Reunion with Qian Renxue

She Long, the Snake Spear Douluo, stood outside the door with a smile on his face.

Just a few days ago, as a titled Douluo of Spirit Hall, he had been among the first to learn of Ning Yao's "identity."

Abundance Douluo Ning Yao, a level 95 healing-type Super Douluo, bearer of two hundred-thousand-year soul rings.

Yet he had remained half-convinced and half-skeptical of that information.

After all, the rest was one thing, but wasn't level 95 a little too implausible?

He was a titled Douluo himself, and a member of the Consecration Hall besides, so he understood the distinctions in strength above level 90 particularly well.

In all his years, he had never seen a level 95 titled Douluo casually solo a hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape with a wave of his hand—especially not one who was a healing type.

For someone like him, who had witnessed Ning Yao's divine power, didn't that sound a little too fake?

By his own estimation, Ning Yao had to be at least level 97 or higher.

Still, despite his doubts, he remained utterly respectful on the surface.

Everyone knew that some reclusive old monsters had eccentric, temperamental personalities. What if this was Senior Ning Yao's little hobby—playing the pig to eat the tiger?

No matter what, he would never be the one to ask.

He believed his life was worth less than that hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape's. If Ning Yao truly took offense, there would be no way he would survive.

"Senior, this way, please. The young mistress is already waiting for you."

With a beaming smile, the Snake Spear Douluo stepped aside and gestured for Ning Yao to enter.

Ning Yao gave a slight nod.

"Lead the way, Snake Spear Douluo."

Before long, the two left the apartment building and arrived on the street.

They walked side by side as though taking an ordinary stroll, but the one thing that made Ning Yao somewhat curious was that they seemed to be heading in the wrong direction.

Was this the road to Spirit Hall? That couldn't be right.

Following the flow of pedestrians, the two eventually stopped beside a massive building.

Soto City Great Spirit Arena.

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the large characters on the plaque before him.

It really was a familiar place.

"Senior, please."

The two made their way to the top floor of the Great Spirit Arena, where the Snake Spear Douluo personally pushed open the doors for Ning Yao.

Entering the lavish room at the very top of the Great Spirit Arena, Ning Yao saw a golden-haired young woman dressed in white casual attire.

Qian Renxue sat leisurely at the table, brewing the emerald-green tea leaves placed on the glass tea table before her.

The boiling water gave off wisps of white steam. She had clearly been waiting for quite some time.

The moment Ning Yao entered the room, Qian Renxue rose to her feet.

Only after the Snake Spear Douluo entered as well and casually closed the door behind him did Qian Renxue smile at Ning Yao. She placed one hand over her chest and gave a slight bow.

"Qian Renxue, young mistress of Spirit Hall, pays respects to Senior Abundance Douluo Ning Yao."

Ning Yao smiled in return, taking it as a reciprocal greeting.

Under the Snake Spear Douluo's guidance, Ning Yao sat opposite Qian Renxue at the tea table. After he was seated, Qian Renxue and the Snake Spear Douluo sat down as well.

"Senior Ning Yao, I never expected that the second time I heard news of you would be within Spirit Hall."

As she personally poured tea for Ning Yao and the Snake Spear Douluo, Qian Renxue spoke.

At first, she had mobilized all her resources and connections to investigate Ning Yao's identity, only to find nothing at all.

Yet just as she was preparing to abandon the investigation the next day, she suddenly received information that the Snake Spear Douluo had obtained from within Spirit Hall.

A healing-type titled Douluo had undergone certification at the Soto City Spirit Hall Branch.

The sudden turn of fortune left Qian Renxue, who had expended countless resources and manpower, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Still, it was good news in the end. At last, she had confirmed that Ning Yao truly was a reclusive powerhouse with no faction and no one by his side.

That fact alone firmly secured Ning Yao at the very top of the list of people she needed to recruit.

Across from her, Ning Yao merely smiled noncommittally upon hearing Qian Renxue's words.

"One needs some sort of identity when traveling the continent."

As soon as he said that, Qian Renxue's eyes lit up. An identity? Could it be that what Ning Yao wanted was power?

But the next moment, seeing Ning Yao's expression and recalling the message from the Consecration Hall that Ning Yao had refused to join them, she immediately realized her mistake.

This identity was not that kind of identity. What Ning Yao sought might not be a status representing power, but one that would allow him to live freely and without worry.

Thinking of this, Qian Renxue felt a trace of bitterness in her heart. It seemed recruiting Ning Yao would not be as simple as she had imagined.

Even so, her hands did not stop moving.

She raised her tea and toasted Ning Yao.

"Regardless, I must first thank you, Senior, for saving our lives."

"If you had not come to our aid that day, I fear the Snake Spear Douluo and I truly would have remained forever in the perilous Star Dou Great Forest."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue set down her teacup and took out two rings gleaming with silver light from her pocket.

Storage rings, and clearly top-quality ones at that. They were not comparable to ordinary storage rings.

"These are the items promised in advance as repayment for you, Senior. Please accept them."

"If you ever run short in the future, you may come to Spirit Hall. No matter what you need, as long as you ask, someone from Spirit Hall will pay the bill. You need not pay any price at all; everything can be charged to Spirit Hall."

Qian Renxue placed the two silver rings on the tea table and pushed them toward Ning Yao.

"There are five million and one million inside, respectively. I hope you will not find them insufficient, Senior."

Although this was all the wealth she currently possessed, handing it over to Ning Yao did not make Qian Renxue feel the slightest heartache. She had not hesitated even once from beginning to end.

Exchanging money for the goodwill of a healing-type Super Douluo was more than worthwhile.

It was not just her; it was also the consensus of her grandfathers.

Of these gold soul coins, she had contributed one million herself. After all, she played the role of the empire's crown prince, Xue Qinghe, every day and spent most of her time in Heaven Dou City. Her food, clothing, lodging, and travel were all provided for, so she truly did not carry much money on her. Thus, she had sought help from her grandfathers.

They had originally intended to give more, but while the members of the Consecration Hall were each overlord-level powerhouses, they had long withdrawn from the world and barely had any money on them.

Even the five million had been scraped together with great difficulty.

Still, those problems were not important. As long as Ning Yao asked, Spirit Hall could pay for him forever.

She believed that woman would not refuse, either.

Although they had always been at odds, they were both members of Spirit Hall. They would certainly act in Spirit Hall's interests.