Elsewhere, around a corner in the contestants' passage.
Shui Yue'er was still standing on tiptoe, peering toward the entrance. Only after the two figures had vanished completely did she reluctantly withdraw her gaze.
"Wow, that guy Gu Feng really is handsome."
"He's tall and slender, and his steps are so steady when he walks. There's this especially clean aura about him, too."
"Xue Wu, you were close to him just now. Did you notice? He has a really unusual scent, faint but strangely nice."
Xue Wu rapped her on the head in exasperation.
"Getting lovesick again, are you?"
"His girlfriend was watching like a hawk. The way she had her guard up, she practically wanted to eat you alive."
"And you still went sidling up to him. Aren't you afraid of causing trouble?"
Shui Yue'er rubbed her forehead and stuck out her tongue as she retorted,
"Everyone appreciates beauty!"
"Besides, I didn't do anything. I only asked a couple of questions."
"And isn't it perfectly normal for nobles on the continent to have three wives and four concubines?"
"Still, he doesn't look very old. I wonder how strong he is."
Shui Bing'er stood nearby, her expression rather solemn.
"Yue'er, rein yourself in. Those two are definitely no ordinary people."
Shui Yue'er froze for a moment, then asked,
"What's so extraordinary about them? Could they really be harder to deal with than those hulking brutes from the Elephant Armor Sect?"
Shui Bing'er shook her head and spoke as she walked.
"That girl is called Ning Rongrong."
"In Heaven Dou City, there's only one family named Ning with enough standing to sit at the same table as the Heaven Dou Crown Prince."
Xue Wu blurted out,
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
Shui Bing'er nodded.
"Exactly. She's most likely the only daughter