Thinking of this, Ning Xiaochun's lips curled upward of their own accord, and anticipation shone in his eyes.
He turned around, about to say something to Shui Bing'er, only to see that she had already gotten to her feet. A hint of panic and shyness crossed her face, and she looked like a startled fawn, ready to flee the place that had set her heart racing.
"Um... I... I should head back now." Shui Bing'er sounded flustered. Her gaze darted away, unwilling to meet his. "In three days... I'll come back..."
As she spoke, she turned and started for the door. There was no mistaking it: she looked as though she were running away in defeat.
Ning Xiaochun reacted in a flash and caught her slender wrist.
Shui Bing'er's body stiffened, but she didn't pull away. She simply stood with her back to him, the tips of her ears already red enough to drip blood.
"Bing'er." Ning Xiaochun's voice held a hint of amusement, yet was utterly serious. "In three days, I'll come for you."
Shui Bing'er trembled slightly. Without turning around, she gave a light nod and murmured so softly it was barely audible, "...Mm."
Then, as if mustering all her courage, she spun around and, before Ning Xiaochun could react, rose onto her tiptoes and quickly pecked him on the forehead.
Like a dragonfly skimming the water, she touched down and pulled away at once.
By the time she'd done it, Shui Bing'er's face had turned as red as a ripe apple.
She didn't dare look at Ning Xiaochun another second. She turned and vanished through the doorway like a gust of wind, fleeing as fast as she could.
Ning Xiaochun stood rooted to the spot, dumbly touching the forehead she'd kissed. It seemed to still hold a trace of that cool, soft sensation.
Then, slowly, ever so slowly, his lips spread into a foolish grin.
Six years, and this was the first time Bing'er had ever kissed him of her own accord!
It had only been on the forehead, but it was a huge step forward!
He could already see the happy married life waiting for him in the future, beckoning.
"Hehehe..." Ning Xiaochun couldn't help letting out a silly laugh. It took him quite a while to come back to his senses. He cleared his throat and tried to regain the dignity of a "young sect master," but there was no hiding the good mood in his crescent-shaped eyes.
He walked to the window and watched Shui Bing'er's retreating figure, warmth and resolve flashing in his eyes.
Six years had passed. He was no longer the six-year-old child who had to hide behind Bing'er to feel safe.
Now, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had made a promising start on Soul Tool research, and its armed forces had grown considerably. Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone had both taken Immortal Herbs and grown even stronger. On top of that, they had his god-grandfather Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, as an ally...
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now had the strength to establish itself on the continent—and even make its own voice heard.
And Spirit Hall... that shadow hanging over every sect had reached the point where it could no longer be ignored.
A sharp glint flashed in Ning Xiaochun's eyes.
"Spirit Hall... Heh..." he murmured, a meaningful smile tugging at his lips. "Just wait. The real show is only beginning."
The dean's office, Skywater Academy.
Leng Ningshuang sat behind her desk, a gold-embossed letter clutched in her hand. Her brows were tightly knit, and her face was weighed down with worry and anxiety. The conspicuous Spirit Hall insignia on the letter gleamed harshly in the afternoon sunlight.
The message was simple, but it weighed on her heart like a massive boulder.
"Spirit Hall Golden Generation member Yan will come to Skywater Academy in three days, on the day Miss Shui Bing'er comes of age, to formally arrange a marriage. Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei will accompany him as witnesses. Dean Leng is requested to receive them at that time and discuss this auspicious match."
Discuss an auspicious match? What a grand-sounding excuse! This was nothing less than a forced marriage!
Leng Ningshuang slammed the letter onto her desk, shaking with rage.
Six years ago, she had used "Shui Bing'er is underage" as an excuse to fob them off for the time being.
She had thought she could use those six years to break through to Titled Douluo. Then she'd have the strength to stand against Spirit Hall and protect her disciple.
But... six years had passed, and she was still stuck at Soul Douluo, forever one step away from becoming a Titled Douluo. How could breaking through to Titled Douluo ever be that easy?
A profound sense of helplessness washed over her. Did she really have to stand by and watch her most beloved disciple be forcibly taken away by Spirit Hall?
Just then, someone gently knocked on the office door.
"Master, I'm back."
A cool voice sounded as Shui Bing'er pushed open the door. She had just returned from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and a touch of lingering blush and sweetness still graced her face.
But when she saw Leng Ningshuang's tightly furrowed brows and the gold-embossed letter on her desk, her smile vanished at once.
"Master, what happened?" Shui Bing'er walked up to the desk. Her gaze fell on the letter, and when she saw the conspicuous Spirit Hall insignia, her brows drew together slightly.
Leng Ningshuang looked at her disciple, who had grown ever more radiant and possessed an increasingly otherworldly bearing. Her heart was a tangle of emotions. She knew there was no keeping this from her.
She sighed and pushed the letter toward Shui Bing'er, her voice weary and bitter. "Bing'er, see for yourself."
Shui Bing'er picked up the letter and quickly read it. Her expression shifted from confusion to coldness, and finally frost seemed to gather in her icy blue eyes.
"Six years ago..." Shui Bing'er's voice was cold enough to freeze the air. "They came for me back then?"
Leng Ningshuang nodded guiltily. "Yes... You weren't at the academy then, so I... I used your being underage as an excuse to fob them off. I thought I could break through to Titled Douluo during those six years, and then I'd have the strength to refuse them... But... your master has failed you..."
She lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs.
Seeing her master blame herself like that, Shui Bing'er's anger eased a little. She knew her master had meant well and had wanted to protect her.
It was just that Spirit Hall's power was too vast. In its presence, Skywater Academy was no bigger than an ant.
The atmosphere in the dean's office at Skywater Academy was as oppressive as the calm before a storm.
Shui Bing'er gently set the gold-embossed Spirit Hall letter on the desk, but her fingertips had gone pale from gripping it so tightly.
She looked up. Uncontrollable fury churned in her icy blue eyes, but her voice was as cold as the wind blowing in from the Extreme North:
"Absurd! Utterly absurd! What do they take me for? A piece of merchandise? An item they can seize and trade at will?"
She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling violently as she struggled to suppress the urge to freeze the letter—and all of Spirit Hall—with it:
"And besides, don't they know I'm already engaged to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? I signed that contract six years ago. I'm already Ning Xiaochun's future wife! Is Spirit Hall trying to tear up our marriage agreement in public and make an enemy of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
Before you continue