Bab 113: Chapter 113: Gu Rong’s Protective Instincts, Su Ming’s Worries

Flender immediately sensed something was wrong from Gu Rong's tone. Could it be that the morning incident, where Ning Rongrong was made to run laps, had been exposed?

Surely making her run laps wouldn't be enough to warrant a visit from one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's titled Douluo, right?

Feeling uneasy, Flender replied nervously, "Yes, Your Eminence, I am aware that Ning Rongrong is the daughter of Sect Master Ning."

Gu Rong smirked. "Oh? Since you know, then this will be easy."

"Let's settle the score, shall we?"

Flender's heart sank. He forced an awkward smile and said, "Your Eminence, surely there's been a misunderstanding. I only asked Ning Rongrong to run twenty laps around the village for some physical training. She wasn't alone—her classmates ran with her..."

It was a relief that Su Ming and the others had accompanied Ning Rongrong that morning. Otherwise, Flender's explanation might not have sufficed. Thankfully, the task had been completed without incident.

However, Gu Rong hadn't anticipated this admission. "Twenty laps around the village?" He quickly scanned the village with his spiritual power, noting its considerable size. Forcing his little princess to run twenty laps? Was this a joke?

Gu Rong's expression darkened further. Was this how they welcomed his little princess on her first day?

Running was supposed to help build endurance, and Ning Rongrong had done it regularly in the sect, but never this much! And, frankly, it wasn't that useful for someone like her.

Originally, Gu Rong had planned to merely warn Flender about keeping Dai Mubai in check, given his responsibility as the academy's student. But now, Gu Rong was in no mood to let this go lightly. He didn't care what Flender's intentions were that morning—he would find out from Rongrong herself soon enough.

Gu Rong extended his right hand, pressing down. Instantly, the pressure of a titled Douluo enveloped Flender.

Flender didn't dare resist. He knew that any attempt to fight back would only worsen his situation. He could neither fight nor flee from a titled Douluo.

"Your Eminence, there must be some misunderstanding..."

Gu Rong's voice was cold and foreboding. "You know perfectly well if this is a misunderstanding. And let's not forget that tonight, my little princess was nearly struck by your student, Dai Mubai. Consider this a warning: you'd better control him. I don't care if he's the third prince of Star Luo Empire—I will kill him if necessary. He's nothing but a stray dog."

"Considering these two incidents, me coming to settle things with you isn't unreasonable, is it? You're the dean of Shrek Academy, and my little princess has come to study here. Instead of taking care of her, you've made things difficult. Neither her father nor her two grandfathers would treat her this way—what gives you the right?!"

Flender felt the pressure weighing heavier and heavier on him. He knew Gu Rong's reputation for being fiercely protective, and it was best not to resist.

Moreover, why had Dai Mubai acted so recklessly? Didn't Flender instruct him to bring Su Ming and the others back safely? How had things escalated to the point where Ning Rongrong was nearly harmed?

Flender's expression turned grim. Did Dai Mubai truly believe his royal status gave him the right to act arrogantly toward Ning Rongrong? Tomorrow, he would get to the bottom of what had happened after they left the arena.

Ignoring Flender's pleas for mercy, Gu Rong proceeded to teach him a painful lesson. Flender couldn't resist and endured the beating, his face full of frustration.

The next morning, Flender summoned Dai Mubai to his office while the others were left to their own training.

As soon as Dai Mubai entered the room, he was shocked. "Dean, what happened to your face?!"

Flender snorted angrily, "Don't ask me what happened. You should be telling me what went down last night! I told you to bring everyone back to the academy—how did you end up clashing with Ning Rongrong?"

Seeing Flender's obvious anger and suspecting that his injuries might be connected to the previous night's events, Dai Mubai didn't dare lie and recounted everything that had happened.

"Fortunately, Su Ming was there to defuse the situation. Otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here right now. You'd either be dead or severely crippled, and your royal family wouldn't be able to do anything for you. They'd ask for compensation, but what good would that do?"

Dai Mubai paled at the implication. "Dean, are you saying that your injuries were caused by a strong member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? Was that expert present last night?"

