Ning Fengzhi's hypocritical, squinty-eyed expression made Lin Yan feel utterly disgusted.
Even the good mood he'd been in after taking the initiative in this clash had vanished.
When Ning Rongrong had just pressed the tip of the knife into her own neck, his heart had clenched. Yet this man, her own biological father, hadn't shown the slightest hint of panic...
Honestly, someone this heartless was no different from a machine—or a beast.
Lin Yan didn't want to waste another word on him, and replied without the slightest courtesy.
"It doesn't matter. Say whatever you want now."
"I'll say it again: you won't get a single word out of me about the gift I gave Rongrong."
"If you've got what it takes, kill me."
Then he released Ning Rongrong from the Blue Silver Emperor's coils and set the girl down on the ground.
He also took the dagger from her hand.
Seeing Rongrong free, Sword and Bone Douluo started forward, intending to take her back.
But Ning Fengzhi stopped them.
At the sight of this, Lin Yan gave a derisive laugh, then said,
"Relax. I'll give you time to think it over."
"Decide whether you'll let Rongrong and me stay together, or try some other means to deal with me."
His gaze was razor-sharp, even more upright than Chen Xin, who had spent decades immersed in the sword arts.
After those final words, he took Ning Rongrong by the hand.
"Rongrong, come on. Let's go inside."
The young couple paid no attention to the three people across from them.
Two Titled Douluo and the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had rushed to Shrek Academy, yet they hadn't even had a cup of water. They'd been standing under the blazing sun this whole time.
Now, when Lin Yan simply walked inside, all three were left rooted to the spot.
Bang!
Lin Yan slammed the door shut.
The moment Ning Rongrong entered the room, she began apologizing to Lin Yan.
"Are you okay, Lin Yan? I'm sorry. I didn't know things would turn out like this."
Lin Yan smiled faintly. Seeing the wound on the girl's neck, he felt warmth well up inside him.
She was a little foolish, sure, but her heart was in the right place!
As he thought this, he began treating Ning Rongrong and said,
"It's fine. You really wouldn't have thought of that, given your intelligence."
Ning Rongrong froze at his words. "What do you mean? Are you calling me an idiot?"
"What else? When we got together, didn't I specifically tell you not to tell anyone about the Talisman's secret? Why do you love showing off so much?"
Though Lin Yan scolded her, his hands kept treating her.
Ning Rongrong felt terribly guilty and muttered under her breath,
"But they're Dad and my two grandpas. They're not strangers."
Lin Yan rolled his eyes.
"You're hopeless."
"From now on, just be my quiet, silly girlfriend."
"I'm never giving you anything nice again."
At that, Ning Rongrong panicked. She didn't even care whether her wound had healed and immediately wrapped both arms around Lin Yan's.
"Why are you being like this~"
"Wasn't I on your side just now? I went that far for you."
Lin Yan ignored her, keeping his face stern as he continued treating her.
Seeing this, Ning Rongrong kept pleading with him. "I'm sorry. I know I was wrong. I won't show off again. Don't be mad at me, okay?"
Only after the wound on the girl's neck had completely healed did Lin Yan finally let out a helpless sigh.
"This isn't about whether I'm angry. It's about whether your so-called family will let me off the hook..."
Ning Rongrong lifted her little face, looking at Lin Yan with absolute conviction.
"Don't worry. If you die, I'll die with you."
Lin Yan: "I want to live!"
Meanwhile,
Ning Fengzhi and Sword and Bone Douluo stood under the blazing sun, holding a brief meeting about Lin Yan.
Silence fell over them. All three felt awkward.
The three most influential people in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been left standing outside by some brat who'd run off with their little princess. If anyone saw them, they'd laugh their heads off.
Fortunately, there was no one around.
The two Titled Douluo looked grim, and so did Ning Fengzhi! He simply couldn't keep up the act anymore...
After a long while, they realized that staying silent like this wasn't going to solve anything.
In the end, Gu Rong was the first to lose patience. He turned to Ning Fengzhi and asked,
"Fengzhi, what do we do now?"
Ning Fengzhi let out a silent sigh of relief.
He had to keep up the image of a profound, inscrutable man. If nobody had spoken first in this situation, he really would've had no face left.
He let out a subtle sigh. On the surface, he still wore the air of someone with everything under control, and spoke slowly.
"He's clever."
"He knows how to use Rongrong to keep us in check."
After those two simple remarks, he said no more.
He had no idea what to do either, so he left the rest to Sword and Bone Douluo's imaginations.
At this point, Chen Xin tried to persuade him.
"Why don't we let it go? A genius with Twin Martial Souls who's already reached level 38 at the age of twelve is a one-in-a-million talent."
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect may truly need him in the future."
Neither Chen Xin nor Gu Rong had children, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hadn't produced any promising successors in recent years. Once they died of old age, Lin Yan would be the best choice to become its guardian.
Twelve years old, level 38! In the three men's eyes, Lin Yan's future achievements would surpass even those of Sword Douluo, who was currently at level 96.
If the three of them hadn't been so eager to pry the secrets out of him, today's meeting would have gone very differently.
Gu Rong seized the opportunity to add his voice.
"That's right, Fengzhi."
"That boy seems to treat Rongrong pretty well."
Gu Rong had reached this conclusion from seeing Lin Yan treat Ning Rongrong's wound.
The three men weren't fools, either. They were well over two hundred years old between them and could see that Lin Yan cared for Ning Rongrong. He hadn't truly intended to hurt her.
On top of his talent and intelligence, that was enough for Sword and Bone Douluo to stop rejecting Lin Yan as a future son-in-law, looking at the matter from a long-term perspective.
As for Lin Yan's attitude just now, which had displeased them...
They were all adults. They knew how to distinguish what truly mattered from the little things.
Simply put, as long as Lin Yan had enough talent and was sincere toward Ning Rongrong, Sword and Bone Douluo wouldn't oppose the two of them.
But Ning Fengzhi...
After hearing the opinions of the two protectors of the sect, he suddenly took the opposite position.
He looked up at the sky, drew a deep breath, and put on a deeply helpless expression.
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu! The sect's growth can't depend on just one person."
At those words, Sword and Bone Douluo immediately understood what he meant.
In other words, Ning Fengzhi was still fixated on Lin Yan's secrets. He was even willing to let Ning Rongrong pay with her life to get his hands on those offensive techniques and the secret method for rapidly increasing one's strength.
Indeed, that was the best choice for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
But the price was Ning Rongrong!
Sword and Bone Douluo had been by Ning Rongrong's side since she was a baby. The two of them knew her personality better than anyone.
Her words—"If Lin Yan dies, I'll kill myself too"—had absolutely not been a joke. They couldn't believe Ning Fengzhi didn't know that...
This time, Sword Douluo was the first to lose his composure. He looked at Ning Fengzhi with a reproachful, pleading gaze.
"Fengzhi, are you really going to do this..."
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