Their eyes met!
Ning Rongrong could clearly see the fear and tension in Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes.
"Her? This Soul Beast aura is coming from Xiao Wu!"
Ning Rongrong was taken aback.
The next moment,
a mighty wave of spiritual power burst from Ning Rongrong, locking onto Xiao Wu.
As the cherished jewel of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong's experience far surpassed that of most teachers.
She immediately recognized Xiao Wu for what she was: a Soft Bone Rabbit with a cultivation of over a hundred thousand years, transformed into human form!
"Xiao Wu isn't human!"
"She's a Soft Bone Rabbit with more than a hundred thousand years of cultivation!"
Ning Rongrong was stunned, her beautiful eyes wide with shock.
Ever since she was little, Ning Rongrong had heard her elders speak of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
They were exceedingly rare, coveted by every powerful Soul Master, who dreamed of hunting them down!
Killing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would grant not only the most powerful red Soul Ring, but also a terrifying Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!
Ning Rongrong had never expected to encounter a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—the kind her sect's elders had spent their whole lives hunting without success.
Yet now one stood right before her.
And after transforming into a human, she was currently at her weakest!
Xiao Wu looked at Ning Rongrong. She knew her identity as a Soul Beast had been exposed, and panic surged through her.
At that moment, Xiao Wu desperately wanted to run.
She knew that if a Titled Douluo set his sights on her, she'd be as good as dead!
But this Titled Douluo was Ning Rongrong.
For some reason, Xiao Wu still trusted her. She felt that Ning Rongrong probably wouldn't hurt her...!
Ning Rongrong looked at Xiao Wu, lost in thought.
She had no desire to kill Xiao Wu.
If Xiao Wu had been like Dai Mubai, spoiled and unruly, Ning Rongrong would have killed her without the slightest hesitation!
But Xiao Wu was so innocent that she was practically foolish, blindly doing whatever Tang San told her.
And Xiao Wu had no intention of harming humans. She had even cheered Ning Rongrong on before.
Besides,
Xiao Wu was a girl, and Ning Rongrong was one too.
Girls instinctively protected other girls!
Ning Rongrong didn't want to kill Xiao Wu or expose her identity. She wanted to act as if nothing had happened.
But the next moment,
Ning Rongrong suddenly understood something.
"I know!"
"That terrifying Titled Douluo hiding in the shadows has definitely set his sights on Xiao Wu, this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed around Shit-Green Shrek Academy all this time."
"That guy must be waiting for the right moment to pick Xiao Wu off alone, kill her, and take her bones!"
"He must have been wary of me showing up, which is why he didn't make a move against Xiao Wu right away."
"But the moment I leave, Xiao Wu will be in danger!"
Ning Rongrong thought it over and finally understood what was going on.
She had been puzzled about why there was a Titled Douluo's aura here.
Now everything made sense.
"If I leave, Xiao Wu will have no chance of survival."
"For Xiao Wu's sake, I have to take her away for now!"
Ning Rongrong decided to protect Xiao Wu.
Flender, Zhao Wuji, Oscar, Tang San, and the others looked on in confusion.
They had no idea why Ning Rongrong had made such a scene, only to turn her attention to Xiao Wu.
Then,
Ning Rongrong's expression softened. "Xiao Wu, come with me! We'll leave for a while, and then I'll bring you back."
Hearing Ning Rongrong's gentle words, Xiao Wu felt she wasn't a bad person.
"Where are we going?" Xiao Wu asked.
"Anywhere is fine. Just not Shit-Green Shrek Academy!" Ning Rongrong replied warmly.
"But..." Xiao Wu hesitated and glanced at Tang San. She couldn't bear to leave him.
Besides, she had no idea where Ning Rongrong planned to take her.
But she knew she had no way to resist Ning Rongrong in her current state. All she could do was go along with her.
And Ning Rongrong didn't seem to be taking her away to hurt her.
The only person Xiao Wu couldn't stop worrying about was Tang San.
"Little San, is it okay if I go away with Rongrong for a while?"
"I'll come back to find you afterward!"
Xiao Wu asked for his permission.
Tang San considered the pros and cons.
Just then,
Dai Mubai, sprawled on the ground like a shrimp, roared, "Little San, you can't!"
