The Glazed Tile Sect Submits

When Nan Feng emerged from the Space-Time Bubble, the lingering Immortal Power from the twelfth chapter, "Eight Desolations Suppression," was still coursing through his meridians.

The layer of Space-Time fragments on his body looked like a layer of frosting.

Bibi Dong squatted outside the pool, holding the cooled spring water, watching him without saying a word.

"The tea leaves are gone," she said.

Nan Feng took the bowl, drank two mouthfuls, and wiped his mouth.

"Old Huai, how much longer until Ning Rongrong arrives?"

The Old Huai peeked half its face out from the foliage, its bark wrinkled together.

"The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light swept over them; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriage had just passed the west gate. That girl was riding her horse, her back ramrod straight as a javelin."

"Are you sure she's here to deliver the declaration of submission? She looks like she's here to kick down the door."

Nan Feng put down the bowl and stretched his shoulders, which had become stiff from being squeezed by the Big Dipper Formation.

The Immortal Power of the Foundation Establishment Realm circulated through the meridians, suppressing the last bit of soreness and numbness.

He walked to the edge of the Tower Spirit Space and looked out.

At the west gate of Heaven Dou City, a banner of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stood taut in the morning breeze. The seven-tiered pagoda pattern embroidered on the corner of the banner was dazzling in the sunlight.

Ning Rongrong wasn't wearing her sect's formal attire. Instead, she wore a light blue and white outfit, her ponytail tied high, and a thin sword at her waist. Her expression was somewhere between "going to a banquet" and "going to the execution ground."

"Her father sent her." Nan Feng withdrew his gaze. "That old fox Ning Fengzhi, instead of showing himself, sent his daughter out to test the waters."

Old Huai snorted.

"You see things clearly. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's move is both offensive and defensive."

"What is Ning Rongrong's relationship with Tang San? Her coming to deliver the letter of submission is tantamount to putting Tang San's face on the spot. If you refuse, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can escape unscathed. If you accept, how will you explain it to Tang San?"

Bibi Dong chimed in from the side.

How many people did she bring?

"Twelve," Old Huai said. "Eight Soul Saint guards, two Soul Douluo accompanying them, plus one I don't recognize."

"The aura is strange, as if the fluctuations of the Soul Bone are being suppressed by something."

Nan Feng narrowed his eyes.

The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light emanated from the Tower Spirit Space, sweeping past the carriage.

The accompanying person with the "strange aura" was a middle-aged woman. She had gray hair and was holding an ebony cane with a dark blue bead embedded in the head of the cane.

Nan Feng stared at the bead for two breaths.

"That walking stick is the Soul-Sealing Stone you mentioned before, Old Huai."

Old Huai's expression changed.

"That old bastard Ning Fengzhi, he even brought out the sect's most treasured artifact? That's the Soul-Sealing Stone of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, specifically used to seal Soul Power fluctuations."

"That woman probably has more than one Soul Bone. She's using Soul-Sealing Stone to suppress it, to prevent you from discovering her Soul Bone configuration."

Nan Feng smiled.

"She was afraid I'd look, but I insisted on looking anyway."

He emerged from the Tower Spirit Space, straightened his collar, and headed towards the west of the city.

Bibi Dong followed behind for two steps, carrying an empty bowl, then stopped, squatted back down, and watered the Nine Heart Begonia, muttering something under her breath.

They won't even give anyone a sip of hot tea.

At the west gate, Ning Rongrong dismounted.

The moment her heel touched the ground, Nan Feng sensed a chaotic fluctuation within her Soul Power.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul is naturally sensitive to Soul Power. Standing here, she is essentially using her entire body to sense the radiating Immortal Power emanating from Nan Feng.

The golden Immortal Power suppressed her Soul Power. She frowned slightly, then suppressed it.

"Nan Feng."

Ning Rongrong clasped her hands in a polite but stiff manner.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, acting on the orders of its sect leader, has sent a document of submission."

Nan Feng didn't take the document; instead, he pointed to the middle-aged woman gripping the cane.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Ning Rongrong's expression changed slightly.

"This is Aunt Ning, the sect's external affairs elder."

"The Soul-Sealing Stone in Aunt Ning's hand," Nan Feng looked at the dark cyan bead, "Is it sealing the Soul Bone fluctuations within your own body?"

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's external affairs elder possesses at least three Soul Bone. He's suppressing them with Soul-Sealing Stone, is he trying to prevent me from seeing his configuration?"

Aunt Ning's face changed drastically, and the knuckles of her fingers gripping her cane turned white.

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath.

