At the time, Flender had guessed that Ning Rongrong and Tang Hao had fought an extremely fierce battle.
However, Flender had been more confident in Tang Hao. He thought Tang Hao would surely defeat Ning Rongrong and teach her a lesson, showing her that ginger really was spicier when it was old.
As it turned out, Ning Rongrong had surprised him again. No, to be exact, she had terrified him!
Ning Rongrong had returned, which meant that the Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao had been defeated!
If Tang Hao had won the Soul Fighting match, then he would have been the one to return, not Ning Rongrong!
Zhao Wuji, standing nearby, was also utterly shaken. His bear-like eyes had gone wide and round, and he could hardly believe it.
"That terrifying existence, Tang Hao, actually got driven off!"
"Oh my god, this is insane! Ning Rongrong actually has the strength to defeat Tang Hao. Is this really the kind of strength a twelve-year-old should have?!"
A monstrous wave surged through Zhao Wuji's heart, and he almost couldn't bring himself to look Ning Rongrong in the eye.
At the same time, Zhao Wuji felt a chill of fear, along with a measure of relief.
He remembered when Ning Rongrong had first entered Shrek Academy and taken the final test. She hadn't used this terrifying ability then.
Otherwise, even if he hadn't held back his cultivation and had used every Soul Skill at his disposal, he still wouldn't have been a match for Ning Rongrong. He would only have been brutally thrashed!
Fear, relief, and awe spread through Zhao Wuji's heart.
Nearby.
Seeing how pale Ning Rongrong looked, as though her blood and energy were depleted, Zhu Zhuqing hurried over to support her and asked with concern, "Rongrong, how are you? Are you okay?"
"Zhuqing, I'm fine!" Ning Rongrong smiled. She even toyed with a lock of hair framing Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face and said, "I'll be fine after a good day's rest!"
"That's good, that's good!" Zhu Zhuqing relaxed, but kept supporting Ning Rongrong, even though she seemed to be all right.
"Rongrong, thank you. If it weren't for you, that masked man would have taken me away!" Xiao Wu came over to thank her.
Then she asked with concern, "Rongrong, are you feeling okay?"
As she spoke, Xiao Wu came closer and gently wrapped her small hands around Ning Rongrong's right arm, supporting her and showing her concern.
In Xiao Wu's eyes, if Ning Rongrong hadn't stepped in to help, that Titled Douluo would surely have taken her away, then cruelly killed her to take her ring and bones!
Just thinking about it made Xiao Wu's delicate body tremble with lingering fear.
Nearby, Flender heard Xiao Wu's words, and his wedge-shaped face instantly darkened. He thought, That silly girl! That was Tang San's father, Tang Hao. How could he possibly hurt you, Xiao Wu?
Ning Rongrong smiled gently and said, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me!"
"Helping you was the right thing to do!"
"After all, you once spoke up for Zhuqing and me, worried about us, and cheered us on!"
"And I can tell you're a good person by nature—kind and innocent. That's why I wanted to help you!"
Ning Rongrong spoke from the heart, her words utterly sincere.
After all, she was only a twelve-year-old girl. She still believed in the goodness of the world and in the existence of true friendship.
"Mm-hmm!" Xiao Wu nodded and said, "Thank you!"
Xiao Wu had already grown fond of Ning Rongrong. She was no longer so resistant to or wary of Ning Rongrong wanting to take her away.
Tang San also came forward at just the right moment and asked with concern, "Rongrong, are you all right?"
"Thank you for stepping in to help. If it weren't for you, that bad person would have taken Xiao Wu away. The consequences would have been unthinkable!!"
Ning Rongrong smiled and replied calmly, "I'm fine. Helping a classmate is the right thing to do."
"By the way, Rongrong, who was that masked expert? Why did he want to take Xiao Wu?"
Tang San asked casually, seizing the opportunity.
In his view, Xiao Wu had to be hiding some unknown secret. Otherwise, that terrifying Titled Douluo wouldn't have gone to such lengths to act.
Tang San wanted to glean some useful information from her.
Ning Rongrong, however, was quite clearheaded. She told him what she could and kept quiet about what she couldn't.
"All I know is that the masked man came from the Clear Sky Sect, the greatest of the Seven Great Sects!"
"And he was incredibly strong. As for who exactly he was within the Clear Sky Sect, I don't know!"
Ning Rongrong spoke calmly.
"The Clear Sky Sect? I'll remember that! I don't care if they're the greatest of the Seven Great Sects or anything else."
"If anyone dares hurt Xiao Wu, then I, Tang San, will stand against them and make them my enemy!"
Tang San clenched his fists and spoke furiously, determination and anger filling his eyes.
"Third Brother, thank you!" Xiao Wu said gratefully.
Ning Rongrong smiled and said casually, "Tang San, you've got quite a lot of nerve, not even fearing the Clear Sky Sect."
Tang San shrugged and said, "If we Soul Masters are afraid to do anything, scared of this and that, we might as well go home and farm!"
"Tang San, you're right," Ning Rongrong replied with a faint smile.
At Tang San's words, Flender's mouth twitched violently. He thought, Little San, you might not know this, but you're from the Clear Sky Sect!
And that masked man just now was your father, Tang Hao!
Little San, you actually want to oppose the Clear Sky Sect and your own father, Tang Hao. Child, are you stupid?
Thank goodness Tang Hao isn't here anymore. Otherwise, Tang San and I would probably both get hammered tonight!
