Departure for Heaven Dou Great Forest

"All right. Pinky promise."

Xiao Shenghe smiled and hooked his little finger solemnly around her slender, soft one.

The last rays of sunset fell over the two children, gilding them with a warm glow that seemed, for a moment, to shut out every disturbance beyond them and every peril ahead.

Nearby, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong watched the heartwarming scene, their solemn expressions softening despite themselves.

Relief showed in Ning Fengzhi's eyes.

He was glad to see such a pure, deep bond between his daughter and Xiao Shenghe.

It was more than a friendship between two children. In a sense, it was also an emotional tie binding Xiao Shenghe, with his earth-shaking secret, more closely to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Chen Xin stroked his beard, the corner of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly.

That boy could face them calmly and say astonishing things, yet before Rongrong, he became her gentle, dependable older brother again.

His character was sound enough.

Gu Rong chuckled and lowered his voice to Chen Xin.

"See that, old man? Our little princess found herself a 'protective charm.' For Rongrong's sake, that boy would probably charge through mountains of blades and seas of fire."

Chen Xin glanced at him without a word, but when his gaze returned to Xiao Shenghe, there was something new in his scrutiny.

A moment later, Ning Rongrong seemed to remember something. She poked her head out of Xiao Shenghe's arms and looked at Ning Fengzhi, pleading sweetly,

"Daddy, you're going to that huge forest tomorrow. Rongrong wants to go too! I want to watch Brother He get stronger!"

Ning Fengzhi laughed helplessly. He walked over and gently pinched his daughter's cheek.

"Nonsense. The depths of Heaven Dou Great Forest are full of danger. That's no place for you. Stay here at the sect and wait for your Brother He and us to return safely."

Ning Rongrong's little mouth drooped, and she looked ready to unleash her ultimate weapon of wheedling and stubbornness. Xiao Shenghe hurried to coax her in a gentle voice.

"Be good, Rongrong. The forest really is dangerous."

"Stay at home and wait for us. I promise you'll be the first person I tell about everything that happened, all right?"

"Maybe I can even bring you back a pretty little gift from the forest."

At the word "gift," Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. Then she saw her father's unyielding expression and nodded reluctantly, though she still held Xiao Shenghe's hand tight.

"Then you have to be careful! And come back soon!"

"I will. I promise." Xiao Shenghe's answer was solemn.

The sun sank completely below the horizon, and darkness gathered. Ning Fengzhi took Ning Rongrong's hand and said to Xiao Shenghe,

"Shenghe, get a good night's rest. Clear your mind and bring yourself into the best condition you can. We leave first thing tomorrow."

"Yes, Uncle Ning."

The next morning.

Morning mist still lingered before the gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Ning Fengzhi had personally escorted Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and Xiao Shenghe there.

"Sect Master, you and Rongrong can head back. There's no need to see us off any farther."

Dressed in white with an ancient sword case on his back, Chen Xin stood straight as a pine as he spoke to Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi nodded. His gaze passed over Xiao Shenghe, who was brimming with energy and anticipation, before settling on Chen Xin. He gave his instructions gravely.

"All right. Uncle Jian, take care. Obtaining a Soul Ring matters, but the safety of all three of you matters more—especially Shenghe's. Don't let him put himself in danger."

He knew Chen Xin's and Gu Rong's strength, but danger lurked at every turn in the depths of Heaven Dou Great Forest. Their target this time was a high-level Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. They could not afford the slightest carelessness.

"Mm. Don't worry."

Chen Xin's brief reply was steady and firm, carrying a confidence that inspired trust.

Just then, Ning Rongrong, who had been clutching Ning Fengzhi's robe, darted forward like a little bird. She did not run to her father. Instead, she went straight to Xiao Shenghe, who was about to leave, and threw her arms around his waist.

"Brother He,"

Ning Rongrong tilted up her little face. Her eyes were faintly red; she clearly had not slept well. Her voice was thick with a sniffle and unconcealed attachment.

"You have to come back safe. You have to!"

Her little hands gripped him tightly, as though he would disappear the moment she let go.

