The Holy Son Returns to the City, Shocking Everyone!

Dugu Bo hurried forward, looking Ning Chen up and down before asking with concern:

"Young Master, you're finally back! You didn't run into any trouble along the way, did you?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. What trouble could there be?" Ning Chen waved a hand, signaling that he needn't worry.

His gaze passed over Dugu Bo and fell on the pretty young girl behind him.

Dugu Yan was staring at him with bright, sparkling eyes filled with joy and shyness.

A smile tugged at Ning Chen's lips as he stepped toward Dugu Yan.

Under Dugu Yan's somewhat flustered gaze, he took a neatly folded emerald-green dress from his storage soul tool.

"W-what are you doing?"

Dugu Yan looked at the dress Ning Chen was handing her, her cheeks flushing slightly as she asked nervously.

Ning Chen stuffed the dress into her hands and said matter-of-factly:

"Of course it's for you. Didn't I say I'd bring you something nice?"

Dugu Yan lowered her head and looked at the dress in her arms.

It was a long dress made of the finest silk, a pure emerald green in color. Delicate vine patterns had been embroidered across it in golden thread, gleaming faintly beneath the lights.

This dress was way too beautiful...

Dugu Yan's heart felt as sweet as honey, yet she stubbornly refused to admit it.

She lifted her head and gave a deliberately aloof snort.

"Hmph, it's so ugly. I don't want it."

Ning Chen nearly laughed when he saw her acting so contrary to her feelings.

He did not expose her. Instead, he sighed as if regretful and held out his hand.

"Fine. Since Miss Dugu doesn't like it, forget it. If you don't want it, I'll give it to another girl later. There are plenty of pretty girls in town."

The moment she heard that, Dugu Yan panicked.

Like a kitten guarding its food, she hugged the dress tightly to her chest, took a step back, and eyed Ning Chen warily.

"I only said it was ugly. I never said I didn't want it!"

"Pfft..."

"Ha ha ha..."

Ning Chen and Dugu Bo could no longer hold back when they saw how adorable she looked, and they burst out laughing together.

Dugu Yan's face turned bright red in an instant. Hugging the dress, she stomped her foot in embarrassment and annoyance.

"What are you laughing at?! Stop laughing!"

After the laughter died down, Ning Chen wiped the smile from his face and turned serious.

"All right, I'll stop teasing you." He looked at Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan and said slowly,

"Now that our personal matters are settled, it's time for us to go to Spirit Hall."

At the mention of "Spirit Hall," Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan both grew serious.

Ning Chen, meanwhile, sighed quietly to himself.

I wonder how furious that woman, my teacher, is by now.

I just hope she'll hit me a little lighter later...

Night fell, and the city lights came on.

As the sacred land in the hearts of soul masters throughout Douluo Continent, Wuhun City's prosperity and grandeur were beyond comparison with any other city.

The city blazed with lights, bright as day. Carriages and pedestrians filled its broad streets in an endless stream.

Ning Chen led Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan straight to Wuhun City's main gate without obstruction.

At the gate, a squad of Spirit Hall guards in silver armor and carrying long spears were meticulously inspecting everyone entering and leaving the city.

"Stop!"

A guard who appeared to be the squad captain extended his spear, blocking the path of Ning Chen and the other two.

His gaze swept across the three of them, his eyes narrowing slightly as he asked in an official tone:

"Routine inspection! Names? Where are you from? What is your purpose in coming to Wuhun City?"

Dugu Bo frowned. As a dignified Titled Douluo, he had always been treated with the utmost respect wherever he went. When had he ever been subjected to such questioning?

Just as he was about to release a trace of his pressure and make these blind fools get lost, Ning Chen spoke first.

Ning Chen stepped forward, removed the hood that had been concealing his face, and revealed his handsome features.

He raised his chin, looked at the guard captain, and said impatiently:

"Hey, why don't you open your damn eyes and take a good look at who I am?"

That arrogant attitude, that familiar handsome face...

The guard captain froze at first, then seemed to remember something and abruptly widened his eyes.

He stared fixedly at Ning Chen's face, examining it carefully for several seconds. The expression on his face shifted from confusion to shock, then finally to wild joy and excitement.

Thud!

The guard captain even dropped his spear as he fell to one knee, his voice trembling violently with excitement.

"H-Holy Son! The Holy Son has returned!"

His cry was powerful enough to instantly carry across the entire gate area.

The surrounding travelers waiting in line for inspection, along with the other guards, all froze upon hearing the words "Holy Son."

Spirit Hall's Holy Son? That legendary personal disciple of the Pope, Lord Ning Chen, the man who was never seen in public?

Every gaze snapped toward Ning Chen.

"Oh my god, it really is the Holy Son! I saw him once from afar at a Spirit Hall celebration. There's no way I could be mistaken!"

"He's so handsome... a hundred times more handsome than the rumors said!"

"Wasn't the Holy Son always in seclusion at Pope Hall? Why is he returning from outside the city?"

The crowd instantly erupted into waves of discussion and cries of surprise.

After their brief shock, the guards all came to their senses and dropped to one knee in perfect unison, their armor clinking crisply.

"Welcome home, Holy Son!"

Their resounding voices echoed through the area.

Dugu Yan, standing behind Ning Chen, stared at the exaggerated spectacle before her with her little mouth slightly open.

Although she had already learned Ning Chen's identity from her grandfather, seeing this scene with her own eyes still left her deeply shaken.

So this was the presence of Spirit Hall's Holy Son?

Just showing his face was enough to make so many people bow before him.

Ning Chen had long since grown accustomed to such scenes. He waved a hand and said calmly:

"Ahem. All of you, get up."

Then he looked at the guard captain who had recognized him first and ordered:

"Go notify Elder Ju immediately. Tell him I'm back and have him come to the gate to receive me."

"Yes, Holy Son!"

The guard captain accepted the order excitedly, scrambled to his feet, and sprinted toward the city at the speed of a hundred-meter dash.

Ning Chen folded his arms across his chest and waited leisurely where he stood.

He had deliberately wanted to make such a huge commotion.

He had been missing for so many days. His teacher must have been worried sick, and Spirit Hall must have been thrown into complete chaos.

Now that he had returned so publicly, word would soon reach his teacher's ears. At least it would prepare her and let her know that he was safe and sound.

As for the storm he would face later... he would deal with that later.