Capítulo 267: Chapter 255-I: Qian Renxue's Ambition
"Come, have a seat. You arrived at just the right time; the tea is at its best after the third or fourth steeping."
Seeing the odd look in Ning Rongrong's eyes, Su Cheng hurriedly approached and courteously led her to sit down at the tea table.
In truth, he had no idea when the tea's flavor was at its best; he was merely speaking off the cuff.
He couldn't let other matters be revealed.
After Ning Rongrong settled, he went to the side and opened the windows of the room.
It was just past mid-winter, not yet spring. As soon as he opened the window, a cold wind immediately swept into the room.
Even with adequate heating inside, the sudden chill made everyone shiver.
"Why did you open the window? It's so cold outside!"
Ning Rongrong shivered in the cold wind and frowned, momentarily forgetting the strange smell from earlier. She questioned sharply.
"You're already a Soul Elder; how can you be afraid of the cold?" Su Cheng laughed, "And it's so warm in here, just drinking tea gets dull. We need to appreciate the scenery to get the full experience."
"Scenery?" Ning Rongrong glanced out the window.
It was already late at night, the sky was covered with thick clouds, the moon and stars hidden, pitch dark.
The nearby woods had long been stripped of leaves by the winter, leaving only bare branches, a bleak sight.
"Ahem, everything has its own beauty."
Ning Rongrong wasn't so easily fooled. She scrutinized the two and said, "Why didn't you open the window earlier? Why wait until I arrived? Are you trying to chase me away?"
Her eyes swept over the tea cups on the table, and after a brief pause, she fetched a clean cup and poured herself some tea.
"I just got here not long ago and hadn't had a chance yet." Su Cheng explained offhandedly, "By the way, why did you come so late to find Zhuqing?"
"Didn't you say I could learn about martial soul control from Miss Zhu? I had nothing to do tonight, so I came over."
As she spoke, her gaze lingered on the beautiful woman across from her.
Even though some time had passed, Zhu Zhuqing's incredible allure hadn't faded easily.
Combined with her naturally sensitive constitution, her body still trembled slightly, masked only by sipping tea.
But even so, anyone with eyes could tell something was off about her.
When they met earlier today, Ning Rongrong had noticed the kiss marks on Zhu Zhuqing's neck and collarbone, but her biggest impression was Zhuqing's calm and ethereal demeanor, her cold and lofty aura.
Comparing that to her current enchanting demeanor, it was like she was a different person.
"Am I disturbing you?" Ning Rongrong asked lightly, holding her tea cup.
"Of course not, we had nothing important to do, just discussing our next steps." Su Cheng sat back down.
"Where are you going?" Ning Rongrong looked up.
Su Cheng didn't intend to hide it, "We're planning to visit the other Soul Master academies in a few days, to see our former teammates."
"Then I can join you. I visited Bing'er and Qingyu recently."
"This..." Su Cheng hesitated.
It wasn't that he thought Ning Rongrong would be a burden.
Quite the opposite, having her along might be beneficial.
The name of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect carried considerable weight among the upper echelons of the Heaven Dou Empire.
But taking her along might not be good for her clan.
Especially since Ning Fengzhi's stance was unclear, forcibly bringing Ning Rongrong along didn't seem right.
"What's wrong, is it not possible?"
"It's somewhat inconvenient," Su Cheng hesitated, "Your identity is sensitive, and I represent the Spirit Hall..."
"What about her?" Ning Rongrong looked at the silent girl sipping tea across from her and, unable to suppress her complex emotions, blurted out, "This Miss Zhu has quite a background, doesn't she?"
"Zhuqing? Her situation is different from yours. The Zhu family isn't the Star Luo Empire's royal family, and Zhuqing doesn't have a prominent position. She's not even as influential as her elder sister. Her only uniqueness is the Hell White Tiger martial soul, which is a tacitly acknowledged but vaguely defined attribute."
In fact, if it weren't for this, Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't have easily joined the Spirit Hall. At least the Star Luo Empire would have posed significant resistance, and a year ago, Bibi Dong wouldn't have agreed easily.
Now, she was more of a focal point in the power struggle between the two sides.
If a prince with the Hell White Tiger martial soul joined the Spirit Hall, it would have instantly intensified the conflict between Star Luo and the Spirit Hall.
Some things were better left unsaid. Explicit stances force the other side to act.
"You've returned to your clan, why worry about this?"
"My return doesn't mean much, just a Spirit Hall elder visiting family. But if you go with me, it becomes a big problem. To be honest, I don't want the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to get too deeply involved." Su Cheng looked at Ning Rongrong seriously.
Now that she had advanced significantly in strength and cultivation, he could speak more plainly.
"Your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul is well-known. Outside, you represent your clan's stance, you can't deny that."