Warmth stirred in Xiao Shenghe's chest. He crouched to meet Ning Rongrong's eyes and said earnestly,

"Don't worry, Rongrong. I will. I promised to protect you, and I won't break my word."

He raised a hand and gently wiped away a tear poised at the corner of her eye.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong saw this and chuckled, mischief written across his face.

Watching his daughter cling so closely to Xiao Shenghe, Ning Fengzhi felt a swell of emotion. He smiled and said,

"Rongrong, let go now. Don't delay your Brother He, Grandpa Jian, and Grandpa Gu."

Only then did Ning Rongrong reluctantly release him, though her eyes remained fixed on Xiao Shenghe.

As Xiao Shenghe stood and prepared to follow the two Douluo, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who had barely spoken...

He watched Ning Rongrong's wholehearted reliance on Xiao Shenghe and her reluctance to part from him, then looked at the boy soothing her so gently. For some reason, an exceedingly subtle feeling brushed through him—one he himself found rather inexplicable.

It was almost as if the little cabbage he had tended so carefully and watched grow up no longer looked to him alone as the person she trusted and loved most.

His habitually stern face did not change. His gaze merely swept over Ning Rongrong's small hand clutching Xiao Shenghe's robe and then over Xiao Shenghe's face. After that, he gave a soft cough, as if by chance.

"Ahem."

The cough was quiet, but everyone present had considerable Soul Power cultivation and heard it clearly.

Sure enough, it caught Ning Rongrong's attention. She turned, blinking her big eyes at Chen Xin. "Grandpa Jian? What's wrong? Does your throat hurt?" Her concern was entirely sincere.

Chen Xin: "..."

Looking into his little granddaughter's clear, worried eyes, he felt most of that subtle emotion—one he refused to admit was jealousy—vanish at once, replaced by the comfort of being cared for.

But that Xiao Shenghe boy still looked... a little irritating.

Especially with the place he seemed to hold in little Rongrong's heart growing larger by the day.

"I'm fine."

Chen Xin's voice was even. He turned to Xiao Shenghe, his tone seemingly sterner and more businesslike than usual.

"Shenghe, it's getting late. Time to go. We have a long journey ahead, so keep up and don't dawdle."

Without waiting for Xiao Shenghe's reply, he turned and stepped forward. In a blink he was several yards away, white robes fluttering, as though putting the sight out of mind.

Xiao Shenghe froze, baffled. Grandpa Jian seemed especially... brisk today? He quickly nodded once more to Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong. "Uncle Ning, Rongrong, I'm off."

Bone Douluo Gu Rong brought up the rear. He had caught every subtle change in Chen Xin's expression, along with that cough.

He ambled over to Ning Fengzhi and looked at the backs of the old man and the boy ahead. Lowering his voice, he waggled his eyebrows, unable to hold back a grin.

"Fengzhi, did you see that? That old sword bastard... tsk, tsk. I think he feels that boy has 'stolen' our little Rongrong, and now he's sour about it! Ha!"

Meanwhile, on the road to Heaven Dou Great Forest.

Xiao Shenghe followed Chen Xin, struggling to match the Titled Douluo's pace. Chen Xin appeared unhurried, yet every step carried him several yards. Xiao Shenghe was still puzzling over Grandpa Jian's slightly strange attitude.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong soon caught up at his leisure. Walking beside Chen Xin, he glanced sideways at his friend's expressionless profile and deliberately drew out his words.

"My, Old Chen, why the rush?"

"It's not as if we're hurrying to put out a fire. We're finding the boy a 'support Soul Ring.' We need to plan this properly. No rushing it."

Chen Xin kept his eyes straight ahead.

"The sooner we go, the sooner we return."

Gu Rong kept teasing him.

"True. The sooner we're back, the sooner a certain someone can rest easy instead of worrying whether the little cabbage at home has been... ahem, whether she misses him."

"That's enough!"

"Ah—"

"Grandpa Jian, slow down! I can't adjust this quickly!"

Chen Xin had stepped onto his sword and taken to the air, carrying Xiao Shenghe straight into the clouds.