"Nan Feng, I've brought the documents. Will you take them?"

"Take it." Nan Feng held out her hand. "But before you take it, open the document and read it aloud in front of me."

Ning Rongrong was stunned.

"The document of submission was written in the patriarch's own hand and read aloud in person..."

"Read it," Nan Feng said, her tone unchanged. "Did your father write 'submit' or 'ally'? These two words differ by only one character, but their meanings are worlds apart."

"If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect comes to form an alliance, I'll provide meals. If they come to submit, I need to know exactly where Ning Fengzhi places his sect."

Ning Rongrong stared at him for three breaths, then the corners of her mouth suddenly curved into a smile.

That smile contained three parts helplessness and seven parts resignation.

She unfolded the document and cleared her throat.

"Official document from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. From this day forward, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School is under the command of the Primordial World Immortal Master. The school's resources, Soul Master allocation, and intelligence network are all at the Immortal Master's disposal."

"Written personally by Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, and seconded by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Council of Elders."

After reading it aloud, she closed the document and handed it to Nan Feng.

"Did you hear that? 'At your disposal.' These four words were carefully considered by my father for three days before he wrote them down."

He said that Nan Feng's path is higher than Tang San's, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect needs to find the strongest ally in the face of future changes.

Nan Feng took the document, but didn't put it away immediately. He turned to the last page and looked at the signature in the seconding column.

All seven elders' names were present, except for Ning Rongrong's own.

"You didn't sign?"

Ning Rongrong turned her head away.

"I am Tang San's wife. If I sign, where will Tang San put his face?"

Nan Feng closed the document and handed it to Bibi Dong behind him to keep.

Bibi Dong hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the document. She glanced down at the words on the document, her lips twitched, but she said nothing.

Nan Feng looked at Ning Rongrong.

"Your father sent you here because he knew I wouldn't make things difficult for you. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Immortal Dao has submitted to the Immortal Path, but your relationship with Tang San will not change."

"You are you, and the sect is the sect. Your father pushed you out here, both to save face for Tang San and to send a message to me. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect won't turn against Tang San just because it has submitted to the Immortal Dao."

Ning Rongrong raised her head, her eyes a little red.

"You know everything, yet you still make me read aloud?"

"Having you read it aloud is so you can explain yourself clearly."

Nan Feng turned and walked into the city.

"Come on, I'll treat you to tea. Old Huai just scolded me for running out of tea leaves. Your father's documents mention that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a Spirit Tea Mountain; remember to have someone send over two catties."

Ning Rongrong followed behind him, but stopped after taking two steps.

"Nan Feng, can you really surpass the God King?"

The Nan Feng didn't turn back, nor did it stop its steps.

"Able."

Ning Rongrong stood there, watching his retreating figure.

The figure was enveloped in a golden halo, and the radiant Immortal Power pushed the morning mist back half a foot.

She remained silent for a long time, then finally tucked the sword behind her waist and quickly followed.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect won't lose out by following you. But I have one condition. If Tang San ever runs into trouble in the future, you have to help him once."

Nan Feng turned his head and glanced at her.

Ning Rongrong's eyes were very serious, the same seriousness she had when she looked at Tang San at the Nuoding Academy.

"Once?" Nan Feng laughed. "If he gets kicked down from the Divine Realm, I'll catch him. Is that enough?"

Ning Rongrong was stunned, then burst out laughing.

"That's enough. But I didn't say he'd be kicked off."

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.

Nan Feng's words just now were spoken with such certainty and casualness, as if he had already seen something.

Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul spun around and sensed a fluctuation deep within the Nan Feng Immortal Power. It was something at the level of cause and effect; she couldn't see it clearly, but she felt a chill.

"What you just said," Ning Rongrong lowered her voice, "Was it just a casual remark, or...?"

Nan Feng didn't answer, but just patted her on the shoulder.

"Have some tea. I want the two catties of spiritual tea your father gave me freshly brewed."

Ning Rongrong pursed her lips, didn't ask any more questions, and followed him towards the direction of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Inside the Tower Spirit Space, Old Huai stroked his beard repeatedly.

"You brat, you almost let something slip. If you reveal that Tang San's dual divine cores are incompatible, and Tang San Ning Rongrong tells Tang San, he'll become wary. What are you going to do then?"

The sound of the Nan Feng drifted in from outside, very low.

"That's why I said 'Catch him.' It's both a promise and a reminder. Tang San can understand if he wants, and if he doesn't, we'll talk about it when the time comes."

Bibi Dong squatted down next to the Nine Heart Begonia, looking down at the newly sprouted buds.

