"Alas... I really don't know what our Rongrong sees in you, boy. Is it your knack for running a thrifty household?"
The corners of Wang Xiaoming's mouth twitched despite himself.
No wonder Sword Douluo wanted to fight this wretched old man every day.
It was bad enough that he was ugly, but the moment he opened his mouth, he was infuriating.
You appeared in this courtyard like a ghost. When would I have had a chance to ask someone to serve tea?
Still, he could only rack his brains for an answer.
"Please don't make fun of me, elder. I was negligent and failed to treat you properly.
"However, there's a saying: tea must be savored slowly; rush it, and its flavor fades.
"How could the fragrance those two who came in a hurry taste be the same as what you two will savor later?"
"Hehe, Xiaoming is right. With a different state of mind, the fragrance one tastes in tea will naturally differ."
"Exactly, Grandpa Bone. You really don't understand. Shame on you."
Ning Fengzhi's gaze grew increasingly satisfied as he looked at the boy.
Gu Rong snorted twice and turned his head away, not wanting to look at Wang Xiaoming.
Tea was for quenching thirst. How could its fragrance have anything to do with one's state of mind?
Well, Fengzhi and Rongrong had both taken the boy's side now, leaving an old man like him the only malicious outsider.
Soon, the two visitors Uncle Meng had mentioned entered the front courtyard and came into view.
The man walking in front wore a luxurious robe and had neat, refined short golden hair. The smile on his face was identical to Ning Fengzhi's.
Wang Xiaoming recognized him at a glance.
He was the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.
He had met this man at several banquets. Both his looks and his status placed him at the very top of the Heaven Dou Empire, and his social skills were exceptionally polished.
He really hadn't expected news of his awakening to reach the crown prince's ears so quickly.
One of the important figures was him.
As for the man behind him... Wang Xiaoming had no impression of him, but one thing was certain: he came from Spirit Hall.
He was tall and middle-aged, with meticulously groomed hair, and wore the robes of a Spirit Hall cardinal.
His expression, however, was solemn, as though he had stepped in something disgusting on his way out.
If Wang Xiaoming had to guess, it was probably because of the crown prince beside him.
Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong showed no surprise at the visitors' arrival.
But when Xue Qinghe saw the people in the courtyard, his steps faltered almost imperceptibly. He quickly returned to normal and came up to them.
"I really didn't expect you and Bone Douluo to be here, Teacher."
Although he had heard a report that Ning Fengzhi's youngest daughter had snatched the boy away from the Awakening Hall, he truly hadn't expected Ning Fengzhi to arrive so quickly.
But when he saw Gu Rong, he no longer found it strange.
A Titled Douluo capable of spatial jumps could show up anywhere.
These two fellows must have planned this long ago and come quietly to Heaven Dou City.
Faced with Xue Qinghe's surprise, Ning Fengzhi's expression did not change.
"Hehe, Rongrong is Xiaoming's friend. He awakened today, so naturally, as his uncle, I had to come and see what kind of genius he was."
At those words, Xue Qinghe and Salas both cursed inwardly.
This old dog just got lucky, yet he claims he came here especially for the boy... What thick skin.
Ghosts know whether he's already won the boy over while we weren't here.
At that moment, Ning Rongrong ran out, looking displeased as she stared at Xue Qinghe's false smile.
"Brother Qinghe, why didn't you say hello to Rongrong?"
Xue Qinghe looked at the little meatball sitting beside Wang Xiaoming and smiled. "Sorry, Rongrong. You're so small that Brother Xue didn't notice you just now. It'll be better once you've grown a little."
Then he smoothly shifted the subject to Wang Xiaoming, who was beside her.
"This must be Wang Xiaoming, a viscount of my empire. I didn't expect him to be a genius who awakened with Innate Full Soul Power."
He deliberately stressed the words "a viscount of my empire," reminding the two men beside him.
But those two were not about to back down over something like that.
Wang Xiaoming immediately stood up and bowed to the crown prince.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"Ah, there's no need for such a formal greeting. Xiaoming, since you're Rongrong's friend, just call me Brother Xue from now on. You're an important talent of my Heaven Dou Empire, so from now on, you have my permission not to bow when you see me."
Xue Qinghe raised a hand and pressed it against Wang Xiaoming's hands, helping him stand upright. Then he beckoned to someone behind him.
The attendant carried two boxes forward, set them on the stone table, and opened the lids.
One contained a snow lotus that looked to be very old. The other held a piece of parchment covered in dense writing, but the ink was still wet, as though it had been written in a hurry.
"I was only passing by when I happened to hear that you'd awakened with Innate Full Soul Power. I wasn't well prepared, so I hastily brought a few modest gifts: a thousand-year snow lotus and a document granting your territory three years' exemption from taxes. I hope you won't think poorly of them, little brother."
"Your High... Brother Xue, these gifts are already very valuable. If there were any more, I wouldn't even know how to thank you."
As Wang Xiaoming spoke, he bit his lip and forced himself to put on a show of being so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
But Ning Rongrong saw through him.
There wasn't a shred of gratitude in his words. It was all acting.
Xue Qinghe, on the other hand, was quite satisfied.
Whether it was genuine or not, as long as he said it, that was enough.
Besides, all he had done was write a piece of paper. As for the thousand-year snow lotus, he had swiped it from his imperial father's tonics. He hadn't put much thought into it at all.
Only then did Salas, who had been standing to the side, slowly speak.
"Sect Master Ning, I trust you've been well."
Ning Fengzhi nodded, then said to Wang Xiaoming, "Xiaoming, this is Salas, the Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City. You awakened in his Spirit Hall."
He finished introducing Salas in an offhand manner, without giving him any sense of stature at all.
Salas's face twitched. Then he glanced at Ning Rongrong beside Wang Xiaoming, his narrow, shadowed eyes narrowing slightly.
According to his subordinates' reports from the Awakening Hall, it was this damned little girl who had dragged the genius with Innate Full Soul Power away, causing all this trouble.
Otherwise, the boy would definitely have belonged to Spirit Hall.
Why else would he have had to gather here with people from the Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, each wary of the others?
No, he was the only one being squeezed out!
On the surface, Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi were still wearing the same pair of pants, standing united against outsiders.
And with that old thing Gu Rong here, he couldn't gain any advantage at all.
On the way here, the more he had thought about it, the angrier he had become.
He really wanted to summon a couple of Titled Douluo and snatch the boy away.