Ning Fengzhi felt that although his disciple Xue Qinghe had said and done nothing inappropriate today,
his instincts told him that something about his disciple was slightly off.
It seemed as though he wanted Ning Fengzhi to leave as soon as possible.
Now, a powerful spiritual consciousness had suddenly appeared nearby, watching them.
Although Xue Qinghe had calmly said it belonged to a friend staying at his residence,
Ning Fengzhi's intuition told him that this friend might be the very reason he wanted him to leave so quickly!
Besides, Ning Fengzhi was quite interested in meeting someone his disciple would call a friend.
"Well..."
Caught off guard by Ning Fengzhi's request to meet Luofan, Xue Qinghe faltered, unable to think of a reply.
"What is it, Qinghe? Is your teacher not allowed to meet this friend of yours?"
Though Ning Fengzhi's gaze remained mild, it put Xue Qinghe under tremendous pressure.
Meanwhile, after Luofan's spiritual consciousness returned to his body, he rose straight from his wicker chair and headed outside.
Some problems only dug deeper into your heart like a needle the more you avoided them.
So the best way to dispel fear was to face it head-on!
Was Xue Qinghe worried that I would return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect if I met its members?
Keeping him hidden like this would not solve anything.
Besides, Xue Qinghe would keep harboring those suspicions afterward!
Since they had crossed paths today, Luofan ought to put his mind at ease.
"Luofan, you..."
As Luofan emerged from the courtyard, Snake Lance Douluo appeared again and blocked his path.
"Uncle She, I know the people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect are here. You don't need to stall me!" Luofan cut him off before he could finish.
While Snake Lance Douluo's unfinished words died in his throat, Luofan slipped past him and headed straight for the entrance of the Crown Prince's Residence!
As Luofan approached, he could hear Ning Fengzhi asking to meet him from a distance, while Xue Qinghe seemed at a loss for how to respond.
"Sect Master Ning, long time no see!" Luofan called out to Ning Fengzhi from afar.
"Brother Luofan!?" Hearing his voice, Xue Qinghe turned and watched Luofan approach, his expression stiffening.
Oh no. The very thing I wanted to avoid has happened after all.
Has Brother Luofan finally come face-to-face with the people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
"Brother Luofan!?"
Ning Rongrong rubbed her eyes with both hands as she watched Luofan approach, hardly able to believe it. Then she cried out happily and bounded over to him.
"Rongrong, you've grown quite a bit in the year since I last saw you!" Looking at the jubilant Ning Rongrong before him, Luofan reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Brother Luofan, I've been so bored all this time you've been away from the sect!"
"There's no one to tell me stories, and you haven't even finished the one about Nezha, the demon pill!"
"And what happened to that Monkey King after he wreaked havoc in Heaven and met the Buddha?"
"And, and, there was that one called Erlang Shen, who took down a cousin with every swing of his axe!"
Ning Rongrong clutched the hem of Luofan's clothes, chattering nonstop.
Luofan's lips twitched at her words.
He had told her so many stories during his time at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, from One Thousand and One Nights to Grimm's Fairy Tales.
But all she remembers are those three rebels who fought Heaven?
Could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Little Demoness have been influenced by those stories about rebels?
"It's Luofan. This boy..."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin naturally recognized Luofan at a glance.
More importantly, he had already seen how extraordinary this boy was when they met a year ago!
Now, after just one year, the boy seemed even more astonishing.
"Luofan? He's been here at the Crown Prince's Residence!?"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered at the sight of Luofan. Then he gave Xue Qinghe a faint, ambiguous smile. "Qinghe, I never would have guessed. You've certainly kept this well hidden from your teacher!"
"Sect Master Ning, I asked Brother Xue not to reveal any information about me!" Hearing the reproach in Ning Fengzhi's words to Xue Qinghe, Luofan spoke up, clearly taking Xue Qinghe's side.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered slightly when he heard Luofan address Xue Qinghe directly as Brother Xue.
Still, he was not surprised.
After all, once Xue Qinghe learned that Luofan possessed a beneficially mutated, nine-story Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and that both his Soul Rings were at the thousand-year level, it was only natural for him to do everything he could to win Luofan over and bind him through emotional ties.
"Luofan, in terms of family seniority, you should call me Uncle. Addressing me as Sect Master Ning is far too distant!"
Ning Fengzhi still wore a gentle expression as he spoke to Luofan.
"Sect Master Ning, I've already left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!" Luofan emphasized in reply.
"I am the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and I never approved your departure!" Ning Fengzhi said, shaking his head.
"Sect Master Ning, the most important thing in dealing with others is knowing your boundaries. Surely you don't need me to remind you of something so simple?"
"I left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect precisely because I knew my boundaries!"
"So I hope you can respect those boundaries as well, Sect Master Ning. That way, we can at least keep things civil on the surface!" Luofan's words were decidedly blunt.
They stirred a quiet anger in Ning Fengzhi's heart.
Since when could a junior speak to me so disrespectfully?
Regardless of Ning Fengzhi's anger, seeing Luofan speak to him so bluntly eased much of Xue Qinghe's anxiety.
Wonderful. It looks like Brother Luofan has absolutely no intention of returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
"Brother Luofan, will... will you come back with me?" Ning Rongrong could not help interjecting, her eyes filled with pleading.
"Rongrong, this world is neither all that big nor all that small. Even if I don't go back, we'll still have plenty of chances to see each other!" Meeting Ning Rongrong's pleading gaze, Luofan nevertheless shook his head.
"Luofan, I didn't think things through back then. I apologize. After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is your home!"
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and spoke.
As the master of one of the Upper Three Sects, Ning Fengzhi had humbled himself considerably by apologizing in person, giving Luofan plenty of face.
But Luofan merely looked at Ning Fengzhi in silence and shook his head again.
"Uncle Jian, take Luofan back to the sect!"
Seeing that persuasion had failed, Ning Fengzhi spoke to Sword Douluo Chen Xin beside him.
At those words, Luofan immediately raised his hand. The nine-story Two Forms Exquisite Pagoda appeared, accompanied by three black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings!
He was certainly no match for Sword Douluo!
But surrendering without a fight was not in his nature!
Before you continue