As Flender thought, he also considered how to get Tang San to shut up and stop saying such rebellious things.
Nearby, countless black lines appeared across Zhao Wuji's forehead.
Little San, you've got some nerve, saying things like that...
I hope you don't regret it when you learn the truth someday, and wish you could slap the current you for making such bold declarations...
Zhao Wuji thought this as he glanced at Tang San with a complicated expression.
Right now, neither Flender nor Zhao Wuji could reveal anything about Tang San's background.
Tang Hao had deliberately kept it secret, and the two of them had no right to tell him.
If anyone was going to say it, it had to be Tang Hao himself, as his father!
"Rongrong, do you know why that masked man targeted Xiao Wu?"
Tang San asked. This was what he cared about most.
Then he looked at Xiao Wu, his gaze turning gentle, and asked, "Xiao Wu, do you know why that masked bad guy wanted to take you away?"
"Well..." Xiao Wu hesitated, but still shook her head and said, "I don't know...!"
Xiao Wu wouldn't dare tell anyone she was a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast who had undergone Soul Beast Transformation.
She hadn't yet reached level 60 and was still in the juvenile stage of the three stages of a Soul Beast's transformation into a human. She had no way to protect herself.
If the relevant information leaked, powerful Soul Masters would set their sights on her, and she would face an endless pursuit.
She would also be forced to return to the Star Dou Forest and stay there.
Xiao Wu wasn't close enough to Tang San yet to tell him about her background.
Ning Rongrong smiled. She wasn't foolish enough to reveal a secret this enormous.
She said with a smile, "I don't really know either. Maybe the masked man thought Xiao Wu was pretty and wanted to take her back as his personal maid!"
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong reached out with a pale, jade-white finger and gently tapped the rabbit-ear hair clip.
"Mm..." Xiao Wu blushed and tensed up. Ning Rongrong was much too good at flirting...!
Hearing Ning Rongrong's words, Tang San realized that she didn't want to reveal Xiao Wu's secret.
With his deep cunning, Tang San knew that if he kept pressing, he wouldn't get the answer he wanted. He would only make Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu resent him.
So Tang San followed Ning Rongrong's lead and said, "Xiao Wu really is cute. Even those plain clothes can't hide her beauty! Looks like you should dress even more modestly from now on, Xiao Wu, so those bad people won't set their sights on you!"
Tang San had only meant to joke and ease the tension between them.
But he knew nothing about emotions or romance—he only knew how to kill with Hidden Weapons.
In an instant, Tang San's words offended Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong's brows furrowed.
Just then.
"Little San, you're right. I should be more low-key!" Xiao Wu nodded and said.
In Tang San's view, people should keep a low profile and avoid showing off.
If they stood out too much, they could easily become a thorn in someone's side—and get plucked out!
That was why Tang San had always been so low-key.
Among the Seven Devils, he was even content to call Dai Mubai Boss Dai, keeping his own brilliance hidden.
Tang San believed people should keep a low profile to lull their enemies into complacency.
Then, at the crucial moment, they could reveal their sharp edge and strike their enemies head-on.
Tang San, who hadn't yet evolved his Blue Silver Grass into the Blue Silver Emperor, was utterly ordinary-looking, and his clothes were just as plain.
When he walked down the street, no one would ever mistake him for the protagonist, let alone realize he had terrifying killing Hidden Weapons, Tang Sect techniques, and other methods at his disposal.
On top of that, he didn't understand women's feelings, which was why he'd said something like that.
Xiao Wu felt that, as a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, she shouldn't have dressed so brightly and caught the attention of powerful Soul Masters.
And because she trusted Tang San, she agreed with him.
But Ning Rongrong wasn't having it.
Ning Rongrong raised her delicate brows and said, "Beauty isn't a sin. Human desire is the devil! Xiao Wu is so pretty. If she doesn't dress beautifully, that would be a terrible waste!"
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong shot Tang San a cool glance.
Tang San's words showed that there was something wrong with his worldview.
Ning Rongrong didn't like it.
And after their earlier conversation...
The clever Ning Rongrong had begun to feel a little antipathy toward Tang San.
After Ning Rongrong finished speaking,
Tang San and Xiao Wu both froze for a moment.
But a glimmer shone in Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes as she chimed in, "That's right. Beauty isn't a sin. Human desire is the greatest devil! What's wrong with us girls wearing pretty clothes?"
Seeing how strongly Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had reacted to his words,
Tang San hurriedly changed his tune and said, "That's right. Rongrong and Zhuqing are right! When it comes down to it, I just don't have the ability to protect you yet!"
"Xiao Wu, stay with Rongrong and Zhuqing."
"While you're away, I'll work hard at cultivating and become even stronger!"
"Mm, Third Brother, I'll listen to you!" Xiao Wu nodded.
Then Xiao Wu looked from Ning Rongrong to Zhu Zhuqing, her expression complicated.
Xiao Wu felt that Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were right.
Human desire was the greatest devil.
If people weren't coveting the immense benefits brought by a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, she wouldn't have to keep her head down and hide...
"Rongrong, Zhuqing, you're right. We should dress beautifully!" Xiao Wu nodded, a little moved, as if she'd found a happy family.
She felt she and Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing would surely get along well.
They were all beautiful girls, full of hope for the future!
Nearby.
Dai Mubai, who had been sprawled on the ground but had already woken up, heard this and curled his lip. He thought, "What's this about girls dressing beautifully? It's just a way to please men!"