Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, rear mountain lawn.
It was noon, and the blazing sun hung high overhead.
“Rongrong, help me out, would you?” A handsome, blond-haired young man was sprawled on the grass, listlessly raising a finger as he spoke in a languid tone.
Beside him stood a petite, adorable girl wearing a tasseled dress.
Her bright eyes flashed when she heard him.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the shovel lying nearby and thrust it beneath the young man.
With a forceful flip, she turned him over like a salted fish, exposing his back to the midday sun.
“You need someone to turn you over, too?
How lazy can you get?” Ning Rongrong grumbled as she set the well-used shovel aside.
Only after finishing did she remember why she had come.
She crouched down beside the young man, inching closer as a faint blush appeared on her face.
“Well… Ning Que, Heaven Dou City is boring.
Tonight, do you want to come with me—” “No.” Before Ning Rongrong could finish, the young man’s weak voice cut her off.
Ning Rongrong’s face stiffened.
She clenched her fist and swung it at him.
But her fist passed straight through his body and slammed into the grass, causing him no harm whatsoever.
Instead, she ended up grimacing from the pain.
“I can’t be bothered with you!
I’ll prepare everything else… Oh, right.
Don’t tell Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, or my dad.” She paused, then remembered what kind of person he was and muttered to herself, “Forget it.
That’s unnecessary.
You’d be too lazy to tell them anyway.” Ning Rongrong said this without receiving any response from the young man.
She dusted off her skirt and stood up, then glanced at the sky.
It was noon!
Definitely not the best time to sneak away.
She would have to wait until nightfall.
With that thought, Ning Rongrong gave Ning Que one last glance, a smile curling across her lips, before skipping away.
Ning Que’s eyelids twitched.
He reluctantly forced one eye open and glanced at the girl’s bouncing figure as she disappeared into the distance.
Then he closed his eyes again.
In his previous life, the rat race had been brutal.
He had worked himself to death from overwork.
In this life, he simply couldn’t bring himself to accept hard work, either physically or mentally.
All he wanted was… to lie flat.
To be a good-for-nothing salted fish.
Life was meant to be enjoyed while it lasted.
It would be a shame not to savor the present… Fortunately, he had transmigrated into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
He didn’t have to worry about most of life’s necessities.
It was the perfect place to lie flat.
The corners of Ning Que’s lips curled upward slightly.
He had spent twelve whole years doing nothing but lazing around.
Apart from eating, he could barely summon the slightest bit of interest in anything.
Come to think of it, what was he going to eat later?
“Hm?” Ning Que’s brows twitched slightly.
Someone was here.
As his soul power fluctuated, his entire body vanished without a trace.
Three seconds later, two figures quietly appeared.
They were none other than Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, whom Ning Rongrong had mentioned moments ago.
The two looked toward the direction in which Ning Rongrong had left.
Chen Xin let out a soft sigh.
“She has grown up, after all.
It’s time for her to leave home and gain some experience.” Even though neither of them wanted to let her go, for Rongrong’s future, they had no choice but to loosen their grip and let her spread her wings.
“But with that kid going along, we don’t have to worry about her safety,” Gu Rong said.
“And they can develop their relationship along the way.
Though that kid probably couldn’t care less about any of that.
Forget it.” Chen Xin and Gu Rong exchanged a glance before simultaneously turning their attention back.
They looked at the empty lawn.
“Hmph!” Chen Xin snorted.
Sword qi swept across the lawn, stirring the grass into motion.
Amid the swaying blades, a human figure gradually emerged.
As the sunlight shifted slightly, the figure that had been concealed by the play of light slowly became visible.
Ning Que appeared before the two Douluo.
“You’re always coming up with these pointless little tricks.” Gu Rong shook his head with a laugh.
Despite his words, his thoughts had already gone elsewhere.
This ability was already somewhat similar to a soul skill.
A self-created soul skill.
This boy’s talent was far beyond what they had imagined.
“Ning Que, Rongrong is your fiancée.
This time, you must protect her well.” Chen Xin’s tone was solemn.
“Given your personality, I don’t expect you to become particularly ambitious or hardworking.
But at the very least, don’t let her suffer any grievances.” “Fiancée?” Ning Que slowly raised his sleepy eyelids and looked at the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo standing before him.
When had he gotten a fiancée?
He gently shook his head.
Among his few memories, there wasn’t much of an impression regarding this.
It seemed to have happened when he awakened his martial soul… No, that didn’t seem right either.
Forget it.
It didn’t matter.
As long as it didn’t interfere with eating and sleeping, he didn’t care.
So sleepy… Faced with Ning Que’s drowsy, lethargic attitude and his apparent desire to close his eyes again, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo let out an even heavier sigh than before.
Ning Que was a collateral disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
His martial soul had mutated.
The tower of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was gone.
All that remained was a single martial soul— Light.
His innate soul power was even higher than Ning Rongrong’s.
With such talent, he was more than qualified to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect after the two of them left.
The only problem was— This kid was simply far too lazy… Whenever they tried to correct his attitude, he always managed to come up with some twisted logic.
“Someone has to be a useless person.
Why can’t it be me?” “Gold is supposed to shine, but I’m already light.” “I used to need to step out of my comfort zone.
Now, I’m working hard to expand my comfort zone.” “I’ll just sit here.
Whatever life gives me, I’ll take it.
Whatever it takes away, I’ll just watch.” “Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared.
If there’s no opportunity, then don’t bother preparing blindly.” “Instead of reflecting on yourself, why not blame someone else?” “Hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but not working hard is definitely relaxing.” And so on and so forth.
They had tried countless times to change this kid’s mindset, but in the end, nothing worked.
They could only let him grow as he pleased.
Fortunately, although this kid was lazy, he hadn’t actually wasted his talent.
His soul power level was no lower than Ning Rongrong’s.
That clearly meant this kid had been secretly cultivating.
Just somewhere they hadn’t noticed.
As for his actual combat ability, with that bizarre soul skill of his, he was practically invincible among those of the same level.
His ability to escape was top-notch as well.
There was simply no one more suitable than Ning Que to accompany Ning Rongrong.
Most importantly, Ning Que’s martial soul could even combine with Rongrong’s martial soul to perform a martial soul fusion skill!
The two of them working together would absolutely rank among the strongest martial soul fusion combinations in the world.
Whether it was the martial soul fusion skill of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo from Spirit Hall, or the Hell White Tiger formed by the Dai and Zhu families of the Star Luo Empire— On this point, they were extremely confident.
Ning Rongrong and Ning Que would undoubtedly be the strongest combination of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s next generation.
Of course, this matter was an absolute secret.
Very few people knew about it.
Just as they were thinking about this, footsteps came from nearby.
They extended their senses and discovered that it was the current First Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, His Highness Xue Qinghe, who had come to visit Ning Fengzhi for his studies today.
It seemed the two of them had a rather good relationship.
As for Rongrong leaving, Fengzhi wouldn’t hide it from Xue Qinghe without a good reason.
It was only natural that Xue Qinghe knew about it.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong exchanged a glance.
The two disappeared once again.
There was nothing else for them to worry about.
What could two men possibly do?
Not long after the two disappeared, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, arrived.
Wearing the gentle demeanor of a prince, she gave off an air that naturally inspired trust.
When she saw Ning Que lying on the grass, she suppressed the excitement that flashed through her eyes and hurried forward.
“Brother Que.” She raised a hand in greeting.
Yet Ning Que still showed no reaction.
Instead, the rhythmic sound of snoring came from him.
Qian Renxue smiled helplessly, her eyes filled with warmth.
She was well aware of Ning Que’s lazy temperament, so she hadn’t expected any response from him.
Of course, if it had been anyone else, things would have been different.
This special treatment was reserved exclusively for the person before her.
Not because he possessed innate full soul power.
Not because he was the future guardian of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
And certainly not because he was Ning Rongrong’s fiancé.
It was because… Qian Renxue closed her folding fan and gently touched her chest.
Although her disguise concealed her true appearance, she could still feel her heart beat accelerating, filled with excitement and delight.
She had consulted countless records and materials about this sensation.
In the end, she had reached a conclusion—martial soul fusion skill!
Ning Que’s martial soul could complement her own, the Six-Winged Angel, one of the most powerful martial souls in existence.
It was precisely because of this that she had developed such a strong interest in him.
Unfortunately, even after discovering this, she couldn’t test it.
She still had to conceal her identity.
She couldn’t make a move now, but that didn’t mean she would give up!
Ning Que would belong to her sooner or later!
The gentleness in Qian Renxue’s gaze deepened as she looked at Ning Que, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Besides… His appearance was quite… good, too… “…Today, the imperial chefs prepared several dishes.
The Jade-Glazed Shrimp from the Azure Sea, Nine-Turn Jade Nectar Roasted Lamb Ribs, Seven Treasure Soup of Cloudsilk Blossoms…” She hadn’t even finished speaking.
The steady snoring coming from the lawn suddenly stopped for a moment.
Immediately afterward, Ning Que’s nose twitched almost imperceptibly.
The dishes hadn’t even been brought out yet.
There wasn’t anything in the air at all, yet his nose instinctively twitched twice, as though he were sniffing out an imaginary aroma.
Ning Que’s eyes remained closed.
But Qian Renxue clearly saw his Adam’s apple move ever so slightly.
“The Jade-Glazed Shrimp is made primarily from century-old deep-sea crystal shrimp.
The meat is translucent and practically melts in your mouth.
It’s served with a secret royal sauce, sweet and refreshing with a hint of briny freshness from the sea.” Xue Qinghe slowly opened her folding fan, her voice warm and soothing like jade.
“As for the roasted lamb ribs, they’re made from jade-fat sheep raised in the far north, where they drink snowmelt water.
Only the section between the sixth and eighth ribs is used.
They’re slowly roasted over charcoal and turned nine times, with each turn brushed with a honey glaze made from nine different spices…” Gulp.
A faint sound of swallowing.
Ning Que’s eyelids finally lifted a sliver, revealing a pair of golden eyes still heavy with sleep.
“Big Brother Xue, what a coincidence.
You’re sunbathing too…” End of Chapter