Chapter 114: The Progress of the Girls
Zu Zong smiled and said, "Xiao Wu, you've become much more beautiful now."
"Really?" Xiao Wu asked doubtfully.
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up as she handed over her mirror. "Wow, Xiao Wu, I think you've grown up." Looking at her reflection, Xiao Wu's cheeks turned red with shyness, and she laughed. She was indeed much prettier now—and even there had grown a little.
"What about Zhuqing?" Zu Zong turned to her.
Zhu Zhuqing was delighted. "My spirit power had already broken through to level thirty on the way out of Soto City, but I haven't had time to obtain my spirit ring, so I don't know how much higher it can go."
Zu Zong said, "That's fine. You're the youngest among us. The energy of the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone is still settling in your body. Once you obtain your third spirit ring, gaining another six or seven levels won't be a problem."
"I also broke through from level twenty-nine to level thirty," Ning Rongrong added.
Zu Zong gave a mysterious smile. "Miss Ning, summon your martial soul. You might be in for a surprise."
Though puzzled, Ning Rongrong complied, raising her right hand. A Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared, but no—it was now a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Beneath it shone a faint golden glow, like tulip petals.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine." Zu Zong counted each layer on the pagoda.
"Nine layers, nine colors—the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda." Ning Rongrong felt her heart surge with passion. Her voice trembled. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had become nine. This was no longer the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, but the legendary Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—her father Ning Fengzhi's lifelong dream, which she herself had now achieved.
Overcome with joy, Ning Rongrong planted a kiss on Zu Zong's cheek. Under the strange looks of Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, she said, "Zu Zong, thank you, truly. My martial soul has become the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. I no longer need to fear the limits of my family's inheritance."
Zu Zong touched the spot where she had kissed him, still carrying a faint fragrance. "You're Zhuqing's friend, so you're my friend as well. Last time you even asked your clan to help me. You don't owe me anything."
"Friend, huh? I'm actually very greedy," Ning Rongrong murmured, though she did not voice the rest.
Finally, everyone looked at Ye Lingling. She was silent by nature and would not speak unless asked.
Zu Zong stepped before her. "Lingling, what about you?"
"I gained four levels, reaching level forty," Ye Lingling answered. She was pleased to advance so quickly, yet also fearful. Zu Zong had said the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma might break the fatal curse of the Nine-Heart Begonia—that only two soul masters with it could exist at once. But she was afraid of being disappointed again, that hope might turn into despair.
Biting her lip, she released her martial soul.
The Nine-Heart Begonia in her hands had changed—from nine petals to ten. She had broken free of the curse.
Tears welled up in Ye Lingling's eyes and spilled down her cheeks like pear blossoms in the rain. They were not tears of sorrow, but of overwhelming joy.
Everyone fell silent, gazing at her with pity and tenderness. Even Ning Rongrong, who had always regarded the Nine-Heart Begonia as a rival, looked at her that way.
Thus, after being nourished by immortal herbs, the five—Zu Zong, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Ning Rongrong—had all grown stronger.
Zu Zong, martial soul: Blue Silver Emperor, level forty-six.
Xiao Wu, martial soul: Soft Bone Charming Rabbit, level forty.
Zhu Zhuqing, martial soul: Nether Spirit Cat, level thirty.
Ning Rongrong, martial soul: Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, level thirty.
Ye Lingling, martial soul: Ten-Heart Begonia (this will be its name going forward), level forty.
After a short while, the five walked out of the house.
At this moment, Liu Erlong was seated at the stone table in the courtyard, quietly savoring a cup of tea.
She took a sip, then cast Zu Zong a meaningful glance. "It seems all of you have gained quite a lot. Get ready. Tomorrow I'll take you to the Sunset Forest to hunt spirit rings."
Zu Zong did not refuse. Though he could move freely within the Sunset Forest himself, bringing Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu along was a different matter. With a Soul Sage like Liu Erlong by their side, their safety would be far more secure.
"Then I'll trouble you, Aunt Erlong," Zu Zong said with a twitch at the corner of his mouth. He really felt as though he had been set up this time. Decades ago, who on earth had gone around pretending to be him and ruined Liu Erlong?
As evening drew near, Zu Zong and Zhu Zhuqing strolled hand-in-hand through Shrek Academy.
Perhaps it was fate, just as in the original story—Xiao Wu and Liu Erlong quickly became kindred spirits at first meeting, growing close as if they had known each other for years. Disinterested in women's chatter, Zu Zong suggested Zhu Zhuqing show him around the academy instead, taking the chance to nurture their bond.
As for Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, both had already been taken back by their respective sect members, eager to deliver the joyous news that their martial souls had broken their shackles.
"Zhuqing, why haven't I seen the Grandmaster around?" Zu Zong asked. He clearly remembered having tricked Yu Xiaogang into ending up pregnant.
Zhu Zhuqing's face darkened. She didn't know how to explain it properly, for Yu Xiaogang's behavior these past months had been exactly like that of an expectant mother—or rather, an expectant father. Even when traveling to Heaven Dou City, it was Dai Mubai who volunteered to escort him by carriage.
She herself hadn't seen Yu Xiaogang for quite some time. In as gentle a tone as she could manage, she said, "The Grandmaster hasn't been well these months. He mostly keeps to himself."
"Is he ill?" Zu Zong feigned confusion, though inwardly he was laughing like a pig. By his reckoning, it had already been three months.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "He eats and sleeps well enough, but he's always tired, and often nauseous and vomiting—"
Meanwhile, within a senior teacher's residence at Shrek Academy—
Yu Xiaogang, freshly bathed with Dai Mubai's attentive care, reclined quietly against the bed. Nearby, Dean Flender sat with furrowed brows.
Flender's voice turned stern. "Xiaogang, do you still refuse to tell me the truth?"
(End of Chapter)
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