Xue Qinghe Arrives

Nothing had even been settled yet, and he was already bringing up children.

Ye Yun's face darkened as he pushed Ning Fengzhi toward the door.

"Hey, hey, hey, Uncle hasn't finished yet!"

"Please stop talking and hurry up to find Little San!"

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, who were squatting under the tree counting ants, watched in complete confusion, their faces full of curiosity.

Without another word, Ye Yun shoved Ning Fengzhi out through the courtyard gate, then swung it shut behind him with a crisp clang.

Ning Rongrong tilted her little head and looked at Ye Yun in confusion, asking in a clear, bright voice, "Brother Yun, why did you push my dad out? Did my dad make you angry?"

Before Ye Yun could answer, she immediately waved her little fist, looking very indignant.

"Brother Yun, don't be angry! I'll help you get revenge later and pull out all of Dad's hair!"

Ye Yun was speechless. She really was her father's intimate little padded jacket—filial enough to kill him.

"It's fine. Your dad drank too much fake liquor and his head isn't clear. He's been spouting nonsense the whole time. Don't mind him."

Ning Rongrong did not think too much about it either. She pulled out the game console and said excitedly, "Oh, okay. Then let's keep playing!"

Fine, fine. He would play with them a little longer.

In the blink of an eye, four days passed.

Ye Yun walked out of the laboratory, holding the latest model of the transformation device.

He had to admit, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was truly efficient. The first batch of metal they sent over was enough to upgrade the armor once and add a flight module.

Most of the materials for the self-launching satellite had also been gathered. It should be completed very soon, and after that, the focus would shift to building the Orbital Kinetic Bombardment Cannon.

Just then, the door was kicked open, and Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu rushed in like a gust of wind.

"Brother Yun! Crown Prince Brother is here, and he brought me lots and lots of tasty things!"

Ning Rongrong spread out her little hand. Several pieces of Snow Crystal Cake lay in her palm, glossy white and translucent, delicate and tempting in appearance.

Beside her, Xiao Wu was clutching one piece in each hand, her cheeks stuffed bulging full, only able to make muffled whimpering sounds.

Ning Rongrong held the pastries up in front of Ye Yun, her eyes sparkling and full of anticipation. "Brother Yun, try some."

Ye Yun smiled, picked up a well-shaped piece, and put it into his mouth. The sweet, soft, glutinous flavor melted on his tongue. It really did taste good. He had to admit, the imperial family certainly knew how to enjoy themselves.

"How is it? Isn't it delicious?" Ning Rongrong asked eagerly.

"Mm, it really is good."

Seeing this, Ning Rongrong beamed so widely her eyes curved into crescents. She immediately placed the whole handful of Snow Crystal Cake on the table, grabbed Ye Yun's hand, and started pulling him outside.

"Brother Yun, hurry! I'll take you to ask Crown Prince Brother for a meeting gift!"

Xiao Wu hurried after the two of them. After only a few steps, she suddenly turned back, swiftly grabbed several more pieces of pastry from the table and stuffed them into her mouth, then chased after them with puffed cheeks.

At the same time, in the discussion hall.

Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi sat facing each other, sipping clear tea as they chatted idly.

"Qinghe, you came to the sect today in person. Is there something important?" Ning Fengzhi asked first.

A gentle smile rested at the corners of Xue Qinghe's lips, his tone calm and composed. "Uncle Ning, you jest. Can I not come sit for a while if there is nothing urgent? I have not seen Rongrong for quite some time, and I truly missed her, so I came specially to see her."

His manner was warm and approachable, like an elder brother who doted on his little sister. Not the slightest abnormality could be seen.

Ning Fengzhi gently set down the teacup in his hand.

"To be remembered by the crown prince is Rongrong's good fortune."

After the two of them chatted about ordinary matters for a while longer, Xue Qinghe finally began to reveal his purpose.

"Uncle Ning, I heard someone say that you brought back three geniuses. Might I ask if that is true?"