Flender shot Dai Mubai a sharp look. "If it were anyone else, it might be explainable. But last night, it was none other than Bone Douluo, one of the two titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan! He's extremely protective of Ning Rongrong, and I'm guessing Sect Master Ning sent him to keep an eye on her. You'd better lay low for a while and apologize to Ning Rongrong. Otherwise, no one will be able to protect you."

Cold sweat ran down Dai Mubai's back. He hadn't expected that Bone Douluo had witnessed his clash with Ning Rongrong. It was well known that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's sect master and the two titled Douluo adored Ning Rongrong. If Su Ming hadn't intervened last night...

Did that mean Su Ming had saved his life?

After all, he had been the first to attack, and the Star Luo Empire wouldn't have had any grounds to defend him. In fact, they might not have defended him at all!

His resentment toward Su Ming lessened, but little did he know, Su Ming didn't care in the slightest about Dai Mubai's thoughts. Su Ming would show no mercy to anyone who threatened him or those he cared about.

Meanwhile, as Flender and Dai Mubai were having their conversation...

On the training ground, Su Ming suddenly sensed a disturbance in space. Instinctively, he positioned Xiao Wu behind him and shouted, "Be careful! A powerful enemy is approaching!"

Everyone's eyes turned in the same direction, their expressions tense. But Ning Rongrong quickly recognized the soul power signature and called out joyfully, "Grandpa Gu, what are you doing here?!"

From the distorted space in front of them, an armored middle-aged man emerged—though, in reality, Bone Douluo Gu Rong was well over a hundred years old.

Su Ming's expression became serious. Why was Gu Rong suddenly here? This wasn't in line with the original story!

In a low voice, Su Ming whispered to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, he's a titled Douluo. Quickly hide your aura. The effect of the concealment talisman is still active, so he shouldn't be able to sense you. But if he does, I'll hold him off while you use teleportation to escape to the Star Dou Forest. Do you understand?"

Xiao Wu's heart warmed at Su Ming's concern. She whispered back, "Don't worry, Brother. I won't be discovered!"

Thanks to the system's aura-concealing ability, she wasn't worried about a titled Douluo identifying her as a 100,000-year-old soul beast.

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Bab 114: Chapter 114: Su Ming: "A Spirit Master Who Doesn’t Cause Trouble Isn’t a Good Spirit Master? What Nonsense!"

Even though Xiao Wu had the system's skills to protect her, seeing Su Ming so nervous about her didn't make her feel awkward. On the contrary, it made her heart warm. It showed how much Su Ming truly cared for her.

As soon as Gu Rong appeared, Ning Rongrong excitedly ran into his arms. Gu Rong immediately spread his arms wide to catch her, hugging her tightly.

Ning Rongrong beamed with joy as she looked at Gu Rong, "Grandpa Gu, what brings you here?"

Gu Rong gently patted her head, his face full of affection. "You sneaked out, didn't you? If I hadn't come to check on you, I wouldn't have known if you got bullied."

Ning Rongrong pouted playfully, "Grandpa Gu, with my strength, how could you not know I snuck out? I thought everything would be fine."

Gu Rong gave her a stern look. "Tell me what happened yesterday. I already gave that old fool Flender a good beating, so he shouldn't cause you any more trouble."

Hearing this from afar, Su Ming silently gave Gu Rong a thumbs-up in his heart. Well done! Flender deserved that for purposely creating a situation where Oscar would be alone with Ning Rongrong and assigning her an impossible task.

Under those circumstances, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's ability to enhance wouldn't help her recover her stamina, forcing her to rely on Oscar's sausages. If she refused to eat them, she'd fail the task, giving Flender an excuse to "temper" her personality.

Gu Rong then used a spatial transfer to take Ning Rongrong aside to hear the full story in detail.

After a short while, they returned to the academy's training ground.

Ning Rongrong ran over to Su Ming and, full of excitement, introduced him, "Su Ming, this is one of the two titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—Bone Douluo. He's one of my grandfathers who dotes on me the most!"

Gu Rong immediately interjected, "Rongrong, what do you mean 'one of'? There's no 'one of'—I'm the one who dotes on you the most. Sword Douluo is nothing!"

