At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the man Ning Fengzhi had sent to protect Ning Rongrong had returned as well.
"Sect Master... I have failed you. I lost the young miss!"
The subordinate knelt on the floor, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Where did you lose her?"
Ning Fengzhi sat upright in his chair, his expression calm, but the cup in his hand shattered under his grip.
As a businessman, he made a point of never letting his emotions show, but now he could not suppress the anger rising inside him.
"In... in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"While I was taking the young miss to hunt for a soul ring, we suddenly encountered a Beast Tide."
"I did everything I could to protect her as we fled, but we came under attack from large numbers of soul beasts along the way."
"To protect the young miss, I had no choice but to have her hide on her own while I lured the soul beasts away."
The subordinate kept his head lowered. Cold sweat drenched his entire body, and even his voice trembled.
"Rongrong grew up in the sect. Forget surviving alone in the Star Dou Great Forest during a Beast Tide!"
"She might not even survive until the next day in an ordinary forest!"
"How could you dare leave her alone!"
Ning Fengzhi spoke through gritted teeth, his voice icy.
"I truly had no other choice!"
"If I hadn't done that, both the young miss and I would have died in the jaws of those soul beasts!"
The subordinate tried to defend himself.
"Shut up! There's no point saying any of this now. Gather our people and search!"
"Find her alive, or bring back her body!"
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi felt far more despair than Yu Yuanzhen. He