"Did you forget? After Zhu Zhuqing was taken away by Ning Rongrong, she became a completely different person!"
"She even dared to swear on her Martial Soul that she'd be my enemy forever!"
"Little San, you don't want Xiao Wu to turn into someone like Zhu Zhuqing, do you?"
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's pleasant mood soured.
"Kitten, you sure know how to get on my nerves!"
"Haven't you had enough shoe prints? Did you come here asking for another helping?"
Ning Rongrong said icily.
After Ning Rongrong finished speaking, the Ice Dragon King above her breathed out a blast of freezing air.
The icy breath engulfed Dai Mubai, and he promptly fell asleep like a hibernating tortoise.
Tang San's mind raced.
Soon, he had weighed the pros and cons and decided what to do.
"Xiao Wu!" Tang San looked at her and said, "Ning Rongrong's a good person. She's trustworthy!"
"Since Rongrong invited you, go with her for a while!"
"I can take care of myself in the meantime. I'll wait for you here at Shit-Green Shrek Academy!"
Tang San spoke gently, and his words carried a note of ingratiation toward Ning Rongrong.
He agreed because he wanted to ease the tension between himself and Ning Rongrong.
Tang San thought Xiao Wu could be a chance for him and Ning Rongrong to repair their relationship and grow closer.
Having clawed his way up from the bottom, Tang San believed that getting closer to people like Ning Rongrong, who came from powerful families, would greatly benefit his future.
Making good connections with the strong was the best way to establish himself on the Douluo Continent!
The truth was,
Tang San's information was simply too limited.
Otherwise, he would never have agreed to let Xiao Wu leave with Ning Rongrong.
Tang San still hadn't realized that Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and he knew very little about such creatures.
In the original story, it was only after he consumed Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and upgraded his Purple Demon Eye that he saw Xiao Wu's true form as a Soul Beast.
Besides,
Tang San didn't know that his father was Tang Hao, the renowned Clear Sky Douluo of the Douluo Continent.
He didn't know that he had been born into the Clear Sky Sect.
And he had no idea that his mother, Ah Yin, was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!
Thinking he had no backing and would have to fight for everything himself, Tang San had weighed the pros and cons and chosen to hand Xiao Wu over to ingratiate himself with Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong was a little surprised by Tang San's answer.
She had assumed Tang San was just like Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun—another rotten scumbag.
But now it seemed Tang San was a little different.
"All right, Little San. I'll leave with Rongrong for a while!" Xiao Wu nodded and said. "Little San, make sure you take good care of yourself while I'm gone!"
"Don't worry. I'll take care of myself!" Tang San replied gently.
Hidden in the shadows, Tang Hao watched everything unfold and sighed.
"Alas, Little San. He really is a foolish child!" Tang Hao sighed.
Then a fierce glint flashed in his deep-set eyes, and battle intent surged in them.
"It's been a long time since I've stretched my muscles. Today, I'll spar with this girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
Tang Hao let his overwhelming aura burst forth, no longer concealing it, and strode forward.
He would never let Ning Rongrong take Xiao Wu away.
In Tang Hao's eyes, if Xiao Wu were taken away, she would never return. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would surely imprison her and covet what she possessed!
From a Soul Master's perspective,
when Tang Hao had first encountered Xiao Wu, his first thought had been to kill the Soul Beast and take her Spirit Bone.
But Tang Hao already had nine Soul Rings and all six Spirit Bones!
Killing Xiao Wu outright would be a waste.
Besides killing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, one could also keep it captive and save it for later.
Then it could be killed when the need arose!
Years ago, when Tang Hao saw how close Tang San and Xiao Wu were, he had let them continue spending time together.
That, too, was a way of keeping her captive—a gentler method that relied on affection rather than violence or force.
And because of Xiao Wu,
Tang Hao had spent all these years hiding in the shadows, silently watching over them and laying his plans.
On the surface, Tang Hao had followed them to protect Tang San.
In truth, he was even more afraid that Xiao Wu's true form as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would be exposed, so he had kept watch over her constantly.
Protecting his son Tang San had merely been a side benefit.
Unfortunately, for all his careful planning, he had still overlooked one thing.