Chapter 41

On Vermilion Bird Street, Ning Rongrong was strolling about, or rather, picking out gifts.

She intended to find a time to pay a formal visit to Xuan Qing; after all, her father had instructed her to be on good terms with him.

She had been back for several days now and had come to her senses—a place like Shrek simply wasn't suitable for her.

In the entirety of Shrek, only Zhu Zhuqing could be considered clear-headed, but that was as far as it went, and it was useless anyway.

Staying in such a place was a waste of time. She was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; she deserved better friends.

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure—tall, cold, and elegant.

"Zhuqing?"

Ning Rongrong froze, thinking she had seen wrong.

Zhu Zhuqing also saw her and paused, not expecting to run into Ning Rongrong here.

"Rongrong."

Ning Rongrong rushed over and hugged her, her eyes turning red.

"Zhuqing! It really is you! I thought I'd never see you again! Why are you here?"

Zhu Zhuqing's body stiffened for a moment, but she didn't push her away. Back at Shrek, they had been the closest.

"I ran away. That place, Shrek..."

Zhu Zhuqing didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Ning Rongrong let her go and wiped her tears.

"Don't mention that place; it's bad luck. You have no idea—after my father dragged me back, I realized how foolish I had been. I actually treated that place like home and thought it was good."

"Thinking about it now, I want to slap myself twice. My eyes were truly blinded back then."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at her with complex eyes. She knew Ning Rongrong was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with a deep background; leaving Shrek was a good thing for her.

But what about herself?

She had nothing—only a tattered martial soul and an inescapable marriage contract.

If she left Shrek, where could she go? What could she do?

Ning Rongrong noticed her hesitation, took her hand, and said earnestly.

"Zhuqing, do you have any plans? If you still consider me a friend, don't hide anything from me. If I can help, I definitely will."

Zhu Zhuqing was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and replied.

"I came to find Xuan Qing. I want to follow him, even if it's just as a maid. I want to become strong—strong enough to master my own destiny."

"Shrek can't give me what I want, but Xuan Qing can. Even if he doesn't take me in, just watching him from afar is enough. That kind of powerhouse is the goal I should be pursuing."

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

"That's a good thing! Although Xuan Qing has a sharp tongue, if you follow him, you'll definitely be able to grow stronger. Plus, he has a deep background; he might even be able to help you resolve that marriage contract."

"How about this: come back with me first, get cleaned up, and change your clothes. Tomorrow, I'll take you to see my Senior Brother and have him take us to visit Xuan Qing."

Zhu Zhuqing was stunned.

"Senior Brother?"

"It's Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. You've met him before; he's my father's student and has met Xuan Qing more times than both of us. He definitely wants to be on good terms with Xuan Qing, so he certainly won't refuse this."

Zhu Zhuqing thought it over and nodded. She truly had nowhere else to go, and following Ning Rongrong would at least give her a place to stay.

The two went straight to the Seven Treasure Pavilion in Heaven Dou City, where Ning Rongrong personally picked out clothes for Zhu Zhuqing.

At noon the next day, Ning Rongrong took Zhu Zhuqing directly to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. Xue Qinghe was busy handling affairs and was somewhat surprised to see them arrive.

"Rongrong, why are you here? And this is...?"

Ning Rongrong introduced her.

"Senior Brother, this is Zhu Zhuqing, my classmate from Shrek. She wants to see Xuan Qing; could you help introduce us?"

"You're going to see Xuan Qing anyway, so just take us along on your way."

Xue Qinghe recalled her—one of the Shrek Seven Devils, the Hell Spirit Cat martial soul.

He had indeed seen her in Suotuo City that day. The girl hadn't run off then, so he hadn't expected her to come looking for Xuan Qing now.

"You want to see Xuan Qing? That's fine, but you'll have to wait a few days. The Advanced Soul Master Academy Exchange Tournament is in a few days; we can go together then."

Ning Rongrong frowned slightly.

"Senior Brother, why not go today?"

Hearing this, the corner of Xue Qinghe's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go; he wished he could go every day, and even more so, he wished he could pry a bit more out of Xuan Qing.

But the man wouldn't step out of his door.

"The last time I went to visit, Brother Xuan Qing's exact words were—he is only staying at Dugu Manor as a guest. To go to someone else's manor to visit their guest, wouldn't that be a bit like turning the world upside down?"

Uh!!!

Both of them were stunned.

It sounded harsh, but it was the truth.

That was Dugu Manor, not the Xuan Manor; showing up to visit someone else's home like that was indeed a bit much.

Ning Rongrong thought for a moment.

"Zhuqing, you should just stay here for now. If you get bored, you can go to the arena like before. The Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City is much larger than the one in Suotuo City."

Zhu Zhuqing had no choice but to nod. She had no other options right now and could only wait.

Xue Qinghe also offered some words of comfort.

"You can rest assured. That kid just has a sharp tongue—so sharp that even I want to strangle him sometimes."

He spoke through gritted teeth as he said this.

"But that doesn't mean he's heartless. Otherwise, he wouldn't have warned you all to leave Shrek. He will definitely see you, but visiting Dugu Manor right now is truly inappropriate."

"Besides, Miss Zhuqing, you also need to think things over and prepare yourself mentally. That kid doesn't exactly say pleasant things."

"I understand. Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Xue Qinghe waved his hand.

"No need for thanks. Being able to teach good students is beneficial to me as well. You two should go and rest; I will come to pick you up on the day of the exchange tournament."

After the two left, Xue Qinghe buried his head back into his official duties.

Meanwhile, Xuan Qing had just finished dealing with the people from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

They had come bearing heavy gifts this time, their attitude so respectful that they acted like grandsons.

They claimed that Yuyuan Town was already dead and hoped that Xuan Qing would show mercy and let them off the hook.

Xuan Qing's exact words were:

"Since they were eaten by soul beasts, I couldn't care less what happens to you. Just don't bother me."

The visitors breathed a sigh of relief and left after offering a thousand thanks. They had expected the little general to wipe them out completely, never imagining he would let them go so easily.

Although his attitude was incredibly cold, at least he hadn't killed anyone.

Dugu Bo looked at Xuan Qing with a strange expression.

"You let them off just like that? That doesn't sound like your style. Given your temper, shouldn't you have cut the weeds and dug up the roots?"

Xuan Qing lay on his recliner and spoke lazily.

"Who has the energy to deal with them? I'd rather take a few more naps."

"I've only had a few days of peace, and it's been one thing after another—first Shrek, then the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. It's so annoying."

"I'm only ten years old this year. What's wrong with enjoying life? Does anyone have an opinion? I don't mind treating them to my favorite Azure Dragon Claw, or perhaps a Gold Brick. I guarantee it's delicious, affordable, and filling."

"Right now, I just want to bask in the sun and have a good sleep. I can't be bothered with anything else; let them do whatever they want."

"If they're smart, they'll behave. If they aren't, I'll just go clean them up when I have the time."

Dugu Bo rolled his eyes.

"You're certainly bold. Even if they're finished, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. If they decide to retaliate, it'll be quite troublesome."

Xuan Qing couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not that I look down on them, but I turned them into Fallen Ones. Can they even beat Zi Ji within ten years?"

"And what level will I have reached in ten years?"

"If they really can beat Zi Ji, I'll just call for backup. Who doesn't have a Peerless Douluo backing them?"

Dugu Bo was truly speechless. Although these words were arrogant, they were indeed the truth.