After She Long charged back into the Great Star Dou Forest, Qian Renxue stood frozen for a long time.
Memories kept flashing through her mind - from infiltrating the Heaven Dou Empire as Xue Qinghe's maid, to overthrowing Xue Qinghe and taking his place. All this time, she had only one thought: to prove herself.
If possible, she wouldn't have let She Long and Ci Xue get involved at all.
"Was I actually the most willful one all along?"
She had desperately sought even a shred of affection from that woman on the Pope's throne, constantly proving herself, enduring every hardship with gritted teeth. But in the end, she had overlooked those who truly cared about her.
"I..."
After regaining her composure, Qian Renxue went to the local Spirit Hall branch and found the person in charge. She handed him a letter and instructed him to deliver it to Spirit Hall headquarters at the fastest possible speed.
After leaving the branch, she returned to her original location, hoping to wait for She Long to rescue Ci Xue, though she knew the chances were slim. She didn't know how long she waited, nor did she check the time.
But finally, they returned!
Qian Renxue was overjoyed to see the barely alive Ci Xue and the severely injured She Long. Just as she was about to cry, she noticed the strangers present - Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Dugu Bo. No matter what, she suppressed her emotions and quickly had She Long take Ci Xue back first.
Ci Xue's condition was slightly better than she had expected.
Qian Renxue heaved a sigh of relief. After this incident, she no longer wanted to keep pretending to be someone else outside - she was truly exhausted.
Upon learning that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had used special medicines to stabilize Ci Xue, she had already mentally placed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in her camp. That's why she wanted to stay behind, to verify some information she had gathered earlier in the Heaven Dou capital.
"What's wrong, Miss Qian Renxue? Why do you keep looking at me?"
Ning Rongrong's voice pulled Qian Renxue out of her thoughts.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about something," Qian Renxue replied. "If Young Mistress Ning wants to be friends with me, of course I'm willing."
"That's wonderful," Ning Rongrong smiled. "May I ask where Miss Qian Renxue plans to go next?"
"No fixed destination. Someone should come to pick me up soon," Qian Renxue said after some thought. "Would it be convenient for me to travel with you all?"
"To be honest, no. This involves classified matters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
Qian Renxue: "..."
Seriously? Calling it classified while saying it out loud like that?
"Then I won't impose. I'll return to Uncle She Long first." Qian Renxue handed Ning Rongrong a token. "With this token, no one at any Spirit Hall branch will dare stop you."
"Thank you then." Ning Rongrong accepted the token, which bore only one character: "Qian"
The token's edges were engraved with golden patterns, giving off an air of luxurious nobility.
"Until we meet again." Qian Renxue turned and left.
After Qian Renxue departed, Ning Rongrong wiped cold sweat from her forehead.
She had finally gained Qian Renxue's preliminary trust. Though she didn't know exactly what had happened, it was probably related to She Long and Ci Xue.
Had the emotionally closed-off Qian Renxue finally had an emotional breakthrough?
That said, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan could indeed bring significant benefits to Qian Renxue. For someone like her who prioritized interests, even Tang San wanted to turn enemies into friends - let alone a cute little girl like me.
"Rongrong, there's no one monitoring us nearby."
After Qian Renxue left, Dugu Bo expanded his senses but detected no one in the vicinity.
Ning Rongrong and the others found a hotel in the city to calm their nerves.
When a table full of dishes was served, Dugu Yan had no appetite, still thinking about what had happened earlier.
"Just who is that Qian Renxue?"
Even the usually carefree Dugu Yan had noticed how cautious both Ning Rongrong and her grandfather Dugu Bo were around Qian Renxue.
Dugu Bo set up a soundproof barrier around them.
Dugu Yan was already used to this by now.
"Rongrong, can we talk about it?" Dugu Bo looked at Ning Rongrong.
"I'll explain," Ning Rongrong nodded. "Her name is Qian Renxue. The previous Spirit Hall Pope was named Qian Xunji."
"You mean she's the daughter of the former Spirit Hall Pope?" Dugu Yan exclaimed in surprise.
"Correct. Not only is she the daughter of the former Pope, she's also the granddaughter of the Spirit Hall's Grand Worship, the current 99th-ranked Title Douluo Qian Daoliu."
"And her talent..."
"Her martial soul is the Seraphim, with innate soul power of 20 levels."
"Stronger than full innate soul power?" Dugu Yan's lips twitched. "I've trained so hard just to reach the 30s, while someone starts at level 20 when awakening their martial soul?"
"Yes," Ning Rongrong nodded. "Her earlier claim about her age was also true - she's only about two years older than Sister Yan."
Dugu Yan fell silent: "Compared to you all, I feel like trash."
"With such talent, is she also a god's chosen inheritor?" Dugu Yan pressed.
"Yes, the inheritor of Spirit Hall's Angel God," Ning Rongrong sighed. "Actually, if not for certain reasons that made her neglect her cultivation, Qian Renxue might have already reached Soul Sage rank by now."
"That's really discouraging to hear," Dugu Yan couldn't help but complain. "Rongrong, you're also a god's chosen inheritor, right? Do you think you can reach Soul Emperor or Soul Sage by her age?"
"I'm not sure," Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Our cultivation methods are different."
"Speaking of which, how do you know all this?" Dugu Bo, who had been considering more than Dugu Yan, asked. Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan shouldn't have such detailed information about Spirit Hall!
"Simply put, when I was undergoing my god trial, that irresponsible god of mine gave me a rundown of the major factions in Douluo Continent."
"And also briefed me on all god-related matters on the continent," Ning Rongrong shrugged.
When in doubt, blame the gods.
Gods = omnipotent.
"Then, does Patriarch Ning know about these things?" Dugu Bo strongly suspected Ning Rongrong hadn't told everything to Ning Fengzhi.
"No, I haven't even told Sword Douluo or Bone Doulro," Ning Rongrong sighed. "The matters involved are too significant. If we hadn't encountered Qian Renxue today, I probably wouldn't have told you either."
"Because if this information were accidentally leaked, the risks would be enormous."
"Spirit Hall's strength far surpasses that of the Top Three Sects," Ning Rongrong said. "I know Qian Renxue is someone who values interests greatly, which is why I mentioned that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan might join Spirit Hall."
"It's like putting on a protective layer. At least until the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan becomes strong enough, I have to do this."
"Does Spirit Hall have many Title Douluos?" Dugu Yan asked curiously.
"Let's not talk about the weaker Title Douluos below level 95," Ning Rongrong's words immediately made Dugu Bo, who was eating, darken his expression.
"Wait, Senior Dugu, I was talking about Spirit Hall, not you..."
She had almost forgotten - there really was a "rather weak" Title Douluo present.