Two hours later, Tang Yin, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong finally returned to the inn in the town outside Star Dou Forest.
Only then did Tang Yin relax a little.
Xiao Wu collapsed into Tang Yin's arms and waved weakly. "I'm exhausted."
Ning Rongrong took out a silk handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her face. "Tang Yin, does this mean our treasure hunt is over?"
Tang Yin smiled and nodded. "That's right."
"What was the treasure?" Ning Rongrong recalled. "I just saw you doing something mysterious to the Man Faced Demon Spider."
Tang Yin smiled mysteriously. "I'll tell you later. For now, let's keep it a mystery."
Xiao Wu's limpid eyes shifted slightly. She had wanted to ask outright, but seeing Ning Rongrong there, she decided to let it go and ask another time.
"Tang Yin, are we getting ready to go back?" Xiao Wu asked.
Tang Yin nodded. "We'll rest here for the night and set out for Suotuo City tomorrow."
"These past few days have worn me out. I've never walked such a long way before," Ning Rongrong sighed.
Tang Yin smiled. "It's good training for you. The daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's leader can't just be a pampered porcelain vase. Since you have the best talent in the entire sect, you'll naturally have to take over your father's burden one day and hold up the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Listening to Tang Yin, Ning Rongrong fell into thought. "What you're saying makes a lot of sense. Now that I think about it, my father probably let me leave the sect because he wanted me to get some experience out in the world."
"And Shrek Academy has three Soul Saints and two Soul Emperors. That makes it a pretty powerful force."
"Flender even dared to lecture me like that before. Maybe my father put him up to it."
Tang Yin couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
How had Ning Rongrong suddenly gotten so sharp?
How had she figured out the whole story so clearly, just like that?
"Tang Yin, Xiao Wu, what do you think?"
Ning Rongrong looked thoughtful as she turned to the two of them for their opinions.
"Uh...I don't know." Xiao Wu shrugged and spread her hands, perfectly frank.
Xiao Wu was still just as disinclined to think.
Tang Yin was already used to it. Meeting Ning Rongrong's questioning gaze, he smiled. "You'll find out if you go home and confront your father."
Ning Rongrong narrowed her eyes. "I definitely will."
Night was deep. After washing up, the three of them went to bed.
Tang Yin wasn't in a hurry to absorb the Eight Spider Lances. He could do it after they returned to Suotuo City.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were truly exhausted; they were already fast asleep.
After all, unlike Tang Yin, the two of them couldn't recover with the Blue Silver Domain.
"I'm almost level forty."
"I'll push myself a little harder and get my fourth Soul Ring before leaving Suotuo City."
Thinking this, Tang Yin sat cross-legged and began to meditate.
The night passed quietly.
The next day, they didn't finish eating their fill and hire a carriage until the sun was high in the sky. Then they headed for Suotuo City.
By the end of the day, the carriage stopped before the city's southern gate.
"We're finally here!"
"Riding in that carriage made my butt ache so much, and my back's sore too!"
Xiao Wu stretched lazily, twisting this way and that.
Ning Rongrong saw this and instinctively watched Tang Yin's expression.
When she saw that Tang Yin didn't mind Xiao Wu's behavior at all and still had a smile on his face, she understood.
Then she stopped holding back and loosened up her stiff body too.
"Let's go. First, we'll find somewhere to stay for a while," Tang Yin said softly.
"Tang Yin, aren't we going back to the academy?" Xiao Wu asked in surprise.
"We are. We just need to go back to handle graduation and apply to continue our studies," Tang Yin said with a smile.
"Continue our studies? Are you planning to enroll in an advanced Soul Master Academy?" Ning Rongrong asked.
Tang Yin nodded. "That's right. But before then, I plan to stay in Suotuo City for another three to five months."
"Tang Yin, have you decided which advanced Soul Master Academy you want to go to?" Xiao Wu asked.
Tang Yin considered it. "Barak Academy."
"Why not go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" Ning Rongrong asked. "If you're willing, I can ask my father to help you enroll right away!"
"Let's not talk about that now. It's getting late. Let's find somewhere to rest," Tang Yin said with a smile, changing the subject.
Ning Rongrong was puzzled, but she didn't press him.
Xiao Wu was different, though. If she had a question, she asked it.
"Didn't the dean say Heaven Dou Royal Academy was the best Soul Master Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire?"
"He also said he could recommend us to go there."
"Why are we choosing Barak Academy instead of Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
Tang Yin thought for a long while, then cupped Xiao Wu's face in both hands and leaned close to her ear. "Because there are three Soul Douluo-level experts there."
Xiao Wu's heart jolted, and her pupils abruptly contracted.
For a moment, she suspected Tang Yin already knew what she really was—he just had no proof.
"Don't just stand there. Let's go." Seeing Xiao Wu frozen in place, Tang Yin smiled and took her delicate hand, leading her toward the Rose Hotel.
Ning Rongrong blinked, staring strangely at Xiao Wu's dazed expression, unable to make sense of it.
Rose Hotel.
The front desk attendant was the same one as last time. Tang Yin smiled. "Sorry for the trouble. Could you give us two rooms?"
The attendant knew Tang Yin and Xiao Wu well. His gaze inadvertently swept over Ning Rongrong, and he couldn't help feeling envious. But recalling what had happened last time, he couldn't help asking himself:
"Are you sure you want two rooms?"
Tang Yin said awkwardly, "Yes."
"Do you still have Rose Heaven available from last time?" Xiao Wu asked. "We want to book the whole place this time!"
"We do. How long would you like to book it for?" The attendant was both surprised and delighted.
Tang Yin considered it. "Five months."
With five months, plus the External Soul Bone that was the Eight Spider Lances, Tang Yin was confident he could advance from level thirty-eight to level forty. After all, he'd been stuck at level thirty-eight for a while.
"Five months?!" The attendant was startled.
"Is that not allowed?" Xiao Wu frowned slightly.
"Of course it's allowed! Absolutely! I'll get the two of you checked in right away!" the attendant hurriedly said.
Tang Yin smiled. "We want two rooms, and we'll book those for four months too."
"Understood. Please wait a moment!"
Before long, Xiao Wu took the key to a room at Rose Heaven and handed one of the keys to Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong, Xiao Wu and I are going to stay in Suotuo City for a while. If you're going home, remember to let us know," Tang Yin said with a smile.
"Okay!" Ning Rongrong nodded with a smile.
"Let's go." Tang Yin headed upstairs.
"Rongrong, I'm telling you, the rooms at the Rose Hotel are beautiful. You'll definitely like them," Xiao Wu said with a smile.
"But I can't help feeling there's something strange about this place." Ning Rongrong looked around and noticed that most of the people staying here seemed to be couples...