As a support-type Soul Master with almost no combat ability, Ning Rongrong had no chance of blocking that claw strike. If it landed, she would either die or be injured.
In his fury, Dai Mubai gave no thought to the consequences. He only wanted to deal with the person who had insulted him, and he struck without the slightest hesitation.
But his claw strike never came down, because someone had caught his arm.
At some point, Qi Ling had appeared behind Dai Mubai. Holding Dai Mubai's arm firmly with one hand, he said, "Mubai, that's enough. We're all classmates, and Ning Rongrong is already hurt!"
"Let go of me! That bitch actually dared to insult me like that! I'm going to teach her a lesson! Today, even if it's you, Qi Ling..." Dai Mubai seemed to have forgotten everything in his rage, dismissing even Qi Ling's intervention.
"Oh? Even if it's me, what?" His words were icy and filled with killing intent. Qi Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, a terrifying light flashing within them.
Along with that surge of killing intent, Dai Mubai felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar. The beastlike instincts of his White Tiger Martial Soul warned him that if he did not stop, he might very well be killed.
Only after calming down did Dai Mubai realize that Qi Ling had not even used his Martial Soul to stop him!
Qi Ling had stopped him while he was using his Martial Soul and in a berserk rage, yet had not used any Soul Power himself. This undoubtedly meant that Qi Ling was far more than just a little stronger than him. This was outright suppression by a higher realm!
Helplessly lowering his hand, Dai Mubai felt that today, he had lost every scrap of face he had had since birth. First, he had disregarded Zhu Zhuqing, and then he had attacked a girl. Calling him scum would not have been going too far.
"Ma Hongjun, are you here?!" Dai Mubai said, abandoning himself to recklessness. "I'm going to Red Flower Street. Are you coming or not?!"
"Uh..." Ma Hongjun hesitated, but ultimately failed to resist the temptation. "Mubai, wait for me! I'll be right there!"
After Dai Mubai left, Xiao Wu took Zhu Zhuqing to rest, while the others came forward to check Ning Rongrong's injuries.
Dai Mubai's White Tiger Martial Soul was fierce and domineering by nature. Even without a direct attack, the shock waves of its Soul Power could injure people. Ning Rongrong had suffered internal injuries and could not help coughing up a mouthful of blood.
But none of that was what angered Ning Rongrong most. What angered her was that she had been utterly helpless against Dai Mubai! After leaving her family, she really was so vulnerable that she could not withstand a single blow.
There was also the disrespect toward women that filled Dai Mubai's words. As a well-brought-up young lady, when had Ning Rongrong ever been cursed at like that?
Perhaps someone like Dai Mubai, who often frequented brothels, would not care about such filthy language and might even consider it a fine way to spice things up. But to Ning Rongrong, it was an intolerable humiliation.
"Tang San, help me kill him! Use those special weapons of yours!" Ning Rongrong shouted viciously. "As long as you help me do it, you'll be an honored guest of my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect from now on, and you'll receive our unconditional support!"
"I can also give you money, and anything else you want-even Soul Bones! Just help me kill him!"
Tang San looked at Ning Rongrong. Because of his previous impression of her, he said, "Ning Rongrong, not everything in this world can be bought with money and power."
Seeing that Tang San would not agree, Ning Rongrong turned to Oscar beside her. "Oscar, are you willing to help me? As long as you can help, I can offer you those same terms!"
Oscar sighed. "Although I'm penniless and just an ordinary commoner, I still have some backbone! Ning Rongrong, you'd better take a good look at yourself!"
"I thought you were my goddess, because when I first met you, you were so kind and lovely, gentle and beautiful. But it turns out I was wrong. What I liked was only your appearance. Inside, you're clearly nothing but a demon."
Then Tang San and Oscar left. Ning Rongrong bit her lower lip and remained silent for a long while before suddenly asking Qi Ling, "Do you look down on me too? Do you think I was wrong too?!"
"No, I don't think you were wrong!" Qi Ling said, contrary to Ning Rongrong's expectations.
"Dai Mubai was clearly the one at fault here. It's just that Xiao San and the others are prejudiced against you, so they can't see the heart of the matter."
"But!" Before Ning Rongrong could speak, Qi Ling continued, "Rongrong, where you went wrong was using the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as your bargaining chip again!"
"Have you forgotten what I told you? If you want something, you have to obtain it through your own abilities."
"But, but..." As Ning Rongrong spoke, tears suddenly rolled from her eyes like beads from a broken string. "But apart from all that, what else do I have? Sob..."
Seeing Ning Rongrong cry so bitterly, Qi Ling could not bear it either. This girl was not bad by nature; she had simply been spoiled since childhood. There was still hope if she changed now.
"Stop crying. Although I can't help you kill Dai Mubai, I can help you teach him a lesson," Qi Ling said, patting Ning Rongrong's head.
"Really?" Ning Rongrong stopped crying. "You're not lying to me?"
"Really! You know how strong I am. Teaching Dai Mubai a lesson would be easy, and it'll also let him learn how important it is to respect women," Qi Ling said.
"Haha, then it's settled! You can't go back on your word!" Ning Rongrong suddenly raised her head, not a trace of tears left on her face.
Seeing her like this, Qi Ling could not help being stunned. This girl truly deserved the title of Little Demoness. She had even fooled him!
"You little rascal, calling you a Little Demoness doesn't wrong you in the slightest!" Qi Ling said helplessly. "But although I've agreed, I do have a condition!"
"Huh? What condition?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"It's simple. If I'm helping you get revenge, I can't go completely unrewarded, can I? My request is simple too: one hundred Gold Soul Coins!" Qi Ling said with a smile.
"That's easy! Never mind a hundred-even ten thousand, I can..." Ning Rongrong was still speaking when Qi Ling interrupted her.
"Rongrong, I believe I told you not to rely on your family, but on yourself, didn't I?" Qi Ling said. "For these hundred Gold Soul Coins, I'll only take money you've earned yourself!"
"Me? But, but I've never done anything before. I don't know how to earn money!" Ning Rongrong said aggrievedly. Only then did she realize that compared with the others at Shrek Academy, she had no advantage at all.
"Haha, don't worry. Naturally, I'll tell you how to earn money! All you need to do is come with me tomorrow!" Qi Ling said with a smile.
"What you need to do now is go back and get yourself into the best possible condition!"
"All right, your Qi and blood are unstable, so don't run around too much today." As he spoke, Qi Ling took out a dose of medicine. "Go back, take this medicine, and get to bed early!"
Watching Qi Ling leave, Ning Rongrong could not resist making a face at his retreating figure, muttering under her breath, "Money-grubber! You won't even let a hundred Gold Soul Coins slip by! Am I not worth those hundred Gold Soul Coins?"
But as she held the medicine in her hand, Ning Rongrong distinctly felt something indescribable in her heart, and a hint of a smile crept uncontrollably onto her lips.