Ning Fengzhi paused. He had clearly already sealed off the information, so how had he found out?

"That is indeed the case. I met them at Nuoding Academy. I thought their talent was quite good, so I brought them back to be nurtured."

Xue Qinghe was all smiles on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing. Those three children really were geniuses who had not been reported.

Were the people below all useless?! They had actually let three slip through at once! How much of a loss would this cause Spirit Hall?

Hmph! Since they could not even handle such a small matter, then they should not stay in Spirit Hall anymore! What trash!

The anger in his heart flashed past, and Xue Qinghe showed a curious expression.

"Uncle Ning, may I meet those three young geniuses? Qinghe is truly very curious."

Ning Fengzhi hesitated somewhat. Tang San and Xiao Wu were one thing, but the key was Ye Yun.

What he represented was the Universe Continent. Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire were currently allies, Ning Fengzhi also wanted to develop toward a better place. After all, assisting the Heaven Dou Empire and assisting the Penacony Family were the same either way.

And besides, Rongrong might even become Madam Ye Yun. In that case, the two sides would be closer than ever.

If the Heaven Dou imperial family learned about the Universe Continent, then the situation might not be so simple. They definitely would not let such an opportunity slip by. Now was not the time to fall out with them, either. At the very least, they had to wait until Rongrong and Ye Yun's marriage was settled.

"Of course. It's just that one of them has been cultivating these past few days, so you may not be able to see him. I'll..."

Before he could finish, a voice cut him off.

"Crown Prince Brother! I brought Brother Yun to see you!"

Seeing Ning Rongrong pulling Ye Yun and Xiao Wu over, Ning Fengzhi felt his whole mood collapse.

"Ahem, Qinghe, these two are Xiao Wu and Ye Yun. As for the remaining one, Tang San, I'll send someone to call him over now. Xiao Yun, Xiao Wu, this is the current crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe."

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Ye Yun's gaze was calm as he looked Xue Qinghe up and down, then greeted him composedly. Beside him, Xiao Wu also hurriedly bowed in salute.

Before the others could say much, Ning Rongrong had already darted over to Xue Qinghe, grabbed his hand, and shook it gently, her eyes full of expectation. "Crown Prince Brother! You still haven't prepared greeting gifts for Brother Yun and Xiao Wu!"

Ning Fengzhi, standing to the side, immediately frowned and rebuked her in a low voice, "Rongrong! Don't be rude!"

"No matter."

Xue Qinghe smiled warmly, without the slightest intention of blaming her, and raised a hand to gently pat Ning Rongrong on the head.

"They're merely small greeting gifts. It's only proper."

As his words fell, he raised a hand and brushed the soul tool at his waist. Two streaks of light flashed out at once.

Two thousand-year spirit bones in excellent condition, radiating dense fluctuations of spirit power, hovered in midair: a four-thousand-year left leg bone and a five-thousand-year right arm bone.

"Wow! Spirit bones! Crown Prince Brother never even gave me spirit bones."

Ning Rongrong cried out in envy.

Xue Qinghe raised his hand with a smile and said softly, "Little geniuses, these are for you."

But to his surprise, the two children before him showed not the slightest excitement or desire. The little girl even curled her lips somewhat disdainfully.

Their bizarre reaction left Xue Qinghe a little confused. Could Ning Fengzhi have already given them spirit bones?

He had moved really fast. But the quicker he was to win them over, the more it proved how outstanding their talent was.

Seeing Xue Qinghe's stunned expression, Ye Yun nearly wanted to laugh. He himself could not absorb spirit bones, while Xiao Wu was a spirit beast in human form and could not absorb spirit bones before reaching maturity either. It would be strange if the two of them got excited.

The corners of Ning Fengzhi's mouth rose. They were only spirit bones. It was not as if he had not given them any before. With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's vast wealth and power, could they possibly be lacking such things?