Chapter 38: The Gift Is a Spirit Bone

"Speaking of which, I haven't given you a gift yet. Today is an important day, so please accept this as my apology. I hope you'll take it, Ning Tian."

"A spirit bone!"

Ning Tian gasped, her left hand flying to her mouth to cover her loss of composure. Her eyes were fixed intently on the right-arm bone, which emitted faint, starlit glimmers in the dark of night.

What was a spirit bone? A treasure of the Blood River! A relic that, ten thousand years ago, could have ignited a war between two small nations! Even today, it remained a priceless treasure. Yet, Ning Wuque had brought it out as an apology, extending it toward her...

Not far away, Wu Feng, who had been leaning against a tree trunk in dejected sorrow, straightened up. Her eyes, too, were locked onto the spirit bone. This was a treasure that even her own father only possessed three of!

"This, Wuque, you..."

"It’s just an ordinary thousand-year right-arm bone. I had originally intended to trade it for something better once our sect's treasury had a good item, but the resources you've provided me meant I never needed to part with it." Ning Wuque spoke nonchalantly, as if the spirit bone in his hand were of less value than the heaven-sent treasures that aided his physical tempering. "It would be a waste for you to absorb this. Perhaps you could keep it as a collector's item in your room? Take it; once you do, you aren't allowed to take revenge on me anymore."

"I refuse! Revenge is absolutely inevitable, don't you even dream of it, hmph!" Ning Tian retorted. She didn't reach out to take it, instead lifting her head with pride. She wanted to refuse because she knew the spirit bone would be of great help to Ning Wuque. One had to understand that fusing with a spirit bone significantly improved a spirit master's physical constitution, even if it were only a thousand-year bone. This was something Ning Wuque truly needed!

But Ning Wuque didn't give her the chance to decline. He pulled her hand over and pressed the spirit bone into her palm, explaining, "I can't absorb a spirit bone due to my own personal constraints. The help you've given me these past few days is worth more than enough to buy a ten-thousand-year spirit bone. Take it, Ning Tian."

"You... Feng-mei, you absorb this spirit bone. I don't have a use for it."

Ning Tian accepted it. Seeing Ning Wuque's earnest expression, she realized he might be telling the truth—the spirit bone was indeed useless to him. However, she turned and tossed the bone to Wu Feng, who had been watching from afar, telling her to absorb it.

In the distance, Wu Feng caught the priceless Blood River treasure with steady hands, staring at the two of them in bewilderment. She was shocked that Ning Wuque would be willing to give such a thing to Ning Tian. She was shocked that Ning Tian would turn around and give it to her to absorb. She was shocked—no, she was saddened. What was this? Were they entrusting their token of love to a mutual friend for safekeeping?

She didn't want a spirit bone like this! Wasn't this just rubbing salt in her wounds?

"Is it really okay, Wuque? It's too much of a waste to just keep it as a collection piece. My father happens to have a right-arm bone in his collection that I am set to inherit."

"Of course it's fine. I gave it to you; it's up to you how to dispose of it." Ning Wuque nodded, unbothered. Using the bone was for the best, and having Wu Feng absorb it was a good choice. Since she wouldn't be practicing his "Nine-Fold Yama Gate," she had no such concerns about absorbing spirit bones.

Seeing this, the look in Ning Tian's eyes softened even more. He was willing to give up such a precious treasure without hesitation; perhaps her sincerity would not be辜负 (betrayed) by him. The gaze she fixed upon him was practically brimming with affection.

The more this happened, the less Wu Feng, standing nearby clutching the bone, wanted to absorb it. Damn it, this bastard Ning Wuque really knew how to win over a young girl's heart! Damn it!

...

"Bone Grandfather, I think I can increase my bet."

"I agree. I've been watching the lad Wuque, and he seems fine. Tian'er won't suffer any grievances after being with him."

Nearby, the two old men were equally dumbfounded. They had never expected this turn of events—that Ning Wuque would actually gift a spirit bone as an apology. Heavens, this was enough to trick a little genius from Shrek Academy into being hopelessly devoted.

In the Douluo Continent, what could be used as a standard to measure the bond between two people? The answer: a spirit bone!

...

"Wuque, I like you..."

Ning Tian leaned forward, placing her hands on Ning Wuque’s chest, confessing in a gentle voice—a more formal confession than ever before. Before her, Ning Wuque watched her and nodded, silently accepting her declaration.

———————

Time passed in a blink.

After that day, their behavior within the sect remained as it always had; they weren't foolish enough to engage in intimate displays before the eyes of the crowd. All of that could wait until they left the sect and arrived at Shrek.

As for Wu Feng, she silently accepted everything. After consulting with her father, Wu Yan, she did not absorb the spirit bone. Instead, she donated it to the sect in Ning Wuque's name, exchanging it for a fifty-percent increase in contribution points and a favor from a Spirit Douluo.

Thus, two months passed, arriving at the eve of Shrek Academy's enrollment. With seven days remaining until the deadline, the three young people from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect set off on their journey. Two Spirit Douluo elders accompanied them in the shadows, ensuring their safety.

"Let's go to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for my third spirit ring first, and then we'll go to Shrek Academy to enroll. Wuque, what do you think?"

"Why not just go to the sect's spirit-hunting forest?"

"Ah... I just want to feel what it's like to be protected by you. Besides, if all else fails, I can just have my father send someone to deliver a suitable spirit beast. It's no big deal."

Ning Tian waved it off, entirely unconcerned. Although the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect’s status was far lower than during the era of the Three Great Sects, their foundation was still formidable, and their wealth was top-tier. Having someone deliver a thousand-year spirit beast—was that really so difficult?

"Fine."

Ning Wuque nodded with envy. This was the life of a young lady from a wealthy family; truly willful. Beside them, Wu Feng had spoken far less since the two of them got together, though her drive during training had become even more intense. While the dynamic between the three had changed, it remained stable under Ning Tian's mediation, though perhaps it could never return to what it once was.

"Star Dou Forest..."

On the road, Ning Wuque looked toward the direction of the Star Dou Forest, his thoughts drifting. At this point, the plot might be about to begin. He wondered if he would meet the "protagonist" of this era there. And as for himself, what attitude should he take toward him? Should he despise him for his future actions and ignore him? Or should he befriend him while he was still untainted by the people and events around him? Like Wu Feng, should he try to bring about some change in him?

Ning Wuque didn't know. He had never considered these things before, just as Wu Feng and Ning Tian had never considered him before they took the initiative to get to know him.