An oppressive atmosphere filled the shop.
At its center, two girls faced each other.
The one who had spoken earlier stood with her hands on her hips, her face flushed red. She looked furious.
Ning Rongrong!
She wore a long white dress, and her neatly cut hair fell to her ears. Rosy and delicate, she had skin as fresh and tender as a lychee, and a curvaceous yet slender figure.
She looked like a fairy in her childhood.
Though she was only nine, she had already blossomed into a graceful young beauty.
Xiao Yan glanced to the side and spotted a girl about 1.7 meters tall.
Yu Tianming stood behind her.
That must be Old Yu's granddaughter, Yu Xin, right? Xiao Yan guessed, unable to help marveling at how beautiful the girl was.
She was tall, with a pair of alluring, slender legs. Though her chest was unremarkably flat, her overall bearing was remarkably otherworldly, more than a match for the young Ning Rongrong.
"Little one, I really won't let you have this crystal today!" Yu Xin clenched her pearly teeth, refusing to give an inch.
Yu Tianming tried to say something, only to be met with an eye roll.
Ning Rongrong trembled with rage. "Who are you calling little!? I'm the young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
"Young miss!? So you're just a little squirt. If you wore a chest band, it'd probably fall straight to the floor!"
"Little squirt!" Yu Xin snatched a blue crystal from the tabletop. Its azure light flickered like a treasure risen from the deep sea, reflecting everyone's image and making Xiao Yan's eyes light up.
"It's a good thing!" Yao Lao commented.
Xiao Huo saw it too. "It carries a trace of divinity."
No wonder it had attracted both of these young ladies!
Ning Rongrong kicked her legs in fury, her beautiful, flawless white stockings a stark contrast to her angry expression. Her brows knitted, and her big, dewy eyes turned toward a middle-aged man behind her, who stood with his eyes closed and a sword in his arms, his brows white.
"Grandpa Sword, they're bullying me!" Ning Rongrong whined in a sugary voice.
She hugged his leg, looking as though she wouldn't stop until she had smothered him with cuteness.
Hearing her, the man holding the sword smiled helplessly.
He was dressed all in white, his beard and hair snowy white, his long silver hair hanging loose. His features were simple and dignified. Though he was actually quite old, a closer look made him seem almost like a young man.
He had a pair of sharp eyes. A simple sweep of his gaze made everyone present feel as though they were deep in a mountain of blades and a sea of blood, as if countless iron swords were demanding answers from them, making the skin on their foreheads and necks prickle.
It was pressure from the very pinnacle of Soul Power!
This middle-aged man's presence alone was enough to strike fear into everyone present, including Cang Lin, a peak Soul Douluo. It even made Yu Tianming look alarmed, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
"And you are!?" Yu Tianming asked.
The man holding the sword smiled and said calmly, "Chen Xin of the sword path."
Chen Xin!
Sword Douluo, Chen Xin!
A rank ninety-six assault-type Titled Douluo!
A man all offensive Soul Masters under heaven could only look up to!
His Martial Soul was the Seven Kill Sword, a Martial Soul as renowned as the Clear Sky Hammer, the number one Tool Martial Soul under heaven!
Cang Lin waved a hand, looking helpless.
Now you know why I couldn't do anything.
That's Sword Douluo!
The fiercest offensive Soul Master on the entire continent!
Seeing how afraid everyone was of Cheng Xin, Ning Rongrong promptly bared her little canine teeth, grinning without restraint as she flaunted her might.
For a moment, the identity of the nine-year-old girl became clear as well.
To have Sword Douluo guarding her side...
There was only one person under heaven who could do that: the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
As Ning Fengzhi's daughter, she enjoyed treatment that could be said to rival, if not surpass, that of the princesses and princes of the two great kingdoms.
After all, which prince could have a Titled Douluo accompany him!?
"You..." Yu Xin stared fixedly at Ning Rongrong.
"Let go already!" Ning Rongrong snatched the blue crystal away, a smug smile on her face.
