Ning Fengzhi's Helpless Rage

As Xu Peinian spoke, his gaze drifted toward the instruments of torture displayed on the platform outside, placing considerable psychological pressure on Ning Rongrong.

A sudden stench of urine reached Xu Peinian's nose, and he immediately frowned as he looked around.

After scanning the area, Xu Peinian's gaze finally settled beneath Ning Rongrong.

Tsk, whose little dog had wet itself?

Seeing that Ning Rongrong was on the verge of losing her mind, Xu Peinian stopped pressing her. Leaving behind a prison uniform and a clean towel, he unlocked the door and quickly left.

The smell in here truly was unpleasant, and Xu Peinian had no desire to stay any longer.

The next day,

The skies outside were clear and bright, while the prison remained as dim as ever.

Xu Peinian made his way unhurriedly to the cell holding Ning Rongrong.

Looking inside, Xu Peinian discovered that Ning Rongrong was still unconscious, leaning against the iron bars.

Perhaps yesterday's fright had been too great. Her face was visibly haggard, and dried tear tracks still hung at the corners of her eyes.

But Xu Peinian had no intention of showing tenderness now. He walked in and forcefully slammed the iron cell door shut.

With a deafening bang of metal striking metal, Ning Rongrong, who had been asleep, jolted upright.

"Who is it?!"

But once her pupils focused and she saw who had come, Ning Rongrong hurriedly shut her cherry-red lips.

"What, Miss Ning? Are you that afraid of me?"

The corner of Xu Peinian's mouth curled upward as he regarded Ning Rongrong, who sat collapsed on the ground, with an amused gaze.

Ning Rongrong kept her lips tightly sealed and said nothing. Only her watery eyes fixed him with an accusatory look.

"Have you considered yesterday's proposal, Miss Ning?"

Today, he could not be bothered with any foreplay and went straight to the point.

Silence.

Still silence.

Xu Peinian impatiently raised his hand.

"No! I... I accept your conditions."

It seemed this method was more effective.

Xu Peinian's palm gently stroked the top of her head, as though soothing a frightened golden retriever.

Then, he raised his other hand and pinched both sides of Ning Rongrong's lips.

"Be good. Swallow this."

The sharp pain on both sides forced Ning Rongrong to part her lips slightly.

"Mmph, mmh..."

Xu Peinian forcibly shoved a black pill into her mouth. Because it was so large, Ning Rongrong kept gagging while slapping at Xu Peinian's thigh.

Fortunately, the pill melted the moment it entered her mouth. Within seconds, it dissolved completely before turning into scorching medicinal essence that flowed down her throat and into her body.

"Cough, cough... What did you make me eat?!"

Ning Rongrong clawed at her throat with her fingers, seemingly trying to vomit out the medicinal essence she had just swallowed.

"Heh heh, merely a little measure to ensure that our cooperation proceeds smoothly."

Spirit Hall's Protector Xu wore a villainous smile, instantly giving Ning Rongrong a dreadful suspicion.

"Don't worry. It's only a little pill that makes a person's skin rot and their entire body ooze pus until they die."

Ning Rongrong's face instantly turned deathly pale.

For a young lady like her, who cared so deeply about beauty, such a death was even more terrifying than being sliced to pieces.

Seeing that her nerves had already been stretched to their limit, and knowing that further stimulation might make her wet herself again like yesterday, Xu Peinian gently reassured her.

"But you needn't worry. As long as you obediently cooperate and help Spirit Hall establish a partnership with your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the medicine naturally won't take effect."

Ning Rongrong's body trembled as she forced out equally trembling words.

"I'll agree, all right? You... don't do that to me."

"That's more like it." Xu Peinian clapped his hands and chuckled, then loudly berated those outside. "Which blind fool mistook Miss Ning for someone else and locked her in here? Get in here and take Miss Ning away at once. See that she is properly attended to!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the prison doors outside slowly opened. Two men and two women from Spirit Hall immediately entered, as though they had been waiting outside for quite some time.

"Miss Ning, here's to a pleasant cooperation."

Xu Peinian withdrew at an unhurried pace, leaving the four of them to attend to Ning Rongrong, who remained where she was, quietly sobbing.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, council hall.

Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong were gathered together in casual conversation.

They still had no idea what their precious daughter had gone through.

Flender's group had likely assumed Tang Hao would rescue everyone else, so they did not know that Ning Rongrong had been taken away by Spirit Hall.

As for Tang Hao, his son, and Yu Xiaogang, the three of them were already hiding like rats in the gutter. How could they possibly have the energy to send someone to notify the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

"Sect Master, someone outside the mountain gate has delivered a letter. He claims to be from Spirit Hall and says he has an urgent matter to report."

"Bring it to me."

Ning Fengzhi accepted the tightly sealed letter, casually opened it, and began reading its contents.

Several breaths later.

"Bastard!"

The letter was shredded to pieces by Ning Fengzhi's violent aura, and the furious roar that echoed through the hall revealed the boundless rage of its owner.

"Fengzhi, what happened to you?"

Chen Xin and Gu Rong looked at Ning Fengzhi in surprise. In their eyes, Ning Fengzhi had always been a composed gentleman, unflustered no matter what happened.

What could possibly make him lose his composure like this?

"Rongrong was captured by Spirit Hall."

"What? Wasn't Rongrong studying at Shrek Academy? How could Spirit Hall have taken her away? Besides, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has never had any grudge against Spirit Hall. Why would they capture her?"

The two elders who protected the sect were full of confusion, utterly unable to understand how such a situation had come about.

"Hmph, then you should ask the headmaster of Shrek Academy."

Ning Fengzhi clearly held a deep grudge against him.

"Look at what he teaches all day! He actually took his students into the wilderness to gang up on someone, and even with more people, they still couldn't defeat their opponent. In the end, he abandoned Rongrong and ran away with the other students!"

"What?!"

"Bastard!"

Even the seasoned veterans Chen Xin and Gu Rong lost their composure. They were so furious that their white hair whipped wildly behind them without any wind.

However, the three of them were ultimately experienced old hands. They quickly calmed their emotions and began considering a solution.

"This letter...?"

"It was written by someone from Spirit Hall named Xu Peinian. He was the person Shrek's group fought. Rongrong is in his hands now, and he wants me to personally go to Spirit Hall to discuss a matter of cooperation with him."

"This... Sect Master, absolutely not! You are the master of a sect. How can you put yourself in danger? If someone must go, then let this old bag of bones go. Even if I have to stake my life on it, I will bring Rongrong back safely."

Gu Rong immediately tried to dissuade him.

"That's right, Sect Master. Let me or Old Bones go."

Even the usually taciturn Sword Douluo Chen Xin offered his suggestion.

"No, Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone. My mind is made up. That man said I must go personally. For Rongrong's safety, I must make this trip myself."

"Besides, since they want to discuss cooperation with our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they naturally won't do anything to me."

Ning Fengzhi waved his hand, his manner leaving no room for argument.

"Sigh, all right. But someone must accompany you. Otherwise, we won't be at ease."

After some discussion, the three decided that Sword Douluo Chen Xin would accompany Ning Fengzhi to Spirit Hall, while Bone Douluo Gu Rong would remain behind to guard the sect.