Identity Exposed

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's council hall.

Ning Fengzhi flipped through the bound intelligence reports. As he read the information written within, the shock in his eyes refused to fade.

"Fengzhi, you've looked over these so many times already. What's the point of reading them again?" Bone Douluo, standing beside Ning Fengzhi, spoke up.

"I just find it unbelievable." Ning Fengzhi placed the letter containing the intelligence on the table. "According to the information we obtained, as well as what our spies investigated in Notting City..."

"That little girl named Wendy is likely the adopted daughter of the former lord of Notting City."

"An ordinary person incapable of cultivation who managed, through her own efforts, to become capable of cultivating—shouldn't such a genius be worth recruiting for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"Add to that her performance at Notting Academy, as well as her martial soul's abilities... To be honest, I truly can't imagine it!"

"Hmph!" Bone Douluo sounded rather dissatisfied. "So what if that's the case? She schemed to send us to Shrek Academy and had us clash head-on with Tang Hao. What a grand scheme!"

"Uncle Bone, strictly speaking, she didn't deceive us, did she?" Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "Shrek Academy does have a hundred-thousand-year-old transformed soul beast. That is also a fact."

"She also warned us to send someone powerful. She merely took advantage of the information gap."

"That's right." Sword Douluo patted Bone Douluo on the shoulder and said approvingly, "That child said the powerful Soul Master would definitely be me. In other words, Old Bones, you just weren't good enough!"

"Fuck!" Bone Douluo glared at Sword Douluo. "If you don't know how to talk, then don't talk. We're discussing serious matters!"

"Enough, enough." Ning Fengzhi interrupted the two before they could start bickering. "Whether it's her knowledge or her abilities, that child is worth recruiting, isn't she?"

Setting aside Xu Qianqian's safe retreat after her fierce battle with Tang Hao in Notting City, just her insights into Soul Masters and soul beasts displayed there were enough.

And then there were the abilities he had witnessed himself—well, merely the tip of the iceberg.

None of those were things a one-ring Soul Master could possess.

"Fengzhi, I understand what you're thinking." Sword Douluo sighed. "But I don't think a terrifying person who solved her own martial soul problem and went from being unable to cultivate to cultivating will join a sect so easily."

"Besides, her identity and our principles... Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand." Ning Fengzhi sighed.

"She and Tang Hao are locked in a fight to the death. Otherwise, she wouldn't have released the information about the hundred-thousand-year-old transformed soul beast to us."

As one of the top sects on the Douluo Continent, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect found it far from difficult to investigate someone when they had even the slightest clue.

The grudge between Xu Qianqian and Tang Hao was one of patricide and the extermination of her clan.

"If only we could meet her again."

Ning Fengzhi sighed, a trace of regret in his voice.

"Fengzhi, if we could capture her, perhaps we could interrogate her and find out..."

"Uncle Bone, put that idea aside for now." Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "Someone who plans three steps ahead with every move—if we can avoid offending her, we should. She's too dangerous."

If Xu Qianqian lacked the ability to protect herself, she would never meet the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in person. And if she truly did meet them, she most likely possessed the ability to escape from Uncle Sword and Uncle Bone.

"You're just too overly cautious." Bone Douluo said helplessly.

The moment Gu Rong finished speaking, a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple delivering intelligence burst through the door and handed Ning Fengzhi a letter marked with the word "Confidential."

"Hm?" Ning Fengzhi opened the envelope. As he read its contents, his expression shifted repeatedly. "Let's go. This time, I'll have to trouble Uncle Bone to accompany me to Heaven Dou City."

"What happened?" Bone Douluo was somewhat bewildered.

"Our spies discovered that Wendy... no, Xu Qianqian, has appeared in Heaven Dou City."

Xu Qianqian had returned to Heaven Dou City several days ago.

Every day, she wandered the streets for a while, looking around here, buying things there, deliberately seeking out the busiest districts.

