"Hehe."
Qian Renxue didn't bother to refute it.
What she had done after infiltrating the Heaven Dou Empire at nine years old—she knew better than anyone.
A holy angel?
She hadn't been one since that time.
"Speaking of which, I should actually thank you." Qian Renxue's deep gaze fixed on Ning Rongrong, making her feel a little creeped out.
"You… what are you planning to do?" Ning Rongrong felt like Qian Renxue could see right through her.
In theory, that shouldn't be possible! She had even taken down the Abyss Sacred Monarch and the Tang God King.
A mere Qian Renxue—could she really pin her down?
"The two sales of the Broken Venerable Pill, and the gathering at Shrek Academy in the Balak Kingdom involving Spirit Hall, Tang Hao, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—it was all orchestrated by your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. No, it was designed by you, Ning Rongrong, right!"
"Hah?" Ning Rongrong maintained a calm expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"As the one who benefited the most, that's my basis for deduction." Seeing Ning Rongrong's struggle, Qian Renxue shook her head with a light smile.
"After Dugu Yan obtained Tang San's external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances, then later at Giant Sword Mountain, when Tang Hao questioned Spirit Hall about his wife's soul bone—I couldn't figure it out back then no matter how much I thought about it."
"Now that I think about it, that hundred-thousand-year soul bone was probably obtained by you all as well."
"And then you used the Odd Velvet Skyreach Chrysanthemum to frame Chrysanthemum Douluo."
"Ning Rongrong, you really pulled off something big!"
Qian Renxue spoke as if she were talking about something completely unrelated to herself.
Ning Rongrong's scalp went numb.
Had Qian Renxue been possessed by a front-loading washing machine? Even things from so long ago were being dug up.
"This is just your speculation. There's no evidence. Innocent until proven guilty—haven't you heard of that?"
Ning Rongrong wasn't afraid of Qian Renxue in terms of strength, but she was guilty as hell!
Back then, she had schemed against Qian Renxue's entire family—even Qian Daoliu had fallen into her calculations.
"Still struggling?" Qian Renxue smiled faintly. "Aside from an endless string of coincidences, the only ones capable of pulling this off are your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
"The probability of coincidence is very small—especially when Tang Hao's wife's soul bone was stolen at just the right moment, and the culprit was specifically pointed at our Spirit Hall."
"Eliminate all impossibilities, and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Qian Renxue paused for a moment before continuing:
"The only ones who could do something like this without being discovered, while having intimate knowledge of the Upper Three Sects, are your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
"My teacher—your father, Ning Fengzhi—is an extremely cautious man."
"He would never think of simultaneously fleecing Spirit Hall and two of the other Upper Three Sects. Even if he did think of it, the chances of him actually carrying it out are practically zero."
"For a plan like this to still be executable…"
Qian Renxue took two steps forward in quick succession. The already guilty Ning Rongrong instinctively retreated until her back hit the wall and she could go no further. Before she could speak—
"Thud!"
With a wall-slam, Ning Rongrong's right hand was pressed against the wall. Their ten fingers interlocked. Qian Renxue's left hand pinched Ning Rongrong's chin.
"The only one capable of something like this is you, Ning Rongrong!"
"Uh…"
Ning Rongrong froze completely. She had been wall-slammed? By Qian Renxue?
What's more, with a glance from Qian Renxue's peripheral vision, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were signaled to leave.
The two Rank 95 Title Douluo quietly pushed open the door and slipped out carefully, afraid of disturbing her and Qian Renxue.
Hey, hey, hey—are you serious?
Seeing that Ning Rongrong didn't speak, the corner of Qian Renxue's mouth curved up:
"Struck speechless because I got it right? The supposedly pure and innocent young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
Qian Renxue deliberately emphasized the words "pure and innocent."
Ning Rongrong: "…"
Are you sick or something!
Or did Dugu Yan spend some time with you and spill all my secrets?
Ning Rongrong's entire body turned transparent—her form shifting from solid to ethereal.