Ning Rongrong nodded silently.
"The patriarch often says 'The upper three clans share a common bond,' implying unity against the Spirit Hall. So, making a clear stance too early isn't wise. You need to understand, people often hate traitors more than enemies.
"Of course, power struggles are about interests, not friendship. But since the patriarch set the tone, changing stances early would damage the clan's reputation. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect values its reputation highly."
Calling someone a traitor is harsh, but it's the truth, and Ning Rongrong knew it.
Everyone understood Ning Fengzhi's intentions; no one genuinely considered him a friend.
But if you form an alliance and then defect, it brings criticism and uncertain consequences.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, not as powerful as the Spirit Hall, could easily become a target, which would be detrimental.
"Okay." Ning Rongrong pouted, "But who knows what my dad thinks, he might let me go with you."
"Then let the patriarch decide, you can't act beyond your role. Young Miss, you're not the patriarch yet." Su Cheng smiled.
"Hmph, I don't want to be the patriarch." Ning Rongrong pouted.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, looking at Su Cheng, "How about you become the patriarch, and I'll be your vice-patriarch, how's that?"
"..."
Su Cheng was speechless, and Zhu Zhuqing's fingers paused, casting a meaningful glance at Ning Rongrong with a faint mocking smile before lowering her head silently.
Ning Rongrong seemed unaware of their reactions, lost in her own thoughts.
"The Spirit Hall might be great and value you, but ultimately, you're working for someone else, not free. You're Grandfather Jian's disciple; he treats you like his own son, and my dad values you too. Why not return to the clan? I know my dad, if you mention it, he won't oppose."
"You're overthinking. The patriarch wouldn't agree." Su Cheng said flatly.
He knew Ning Fengzhi well.
His character was fine, and his thinking was clear, but he was deeply attached to the clan, almost obsessed.
His phrase "The upper three clans share a common bond" was too high-profile, not fitting his position. This statement might suit the Clear Sky Clan better.
Given that, how could he entrust the clan to an outsider?
No matter how talented Su Cheng was, his martial soul wasn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, making Ning Rongrong's idea naive.
"And you? Would you be willing?" Ning Rongrong looked at him with bright eyes.
"I wouldn't." Although she said she came to learn about martial souls from Zhu Zhuqing, she seemed uninterested in talking to Zhuqing, chatting with Su Cheng instead, which left him helpless.
"Oh..." Her eyes dimmed but not too much, as she hadn't had high hopes from the start.
"Because of that Qian Renxue, right? I heard from my dad that you're close to Qian Renxue from the Spirit Hall."
Mentioning the name, Ning Rongrong's eyes flickered.
She remembered that woman, who had left a deep impression on her.
For the first time in her life, she felt genuine fear because of her.
Before that day, no one had ever truly wanted to kill her due to her identity, appearance, gender, or age.
But that woman had wanted to kill her without hesitation.
"Yes, I'm close to her, but staying in the Spirit Hall isn't entirely because of her." Discussing this in front of Zhu Zhuqing felt awkward, and Su Cheng knew Ning Rongrong had unpleasant encounters with Xiaoxue before.
"Why isn't she with you? And..." Ning Rongrong glanced at the silent Zhu Zhuqing, "Doesn't Miss Zhu mind you being alone with her?"
"...You're asking strange questions; of course, she doesn't mind." Su Cheng felt a chill, realizing the conversation was veering off course, and the questions were sharp. This couldn't continue well.
But he remained composed, "Besides, Xiaoxue's personality has improved a lot. She had difficulty controlling her emotions before due to special circumstances."
"..."
Zhu Zhuqing glanced coldly at him but said nothing.
"And Miss Zhu doesn't mind?" Ning Rongrong suddenly turned her attention to Zhu Zhuqing, curious.
Su Cheng hurriedly interrupted, "Rongrong, weren't you here to learn about martial souls? Why keep talking about this—"
"I don't mind."
Before he could finish, a calm voice interrupted.
The cool voice carried a hint of hoarseness, imbued with an indescribable allure.
Su Cheng looked over, astonished, to see Zhu Zhuqing gazing coldly at Ning Rongrong, "I won't be fickle like some people. This is my own choice, and I accept it."
"..."
Su Cheng was momentarily speechless, feeling complex emotions.
He noticed Ning Rongrong's disdainful gaze and cleared his throat, "Rongrong, you're still young. These matters aren't your concern. Focus on your cultivation; don't waste your talent. How's your progress with Innate technique?"
Seeing Su Cheng change the subject, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes briefly darkened before returning to normal.
Ning Rongrong didn't mind the topic shift, smiling, "Of course, I've been cultivating. Your method is amazing. Now, I can fight soul masters without relying on my martial soul, even beast soul masters."
"What?" Su Cheng was surprised by her response.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder