Common ground

"That felt great!"

"Hahaha!"

"Kid, you're just my kind of person. Let me go change, then I'll come back and take you to the dorms."

With the fight over, Liu Erlong roared with laughter, flames swirling around her. She patted the panting Ning Jiao on the shoulder, then turned into a streak of fire and flew off into the distance.

"Not bad. You didn't embarrass me."

At the cool voice, Ning Jiao gave Ning Rongrong, who wore a black hood, a strange look.

"Here, this is your reward from me. It's not like I care about you!"

Ning Rongrong took a handkerchief out of her Soul Tool and tossed it onto Ning Jiao's sweat-covered face with a look of disdain.

"Tsundere Rongrong?"

Ning Jiao accepted the handkerchief with a smile and wiped away his sweat.

"Hmph!"

Ning Rongrong folded her arms across her chest without saying anything.

Yes, this was the new persona she intended to cultivate.

"Thank you, Big Sister Rongrong. Of course I wouldn't let you down!"

Ning Jiao put one hand on his hip and played along.

"Child, come here a moment."

A rough voice suddenly rang out. The Ning siblings turned toward it, as did Tang Lan and Xiao Wu, who had been watching their interaction.

"Lan, Xiao Wu, come here."

The scruffy, stubble-faced man spoke in a low voice. He had come out this time for two reasons. The first was Xiao Wu, and the second was...

"You're Ning Jiao, aren't you? I've been watching you for a long time. What do you think of my Lan?"

A shrewd glint flashed through Tang Hao's eyes.

"Dad?"

Tang Lan had yet to recover from the delight of seeing Tang Hao when she suddenly heard him say that!

Besides, Tang Hao's cultivation seemed quite high?

Tang Lan looked at Tang Hao in confusion, utterly unaware that the little rabbit beside her had already gone deathly pale and was trembling.

"Scruffy uncle, I like pretty girls."

After a moment's thought, Ning Jiao answered honestly.

Zhu Zhuqing in black stockings, Rongrong in white stockings, Xiao Wu with her long legs-which of them wasn't prettier than Tang Lan, who was currently just a plain village girl?

"Sorry, my identity is rather unusual, so it's been a long time since I last tidied myself up..."

Tang Hao's expression darkened, though it was hard to tell.

Beside him, Tang Lan's expression darkened at the same time. What did he mean, he liked pretty girls but didn't like her?

You're being far too offensive!

"Lan's bloodline hasn't truly awakened yet. Her mother was very beautiful."

Tang Hao spoke gravely. Though using his daughter as bait to lure in a catch wasn't very good, he truly had seen a future in Ning Jiao!

"Then talk to me once she's become pretty."

Ning Jiao shrugged. It wasn't even certain whether there would be a Blue Silver Emperor Tang Lan in the future.

With even the Blue Silver Forest gone, becoming the Blue Silver Emperor again would take some doing.

"Dad, Ning Jiao and I are friends. It's not the kind of relationship you're imagining!"

Tang Lan frowned and glanced at Tang Hao.

"And Ning Jiao, could you be a little more tactful next time?"

Then Tang Lan turned a resentful gaze on Ning Jiao.

She didn't care much about her own appearance, but after hearing Ning Jiao say that, she inexplicably felt a little aggrieved.

"Ning Jiao doesn't need to change. He can just be himself."

Ning Rongrong removed her hood and unobtrusively stepped in front of Ning Jiao.

"May I ask your name, scruffy uncle?"

Ning Rongrong narrowed her eyes and asked curiously.

"Tang Hao."

Tang Hao gave the two's joined hands a long look and answered, enunciating each word.

"Your Excellency, the Clear Sky Douluo?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked stunned. She had met two groups of friends on her trip to Shrek Academy. The first included the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the second included the little princess of the Clear Sky Sect?

Incredible!

Just as I thought...

Xiao Wu clenched her teeth, and even her gaze toward Tang Lan took on a hint of complexity.

"There's no need to bring up the past. Today, I'm merely a father who wants to find a future for his daughter."

"Ning Jiao, I promise you that Tang Lan's looks will absolutely be no worse than your 'sister's' in the future, and I'm willing to hunt a strength-type Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for your ninth Soul Ring."

Tang Hao spoke solemnly, placing particular emphasis on the relationship between the two.

If this person truly married his daughter, he was willing to set aside one of those two beasts in Star Dou for him.

Tang Lan opened her mouth but said nothing. Her father was so anxious; presumably, he had his reasons...

Besides, honestly, if Ning Jiao became her man, that seemed rather nice too?

"Scruffy uncle, may I ask whether this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast you mentioned is the Titan Giant Ape?"

Xiao Wu lowered her head and asked, enunciating each word.

"There are many Soul Beasts. It wouldn't necessarily be the one you're thinking of."

"As for your situation, I'll explain it to you later."

Tang Hao shook his head. Shrewd as he was, he naturally wouldn't readily thrust Xiao Wu into the line of fire.

"Enough."

"What do you take Ning Jiao for?"

"A tool to be traded?"

Ning Rongrong's gaze turned cold as she spoke without the slightest fear.

"I'm sincere."

Tang Hao shook his head and spoke earnestly.

"But as far as I know, the Clear Sky Sect is extremely hostile to outsiders. Even those of the direct bloodline are sent away and sidelined if they haven't awakened the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul."

"Tang Hao, have you considered letting this child return to her own sect?"

A soft chuckle suddenly rang out. Behind Zhu Zhuqing, a gentle middle-aged man approached with a smile, accompanied by a visibly vexed Sword Douluo.

"Dad! Grandpa Sword!"

"What brings you here?"

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, and she shouted in delight!

At this point, she had no attention to spare for keeping up her persona.

"Hahaha, Rongrong, your father and Uncle Jian have missed you terribly. See? As soon as I had the chance, I brought your Grandpa Sword over."

Ning Fengzhi chuckled and nodded to Tang Hao and the younger ones.

At that moment, Xiao Wu simply slumped against Tang Lan and fainted dead away.

"I don't believe you. You're here for Ning Jiao too, aren't you!"

Ning Rongrong suddenly grew wary, and her delicate hand holding Ning Jiao's even began to sweat.

"Our young friend Ning Jiao is of the Ning Family's bloodline. Of course it pains me deeply that he's now out here, far from home. Naturally, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can offer everything Tang Hao has offered, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect asks nothing of our young friend Ning Jiao."

Ning Fengzhi nodded and looked at Ning Jiao warmly.

What more could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ask for? Their Rongrong was already so close to Ning Jiao!

Even taking ten thousand steps back, if Ning Jiao turned out to be an ungrateful wolf and usurped the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, at least his surname was still Ning.

"What about Zhu Zhuqing?"

Ning Jiao turned his head, looking at the silent Tang Hao, then the expectant Ning Fengzhi, before finally resting his gaze on Zhu Zhuqing, who had been practically invisible.

"???"

Zhu Zhuqing pointed at herself in disbelief. Was she supposed to compete with two Titled Douluos over him?

Having finished joking, Ning Jiao looked thoughtfully at Ning Rongrong.

He was considering whether to reveal his identity. In the Divine Realm, Phantylia was a child from the future.

And on the Douluo Continent, Lin Mo and Ye Ling's public explanation was also that they were children from the future.

If Ning Jiao was also Ning Rongrong's child from the future...

Then there would be far too much common ground...