She suddenly said something.

"His hands were shaking when he received the documents."

Old Huai was taken aback.

Who? Nan Feng?

"Ning Rongrong's hands were trembling when she handed over the documents," Bibi Dong said, looking up. "She took three deep breaths before entering the room, and her left foot stepped into the wrong spot."

"The young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stepped on the threshold with her left foot; she's in a state of turmoil."

Old Huai sighed.

"This girl is caught in the middle between her father and husband; it must be tough for her."

Bibi Dong didn't reply, and continued watering the Nine Heart Begonia. The spout of the watering can was held steadily in her hand, and not a drop was spilled.

That afternoon, news of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Immortal Dao's submission to the Immortal Path spread throughout Heaven Dou City.

The Xue Beng Emperor sent a palace attendant with a jar of imperial wine and a note attached.

"The Immortal Master did well; those old bones from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have finally bowed their heads."

Dugu Bo sent a letter from Sunset Forest, containing only one sentence.

"So you got Ning Fengzhi? Next time we meet, I have to have a drink with him and ask him if his face hurts."

Nan Feng placed the two jars of wine side by side and sat in the stone pavilion behind the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Ning Rongrong sat opposite her, with freshly brewed spiritual tea in front of her. She had actually had her entourage pick two catties of tender buds from the spiritual tea mountain and send them over.

"Your father wrote 'at my behest' in the document," Nan Feng said, picking up his teacup. "But he didn't specify what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School members were to do under my command."

"Go back and tell him that the Immortal Dao Alliance doesn't tolerate idlers. I need the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's intelligence network, I need the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's forge, and I need the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's herb garden."

"Mark the locations of all the Abyssal Rift on the continent within three months."

Ning Rongrong almost choked halfway through her tea.

"All of them? Are you crazy? The Abyssal Rift are all over the continent; there are seven or eight just on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest."

"That's why I'm sending you to bid." Nan Feng put down his teacup. "Your father wants to find the strongest ally, and I need to let him know that the strongest ally also has the heaviest workload."

Ning Rongrong paused, putting her teacup down.

"Okay. I'll send you the drawings in three months. But there's one thing you have to promise me."

"Tang San's matter?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head.

"It's your own business. When you asked me to read the document just now, something was sticking out of your sleeve. That red hair ribbon on your left wrist, Xiao Wu gave it to you, right?"

"It's so old it's almost broken, you should get a new one."

Nan Feng looked down at his left wrist.

The old hairband was worn and frayed, and the braid was crooked; it was clearly Xiao Wu's handiwork.

He smiled.

"No exchange."

Ning Rongrong stood up and tucked her sword behind her waist.

"Then I'm leaving. I'll come back in three months with the map to the Abyssal Rift. You'll have to treat me to imperial wine then, don't try to fool me with spirit tea."

She stepped out of the stone pavilion, her steps much lighter than when she arrived.

As she reached the bend in the mountain path, she suddenly turned around.

"Nan Feng, I've remembered what you said about 'catching Tang San.' If that day ever comes, I'll thank you on his behalf."

Without waiting for Nan Feng's response, he mounted his horse and led the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's troops out of the city.

Nan Feng sat in the stone pavilion and finished his second cup of tea.

Old Huai clicked his tongue inside the tower.

"This girl is efficient and meticulous. Ning Fengzhi has taught her well."

"She just reminded me to change my hairband." Nan Feng touched his left wrist. "Xiao Wu is too embarrassed to say this. The one Xiao Wu braided is really about to break."

Bibi Dong poked her head out from the Tower Spirit Space.

"Shall I help you make one up?"

"You made this?" Nan Feng glanced at her. "You used to be the Pope, you know how to braid headbands?"

Bibi Dong blushed.

"I... I can learn."

The Old Huai locust tree inside the pagoda laughed so hard that its leaves swayed wildly.

Nan Feng stood up and walked towards the Tower Spirit Space.

"Okay, you learn it. Once you've choreographed it, compare it to Xiao Wu's. I'll use whoever's is better."

Bibi Dong squatted back down to continue watering the crabapple blossoms; the tips of her ears were even redder than the petals.

That evening, in the stone pavilion behind the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Nan Feng sat cross-legged in Space-Time Bubble, with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's letter of allegiance floating in front of him.

He stared at the seven elders' signatures on the last page of the document for a long time.

The order of the signatures was significant. The first to sign was Ning Fengzhi, the second was Aunt Ning, the third... and the seventh elder's signature was three points darker than the others, with subtle strokes at the edges.

Old Huai leaned over and took a look.