A few seconds later, she reappeared four or five meters behind Qian Renxue.
"Phew—" Ning Rongrong steadied her breathing.
Her voice took on a righteous tone: "That's right. The matter really was designed by me. There's nothing to argue about now that I've been found out."
"As expected." Qian Renxue slowly turned around, her gaze settling on Ning Rongrong once more.
"You're quite hypocritical too. Even compared to me, you're not lacking. It seems we really are the same kind of people…"
"Stop right there. I don't want to be lumped in with you." Ning Rongrong made a stopping gesture. Qian Renxue was increasingly heading in a yandere direction—was this the legendary blackening?
"Is that so? It's fine if you don't admit it." Qian Renxue gave a soft laugh. "Speaking of which, your body is quite honest."
"When it comes to this sort of thing, I know far more than Dugu Yan does, you know!"
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes at Qian Renxue. "My relationship with Dugu Yan is perfectly normal. Meanwhile, you managed to hang around with my two shameless brothers in a so-called private room, discussing official business under the identity of Xue Qinghe. You're really something."
Qian Renxue didn't refute it.
Back then, her meetings with Ning Rongrong's two older brothers—Ning Yun and Ning Tian—in a place of elegance and refinement to discuss trade between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had indeed happened.
"Your second brother is also quite pure and lovely—no, now it should be second sister."
"I'm starting to suspect that your second brother's gender change wasn't an accident—was it something you did on purpose?"
"I'm not that bored. That was a side effect after the God of Love failed to possess Ning Tian."
Ning Rongrong refuted righteously—she wasn't so idle as to help Ning Tian switch genders.
"Who knows? A certain young miss doesn't even plan to get married." Qian Renxue said pointedly.
"Yeah, yeah. Compared to your self-sufficiency, I'm still a bit lacking."
"As expected of someone who's been lurking in the Heaven Dou Empire for nearly twenty years. When you do things, you really go all out—even throwing away your own reputation."
Mutual verbal sparring—who couldn't do it? Ning Rongrong's words came loaded with knives, guns, and clubs.
"Seriously, you really are a handful." Qian Renxue shrugged and sat down to the side, not continuing the previous topic.
"This time can count as our real first formal meeting. In those previous encounters, we barely spoke much at all."
"Naturally." Ning Rongrong nodded.
Toward Qian Renxue, Ning Rongrong had always preferred to avoid her whenever possible.
A combination of ruthless, vicious, and lovesick—getting too close would only end up hurting herself.
"I always feel like you're thinking something bad about me." Qian Renxue studied Ning Rongrong. "So, what did you come to find me for?"
Ning Rongrong shrugged and spoke:
"I hope you can help me investigate the Star Luo Empire. There's an Abyss Sovereign that escaped into the Far North."
"Abyss Sovereign!" Qian Renxue's brows furrowed tightly. "Are you sure?"
"Mm. To open an Abyss passageway, a massive number of living sacrifices would definitely be required. You understand what I mean, right?" Ning Rongrong said.
"Alright. I'll help you investigate, but it will take some time." Qian Renxue had also noticed that the recent military movements in the Heaven Dou Empire were somewhat strange.
"Thank you."
"You're Teacher's daughter—helping you with some things is only normal. Besides, this concerns the safety of the people across the continent."
Qian Renxue's voice paused for a moment before she continued: "Speaking of which, the incident that happened in the Vast Sea City sea region—does it have something to do with you?"
Ning Rongrong showed surprise on her face: "Only one day has passed, and the news has spread this fast?"
"It's not what you're thinking." Qian Renxue saw Ning Rongrong's confusion and explained, "I traced it back through faith. In Vast Sea City, there are still people who believe in Spirit Hall."
"Through ordinary people or soul masters involved in the matter, I can faintly sense what's happening in the outside world."
"Ning Rongrong, tell me honestly—did someone become a god out at sea?"
Qian Renxue tapped her fingers on the tabletop as she voiced something even she herself found hard to believe.
(End of chapter)