Drafting a Leaky Little Quilted Vest

"Dad, you guys got it all wrong. I'm not being threatened; I volunteered to stay here. These past few days I've met Zhuqing, and staying here feels really nice."

"?"

Ning Fengzhi and the others looked at Ning Rongrong in utter confusion, their expressions practically saying: Your subjects are ready for a fight to the death, Your Majesty; why have you surrendered ahead of time?

Ning Rongrong cast a cryptic glance at Xu Peinian, and with his approval, she threw herself into her dad's arms like a returning swallow.

Her cute little head kept burrowing into Ning Fengzhi's chest, and even though Ning Fengzhi had his doubts, a smile couldn't help but break across the corners of his mouth.

"Rongrong, can you tell Dad why you want to stay here? Is it really just because you feel comfortable?"

"That's right, Rongrong, you can tell Sword Grandpa if anything is the matter. You don't have to be afraid."

Sword Douluo Chen Xin chimed in from the side as well.

"Oh, Dad, Sword Grandpa, I've told you several times already. I just want to stay here and study with Zhuqing; it's really not as complicated as you guys think. Besides, Xu Peinian treats me pretty well, and I feel like this place is way better than Shrek Academy."

Sigh.

Seeing that after all this time Ning Rongrong still couldn't read between the lines of what she and her Sword Grandpa were saying, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but heave a depressed sigh inwardly.

If his own daughter really stayed here in Spirit Hall, wouldn't their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect be completely at the mercy of the other side from now on?

Looking at this drafty little quilted vest of his, Ning Fengzhi found it hard to spell out the true situation in public, so he could only look at Xu Peinian and say:

"Little Brother Xu, forgive us for making a spectacle of ourselves. I wonder if I might take my daughter back to the sect for proper discipline myself, without troubling you all at Spirit Hall."

Knowing he couldn't get something for nothing, Ning Fengzhi immediately continued:

"If you allow this, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to reach an agreement with Spirit Hall. We will freely donate ten percent of the sect's annual earnings to Spirit Hall as a gesture of our sect's respect for your organization's care for all soul masters and commoners under heaven."

Tsk, trying to buy him out with money?

Xu Peinian chuckled inwardly. He knew that as the wealthiest sect under heaven, pulling out ten percent of their profits was already a staggering fortune, but his ambitions went far beyond that.

"Whether Miss Ning goes back or not is her own affair, and we won't interfere with her choice. As for the matter of cooperation between our two sides, I think it's best to discuss the details after Miss Ning makes her stance clear."

Ning Rongrong's pupils constricted, but she still had to bite the bullet, hug Ning Fengzhi's arm, and press on with her act:

"Dad, just let me study here, won't you?"

Seeing that Ning Fengzhi remained unmoved, Ning Rongrong directly resorted to throwing a young-lady tantrum:

"Hmph, if you won't let me stay here, I'll die right here to show you!"

"Rongrong, you!"

Ning Fengzhi thought Ning Rongrong was just speaking in anger, completely unaware that this was actually the truth.

"Sigh."

After a brief silence, Ning Fengzhi let out a long sigh, seeming to age a decade in an instant.

"Fine, then stay here. If you run into any problems you can't solve, remember to tell Dad. Dad will always be your strongest backing."

Hearing these words from Ning Fengzhi almost made Ning Rongrong burst into tears, but she had to hold back. Otherwise, not only would her skin rot away and kill her, but her father and Sword Grandpa would also fall into grave danger.

"Alright, you run along outside first. Dad needs to discuss the follow-up cooperation with them."

Ning Fengzhi stroked his daughter's hair and said softly.

"Mhm."

Ning Rongrong forced herself to pull it together and managed a smile at her dad, then turned around and left with a heavy heart.

"Sect Master Ning, can we properly discuss the matter of our cooperation now?"

Xu Peinian's voice rang out in the hall, interrupting this heartwarming scene of father-daughter affection.

"Xu Peinian, is it? What on earth do you want?!"

Once his daughter was gone, Ning Fengzhi lost his previous gentle and calm demeanor, turning sharp.

Oh, so the old fox is dropping the act?

Xu Peinian knew that with Ning Rongrong's clumsy acting, it was impossible to successfully pull the wool over the eyes of a millennium-old fox like Ning Fengzhi.

Even though Ning Fengzhi didn't know what was forcing his daughter to stay here, he was certain she wasn't doing it of her own free will.

"Sect Master Ning, rest assured. As long as our two sides reach an agreement, your daughter naturally won't face any problems."

"You! Sigh, very well, then state your conditions first."

No matter how old the fox, once you pinch its lifeline, it has no choice but to receive the blow passively.

"Since Sect Master Ning has put it that way, I won't beat around the bush. We want money, and we want people, too."

"From now on, all disciples within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must be dispatched to various places under Spirit Hall for five years of experiential training, and the number of disciples training at any given time must not be less than one-third."

"And as for the wealth earned by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect each year, we want at least four tenths."

Xu Peinian spoke with extreme tyranny. With Spirit Hall at his back, he had the confidence to do so.

Yet as nominal allies, they naturally still had to offer a few benefits.

"However, Sect Master Ning can rest assured that we will also put forth sufficiently generous conditions. At the very least, from now on, everyone in your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will receive the protection of Spirit Hall, and Spirit Hall is willing to clear the path for your industries."

As a calculating old fox, Ning Fengzhi would never accept such a bullying clause. He immediately flicked his sleeve in anger and declared:

"Your Spirit Hall really has a lion's appetite! Even if I die right here, this sect master will never agree to such terms!"

Naturally, no normal person would easily agree to terms like this.

Yet this sort of cooperative trade was just like doing business. In business, the seller naturally had to inflate the price first so that both sides had enough room to bargain.

"Sect Master Ning, calm your agitation. If you can't accept these terms, we can talk about it slowly. The remaining details will be discussed with you in full by Elder Golden Crocodile. I'll step outside first to check on Miss Ning."

A hint of threat was embedded in Xu Peinian's words. It hit Ning Fengzhi like a basin of cold water, and he immediately collected himself.

Everything is going according to plan... Xu Peinian stepped out of the hall in satisfaction, directly leaving behind this battlefield without gunpowder.

I'll leave the remaining details to Grandpa Golden Crocodile and the rest to hash out. My task is complete; next up, time to go back and tease some cats and dogs!

The intense arguments behind him gradually faded away, and Xu Peinian soon reached the path outside.

"Please wait a moment, Young Master Xu."

A female attendant appeared before Xu Peinian, evidently a member of personnel within Spirit Hall.

"Something the matter?"

Xu Peinian raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Young Master Xu, Her Holiness the Pope requests an audience."

The female attendant held a very low posture, but her tone brooked no refusal.

The Pope? That woman Bibi Dong has never summoned me before; why would she suddenly send someone to pass along a message today?

Never mind, I'll find out once I get there. Anyway, this place isn't far from the Elder Hall. She has endured for so long; there's no way she would make her ambitions known by making a move on a nobody like me.

"Lead the way."

Having weighed things over, Xu Peinian spoke indifferently to the attendant.