The auction house manager's voice rang out outside.
"Young sect master, you asked me to keep an eye on Blue Tyrant Academy. We've just received word."
"What news?"
Leaning back against the door, Ning Xuan's eyes flickered.
The timing of this news was rather too convenient.
Across from him, Tang Yuehua also climbed down from the table, her delicate bare feet small and exquisite, their skin fair enough to reveal the bones beneath.
Hearing the voice outside the door,
she could not help slowing her steps, trying not to make a sound.
"Young sect master, someone did enter Blue Tyrant Academy after you returned."
"And after checking their identity,"
"we identified the person who went in as Miss Liu Erlong."
The voice outside continued to reach them.
"What about now?"
Ning Xuan's gaze abruptly turned icy.
"Miss Liu Erlong hasn't come out since entering Blue Tyrant Academy, but the carriage parked outside the academy hasn't left either."
"So our men over there sent word to ask what they should do next."
"Should they withdraw, or keep watching?"
At this moment,
Ning Xuan's face had already turned cold.
Tang Yuehua, standing opposite him, parted her red lips and silently mouthed,
"They're going to flee."
Ning Xuan drew a long, deep breath, his face now filled with murderous severity.
"Keep watching."
"If they leave the city later, let them go."
"But report back immediately."
"Understood."
The auction house manager left.
"Why are you letting them go?"
Only after the footsteps had faded into the distance did Tang Yuehua frown and ask.
"Are you that eager for me to keep them here?"
Ning Xuan gave a teasing smile.
With a slight tug, he pulled Tang Yuehua into his arms amid her startled cry.
After a brief moment of flustered helplessness, Tang Yuehua quickly regained her composure and submitted without struggling at all.
"I was only considering things for you."
Tang Yuehua's voice was soft and quiet.
"Once they leave, the Douluo Continent is so vast that it really won't be difficult for them to hide if they want to."
"Then getting that immortal herb back will be harder than scaling a thousand mountains."
Ning Xuan suddenly lowered his head, buried it deep against Tang Yuehua's neck, and began sucking greedily.
"But there are too many eyes and ears in the city. There's nothing I can do here."
"What do you want to do?"
Tang Yuehua asked, taken aback.
"What do you think?"
Ning Xuan suddenly gave a strange smile.
The next moment, he scooped Tang Yuehua up in his arms and walked toward the table in the reception room again.
"No..."
Tang Yuehua immediately cried out in alarm and struggled incessantly.
"Ah..."
"It hurts so much..."
"Gen... gentler..."
"Young sect master..."
About an hour later, the auction house manager's voice sounded outside again.
Ning Xuan stopped moving and turned his head to ask,
"How did it go?"
"They really did leave the city."
"How many people? Did you get a clear enough look to see who they were?"
Ning Xuan thrust his hips slightly.
Tang Yuehua immediately bit her red lip, looking at him with boundless resentment.
Ning Xuan found it amusing.
He simply reached out to cover her mouth firmly and began moving gently again.
Tang Yuehua's eyes instantly widened.
"We saw clearly. There were only two."
The auction house manager said quietly,
"One was Miss Liu Erlong. The other was a teacher from Blue Tyrant Academy, apparently named Yu Xiaogang."
Only two people?
A chill surged in Ning Xuan's heart. Were they really planning to elope with the immortal herb?
"All right. Go prepare a carriage without the family insignia. I'll be there shortly."
Ning Xuan sneered and suddenly increased his force.
Tang Yuehua immediately screamed loudly.
Yet no further sound came from outside the reception room.
Only after both of them were utterly exhausted
did Tang Yuehua complain,
"You're such a bad man. What if someone had heard us just now?"
"Didn't I tell you the reception room is well soundproofed?"
Ning Xuan said.
Tang Yuehua immediately rolled her eyes again.
She lay limply on the table, looking as though she had nothing left to live for.
"Go do whatever you want."
"Remember to close the reception room door when you leave. I don't want to go anywhere tonight. I'll just make do here for the night."
Ning Xuan smiled and put on his robe.
He then placed the key card to his own private room on her.
"Go sleep in my private room. The soundproofing is even better there. No one will disturb you."
"All right."
Tang Yuehua sounded utterly drained.
"Don't worry about me. Go do whatever you need to do."
Ning Xuan smiled and said nothing more.
Before long, Ning Xuan emerged from the auction house, having changed back into his clothes.
An inconspicuous carriage was waiting there.
"Young sect master, should we inform His Eminence Chen Xin?"
The auction house manager asked.
"No need. I can handle this myself."
Ning Xuan shook his head.
One Liu Erlong?
One Yu Xiaogang?
As long as Flender was absent, he could easily deal with them.
As mentioned before, the Golden Iron Triangle was powerful because only when all three of them were together could they perform their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Not one of the three could be missing.
Without any one of them, forming the Golden Iron Triangle was impossible.
Boarding the carriage and lowering the curtain, Ning Xuan gave a calm order.
"Catch up to them."
At the same time,
in Sword Douluo Chen Xin's private room,
Chen Xin opened his eyes, gave a helpless smile, then pushed the door open and disappeared.
Ning Xuan did have the confidence to deal with them.
But since he was currently acting as Ning Xuan's guardian, he certainly could not truly stay out of it.
He had to ensure Ning Xuan's safety.
Inside the reception room,
Tang Yuehua forced herself up from the table again.
She lowered her head.
Looking at the scratches, bruises, and large patches of sticky mess on her body, she could not help furrowing her brows.
"What a man. He has no idea how to cherish a woman."
She had only just stood up when her legs went weak again, nearly sending her tumbling straight off the table.
Looking at the key card tossed beside her,
Tang Yuehua drew a deep breath, tidied herself up briefly, and headed for the room number on the card after all.
She pushed the door open and walked inside.
A faint, comforting scent greeted her. Unable to withstand her drowsiness any longer, Tang Yuehua lay down and fell straight asleep.
Outside Heaven Dou City,
the night was deep, thick as ink.
The carriage carrying Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang abruptly picked up speed shortly after leaving Heaven Dou City.
"Miss Erlong, someone seems to be following us."
The driver could not help glancing back.
Behind the carriage, a black horse lurked in the darkness, trailing them some distance away.
"Are you certain they're following us?"
Liu Erlong's gaze was icy.
"Yes."
The driver answered,
"I've deliberately sped up twice already, and that person is still following us. They're probably someone the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sent to watch us."
"Damn it."
Liu Erlong gritted her teeth.
"In a moment, try to close the distance between us as much as possible. Leave the rest to me."
The next moment,
the carriage abruptly accelerated.
The black horse not far away immediately sped up as well.
But after traveling less than a hundred meters, a figure suddenly shot out of the carriage and charged straight toward the black horse behind them.
It was Liu Erlong.