldn't keep his foul mouth shut, and I ended up disfigured.
The truth is, you, Tang San, were there, but you couldn't stop that lunatic.
The truth is..."
Ning Rongrong spoke each word slowly:
"All of you owe me."
Tang San clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
"So you had someone take him?
Rongrong, do you understand what you're doing?"
"Of course."
Ning Rongrong turned and walked back toward the stairs, her back to him, her tone breezy.
"I'm helping him let off steam.
Isn't the lower half of his body useless now?
I found a few kindhearted people to help him relieve himself... in a different way."
Tang San shuddered, fury and shock flashing in his eyes.
"You're insane."
"Maybe."
Ning Rongrong stepped onto the stairs without looking back.
"Third Brother, for old times' sake, I won't touch you.
But remember, stay out of Ma Hongjun's business.
Otherwise..."
Ning Rongrong looked back at Tang San, the corner of her mouth twisting into a bizarre smile beneath the mask.
"I won't mind finding a few 'kindhearted people' for you, too."
With that, Ning Rongrong disappeared around the stairwell.
Tang San stood where he was, trembling all over.
The manager came out of the back room and expressionlessly gestured toward the door.
"Sir, Miss has said all she wants to say."
Tang San turned and left, his steps heavy.
There was nothing he could do about Ning Rongrong.
Rongrong must have only said that in anger.
Tang San tried to console himself.
At most, Rongrong will have someone teach Fatty a lesson. She won't really do what she said and find a few men to help him let off steam...
Just imagining Fatty "surrounded by men" made Tang San's stomach churn. He nearly threw up.
Forget it, Fatty. I can't save you. You're on your own!
Before you continue