Is there something wrong with this signature?

"The seventh elder to sign," Nan Feng pointed to the name, "Is Ning Yuan. He's the most opposed to surrendering to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Council of Elders, yet his signature is seventh."

"The last signing is the most important. Putting Ning Fengzhi last is both a courtesy and a pressure."

Old Huai stroked his beard.

"You mean..."

"Ning Yuan will cause trouble." Nan Feng put the document into the Tower Spirit Space. "They will definitely make a move within three months. Have Shifang keep an eye on the movements Heaven Dou City, especially the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's returning convoy."

Old Huai responded, muttering something before retreating back into the Immortal Tree.

"You just accepted their documents, and you're already on guard against their people. Being a celestial master is more tiring than being the Pope."

Bibi Dong whispered a comment from the side.

He's always been like this.

Nan Feng closed his eyes and began circulating the Immortal Power of the twelfth chapter, "Eight Desolations Suppression," a slight smile curving his lips.

"Stop talking about me behind my back, you two. Old Huai, don't forget to follow up on the tea matter. Ning Rongrong promised to send two jin before she left; if she forgets, remind me."

Inside the stone pavilion outside the Space-Time Bubble, Shifang squatted by the fire, turning over a grilled fish. Fish oil dripped onto the charcoal, emitting white smoke.

After flipping the last fish, he looked up and shouted in the direction of the Space-Time Bubble.

"Brother Nan, the fish is ready! Old Huai said you can come out to eat after you finish practicing the twelfth chapter!"

The Old Huai poked half its head out from the sacred tree and cursed.

"I didn't say that! You're just being greedy!"

Shifang chuckled.

"Whether you said it or not is unimportant; the most important thing is that Brother Nan is out eating."

Bibi Dong squatted down beside her, clutching a freshly picked branch of the Nine Heart Begonia, clumsily trying to braid a hairband.

The branches were too stiff, so I kept weaving and unbundling them, and ended up with a small pile of broken branches at my feet.

Old Huai turned his head and glanced at it, then clicked his tongue.

"You're going to braid a hairband from crabapple branches? Will that be sturdy?"

Bibi Dong didn't even raise her head.

"Then what do you suggest we use to edit it?"

Old Huai thought for a moment, then broke off a supple vine from the sacred tree and handed it over.

"Use this. Make it sturdy. That brat's always running around outside; if the headband isn't strong enough, it'll break in three days."

Bibi Dong took the fairy vine and continued weaving with her head down.

Inside the Space-Time Bubble, the air around Nan Feng distorted slightly.

The Immortal Power cycle of the twelfth chapter, "Eight Desolations Suppression," was completely completed. The patterns on the seventh layer of the tower lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.

He opened his eyes, felt the surging Immortal Power in his meridians, and said something.

"The twelfth chapter is complete. The thirteenth chapter..."

Old Huai called from outside.

"Eat the fish! Eat first, then practice! If you don't come out now, Shifang will eat all the fish!"

Nan Feng smiled and stepped out of the Space-Time Bubble.

Shifang handed over a fish that was grilled to a golden brown and crispy perfection. Nan Feng took a bite, then suddenly remembered something.

"Bibi Dong, is your hair ribbon finished?"

Bibi Dong's hand trembled, and the fairy vine almost fell to the ground.

"Not... not yet."

The Old Huai beside him laughed so hard that the trees swayed wildly.

"What's your rush! It's the Pope's first time braiding a hairband, give him some time!"

Nan Feng took a bite of fish and mumbled something indistinctly.

"No rush. Tell me when you're done. I'll take it and compare it with Xiao Wu's to see who's more skillful."

Bibi Dong lowered her head and continued weaving, the smile on her lips impossible to hide.

On the official road Heaven Dou City, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriage had traveled ten miles when Ning Rongrong suddenly reined in her horse and stopped.

She glanced back in the direction of Heaven Dou City and took out another letter from her bosom.

The envelope was addressed to "To Nan Feng," and it was something Tang San had asked her to bring before she came.

She held the letter tightly for a long time, hesitated, and ultimately did not open it. Instead, she put it back in her bosom and said to Aunt Ning, who was accompanying her.

"Hurry up and get back to the sect within three days. Once you're back, investigate something for me."

What are you investigating?

"Check all of Elder Ning Yuan's communications with the outside world over the past three months."

Aunt Ning's expression hardened.

"Miss suspects..."

Ning Rongrong spurred the horse, and it began to trot, its sound carried on the wind.

