Chapter 39: Ning Fengzhi

"Hiss." Xu Sheng, lying on the bed, drew in a sharp breath before slowly regaining consciousness.

Waking up to a feeling of being in pain was certainly not a pleasant experience.

He slowly sat up from the bed, covered his chest, which was bandaged with white fabric, and curiously surveyed the surroundings.

He was in an elegant room, adorned with potted green plants, though the space itself was excessively large.

Xu Sheng reached out to touch the wooden furniture; it was clear at a glance that they were not made of ordinary wood.

He sighed to himself, "A room this big—just buying it must have cost a fortune in Golden Soul Coins, right?"

"Tap, tap, tap..." A knock sounded at the door.

Xu Sheng turned, his gaze narrowing with sharp vigilance. He still did not know where he was, so he had to be cautious.

A female voice came from outside: "Xu Sheng, I'm coming in!"

Ning Rongrong pushed the door open and walked in.

Seeing Xu Sheng staring intently at her, her face flushed slightly. She walked over briskly, her eyes filled with worry. "Xu Sheng, are you feeling better now?"

She was terrified that Chen Xin might have caused permanent damage to Xu Sheng's body.

"Don't worry, Rongrong. I'm fine; my body isn't that fragile... Hiss!" Before Xu Sheng could finish his sentence, an intense wave of pain forced him to gasp again.

However, thinking that since Ning Rongrong was here, this place was most likely the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Seeing Xu Sheng in pain, a pang of sorrow pricked Ning Rongrong's heart. She lowered her head and said softly, "Um... Xu Sheng, I'm sorry about this. I let Bone Grandpa and Sword Grandpa misunderstand you, and you were almost..."

If it weren't for her, Xu Sheng wouldn't have been so severely injured.

Seeing her self-reproach, Xu Sheng gently reached out to ruffle her hair and said softly, "It's not your fault. And look, I'm perfectly fine now, aren't I? Don't overthink it."

The fact that Ning Rongrong could apologize to him meant that his "verbal assault" from that day had worked. Otherwise, given her original personality, how could she ever have lowered her head to apologize?

Feeling the warmth on her head, Ning Rongrong finally looked up again.

After a moment, the thin-skinned Ning Rongrong said apologetically, "Xu Sheng, since you're feeling better, could you come with me? My father said that if you woke up, I should take you to see him."

She couldn't quite figure out what her father wanted. Clearly, before this, he could have used the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to heal Xu Sheng directly. With Ning Fengzhi's means, restoring Xu Sheng's injuries would have been a trivial matter.

Xu Sheng did not refuse and smilingly agreed, "Alright, then I'll trouble you to lead the way, Rongrong. I’m actually quite interested in meeting your father, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

To most people, Ning Fengzhi appeared gentle and magnanimous, but to Xu Sheng, that was not the case.

He was a man who always prioritized maximizing his interests. Of course, one could also say he possessed great foresight. Otherwise, why would he have protected Tang San when he was being hunted down in the original story?

The reasons were twofold: First, it was because of Tang San's father, Tang Hao, the youngest Title Douluo on the continent! By winning Tang San over, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would establish a connection with Tang Hao. Given the friendship between Tang San and Ning Rongrong, if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ever fell into a crisis, Tang Hao would surely not stand idly by.

Second, it was Tang San's own terrifying potential and their slight, detached acquaintance.

"What does Xu Sheng mean by that? Could it be... that he has feelings for me..." Ning Rongrong's mind wandered in a different direction. Her burning cheeks seemed to think of something thrilling.

Consequently, she naturally took Xu Sheng’s arm, a satisfied smile on her face, and said in a very gentle tone, "Xu Sheng, let's go then. Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa are there too!"

Xu Sheng looked down at the arm Ning Rongrong was holding and said quietly, "Rongrong, if you do this, won't Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo get angry enough to act?"

The treasure they pampered in their hearts had become so intimate with someone else after only a few days. Tsk tsk, he imagined Chen Xin's expression must be as ugly as it could possibly be.

However, he felt quite pleased.

...

Ning Rongrong consciously let go of Xu Sheng's arm, pointed to the main hall ahead, and whispered to Xu Sheng, "This is it, let's go in."

Xu Sheng nodded, and the two walked straight into the hall.

As soon as Xu Sheng stepped inside, he noticed Gu Rong and Chen Xin sitting in the back, their gazes fixed firmly on him, while Ning Fengzhi, sitting between them, gave him a surprisingly calm smile.

There was an empty chair placed directly in front of them; it didn't take a genius to realize it was intended for Xu Sheng.

However, Xu Sheng's gaze first swept over Gu Rong and Chen Xin. "Are Gu Rong and Chen Xin trying to intimidate me? I might not be able to defeat them with my current soul power using the Nine-Heart Begonia, but that's a different story for my other Martial Soul."

After all, he had tried switching to the Ice Rose Sword before.

It gave him only one impression: it was terrifyingly powerful! Especially with eight hundred-thousand-year soul rings and one million-year soul ring, it provided him with a full twenty soul skills!

However, with his current physical condition, if he were to force himself to use it, he feared that after killing his enemies, his own body would be unable to withstand the power of the sword and shatter like a flower.

Ning Rongrong walked gracefully in front of Ning Fengzhi and pouted, "Father, I've brought Xu Sheng here. If you have something to say, just say it."

Ning Fengzhi took a refined sip of tea, winked at Ning Rongrong, and asked affectionately, "Rongrong, could you go outside and play for a while? Your father, Bone Grandpa, and Sword Grandpa have some things they want to discuss with Xu Sheng..."

Ning Rongrong glanced at the indifferent Xu Sheng, then raised her small fist toward Gu Rong and Chen Xin, saying, "Then you are not allowed to lay a hand on Xu Sheng again!"

At that moment, Gu Rong felt very uncomfortable. "Don't worry, Rongrong, we won't lay a hand on him!"

As for Chen Xin, it went without saying. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but inside, he was practically fuming. He muttered under his breath, "I should have killed this Xu Sheng sooner!"

Of course, that was just his angry talk. He later learned that it was precisely because of Xu Sheng's intervention that Ning Rongrong was able to return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect unharmed. Therefore, he didn't harbor any real hostility toward him.

Receiving their assurances, Ning Rongrong lifted her chin proudly and left in a very cheerful mood.

"I wonder what Xu Sheng will talk about with Father? It couldn't really be..."

...

After Ning Rongrong left, Ning Fengzhi's soft, measuring gaze turned to Xu Sheng. He gestured slightly and invited him, "Young friend Xu Sheng, you are Rongrong's savior; there is no need to be so restrained. Please, sit!"

Since Ning Fengzhi had put it that way, if Xu Sheng didn't sit, it would be a matter of his own etiquette.

"Then this junior shall accept your hospitality!" After saying this, Xu Sheng slowly sat in the chair, waiting for Ning Fengzhi to continue.

He believed that a man like Ning Fengzhi wouldn't call him over for no reason; there was definitely more to it than met the eye.