At dawn, the bustle of Suotuo City had yet to die down when an extravagantly luxurious carriage, pulled by four Dragon Scale Horses, kicked up a long trail of dust along the main road.
Inside the carriage, Su Yun lounged against a thick Snow Fox fur cushion, with Xiao Wu dozing in his arms and Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong seated on either side of him.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, her slender fingers gently wiping Su Yun's folding fan, a symbol of his status. Her eyes held a peace she had never felt before.
Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, was much livelier. She held a delicate pastry in her hand and occasionally popped a small piece into Su Yun's mouth. If the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Ning Fengzhi, saw her serving him like some "great lord," he'd probably be so furious he'd keel over on the spot.
"Su Yun, are we really going to the Sunset Forest?"
Ning Rongrong tilted her head and asked, puzzled,
"Though there are plenty of Soul Beasts there, it can't compare to the Star Dou Forest in either age or quality, can it? With your strength, even if you're hunting for your fifth Soul Ring, shouldn't you try your luck in the core area?"
Su Yun took a bite of the pastry Ning Rongrong offered him and laughed through a full mouth:
"Rongrong, you're just too inexperienced. A forest doesn't need to be big; if it holds treasure, it shines. What's hidden in the Sunset Forest is enough to drive every Soul Master on the Douluo Continent wild. It could even let your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda break free of the shackles it's been bound by for thousands of years."
At the words "break free of the shackles," Ning Rongrong's