Ning Rongrong sighed inwardly. She knew her grandpa Gu liked to compete with Sword Douluo over who cared for her the most. What could she do but go along with it? Smiling, she said, "Alright, alright, Grandpa Gu loves me the most!"

Hearing this, Gu Rong finally nodded in satisfaction.

Su Ming, standing nearby, looked at Gu Rong with a strange expression. Such a powerful man was acting like a child in front of Ning Rongrong. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed it.

It was clear Gu Rong truly spoiled Ning Rongrong.

Then, Ning Rongrong turned to Gu Rong and said, "Grandpa Gu, this is Su Ming. He's the one who helped me yesterday. He's really strong and talented!"

Gu Rong glanced at Su Ming, and his previously serious face softened into a smile. "Kid, you did well. If you hadn't acted yesterday, Rongrong would have been in trouble."

"But even if you hadn't stepped in, I would have. And if I had to, Dai Mubai wouldn't have walked away unharmed—I'd have half-crippled him."

The Star Luo royal family wouldn't have been able to say a word against it.

As he spoke, a faint murderous aura emanated from Gu Rong, showing how truly angry he had been.

Su Ming, remaining calm, bowed slightly. "You're too kind, Senior. I just felt that what Rongrong said yesterday was right, so I couldn't let Dai Mubai harm her."

Gu Rong was pleased with Su Ming's humble yet confident attitude. However, he was a bit irked—this kid's words sounded a bit too perfect. If Su Ming claimed he had no interest in Rongrong, Gu Rong wouldn't believe him for a second!

Before Dai Mubai had even made a move, Gu Rong had sensed the faintest trace of soul power surrounding Dai Mubai's feet—clearly Su Ming's precautionary measure.

Plus, Gu Rong could tell that Ning Rongrong had already developed feelings for Su Ming. He suspected that before long, his precious little princess might fall for this boy.

With Su Ming's behavior being so upstanding, Gu Rong had no grounds to lash out. It was frustrating!

Gu Rong then turned his gaze to Oscar, his voice cold. "You must be Oscar. Let me warn you—keep your thoughts to yourself and stay away from my Rongrong. I know why your dean paired you with her for that morning run."

"Because of that, I already gave your dean a beating. You'd better not have any foolish ideas. You're just a food-type soul master!"

Oscar, feeling the overwhelming pressure from Gu Rong, turned pale and could only nod stiffly in response.

Meanwhile, Zhao Wuji, sensing the presence of a titled Douluo on the academy grounds, hurried over with a troubled expression. Why had there been two titled Douluo showing up in as many days?

Just the other night, after he had finished assessing the new students, Tang Hao had appeared out of nowhere and beaten him up. Though Tang Hao hadn't used any soul skills, his Clear Sky Hammer alone had left Zhao Wuji battered and bruised. His face was still swollen from the ordeal!

He had planned to lay low for a few days after losing face in front of the students and then being thrashed by Tang Hao. But now another titled Douluo had arrived, forcing him to investigate.

The students noticed Zhao Wuji's bruised face and were shocked. What had happened to their teacher in just one day?

But Zhao Wuji had no time to worry about that. He rushed to Gu Rong, offering a respectful bow. "So it's Bone Douluo, Your Eminence. Is there something we can help you with?"

Gu Rong snorted, "My little princess is here studying. Shouldn't I come to see if she's being mistreated? This has nothing to do with you. Step aside."

Faced with Gu Rong's blunt response, Zhao Wuji didn't dare argue and obediently moved aside.

Since Flender had been the one leading the group to the Soto Great Spirit Arena, Zhao Wuji wasn't aware of what had transpired. Otherwise, he wouldn't have seemed so calm.

Seeing Zhao Wuji in such a state, Su Ming couldn't help but feel disdain. He had the urge to mock him. Zhao Wuji had often said that a spirit master who didn't cause trouble wasn't a good spirit master.

Yet, here he was, meek as a lamb before a titled Douluo. Where was his bravado now? In reality, Zhao Wuji was a typical bully—only brave when facing weaker opponents. Why wasn't he standing up to the titled Douluo?

If he tried to fight one, a titled Douluo would probably scatter his ashes!

Ignoring Zhao Wuji, Gu Rong turned back to Su Ming. "Kid, I admire you. Your talent and strength are commendable. How about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"

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