Earlier, he had asked the brute to state his demands to distract him.
Because of the angle and the darkness, the brute didn’t notice the sword wings deploying.
Ning Tianchen had scattered the feather blades under the fallen leaves.
When his third soul skill activated, the blades automatically attacked the brute’s vital spots.
As the brute’s neck was pierced, a spray of blood covered Ning Rongrong.
Seeing the danger pass, she burst into tears and threw herself into Ning Tianchen’s arms.
“Brother Tianchen, I thought I’d never see you again…”
Ning Tianchen patted her forehead.
“Don’t cry, Rongrong.
The bad guys are dead.”
This incident forced Ning Rongrong to mature.
The soul master world was cruel.
Without her father’s protection, her temper would have gotten her killed long ago.
Even with her clan’s reputation, out in the wilderness, there were people who simply didn’t care.
“We can’t stay here.
We must leave immediately.”
That brute likely wasn’t the top boss of Heifeng Stronghold.
The battle had caused a ruckus, and reinforcements were probably on their way.
Despite the massive power gap, Ning Rongrong had still been taken hostage.
It proved that protecting her in a chaotic brawl was extremely difficult.
“Rongrong, step onto the sword.
We’ll find a river to wash off the blood.”
Covered in blood, they wouldn’t even be allowed into the next city.
Using his third soul skill’s flight ability, they quickly flew down the mountain.
The skill drained his soul power rapidly, and without a soul power recovery buff from Rongrong, he couldn’t fly for long.
By the time his soul power was halved, they reached the bottom.
They found a small stream nearby.
Ning Tianchen casually took off his shirt and washed the blood off.
Ning Rongrong hesitated; taking off her clothes in the open was improper for a girl.
“Rongrong, I’ll keep watch.
Go wash up.”
Blushing, Ning Rongrong slowly undressed and crouched by the stream.
It was a crescent moon night, so her reflection was barely visible.
After a while, she whispered, “Brother Tianchen, I can’t reach my back.
Can you help me…” Her voice faded into silence.
Despite the quiet night, he understood.
“Is…
is that appropriate?”
Ning Rongrong replied shyly, “Dad said you’re going to marry me, so it’s…
it’s fine.”
After a moment of internal struggle, Ning Tianchen agreed.
In the faint moonlight, he could only see her pale skin and nothing else.
“A bit small…”
Ning Rongrong froze in place until all the blood was washed away.
…
The next morning, they entered a nearby city right as the gates opened.
Exhausted from spending the night in the wilderness, they planned to rest for half a day before continuing.
As they entered, a traveling merchant caravan was discussing Heifeng Stronghold.
“Did you hear?
Last evening, the boss of Heifeng Stronghold was killed by a Spirit Hall expert.
This morning, I saw kingdom troops marching toward their mountain.”
“No wonder.
When I passed by their mountain, I heard their fourth boss was killed by a group last night.
Instead of seeking revenge, the stronghold packed up and fled.
So that’s why.”
Hearing this, the two smiled helplessly.
If they had waited a day as Ning Tianchen suggested, they wouldn’t have encountered the bandits.
But it wasn’t without gains.
“Brother Tianchen, you’re amazing.
You actually killed their fourth boss,” Ning Rongrong whispered.
Those bandits were nothing but a disorganized mob.
They relied on numbers to bully people.
Individually, their combat power was worse than a soul master who had fought in a spirit arena for a few weeks.
The kingdom’s anti-bandit troops, even if they were normal humans, could likely defeat them through sheer discipline.
Ning Tianchen checked the map.
“There are three more cities before Suotuo City.
We’ll arrive in three or four days.
Rongrong, you’re level twenty-nine now.
Work hard to reach level thirty right after enrollment.”
He knew that Oscar reached level thirty on the first day of school, prompting the Seven Devils to enter the Star Dou Great Forest.
Tang San obtained the Eight Spider Lances—the greatest early-game opportunity—during that trip.
The Eight Spider Lances and his Sword Wings each had their unique traits.
His wings provided flight and surprise ranged attacks, while the spider lances possessed a devouring ability, allowing rapid strength growth.
For now, the lances seemed superior, but Ning Tianchen felt he hadn’t fully unlocked his wings’ potential.
He didn’t like Tang San, but they weren’t sworn enemies yet.
Since their future relationship was uncertain, depriving Tang San of the Eight Spider Lances was the best choice.
As for staying at Shrek Academy, Ning Tianchen hadn’t decided.
Ning Rongrong definitely wouldn’t go to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
The Four Elements Academies belonged to other major families, so they couldn’t enroll there.
Building a new academy would take too long and might cause them to miss the Elite Tournament.
With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan’s wealth, he didn’t need to worry about their future.
Attending Shrek was mainly to accompany Rongrong on her runaway adventure and to observe Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Ning Tianchen lay on the hotel bed and fell asleep.