Ning Fengzhi and the Sword Douluo learned from Dugu Yan that Ning Rongrong had gone to Slaughter City.
"So she really went..." The Sword Douluo let out a long sigh. "Fengzhi, shouldn't you have stopped her from going to such a filthy place?"
Not long ago, Ning Rongrong had revealed her intention to go to Slaughter City.
"Do you really think we could have stopped Rongrong's decision? Were we supposed to knock her out and tie her up?" Ning Fengzhi sighed.
"If you had been firmer, maybe she would have changed her mind." The Sword Douluo's eyelids twitched.
"Impossible." Ning Fengzhi smiled bitterly. "With Tokisaki Kurumi recovered, if she and Rongrong want to leave, even the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King couldn't stop them."
"Besides, Rongrong is doing this for the sake of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
"Fengzhi!"
The Sword Douluo was visibly displeased. "Rongrong is still so young! If something happens to her in that cesspool of human depravity, do you want to bring back a bunch of Nine Treasure Glazed Pagodas?"
Ning Fengzhi: "..."
"Uncle Sword, do you really believe Rongrong's nonsense talk?" He knew Chen Xin cared about Ning Rongrong, but there was no need to take it this far!
"Sometimes, events unfold beyond human will." The Sword Douluo's expression was stern, his voice laced with worry.
"Slaughter City is the Asura God's domain! That's a god we're talking about, not some backwater savage."
"Who knows if the rules there will affect Rongrong? By the time we realize, it'll be too late."
"Judging by when Rongrong left, we can still catch up to her now." The Sword Douluo's words carried a hidden meaning.
If Ning Fengzhi agreed, he would immediately set out to intercept Rongrong before she entered Slaughter City.
With his speed, he should be able to stop her in time.
"Ah..." Ning Fengzhi slowly rose from his chair and walked toward the open windows, feeling the cool breeze against his face. After a moment of silence, he sighed.
"What reason would we use to stop her?"
"Rather than creating an unpleasant conflict later, it's better to let her go."
"Perhaps the alliance between Star Dou Forest and the Spirit Hall is also part of why Rongrong is in such a hurry."
"Fengzhi, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has multiple Title Douluos, dozens of Soul Douluos and Soul Sages. Do we really need a teenage girl to fight tooth and nail for us?"
The Sword Douluo's tone carried a hint of anger.
"Have all us grown men been living like dogs?"
Silence. Heavy silence.
Ning Fengzhi slowly turned around and looked at the Sword Douluo, whose brows were tightly furrowed. He smiled faintly.
"Rongrong... has never cared about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan itself. What she cares about are the few people within it."
"You, me, Uncle Bone, Dugu Yan, and at most Dugu Bo—that's all."
"If it weren't for the fact that we care about the clan, she wouldn't even bother with it."
"This..." The Sword Douluo was momentarily at a loss.
Ning Fengzhi reached out and wiped away the spilled tea on the table before continuing.
"Qian Renxue once mentioned Rongrong's views on the clan. Rongrong told her: 'If a clan no longer has the people I care about...'"
"'...then what's the point of its existence?'"
Ning Fengzhi patted his damp hands and looked up at the Sword Douluo, sighing.
"So, we can't stop Rongrong. Nor should we."
"Trust her. As a father, I have faith in my daughter. Even if I'm an incompetent clan leader, I at least have that much paternal love."
"Tch." The Sword Douluo shook his head helplessly. "Fengzhi, you'll regret this."
"Maybe." Ning Fengzhi didn't argue, only smiling self-deprecatingly. "Uncle Sword, I am the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—and also Ning Rongrong's father."
Achoo!
Achoo! Achoo!
Ning Rongrong, still on her way to Slaughter City, sneezed several times in succession, forcing her to pause and recover.
An Xiantian master, catching a cold?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
After eliminating all impossible options, only one answer remained—
Someone was talking about her behind her back.
Not Dugu Yan. Though Dugu Yan could be a bit airheaded at times, she wouldn't gossip about her.
The Sword Douluo? Even less likely!
Chen Xin, the Sword Douluo, was someone she deeply respected. As for Bone Douluo, he was in seclusion and completely unaware of current events.
"It's you!"
Ning Fengzhi. Yes, it had to be Ning Fengzhi's fault.
Ning Rongrong suddenly "understood."
"Ugh, I'm working so hard, doing all this for the clan!"
"And you, the clan leader, just laze around and even badmouth me behind my back? How is that fair?"
Whatever. Let him enjoy his little victory for a few more days.
Once I return in triumph, I'll drag him down from his high horse.
Grumbling to herself, the yet-to-be-officially-announced young clan leader of the Ning family used multiple spatial jumps and finally arrived at the unnamed town mentioned in the original story.
Even before entering, the air carried ghostly wails, as if she had stepped into the depths of hell.
"Impressive. Based on Douluo Dalu 2's setting..."
"This is definitely a gathering place for evil soul masters."
Ning Rongrong stopped a short distance from the town, hesitating to step inside.
"I should change my appearance. I don't want to be recognized—especially by anyone from the Clear Sky Sect. Who knows if a few of them might be lurking here?"
After steadying her breathing, her outfit began to shift, her entire body seemingly covered by a layer of pixelation.
A few seconds later, the transformation was complete.
No—rather than a simple outfit change, it was as if she had become a different person entirely.
Her voice, appearance, even the pupils of her eyes had undergone fundamental changes.
Compressing the moisture in the air, she formed a small puddle on the ground to check her reflection.
In the watery mirror, Ning Rongrong now wore a white-and-gray dress, paired with silver twin-tails that cascaded loosely, giving off a sharp, striking aura.
Most striking of all were her heterochromatic eyes—just a single glance seemed enough to mesmerize.
"Tokisaki Kurumi?!"
A vein bulged on Ning Rongrong's forehead.
Her fists clenched. Hard!
I asked you to change my appearance, not turn me into a cosplay!
And what's with this ridiculous outfit?!
"Ara ara, my dearest friend~"
"Doesn't this outfit suit you perfectly? I think it's a great match!" Kurumi's teasing voice echoed in her mind. "I may not know much about the human world, but my aesthetic sense is impeccable!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Ning Rongrong's face darkened. "What kind of look is this?!"
"It's a one-to-one replica of the White Queen, Yamada Saya!"
"Did you even consider my feelings?! I don't want to match your weird tastes!"
This damn tiger, what kind of nonsense did it dig up from my memories?!
I asked for a normal disguise, not this... this abomination!
Heterochromatic eyes, twin-tails, and a gothic lolita dress—
Wasn't this just asking to be bullied and taken advantage of?!
Especially in a place like Slaughter City!
"Too bad~ Master, you'll just have to make do." Kurumi's voice was barely suppressing laughter. "If you want to change it, you'll have to wait a month. There's a cooldown period."
"Or... you could just cancel the disguise and go in with your real appearance."
"After all—"
"Enough. I don't want to hear your excuses." Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes. "Go focus on recovering your strength. I should've known better than to expect anything from you."
"Fine~ I'll train hard and not disappoint you, Master." After a brief pause, Kurumi added, "Oh, and for the name—how about Yamada Saya? Or the White Queen?"
"Get lost."
Ning Rongrong's forehead was now covered in metaphorical black lines.
This damn tiger was definitely doing this on purpose!