Shui Bing'er closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling faintly. After a long while, when she opened them again, every trace of fierce emotion had vanished from her gaze. Only bottomless, icy resolve remained.
"I agree." Her voice was so calm it held not a single ripple, as if she were speaking of something that had nothing to do with her.
"Bing'er!" Leng Ningshuang was shocked and heartbroken, yet also felt a faint sense of relief. Her feelings were too complicated to put into words.
"But I have conditions." Shui Bing'er cut off her teacher, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Until I turn eighteen, I'll meet Ning Xiaochun only once a month. The rest of the time, I'll stay at the academy to cultivate, or go to a training ground arranged by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. But you must guarantee that I'll have complete peace and quiet. No one may disturb me for any reason. If Ning Xiaochun turns out to be a hopeless waste or a man of poor character, then even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is powerful, I, Shui Bing'er, would rather die than submit."
Leng Ningshuang looked at her disciple, who seemed to have shed all her childishness overnight and become cold and unyielding. Her heart ached beyond measure, but all she could do was nod.
"Very well. I'll discuss it with them."
When Leng Ningshuang returned to the plaza with Shui Bing'er's answer and conditions, Ning Fengzhi readily agreed.
"Meeting once a month is perfectly fine. Matters of the heart can't be forced; let nature take its course. As for Xiaochun's character, Dean Leng and Miss Bing'er can judge for themselves in time. If he truly proves hopeless, then I, Ning Fengzhi, would have no face to insist."
He even took out a contract scroll he had prepared in advance. It was made of unusual material and shimmered with faint traces of Soul Power.
The terms and obligations of both parties were clearly laid out. So was the ultimate purpose of the engagement: the names Ning Xiaochun and Shui Bing'er stood side by side.
"Miss Bing'er, please." Ning Fengzhi held out the scroll and a soul tool pen to Shui Bing'er. His manner was gentle, yet carried an invisible pressure.
Shui Bing'er looked at the three characters "Ning Xiaochun" on the scroll, her expression indifferent. Without the slightest hesitation, she took the pen and signed her name in the designated space: Shui Bing'er.
Her handwriting was elegant, yet every stroke cut deep into the paper, carrying the resolve to sever the past.
The pen fell. The contract was sealed.
"Now that the contract has been signed, Miss Bing'er is the future young madam of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Starting today, the cultivation resources for you and Miss Yue'er will be delivered at once. Someone will coordinate with Dean Leng about the academy's funding within three days." Ning Fengzhi put away the scroll, his tone solemn.
Shui Bing'er didn't look at him or at her teacher, whose expression was complicated. She only gave a slight nod, then turned and walked toward her dormitory. Her back was straight, yet carried a lonely, chilling air.
"I'm going to pack. Tomorrow, I'll go with you to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Only after that water-blue figure vanished around the corner of the building did Leng Ningshuang seem to have all her strength drained away. She staggered, her face etched with deep exhaustion and guilt.
Ning Fengzhi watched the direction in which Shui Bing'er had disappeared. He felt little joy, only a sigh too faint to hear.
He knew that with Gold Soul Coins and resources, he had battered open a safe door for his son, but in the heart of a proud young girl, he had also built a wall of ice.
"As for matters of the heart... it'll depend on Xiaochun's own fortune."
Ning Fengzhi silently repeated the thought to himself. For the first time, he felt that raising a son who could leave even a Titled Douluo speechless was going to be a long and arduous road.
Meanwhile, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Xiaochun sat in his private courtyard, Listening to Waves Cottage, his face full of worry.
"The Spirit Hall will wipe out the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the future... What am I supposed to do?"
As a transmigrator, he naturally knew what would happen in the future. Before awakening his Martial Soul, he hadn't given it much thought. But things were different now.
He possessed Twin Martial Souls and was all but certain to inherit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The sect's rise and fall were bound up with his own. More importantly, he was afraid of dying. Very afraid.
And if the sect were destroyed, someone like him—the owner of the 'world's greatest debuff' Martial Soul—would absolutely be one of the Spirit Hall's first targets for elimination. There'd be nowhere to hide!
"So I can't just think about keeping myself safe anymore." Ning Xiaochun jabbed his charcoal pencil hard into the circle representing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"I have to make the sect stronger as a whole! Strong enough that the Spirit Hall won't dare act rashly—or, if it does, make it lose every last tooth!"
But how could he boost the sect's strength so quickly? By throwing money at it?
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had no shortage of money, but money alone couldn't produce top-tier fighters. What about gathering allies? The Upper Three Sects were supposed to stand together.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been wiped out, and the Clear Sky Sect had gone into hiding... They couldn't be relied on.
Just as he racked his brain, nearly scratching his hair into a bird's nest, a place name leaped into his mind, along with hazy tales of "Immortal Herbs," "fortuitous encounters," and "greatly increased power"—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!
That was it! That place! It was known as a treasure basin, where countless natural treasures grew. A single herb could transform a person from head to toe!
If he could get his hands on the Immortal Herbs there and give them to Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, his father, and the promising elders and disciples in the sect...
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's overall strength would climb a step—not one, but several! Maybe they could even nurture a few more Titled Douluo!
And could his own Twin Martial Souls, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda, be improved by the Immortal Herbs, too?
Even if they only helped him cultivate Soul Power faster and build a steadier foundation, that would still be an enormous benefit!
Ning Xiaochun's eyes lit up, as if he had spotted a beacon guiding him through the endless dark. But soon, the light dimmed, smothered by a cautious cloud of doubt.
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was a treasure, but it already had an owner: Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
He was a Titled Douluo of strange temperament, neither wholly good nor evil, and a master of poison. Go and take it by force? What kind of joke was that?
"Forcefully seize it" had no place in Ning Xiaochun's code of conduct. The risks were too high, the odds of success too low, and the consequences endless.
Dugu Bo might flee if he couldn't win, but after that, a Titled Douluo who specialized in poison would be constantly plotting to trip him up—or even go after his family. That would be a nightmare-level ordeal. Absolutely not!
If brute force wouldn't work... then he'd use a softer touch.
After thinking it over for a long while, he finally decided:
"I'll buy it!"
Ning Xiaochun slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up again. After all, the one thing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect never lacked was money.
But before Ning Xiaochun could think any further, he heard familiar footsteps outside the courtyard, followed by his father Ning Fengzhi's warm voice, tinged with a hint of... peculiar delight.
"Xiaochun, are you in there? Come see what your dad brought you!"
The door swung open, and Ning Fengzhi walked in with a smile. Someone followed behind him.
Ning Xiaochun turned at the sound. The first thing he noticed was the slender figure behind his father.
Her water-blue hair was tied in a neat, practical braid that fell down her back.
Her ice-blue eyes were clear and calm, yet seemed veiled by frost that would never melt. As her gaze swept over the luxurious furnishings in the room, there was a faint air of detachment and scrutiny about her.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, with the kind of beauty carved from ice and snow that made people hesitate to approach. She stood quietly, not very old, yet possessed an aura of cool composure.
What a beautiful big sister! That was Ning Xiaochun's first thought.
His second was: She looks... like she can really fight. With an aura that cold, did she have an ice-attribute Martial Soul?
Hmm, she seemed like a promising bodyguard candidate... Wait, why had Dad brought a girl he didn't know home? A new personal maid? No, that didn't seem right. She was even more aloof than many noble young ladies.
Ning Xiaochun muttered to himself, but his face had already slipped into its usual obedient, adorable smile. He was about to call out to his father when something happening farther down the corridor, behind the girl, caught his eye.
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