Chapter 41

On Vermilion Bird Street, Ning Rongrong was strolling around—or, more accurately, shopping for a gift.

She planned to formally pay Xuan Qing a visit when she found the time. After all, her father had told her to get along with him.

She had been back for several days now, and she had come to see things clearly. A place like Shrek really wasn't suitable for her.

Of all of Shrek, only Zhu Zhuqing had any sense, and even that was only to a point. But what good was that?

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

As she was thinking this, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure—tall and coolly beautiful.

"Zhuqing?"

Ning Rongrong froze, thinking she must have seen wrong.

Zhu Zhuqing saw her too and stopped in her tracks. She hadn't expected to run into Ning Rongrong here.

"Rongrong."

Ning Rongrong rushed over and threw her arms around Zhu Zhuqing, her eyes turning red.

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

Zhu Zhuqing stiffened for a moment, but didn't push her away. Back at Shrek, the two of them had been closer than anyone else.

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

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

Ning Rongrong let go and wiped her tears.

"Don't bring up that miserable place. You have no idea—after my dad dragged me back, I finally realized how foolish I'd been. I actually thought a place like that was home, and even thought it was good."

"Now I think I could slap myself twice. I must have been blind back then."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at her with a complicated expression. She knew Ning Rongrong was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, with powerful backing. Leaving Shrek was a good thing for her.

But what about herself?

She had nothing. Just a useless Martial Soul and an engagement she couldn't shake.

Where could she go after leaving Shrek? What could she do?

Ning Rongrong saw her hesitation and took her hand, speaking earnestly.

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

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and answered.

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

"Shrek can't give me what I want, but Xuan Qing can. Even if he won't take me in, I'd be happy just watching him from afar. A strong person like him is the kind of person I should aspire to be."

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up as she listened.

"That's great! Xuan Qing may have a sharp tongue, but if you follow him, you'll definitely grow stronger. And he has powerful backing. Maybe he really can help you resolve that engagement."

"How about coming back with me first? I'll get you cleaned up and find you a change of clothes. Tomorrow, I'll take you to see Senior Brother and have him bring us to visit Xuan Qing."

Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback.

"Senior Brother?"

"Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. You've met him before. He's my father's student and has met Xuan Qing more often than either of us. He'll definitely want to build a good relationship with Xuan Qing, so he won't turn us down."

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

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

The next day at noon, Ning Rongrong took Zhu Zhuqing straight to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. Xue Qinghe was handling official business, and seemed a little surprised to see them.

"Rongrong, what brings you here? And who is this...?"

Ning Rongrong introduced her.

"Senior Brother, this is Zhu Zhuqing, my classmate from Shrek. She wants to meet Xuan Qing. Could you introduce her?"

"You're going to see Xuan Qing anyway, so why not take us along?"

Xue Qinghe remembered her. Zhu Zhuqing was one of the Shrek Seven Devils, and her Martial Soul was the Nether Civet Martial Soul.

He had indeed seen her in Suotuo City that day. She hadn't run away then, and now she had come looking for Xuan Qing.

"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 coming up soon. We can go together after it's over."

Ning Rongrong frowned slightly.

"Senior Brother, why can't we go today?"

At that, the corner of Xue Qinghe's mouth twitched.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go. He would have loved to go every day—he'd love even more to pry a few more things out of Xuan Qing.

But Xuan Qing never left his home. He barely even stepped outside his front door.

"The last time I went to visit, Brother Xuan Qing said, 'I'm only staying at Dugu Manor as a guest. Going to someone's estate to visit their guest—isn't that putting the cart before the horse?'"

Uh!!!

The two of them were stunned.

That was a harsh way to put it, but he wasn't wrong.

It was Dugu Manor, not Xuan Manor. Going there to visit someone else's guest really was a little... odd.

Ning Rongrong thought it over.

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

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

Xue Qinghe reassured her.

"You can rest easy. That kid just has a sharp tongue—so sharp I want to strangle him."

He said it through clenched teeth.

"But that doesn't mean he's heartless. Otherwise, he wouldn't have warned you all to leave Shrek. He'll definitely meet with you; it's just that going to Dugu Manor to visit right now really wouldn't be appropriate."

"And Zhuqing, you should take some time to think it over and prepare yourself. That kid isn't exactly pleasant to listen to."

"I understand. Thank you, Your Highness."

Xue Qinghe waved a hand.

"No need to thank me. Having good students reflects well on me too. Go get some rest. I'll come pick you up on the day of the Exchange Tournament."

After the two left, Xue Qinghe went back to poring over his official duties.

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

They had brought generous gifts this time, and their attitude had been respectful—almost groveling.

They said Yuyuan Town was dead and begged Xuan Qing to show mercy and spare them.

Xuan Qing's exact words had been:

"Since the Soul Beasts ate them, I can't be bothered to care what you do. Just don't come bothering me."

The visitors breathed a sigh of relief and left with profuse thanks. They had thought the young general would wipe them all out, and hadn't expected him to let them go so easily.

His attitude had been extremely cold, but at least he hadn't killed anyone.

Dugu Bo looked at Xuan Qing with a strange expression.

"You've let them off that easily? That doesn't sound like your style. Given your temperament, shouldn't you be rooting them out?"

Xuan Qing lay languidly on his reclining chair and replied, "Who has the time to deal with them? I'd rather get a few more naps in."

"I've only had a few days to myself, and already it's been one thing after another—Shrek, then the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. It's exhausting."

"I'm only ten this year. What's wrong with enjoying myself? Anyone got a problem with that? I'd be happy to treat them to their favorite dish: Azure Dragon Claw. Or a Gold Brick would do, too. Delicious, affordable, and guaranteed to fill you up."

"Right now, I just want to lie in the sun and get a good night's sleep. I can't be bothered with anything else. Let them do whatever they want."

"If they're smart, they'll keep their heads down. If they aren't, I'll deal with them when I have time."

Dugu Bo rolled his eyes.

"You've got a real nerve. They may have taken a hit, but a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. If they retaliate, it'll be a real headache."

Xuan Qing couldn't help laughing.

"Not to look down on them, but if I turned them into Fallen Ones, could they beat Zi JI within ten years?"

"And how strong will I be ten years from now?"

"If they really can beat Zi JI, I can always call for backup. It's not like they're the only ones with a Peerless Douluo behind them."

Dugu Bo was truly speechless. The words were arrogant, but they were also the truth.