Bone Douluo, confident in his strength, approached Tai Tan in a carefree manner, saying, "Old gorilla, give me some face."
Tai Tan glanced at Zuzong, wanting to say something but, with Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo present, he held back. Instead, he said, "It was just a misunderstanding. I won't pursue the matter with that kid Tang San. Since there's nothing more, I'll be leaving now."
With that, Tai Tan left with Tai Nuo, though Tai Long, as a student, stayed behind for his classes.
As Tai Tan departed, he gave Zuzong a look, and Zuzong couldn't help but smile bitterly. This time, he'd gotten himself into trouble—he'd been messing with Tang San, only for Bone Douluo to show up unexpectedly, and now the old gorilla probably suspected him due to his Blue Silver Grass spirit.
Thinking about it, Zuzong's eyes flickered coldly.
After Tai Tan left, Ning Fengzhi's Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda emitted a radiant light, enveloping Tang San and Zuzong, like ripples gently flowing into their bodies. Zuzong felt a warm sensation, soothing his body, and his damaged meridians began healing rapidly. He thought to himself, "As expected of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, this feels amazing."
In no time, the injuries caused by Bone Douluo's soul power were completely healed.
Zuzong cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Sect Master Ning."
Ning Fengzhi smiled and waved his hand, "Since you're Rongrong's friend, just call me Uncle Ning. I'd much prefer that. After all, Bone Uncle wanted to test your skills earlier, so we owe you an apology."
Zuzong's face twitched slightly. This old fox, Ning Fengzhi, was spinning things his way again. But Zuzong had to be careful, or who knows what this sly old man might do.
Zuzong said, "Since that's the case, Uncle Ning, Bone Douluo did explain beforehand that he wanted to test my strength, and I wasn't really hurt, so let's call it even."
"Hmph, you might not have been hurt, but look at what you did to my hair!" Bone Douluo grumbled.
Before Zuzong could respond, Ning Rongrong glared at Bone Douluo, prompting him to quickly change his tone, "Right, right, we're all fine. Let's keep the peace."
Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo exchanged glances before Ning Fengzhi turned to Zuzong and said, "I came here today to invite you to join our sect. We'd offer you the best treatment, and you and Rongrong would have more opportunities to interact."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's face turned red. "Dad! What are you saying? I'm not talking to you anymore."
At the same time, she kept sneaking glances at Zuzong to see how he would react.
"Uh..." Zuzong thought, Joining the sect, selling his daughter, and saying it so bluntly—definitely Ning Fengzhi's style.
But how could that happen?
In the original story, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was destroyed. Although many people managed to escape, Zuzong wasn't interested in getting involved in that mess. He also couldn't stand the corrupt nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire. Plus, didn't the ladies of the Spirit Hall seem more appealing?
His plan was simple: keep causing trouble for Tang San, then, when strong enough, deal with both him and his father, Tang Hao. As for the war Spirit Hall would launch, Zuzong had no real interest. Maybe he'd save Ning Rongrong if necessary, but that was it.
After a moment's thought, Zuzong glanced at Oscar and said, "I'm sorry, Sect Master Ning, but I'm used to living freely and can't be tied down by a sect."
Ning Fengzhi was slightly surprised. Being skilled at reading people, he immediately noticed Zuzong's brief glance at Oscar.
During this time, Ning Fengzhi had used his sect's intelligence network to gather detailed information on Zuzong, from his origins in Holy Soul Village to his time at Notting Academy and now Heaven Dou Academy.
To him, Zuzong was a commoner genius with a clean background, making him a perfect candidate for a son-in-law. Otherwise, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't have made such a generous offer, essentially proposing marriage to his daughter.
But based on Zuzong's reaction, it seemed his daughter already had someone she liked. Ning Fengzhi felt a headache coming on—things weren't going smoothly.
While Ning Fengzhi was frustrated, Oscar was overjoyed. When Ning Fengzhi had made his offer earlier, Oscar had been extremely nervous. But Zuzong's response brought him great relief—it seemed he still had a chance!
Oscar silently praised Zuzong, thinking, Zuzong really is a great friend!
Though Ning Rongrong was a bit disappointed, she was more concerned about Zuzong being put in an awkward position. She tugged on her father's hand and said, "Dad, please don't make things difficult for Zuzong."
Ning Fengzhi could only shake his head helplessly. Internally, he made a note of Oscar, before changing the subject. "Very well, I won't force you. But should you change your mind in the future, the doors of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will always be open to you."
Afterward, Ning Fengzhi and Zuzong discussed firearms. Zuzong, determined not to let Tang San benefit, agreed to supply the sect with a batch of firearms regularly. After all, in some other worlds, firearms were plentiful.
Of course, Zuzong only provided them with basic handguns and a few submachine guns. He wouldn't dare give them artillery, lest it backfire on him.
Even so, Zuzong easily made several million gold soul coins from Ning Fengzhi.
——Dividing Line——
A few days later, after finishing his sword practice, Zuzong received an invitation letter, signed by the Master of Yuexuan.
Looking at the elegant handwriting on the letter, it was clear it was written by a woman.
"Master of Yuexuan?" Zuzong wondered. Isn't that Tang Yuehua, Tang Hao's sister?
Zuzong had no ties to the Clear Sky Sect, nor had he shown her the Clear Sky Sect's token. Her invitation came out of the blue, leaving him puzzled.
"Well, I guess I'll meet this woman whose grace rivals Bibi Dong's," Zuzong thought.
At sunset, Zuzong arrived at Yuexuan as arranged.
It was a five-story building, one of the tallest in Heaven Dou City. The building exuded a sense of elegance.
The architectural style was somewhat simple, with an antique flavor. The signboard bore two words: Yuexuan.
With Tang Yuehua's invitation, Zuzong wasn't treated poorly like Tang San was in the original story. Led by a maid, he was escorted to a reception room on the second floor.
The room was simple and warm, with wooden tables and chairs, a set of purple clay teapots, and a soul guide kettle for boiling water—clearly for making tea.
Inside, besides Zuzong, there was a young man, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with long black hair tied with a green cloth ribbon. Though his attire was simple, he exuded a unique charm that instantly made people feel comfortable.
--
Check out my pa**on to read 100 advanced chapters. Link is in synopsis/description of this fic.