"Brother Xuan Ming?"
"Brother Xuan Ming?"
"..."
Ning Rongrong turned around, looked at Xuan Ming who seemed to be asleep, glanced around, took a deep breath, mustered her courage, closed her eyes, and lunged at Xuan Ming's profile.
"Hmm?" Ning Rongrong opened her eyes in confusion, meeting Xuan Ming's gaze. Xuan Ming blocked her head halfway.
"What are you doing?" Xuan Ming asked.
"I... um... I... I didn't... I didn't do anything..." Ning Rongrong blushed and lowered her head guiltily.
"If you're bored, cultivate; don't waste time," Xuan Ming said.
"Oh..." Ning Rongrong quickly sat cross-legged and, following what she had learned before, closed her eyes and began to meditate.
Xuan Ming watched for a while, then closed his eyes again.
"..."
"I told you nothing would happen, you filthy-minded person."
Not far away, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, worried about Ning Rongrong and Xuan Ming being alone, were watching this scene.
"You think my thoughts are filthy? Didn't you see what happened during the day?" Gu Rong said speechlessly.
He had never realized before that this child was actually a little fangirl!
They stick to any handsome guy they see!
What if this kid takes the opportunity to back down?
Luckily, this brat is oblivious to romance.
"Even if he accepts the offer, can you stop him?" Chen Xin said.
" Fengzhi has that idea, and this kid is indeed quite good."
With exceptional talent and a diligent attitude, reaching our level in the future won't be difficult at all.
"That's a matter for the future," Gu Rong said.
"Besides, who knows if this kid is a wolf in sheep's clothing?"
"I just found out that this kid is at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and he's very close to Dugu Bo's granddaughter and a girl with the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul; they're practically inseparable."
"What if this kid has already been ruined by Dugu Bo's granddaughter?"
Chen Xin glanced at Gu Rong speechlessly, "Can you watch your mouth?"
What does "misfortune" mean?
How old are these kids to be causing trouble?
This kid is only eight years old!
And given his clueless nature, how could he possibly be taken advantage of?
Chapter 95: Learn and Apply
A few days later, Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi had almost finished discussing their matters and it was finally time for Xue Qinghe to leave.
During this period, Xue Qinghe originally wanted Xuan Ming to get closer to Ning Rongrong, which was also a signal to Ning Fengzhi. However, in practice, Xuan Ming ended up having Ning Rongrong cultivate with him day and night for several days.
Ning Rongrong, who used to complain endlessly after just two hours of cultivation, has been following Xuan Ming without uttering a sound these past few days.
Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi didn't know whether he should be happy or not.
Ning Rongrong was indeed very interested in Xuan Ming; he had never seen her so eager before, and she even managed to endure the cultivation she usually found tedious.
The problem is that Xuan Ming is exactly the same as he was at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and his attitude towards Ning Rongrong is no different from how he treats other children.
" Fengzhi, the child is still young, why are you in such a hurry?" Gu Rong was somewhat speechless.
"It's not that I'm in a hurry, it's just that if we don't plan ahead soon, we might not have another chance," Ning Fengzhi said.
"You've seen what this kid is like. An eight-year-old Soul Grandmaster, the second ring of a thousand-year-old soul master—with such talent and such a diligent attitude towards cultivation, do you think there wouldn't be a few people who are interested in him?"
"So what if they have designs on me? They don't even deserve it!" Gu Rong said.
"Besides, if the Heaven Dou Imperial Family really wanted to, they would have directly tried to matchmake their own princess; why would they send her here?"
"That's true..." Ning Fengzhi sighed.
"Compared to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, you should worry about Dugu Bo's granddaughter first," Gu Rong said.
"They've been together every day. If he were to be kidnapped, would you expect Rongrong to become his concubine?"
"Or... you wouldn't be planning to use this kid to bring the Jade Phosphorous Serpent lineage to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, would you?"
"And there's the Nine Heart Begonia," Ning Fengzhi said.
" The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul is indeed the most powerful Auxiliary System Martial Soul on the continent, but the Nine Heart Begonia's terrifying healing ability is irreplaceable in many areas."
" Fengzhi, Rongrong is still young." Gu Rong did not directly dissuade him, because he knew that no one could shake Ning Fengzhi's decision. As the head of a sect, he needed to consider the future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Moreover, if they could truly use Xuan Ming to win over the Jade Phosphorous Serpent and the Nine Heart Begonia to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, some sacrifices would not be unacceptable.
However, these things are far more complex than they appear.
Putting aside the Nine Heart Begonia, how could Dugu Bo's granddaughter possibly tolerate such a thing?
What kind of humiliation would Dugu Bo allow his granddaughter to suffer?
If this isn't handled well, you'll end up pleasing neither side. Not only will you fail to win people over, but you'll also incur the wrath of that old bastard Dugu Bo!
