The Bond Between Ning Rongrong and Tianlin (2)

A month had passed since the last incident, and Ning Rongrong had more or less grown accustomed to her new life.

For Tianlin, who had gone through nine years of compulsory education, handling a little girl like Ning Rongrong was all too easy.

At first, she would still slack off now and then. Tianlin implemented a punishment system at the time: her days off would be shortened, and the time she had wasted slacking would have to be made up. Ning Rongrong suffered miserably because of it, her little mouth hanging so low every day that it could have held an oil bottle.

To preserve what little time she had left for eating, drinking, and playing, she had no choice but to devote herself to cultivation. Then Tianlin suddenly changed course and began implementing a reward system.

If she cultivated diligently today, she would get an extra meal in the evening and be allowed to go out and play.

If she achieved good results in cultivation today, she would be allowed to finish class early in the afternoon.

If she went several days in a row without slacking off, she would get an extra day off that week.

Tempted by all sorts of rewards, Ning Rongrong's enthusiasm for cultivation greatly increased. Moreover, Tianlin gave her different rewards every time, often keeping things fresh for her.

Gradually, Ning Rongrong's way of addressing Tianlin changed from "annoying guy" to "brother"—though she insisted on adding "Sword" in front of it. Tianlin objected several times, but she shot him down every time.

In her words, Sword Douluo, who used a sword, was Sword Grandpa. Naturally, Tianlin, who also used a sword, was Brother Sword. What was wrong with that? Tianlin had no rebuttal.

In truth, Ning Rongrong was doing it on purpose. She knew Tianlin disliked the title, but that was exactly why she called him that. Rule number one of being a devil girl: the more someone disliked something, the more she had to do it.

Did they really think the Little Devil Girl would completely forget a grudge over such minor favors? This was Ning Rongrong's revenge.

Because she had meditated without slacking off at all this month, Ning Rongrong's Soul Power successfully broke through level ten. After obtaining her Soul Ring, she even reached a level close to twelve.

Her first soul skill was also the same as in the original story: Power Amplification.

During this time, Ning Fengzhi secretly came to check on them several times. He found that not only had the two children stopped arguing, but their relationship was growing better and better. More importantly, Ning Rongrong, who had originally neglected cultivation, had actually become diligent. He immediately felt that his previous decision had been exceptionally wise.

One evening, after washing up, Tianlin entered meditation early.

Just then, Ning Rongrong excitedly pushed open the door and skipped inside. "Brother Sword, I've finally mastered the first stage of Heart Separation Control, the Three Aperture Heart Control! How are you going to reward me?"

But Tianlin gave no response. He was currently circulating his Soul Power with all his strength.

"What? You entered deep meditation this early?" Ning Rongrong looked as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her.

She sat beside Tianlin and smiled as she looked at his face. "Brother Sword may be an annoying guy, but he really is good-looking!"

"Fine, then this young lady will cultivate with you today!"

With that, Ning Rongrong sat cross-legged beside Tianlin and entered meditation as well.

The next morning, as the rising sun appeared, Ning Rongrong was the first to awaken from meditation. She blankly sensed the Soul Power within her body.

The Soul Power she had gained in a single night had actually exceeded her usual progress by so much.

When Tianlin opened his eyes, he saw Ning Rongrong staring at him intently. "Rongrong, why did you come to my room so early today?"

"I didn't come early. I've been here since last night. Brother Sword, are you hiding something from me? Why does Soul Power cultivate so much faster when I'm beside you?" Ning Rongrong stared fixedly at Tianlin, as if she wanted to see straight through him.

Tianlin realized something was wrong. He had been exposed. Uncle Ning had repeatedly warned him not to tell anyone about the Holy Breath Barrier. It was all because he had been too careless. Since they were inside the sect, Tianlin had let down his guard and had not even noticed Rongrong coming to sit beside him.

If they had been outside, he definitely would not have entered such deep meditation.

Tianlin was desperately trying to come up with an excuse, but Ning Rongrong had become much smarter after following Tianlin around lately. She immediately said, "Brother Sword, don't lie to me. Your eyes are darting around. I know you're thinking of an excuse."

Tianlin froze. When had this girl become so smart? But he could not reveal the matter of his Twin Martial Souls—absolutely not. Given Ning Rongrong's love of showing off, she would surely boast about it everywhere. My Brother Sword has Twin Martial Souls. He's a super genius, and he dotes on me the most. Let's see who dares bully me. He'll beat you all up in the future.

Within three days, the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would know, and then news would spread throughout the Heaven Dou Empire.

Left with no choice, Tianlin could only reveal a tiny bit of his secret in another way. He lied to Ning Rongrong, saying that he possessed a Gemstone Spirit Bone given to him by Ning Fengzhi. The Spirit Bone had little offensive ability, but it could release a barrier that accelerated the cultivation progress of other possessors of gemstone-type Martial Souls.

Ning Rongrong believed him completely. He had even told her about something as rare as a Spirit Bone—how could it possibly be fake?

Tianlin said this because he still wanted Ning Rongrong to keep it secret. After all, Ning Rongrong knew just how sensitive the subject of Spirit Bones was among soul masters. Especially a Spirit Bone that could accelerate other people's cultivation—it would certainly drive people mad.

Ning Rongrong immediately promised that she would not tell anyone.

She did not really want to tell anyone anyway. Such a huge benefit—if she told others, a whole crowd would surely gather around Tianlin to cultivate. Wouldn't it be better to enjoy it all by herself? So that very day, Ning Rongrong moved all her clothes and bedding over. From now on, this would be her room too.

With cultivation progressing so much faster here, she would have to be an idiot to refuse such a huge benefit.

Tianlin smiled helplessly. Tang San had slept in the same bed as Xiao Wu since childhood and had eventually won her over. He had not expected it to be his turn today.

And the one in Tang San's home was a hundred-thousand-year rabbit spirit, old enough to be Tang San's great-great-great-great-grandmother. It was hard to say who had tricked whom. But the one on Tianlin's side was a genuine loli.

Am I really looking at three years minimum, with the death penalty as the maximum?

"Heave-ho!"

But when Tianlin saw Ning Rongrong obediently making up her own bed with a cute smile on her face, he suddenly felt that three years would be a bargain and the death penalty would be no loss! Then Tianlin went to see Ning Fengzhi and gave him a heads-up, lest Ning Rongrong later ask why he had given Tianlin a Spirit Bone but not her, and Ning Fengzhi exposed the lie through sheer confusion.

Tianlin had even prepared the excuse. This Spirit Bone could only amplify others and not its wearer, which was why it had specifically been given to Tianlin—so that he could use it to help Ning Rongrong cultivate. It was all because Ning Fengzhi loved her.

Thus, this innocent and clueless little loli was thoroughly arranged by the two of them.

Still, Ning Fengzhi felt that this was fine. Ning Rongrong could enjoy the Holy Breath Barrier's amplification ahead of time. Though he was a sect master, he was also a father, and he could not help being somewhat biased toward his own daughter.