"My father put him last in the signature list, and he signed it the heaviest. Either he's genuinely surrendering, or he's plotting something. Once I find out, I can explain myself to Nan Feng."

Aunt Ning gripped her Soul-Sealing Stone cane tightly and followed.

The Blue Silver Grass on both sides of the official road bowed low in the wind, revealing the majestic outline of Heaven Dou City in the distance.

Ning Rongrong recalled Nan Feng's words, "If he gets kicked down from the Divine Realm, I'll catch him."

She shivered.

She sensed certainty in those words, as if Nan Feng had already foreseen the end of Tang San's fate.

She pressed the letter in her bosom again and urged her horse to gallop faster.

Behind the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Nan Feng finished his third grilled fish and patted Shifang on the shoulder.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll run a lap around the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's return route for me, and see if anyone is following Ning Rongrong's group, especially after they leave the Heaven Dou City territory."

Shifang wiped the oil off his lips.

"Does anyone dare to touch Ning Rongrong?"

"It's not about touching her," Nan Feng, looking towards the official road. "It's about touching the surrender document. That old bastard Ning Yuan signed it way too heavily."

"Shifang, remember this: if anyone tries to intercept Ning Rongrong's carriage, don't intervene; just come back and tell me."

Shifang nodded.

"I understand. Should I still grill the fish?"

"Roast it," Nan Feng tossed the fish bones into the fire. "We'll eat it when we get back."

Bibi Dong finally finished braiding the first hair ribbon.

It was crooked and uneven, but at least it could be tied. She handed it over, blushing.

"... A bit ugly."

Nan Feng took it and tied it around her left wrist, next to Xiao Wu's old hairband.

The old, frayed, curly hair, the new, bluish-green vines, and the two hair ribbons tied together looked awkward no matter how you looked at them.

The Old Huai laughed so hard it fell off the sacred tree.

"With two ribbons hanging on your wrist, you look like a peddler selling hair ribbons!"

Nan Feng raised his wrist to look at it, and then laughed at himself.

"Okay, wear it for now. Once Bibi Dong makes a good second one, I'll put Xiao Wu's one away."

Bibi Dong's eyes lit up.

"Then I'll make up a second one."

Old Huai rolled his eyes.

"You two keep making this up, I'll go check where Ning Rongrong's carriage is. Shifang! Don't just eat, go keep watch at the mountain pass and see if anyone's following us!"

With his mouth full of fish, Shifang mumbled a reply.

The Tower Spirit Space fell silent. The tender buds of the Nine Heart Begonia unfurled in the celestial light, and the leaves of the Old Huai locust tree swayed twice overhead.

Nan Feng leaned against the stone pavilion pillar, the two ribbons on her left wrist fluttering in the evening breeze.

He closed his eyes and retrieved the submission documents from the Tower Spirit Space, then looked at the signature that was seventh in the list again.

Ning Yuan.

Three months.

He mentally placed the two words together, then retrieved the next section on the method of inducing qi from his memory and began to recite it silently.

Lights gradually illuminated the Heaven Dou City outside the stone pavilion. The charcoal fire at Shifang Fanyu burned red-hot.

At the far end of the official road, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriage had shrunk to a small black dot and disappeared into the twilight.

Nan Feng opened his eyes and glanced in that direction.

"Ning Rongrong," he said, "If you can't find out Ning Yuan's background, I'll help you investigate in three months."

Inside the Tower Spirit Space, Bibi Dong held up the second half-woven immortal vine hair ribbon and peered out to ask.

Who are you talking to?

Nan Feng turned his attention back to the south.

"You're talking to someone who's almost braided a headband into a rope. Your braiding method is wrong. A magic vine should be twisted between two strands; a single strand will look like a rope."

Bibi Dong looked down at the crooked and twisted immortal vine in her hand, and angrily threw it on the ground.

You make it up!

Nan Feng smiled and walked over to pick it up.

"I'll make it up then. Old Huai, keep an eye on things; this is much harder than practicing supernatural powers."

The Old Huai let out a long, mournful sigh from within the sacred wood.

"How did I end up with a bunch of living ancestors like you..."

Beside the stone pavilion, Shifang finished eating the last fish, wiped his mouth, threw the fish bones into the fire, and stood up to stretch.

He glanced in the direction where the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's carriage had disappeared and muttered something to himself.

"That Ning Yuan that Brother Nan mentioned, he better not cause trouble. If he does, my grilled fish business will be more than just grilled fish."

He touched the jade talisman of Immortal Power that Nan Feng had given him in his pocket, yawned, and squatted back down to continue guarding the campfire.

Night completely enveloped Heaven Dou City.