To be honest, even he really didn't want to deal with that Old Poison.
He's not afraid of fighting one-on-one, but his opponent might not be willing to fight him one-on-one.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School is a large and powerful family; they can't afford to spend all their time on edge, constantly wary of that Old Poison, can they?
"So I just had this idea," Ning Fengzhi said.
"Some things... well, the child is still young. Let's see how things go first. If there's hope, we should try our best to pursue it."
"As the future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Rongrong also needs to consider the future of the sect."
"Dad!" Ning Rongrong, who had gone out of town to see someone off, returned with Chen Xin, sporting a bun hairstyle.
"Hmm?" Gu Rong's expression changed slightly.
"You swordsman can even tie your hair now?"
Chen Xin's expression froze. "It was that kid who gave Rongrong that injection."
"That kid can do this kind of thing?" Gu Rong was somewhat surprised.
"Dad, when are we going to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"They've only just left, and you're already trying to chase after them?" Gu Rong said helplessly.
Ning Fengzhi paused for a moment, "It's not that it's impossible. Anyway, you don't want to cultivate at home, but if you go to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy..."
"I'm not going, I'm not going!" Ning Rongrong quickly interrupted.
"I'm not going!"
"I'm so tired!"
Ning Fengzhi's eye twitched slightly. "I really thought you'd changed your ways."
"But I'm really tired..." Ning Rongrong said guiltily, lowering her head.
Normally, she cultivates for half a day at most, but when she's with Xuan Ming, it starts in the morning and doesn't stop until sunset!
She's exhausted these past few days!
"Since it's so tiring, why do you still insist on following him?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
"I... want to play with him..." Ning Rongrong blushed, lowered her head, and frantically tried to play with her hands inside her skirt.
"You..." Ning Fengzhi sighed, unsure whether to be angry or amused.
Just like how little boys fawn over pretty girls and try to get their attention, this little rascal is now fawning over Xuan Ming too!
While it's good that she's working hard to cultivate, it's really infuriating that my precious daughter is being so attentive to another man!
"It seems you and Ning Rongrong get along well."
On the carriage back to Heaven Dou City, Xue Qinghe's expression became somewhat unnatural as he looked at the glass bracelet Storage Soul Tool that Xuan Ming had Xuan Ming acquired.
"Last night she dragged me to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's treasury and tried to stuff things into my hands. I refused, and she cried. I had no choice but to accept them," Xuan Ming said.
"How much did she give you?" Xue Qinghe asked.
"Two black cards worth 100,000 Gold Soul Coin each," Xuan Ming said.
"Fifty thousand Gold Soul Coin in cash, and some other random stuff, I don't even know what it is."
Xue Qinghe's eye twitched. "So many things, and you just accepted them without saying a word?"
"What else can I do? If I don't accept it, she'll cry," Xuan Ming said.
"Saying I don't like her, saying I hate her, even though I know she's acting, but after making her cry on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's territory, am I even allowed to leave?"
The Ice Dragon King told him that Chen Xin and Gu Rong had been secretly watching them for the past few days, and he didn't want to cause any trouble.
"What I mean is, couldn't you have just told me?" Xue Qinghe said helplessly.
So many things—how can two children just give them away like that?
Children may be immature, but adults can't pretend to be!
"She said these were for me to eat. She thinks I eat too much and she's worried you can't afford to feed me," Xuan Ming said.
Xue Qinghe's expression froze. "What exactly did you tell her about me?"
"I didn't say anything, just stating the facts," Xuan Ming said.
"However, perhaps my expression was not quite accurate, or perhaps she misunderstood."
"In her eyes now... you're probably not a good person."
"You..." Xue Qinghe took a deep breath.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"Intentionally? What do you mean by that?" Xuan Ming asked, puzzled.
"Didn't you want me to get closer to her?"
"Is it really necessary for you to trick me to get closer to me?" Xue Qinghe said speechlessly.
"The simplest way to build a closer relationship with children is to empathize with them and share your own experiences," Xuan Ming said.
"She's under constant pressure and strict control from her father at home. I'll tell you about how you exploit me; we're in the same boat."
"Didn't you teach me this? I'm just applying what I've learned."
Xue Qinghe's face darkened. "But when did I exploit you?"
"I'm already being asked to deceive the feelings of a six-year-old, and you still have the nerve to ask such a question," Xuan Ming said.
"I said it wasn't deception, it was just..."
"Yes, yes, it's not deception, it's all for the sake of the common people, okay?"
"..." Xue Qinghe.
You just want to take a jab at me whenever you get the chance, right?
Chapter 96 Those involved are often blinded by their own perspective
Back at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Xuan Ming resumed his usual cultivation routine.
However, now that he has reached level 20 or above, he has automatically been promoted to a formal student of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He has basically finished all the previous courses, so he no longer needs to attend those academic classes.