347. Stirring Up Trouble?

Stepping down from the sword, Ning Fengzhi greeted Qian Renjue with a polite smile.

“Your Highness, it’s been a while, and you look even more impressive.”

Sword Douluo, standing just behind Ning Fengzhi, gave Qian Renjue a direct look that clearly held a hint of disapproval.

“The Holy Son must be very busy; what brings you here today?”

Qian Renjue, understanding the tension in Sword Douluo’s tone, managed an awkward smile and replied, “I came to see Rongrong.”

“Hmph!” Sword Douluo huffed, as if ready to say more, but Ning Fengzhi subtly blocked him, laughing gently.

“Haha, Rongrong has been talking about you often, Your Highness,” Ning Fengzhi said. “I’ve already sent someone to inform her. I’m sure she’ll be delighted.”

“Thank you, Sect Master Ning,” Qian Renjue replied, smiling outwardly but feeling a bit uneasy inside. He knew that Ning Rongrong's “talking about him” probably wasn’t filled with compliments.

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Ning Fengzhi replied with a slight shake of his head. “Rongrong can be a bit headstrong. I hope Your Highness will be patient with her.”

“I certainly will,” Qian Renjue responded seriously.

“Good, good.” Ning Fengzhi adjusted his glasses, a glimmer of amusement flashing across the lenses.

Qian Renjue had the sense that Ning Fengzhi was almost enjoying the situation.

“Your Highness, Lady Ling Yuan, please, come inside,” Ning Fengzhi said, gesturing politely for them to enter.

“Of course.” Qian Renjue nodded, stepping forward with Ling Yuan Douluo following closely.

“Sect Master Ning, sorry to trouble you,” Ling Yuan said.

“Not at all, Lady Ling Yuan. I hope you find our hospitality here satisfactory,” Ning Fengzhi replied with a respectful nod.

Behind them, Sword Douluo followed closely, frowning and sending a private message to Ning Fengzhi.

“Fengzhi, what are you up to?”

“Sword Uncle,” Ning Fengzhi’s lips barely moved as he responded, a hint of amusement in his gaze, “you know better than anyone how difficult our little ‘troublemaker’ can be.”

“Rongrong?” Sword Douluo looked surprised.

“Yes, Sword Uncle. Let the two of them handle it on their own,” Ning Fengzhi said meaningfully, then turned back to continue his cheerful conversation with Qian Renjue.

Sword Douluo thought for a moment, then gave a knowing look with a bit of expectation in his eyes. No wonder Ning Fengzhi hadn’t given Qian Renjue a scolding himself—he was leaving that to Rongrong.

He shot a glance at Qian Renjue’s back and thought, Good luck cheering her up. If you make her cry… A slight glint appeared in Sword Douluo’s eyes as he thought, Well, I wouldn’t mind giving him a taste of my Seven Kill Sword Technique.

Qian Renjue, engaged in a light conversation with Ning Fengzhi, suddenly sensed a hint of pressure directed toward him. He raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced in Sword Douluo’s direction.

This kid… Sword Douluo’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. He had barely looked over, and even Bone Douluo wouldn’t have sensed it so quickly. How did he notice?

Realizing Sword Douluo’s surprise, Qian Renjue understood that he might have caused some irritation by not visiting sooner. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was currently stronger or weaker than Sword Douluo…


---

Meanwhile, in the private training ground of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan’s young lady.

A pink-haired girl dressed in a simple yellow sleeveless dress was walking among the trees with a black box in her hands, her face beaming with joy. Her skin was smooth and radiant, like a freshly peeled lychee, and her mischievous pink eyes sparkled with a lively spirit as she looked up toward the sky.


A voice as clear as silver bells rang out, echoing far into the distance.

“Grandpa Bone, don’t fly so high! I can’t aim properly!”

“Alright, alright. Grandpa Bone will fly a bit lower.”

Up in the air, Bone Douluo was holding a target with a painted image on it. If Qian Renjue were here, he’d definitely be amused—and maybe a bit embarrassed—to see the golden-haired, purple-eyed face on that target.

Bone Douluo’s cape fluttered behind him, following Ning Rongrong’s movements like a kite. Suddenly, he noticed a shadow approaching from afar, soon recognizing it as someone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's attire.

Clang!

A mechanical sound released from below as sixteen black arrows shot upwards in rapid succession.

“Haha, Grandpa Bone!” Ning Rongrong’s cheerful voice echoed from the grove. “If Rongrong hits the target, you’ll have to take me flying with your Martial Spirit Avatar!”

But soon, the smile on Ning Rongrong’s face faded—she realized her arrows were going to miss. Then, her expression brightened again as she called out playfully, “Grandpa Bone!”

Whoosh! In an instant, Bone Douluo darted through the sky, catching every arrow with the target in his hands.

Thunk, thunk!

“Yay! I hit the target! Grandpa Bone, you’re the best!” Ning Rongrong cheered, raising her hands and jumping in joy while holding her Zhuge Crossbow.

“Haha, Rongrong did great!” Bone Douluo lounged in the air, laughing with pride.

Whoosh! A figure in black appeared, landing gracefully atop a tree, bowing towards Bone Douluo and Ning Rongrong.

“Greetings, Miss Ning, Elder Bone!”

“Hm?” Ning Rongrong stopped her playful antics and looked at the newcomer curiously.

Bone Douluo, now more serious, stifled a yawn and dropped his playful expression.

“Alright, what’s the message?”

The disciple with black wings replied respectfully, “Elder, Sect Master has sent me to inform Miss Ning that the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall has arrived. He requests Miss Ning’s presence in the guest hall.”

“The Holy Son of the Spirit Hall is here?” Bone Douluo straightened up immediately, a bit taken aback.

From below, Ning Rongrong shouted excitedly, “Holy Son Brother! Finally! He finally came to see Rongrong!”

Her face was flushed with excitement as she held up her crossbow, tempted to fire a few celebratory shots.

“…”

Bone Douluo looked at Ning Rongrong’s delighted expression and felt a pang of jealousy. Who said daughters couldn’t be kept close as they grew up?!

“Wait!” After her initial excitement, Ning Rongrong noticed the marks on the trees and the target. She quickly sobered, her pouty pink lips expressing her displeasure.

“I’m not going, I’m not going!” She shook her head furiously, pointing her crossbow at the sect disciple in the tree.

“Hmph! Go tell my dad that I’m in the middle of training and very busy, so I can’t go!”

“Uh… Miss, but Sect Master…” The disciple looked troubled, unsure of what to do.

Bone Douluo, now smirking, waved the disciple away. “It’s alright! Just tell Fengzhi exactly what she said. I’ll handle any follow-up.”

The disciple hesitated but eventually nodded. “Thank you, Elder Bone. I’ll relay the message right away.”

With a beat of his wings, he took off toward the guest hall’s tower.

As the disciple flew off, Ning Rongrong’s displeased look quickly faded, replaced with a hint of worry in her eyes.