She put a candied hawthorn skewer into her mouth, her cheeks immediately puffing out. Xu Qianqian walked into a less crowded street and murmured:

"Ning Fengzhi's people aren't blind. They should have noticed me by now."

After returning from Sunset Forest, Xu Qianqian had parted ways with Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo needed to visit Heaven Dou Royal Academy to see his granddaughter, and there was no need for her to follow him around and draw attention.

Dugu Bo had also told her where he lived. She could just visit him there after some time.

After staying in Sunset Forest for several months, Xu Qianqian also wanted to confirm the information on Ning Fengzhi's side.

She wanted a general idea of whether Ning Fengzhi had obtained Xiao Wu, or how far the original plot had progressed.

As for enrolling in Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Xu Qianqian had still told Dugu Bo to wait. There was no rush.

The immortal herbs in Dugu Bo's medicinal garden were the top priority. If Tang San got there first, it would be a huge problem.

What?

Why didn't Xu Qianqian simply pick the immortal herbs herself, or have Dugu Bo take them away?

Come on, you had to recognize them first!

Don't be fooled by how Tang San picked and picked in the original story. That was because he recognized the immortal herbs and could easily identify their effects and varieties.

Xu Qianqian, on the other hand, was completely in the dark.

Dugu Bo's medicinal garden didn't contain only immortal herbs. It also held a large number of other high-grade medicinal ingredients.

Every transmigrator who came to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well somehow immediately knew which herbs were immortal herbs, all because of a few sparse lines from the original novel?

Some transmigrators went even further—just by clinging to the immortal herbs mentioned in Tang San's original story, they dared to jump into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

And they still did not die. That really was protagonist plot armor protecting them.

Tang San had a cultivation technique. If you swallowed two herbs and jumped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, how was that any different from jumping straight into limewater?

That was a place even titled Douluo did not dare enter casually.

"Ah, no rush."

She tossed the candied hawthorn skewer into a trash bin, and Xu Qianqian stepped out from the corner.

"Once I obtain my third spirit ring, I should be able to roughly detect the properties of the medicinal herbs in Dugu Bo's garden."

This had to be handled before Tang San arrived in Heaven Dou City. Otherwise, it would probably become troublesome.

Xu Qianqian stepped out onto the street and had only taken a few steps.

Two figures passing through the crowd came into her view.

"Looks like the main characters have arrived." Xu Qianqian walked over without betraying a hint of emotion.

"Long time no see, young friend Wendy." Ning Fengzhi was the first to greet her, his refined face carrying an air of warmth.

"Yes, it has been several months since I last saw Sect Master Ning and Senior Gu Rong."

"Sect Master Ning's smile is like the warm spring sun. I imagine you have made quite a gain these past few months. Aren't you going to treat me to a meal as thanks?"

"Hehe." Ning Fengzhi was an old fox as well. His smile did not reach his eyes. "If young friend Wendy wishes it, the Seven Treasure Hotel will welcome you at any time."

"Then I'll trouble Sect Master Ning." Xu Qianqian made a gesture of invitation, letting Ning Fengzhi lead the way.

Before long, the three people, each with their own thoughts, arrived at a private guest room in the hotel.

Ning Fengzhi was indeed a businessman. The moment the three arrived, he had already arranged for a banquet to be prepared. The table was laden with dishes, lavish and abundant.

Xu Qianqian sat not too far from Ning Fengzhi. She paid no attention to the dishes on the table and calmly looked across at him, her tone indifferent.

"May I ask whether it is convenient for Sect Master Ning to tell me about his gains at Shrek?"

"Ning has indeed gained something." Ning Fengzhi did not hide it either, smiling gently.

"The information young friend Wendy gave us about the hundred-thousand-year-old transformed spirit beast was true. And wanting us to fight Tang Hao to the death was also true."

"Am I right, young friend Wendy? No—young friend Xu Qianqian."