Chapter 13: Strange Occurrences, An Unshakable Feeling of Personal Involvement

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Chen Xin struggled to contain the excitement in his heart. Setting Ning Rongrong down, he crouched and looked toward Wang Dong.

Wang Dong was seldom stared at so intently and felt somewhat uneasy for a moment. "You... hello?"

Chen Xin laughed at his words. "Good kid! Would you like to take me as your master? I will teach you all that I have learned in my lifetime."

At this, not only Wang Dong but even the others were momentarily stunned, not quite grasping what had just happened.

Wang Dong hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Just then, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder, and Xue Qinghe’s voice came from above.

"No need to trouble Sword Douluo. The child I rescued, I will naturally teach him myself."

A faint smile appeared on Wang Dong's lips before he murmured, "But I recall that the Crown Prince's martial soul is a swan, which is an auxiliary-type martial soul, isn't it?"

Xue Qinghe was momentarily taken aback and lowered his gaze toward Wang Dong, a gentle smile lingering on his face.

Wang Dong returned a perfectly polite smile.

He was doing it on purpose!

"Excellent! Grandpa Sword is a top-level offensive spirit master, just like Xiao Dong!" Ning Rongrong grabbed Wang Dong’s hand, her excitement evident in her joyous voice.

Wang Dong squeezed Ning Rongrong's palm and looked toward Chen Xin. "Sword Douluo..."

"Call me Grandpa Sword," Chen Xin softly interrupted.

Just as he spoke, a gentle breeze stirred, lifting the ends of Chen Xin's hair, which fluttered into Wang Dong's palm.

Compelled by some mysterious impulse, Wang Dong spoke, "Grandpa Sword." Saying it, he was surprised even by himself.

Since arriving ten thousand years ago, he had received so much kindness, even from the sharp-tongued Xue Qinghe, who silently cared for him. Hence, he had relaxed his guard somewhat.

Well, whatever...

"Grandpa Sword, thank you. As for becoming your disciple, I will think it over carefully."

"Good! Good!"

Though Wang Dong did not respond directly, Chen Xin’s repeated "good" words showed his fondness for Wang Dong.

Ning Fengzhi then spoke timely, "Uncle Sword, Qinghe, it’s getting late. We should set off soon to avoid further trouble."

Xue Qinghe nodded and patted Wang Dong’s shoulder. "Xiao Dong, I’ll leave him in your care."

Before he finished speaking, Wang Dong was already lifted into the carriage by Chen Xin and disappeared inside without looking back.

No need to see it; Xue Qinghe’s face must be very cold right now.

Suddenly, a strange sensation flashed through Wang Dong’s mind. He immediately drew back the curtain, his gaze fixed on the hand Xue Qinghe had behind his back.

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Xue Qinghe noticed his gaze and shifted his hand a little outward.

In the palm rested a small Bright Goddess butterfly, fluttering its wings.

At a glance, Wang Dong recognized it as the little butterfly he had released that day to guide the way, now carefully kept by Xue Qinghe.

A hostage, perhaps?

Wang Dong took a deep breath and smiled gently at him. "I’ve troubled the Crown Prince these past days. After this farewell, I don’t know when we will meet again. Truly..."

"Tomorrow."

What?

Wang Dong was momentarily stunned, and even Ning Fengzhi looked at Xue Qinghe in confusion.

Only to hear Xue Qinghe’s soft voice, "The guards just reported: Yun Tang Town, less than a hundred miles from Qibao City, experienced a soul beast attack today. The Martial Soul Hall has dispatched people, but something feels off. I want to investigate personally."

A soul beast attack?

Apart from the soul beasts raised within the empire, live soul beasts rarely appear within towns.

Wang Dong’s interest was piqued. He felt the incident was connected to the powerful spirit ape from that day.

Presumably, Xue Qinghe shared this suspicion. He had relocated the spirit ape to the Qibao Glazed Porcelain Sect to facilitate the investigation.

Ning Fengzhi then asked, "Any casualties?"

"Over ten injured, but no deaths. It is said a mysterious person passed by and drove the attacking soul beast away."

Wang Dong breathed a sigh of relief — fortunately, no innocent lives were lost.

Xue Qinghe noticed this gesture from the corner of his eye; unexpectedly, this child’s heart was quite kind.

Wang Dong lowered the curtain, reflecting on the soul power he sensed that day on the broken branch and the faint familiarity...

He felt all of this was somehow connected to his sudden appearance.

"Xiao Dong! Xiao Dong!"

Ning Rongrong’s voice brought him back to awareness.

Only then did Wang Dong realize the carriage had left the bounds of Tiandou City, and the other three were all staring at him.

Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin’s eyes held the affectionate concern of elders toward a younger generation.

Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, stared at him with unceasing curiosity.

Wang Dong blushed and smiled. "What’s the matter?"

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Ning Rongrong’s large eyes were filled with confusion. "Xiao Dong, do you have something on your mind?"

"Hmm?" Wang Dong didn’t understand why she asked.

"Though we are the same age, I feel you are stronger than me and think about things more deeply," Ning Rongrong murmured.

Wang Dong was taken aback. He had already tried to act like a six-year-old child, but apparently, it was still not natural enough.

A twenty-year-old soul trapped inside a six-year-old body was bound to be somewhat different.

"Maybe it’s because here, I’m the only one left."

Though spoken calmly, the others became unsettled upon hearing this.

It was the first time Wang Dong had voluntarily mentioned his family background, and it was painfully hard for them to accept.

Ning Rongrong’s eyes reddened instantly. "Xiao Dong, I’m sorry! I didn’t know your family was gone."

"Ah!" Wang Dong was puzzled. "No, they’re still alive, just in another world!"

No sooner had he said it than he sensed something was amiss.

"No... no..."

Tears streamed down Ning Rongrong’s face as she stepped forward and hugged Wang Dong tightly.

"Xiao Dong, from now on, I’m your family. I will never leave you!"

Wang Dong wanted to explain, but anything he said seemed ambiguous, so he said nothing more, only earnestly replying, "Me too!"

Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi exchanged a glance, surprised by his “tragic” background. It was truly remarkable he had grown up to this point.

Just then, a token bearing the emblem of the Qibao Glazed Porcelain Sect appeared before Wang Dong’s eyes. Looking up, he saw Ning Fengzhi’s serious expression.

"Uncle Ning..."

"Xiao Dong, the help you’ve given to our Qibao Glazed Porcelain Sect cannot be measured by this token alone. Take it. From now on, the sect is your home. You can enjoy the same cultivation resources and treatment as Rongrong."

Though Ning Fengzhi’s voice was gentle, his tone was full of care.

Wang Dong knew what he meant about the medicinal herbs. "Uncle Ning, the herbs chose you and Rongrong. I just picked them. I didn’t really help."

Ning Fengzhi seemed to have anticipated this and said, "Take it. This is our token of gratitude. Whether you use it or how you use it, that’s entirely up to you."

...

End of chapter.