Though Yu Xin looked like an adult and had already blossomed into a graceful young beauty, a flood of grievance welled up in her heart. "I found it first! I already paid for it! What gives you the right to take it!?" she cried.
Ning Rongrong said arrogantly, "Because I have Grandpa Sword!"
Xiao Yan frowned.
Yu Tianming reached out a hand, but ultimately drew it back. He took his granddaughter's hand and started toward the exit.
Though he was deeply upset and unwilling to accept it,
What could he do!?
That was Sword Douluo!
A powerful Titled Douluo whom even the Pope of Spirit Hall had to show some respect. What right did a mere Soul Saint like him have to seek justice for his granddaughter!?
So Yu Tianming chose to walk away.
Cang Lin sighed, at a loss.
Suddenly,
A streak of sword Qi barred the doorway, blocking their path.
The sword Qi was terrifying!
Yu Tianming frowned, forcing down his anger. "What do you mean by this, Sword Douluo? Isn't taking the crystal enough? Are you going to make my granddaughter and me stay here too!?"
Cang Lin looked squarely at Chen Xin and said softly, "Though no one in Spirit Hall here in Heaven Dou Imperial City can hold you in check, if we look to the Elder Hall, are you sure you can act so unrestrained!?"
Now that Sword Douluo had blocked their way,
Resisting was naturally useless.
The only thing Cang Lin could do was invoke the six powerful elders of the Elder Hall to curb Sword Douluo's edge.
Chen Xin smiled faintly, without the slightest trace of worldly temper. He waved a hand and said with a smile, "You two have misunderstood."
He withdrew his sword Qi and tossed a strange pearl out from his robes.
"This pearl was produced by a five-thousand-year-old clam spirit. I obtained it while practicing my sword in the East Sea years ago. Though it cannot compare to that blue crystal, the crystal is damaged. To you, it can only serve as an ornament, but it is of great use to us. It is an indispensable divine object for assembling the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Cup."
He said frankly, "That crystal contains a trace of residual divine will!"
Yu Tianming and Cang Lin were both startled.
Xiao Yan gave Chen Xin a long look. Unlike the pampered Ning Rongrong, Sword Douluo truly was an honorable and upright senior.
The fact that he could reveal this information outright proved his character!
After all, aside from Xiao Yan, who had learned of it early thanks to his two powerful outside helpers, Yao Lao and Xiao Huo, the others had been completely unaware. Chen Xin's ability to see it and willingness to reveal it were themselves proof of both his strength and his character!
"There is too little residual divine will. It could almost be said to be of no use."
Chen Xin continued, "And what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Cup lacks is a trace of divinity to embellish it! This blue crystal happens to meet our expectations and can be of boundless use."
Yu Xin rubbed the pearl Chen Xin had given her and felt a little better.
Yu Tianming ruffled his granddaughter's hair, still distressed on her behalf. He snorted coldly. "So we should thank Sword Douluo and Princess Ning for snatching the treasure away?"
Chen Xin shook his head and said gravely, "We were indeed in the wrong. If you want any further compensation, you may say so."
Cang Lin patted his old friend on the shoulder. "Let it go."
Yu Tianming wanted to say something, but Yu Xin tugged at his large hand and walked toward the door.
She didn't want to put her grandfather in a difficult position.
Once they had left,
Chen Xin stroked Ning Rongrong's long hair. "Though we got what we came for, we shouldn't have done it this way. You ought to learn from your father on that point."
Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue. "They were the ones who didn't know what was good for them."
Xiao Yan and the others came to the doorway, preparing to leave.
He invited them back inside and faced Chen Xin, his expression unruffled.
The newcomer chuckled softly. "Within the borders of my Heaven Dou Empire, things must be done as they should be!"
Recognizing the newcomer, Chen Xin narrowed his eyes.
"Xue Qinghe!?"
(It's the second day of the Lunar New Year, busy, busy, busy. The next chapter will probably be around ten tonight. Happy New Year, everyone.)
(End of chapter)